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Tournament of Champions 2 Rematch (The game has begun)
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I will post Dostran’s leaving story later.
I can’t let Pele lose. Not like Sylva did. I’ll help her train, we’ll train hard, practicing for Kift’s transformations.
The Faerie held the flute in her hands gingerly, scared what it could do. The flute was a powerful artifact, capable of draining the life out of her enemies that heard the song. Tai knew she’d have to get the courage to use it, because if she wanted to defeat her large opponent, she’d have to win by using the flute.
Next, she pulled out her second artifact, it was golden, and radiated like Taz. Tai seemed to see Taz’s face deep within the golden light.
“Good night Tai,” The Faerie sighed, “I have a big day tomorrow.”
Tai and Pele woke up early the next morning to train for their upcoming battles. Tai made Pele practice strengthening her fiery illusions while she attempted to destroy them.
“I know it’s tough Pele,” Tai called, “But I know you can do it!”
“How will my Illusions help me defeat Kift though?” Pele asked while struggling to create another illusion.
“It’s easy,” Tai said, “You just need to create illusions before Kift can transform into you! Then you can launch flames at Kift and burn the shapeshifter.”
Finally, Pele conjured an illusion that towered over the both of them. A large bear was formed. It thrust a fiery claw at Tai, which she dodged. Tai threw combinations of Red and Black powder, causing explosions inside the illusion. One of the bear’s legs exploded, but the fire was quickly replenished with more flames that Pele produced.
“That’s how you do it!” Tai said encouragingly.
Tai’s bag was much lighter, as there was not much powder left inside, so she tried a different strategy. Tai dove into the dirty water, where the fire couldn’t reach her. It was very murky, but Tai was well aware where Pele was. Some of the fire touched the water, causing that part of the illusion to vaporize, but it made the water boiling hot.
Tai burst out of the water only to be greeted by flames. Tai was ready for this. Tai had filled her pouch with water, but extracted the healing powder. She threw the water at both Pele and the illusion. Pele instantly fell asleep because of the sleeping powder, and the illusion exploded. Tai tried to dodge the fireballs the were let loose from the explosion. After dodging seven of them, one caught her in her wing and shoved her into the boiling water.
Onara went over to Tai and took the healing powder she had previously taken out of her pouch before she sprayed the water and sprinkled some on her, then she did the same for Pele.
“Wow!” Tai said, “I know you’ll be able to defeat Kift, no doubt.”
Tai flew out of the murky tunnel to shower and make new powder.
________________
After making the powder, she looked at the sun setting. Tai thought about Dante, Ashoka, Taz, and most importantly, Sylva.
Oh Sylva, I hope you are well. I hope you received my note earlier. I really haven’t forgotten you.
@DoctorFro - Does Koorir amaze the crowd, or does the crowd amaze him? Remember that the tournament has been held in Legorna for 16 times with countless otherworldly contestants before this one. If Koorir simply walks around, they might not be too amazed!
@shadow123 - To which arena did Tai lead Pele? The arena will only be revealed to everyone approximately 2-3 hours before the start of the match!
The wind was making the leaves of the Trogon forest dance as Braekun walked back towards Legorna among watchmen, spectators and others. He held his axe before him in his right hand as he looked at it. He never got to use it really in the fight, he did not use any force really at all yet he won. It was strange for him to win a match like that.
Maybe that was what brother Harkaran meant.
Braekun thought back in his memories, back to Anigrima when he was just a small cub.
Braekun was punching and biting in desperation and anger the dead carcass of a prime warg. A group of adult warrior bears stood around him. Some were laughing at the small aggressive bear. Braekun continued to punch and bite the warg for a little while until he backed off tired and tearful eyes. One of the bears, the largest and strongest stepped forward towards the warg body. He grabbed an axe that was buried deep in the skull of the warg and pulled it out. The large bear put his hand on the young Braekun's shoulder.
"Why are you in such hurry to grow up?" The bear said.
Braekun tried to wipe his tears. "Great brother Harkaran, I wanted to show that I can also be strong and brave, that I am not a weak coward."
"Who said that?" Harkaran asked.
"Brigg said that I was weak and would never grow strong. That I should bury myself in the snow until the clan needs a new fire huger, which they never will."
(Fire huger - Someone that only sits at a fire and cannot keep themselves warm. A useless coward and weak fool. Fire huger is considered a serious insult among the bear clans)
"Don't listen to what she says. She is old and grumpy that she could never become a great sister or great mother as she always wanted." Harkaran said.
"Not only she thinks I am weak, many of the other young girls thinks so as well. I wanted to prove them wrong so I came here. I wanted to bring home a warg that I killed to show them but I could not even do that." Braekun said as he began to cry again.
Harkaran looked up pass the warg body. Around it were a dozen other warg bodies.
"Not many would have been brave enough to seek out a warg, specially a pack, but you did so. I think you are one of the bravest. Even more so than many of us. And don't think that you are weak. You are still small. You will grow and become stronger and stronger. I believe that you will become stronger than all of us one day." Harkaran said.
"You really think so." Braekun said as a glimmer of hope began to burn in his eyes.
"I am not the great brother for nothing. Just be patient and you will be given an opportunity to show your strength and courage to those that doubted you." Harakaran said and then he held the axe before him to Braekun.
Braekun took the axe slowly with both hands. He then looked at Harkaran and the other bears who most smiled towards him. "I will, great brother Harkaran."
He looked upon the axe again as he stopped remembering and came back to the forest.
Braekun smiled greatly with the axe in his hand as he continued on the forest path.
That night when Braekun was about to go to sleep, his mind was filled with memories. The memories was forcing themselves into his head so he was unable to think. It was as if his memories tried to tell him something but were unable to so they filled his head instead. The memories that consisted mostly of his time as young flashed quickly in his mind as they successively began to move forward in time. Braekun held his head in his hands as if he had an headache even though he did not. The memories of images, voices, sounds, smells and feelings kept him from sleeping. Braekun did not understand what was happening to him. He had to calm his mind somehow so he stepped out of his bed and went outside. He walked out of the residential house where guards were speaking to each other. Their voices disturbed Breakun as he was already overwhelmed by memories. He walked further away but there were people almost everywhere and he just wanted to be alone. So he began to walk and run slightly out from Legorna towards Trogon forest. When he had come halfway he felt the presence of someone following him. He looked back quickly and notices someone riding after him on a distance. It looked like one of the watchmen.
Braekun began to run into the forest. He felt angry and confused so he wanted to just be alone. The watchman was still following him for a while. After some time Braekun slowed down. He believed he had shaken off the watchman. He was breathing heavily as he walked through the forest. He tried to think calm thoughts but the memories were still overwhelming him as earlier. They had changed though. images of him as an adult flashed through his mind. His hunts, his fights. The memories of the valkyrie and the young girl Valeri flashed before him. Something was wrong. He could not remember her face? He could not remember her voice. She just sat there beside him, treating his wounds. Braekun was walking with his eyes closed as he tried to remember her voice. He moved passed the trees which he felt for with his hands. After a while he began to hear a mumbling of her voice. She said something over and over.
Her face began to clear up more and more. Something was strange with her. Braekun could still not see what. As he walked her voice and face became clearer and clearer but Braekun become colder. Or was it the air? For a moment it felt nice, like home. But soon later it became an ill feeling cold. Braekun let his hands guide him past the trees as he walked forward. Then he stopped walking as in almost at an instant it all became clear. Her face was clear as the clearest of memories. Braekun was afraid. Valeria was crying and she repeatedly said. "Forgive me everyone. I was not ready. I was not strong enough. Forgive me."
Braekun now stood up and they were no longer in the human camp. Braekun looked behind himself in fear. He stared upon a huge white city in flames. Thousands of screams where echoing and in the air fell millions of feathers, burning and blood covered feathers.
This memory was not his own. What memory is it? Valeri's voice echoed through over the screams in his ears. "Forgive me everyone. I was not ready. I was not strong enough. Forgive me." Braekun turned around towards her again. He was about to walk towards her but he began to feel weak. He felt a huge pain in his heart. He looked down and saw his chest bleeding. His white fur turned red and he fell onto the snow beneath him. Everything around him disappeared. The city, the feathers, the screams and finally Valeri. All memories were now gone and his head was clear but empty.
Braekun opened his eyes. His hand was held against a tree that looked dead. It was grey and ashen as if it had been burnt and just beneath his hand was a large wound. As if a huge monster had slashed the tree long ago. He looked forward and saw more trees that also were burnt and harmed. Did them have anything to do with his memories? Braekun tried to remember something, anything. Somehow he could not remember anything. No memories came before him. Braekun thus began to walk forward and follow the tracks. He walked for a moment through newly grown and dense bushes. Since he did not see past the bushes he walked straight through them and then suddenly the ground disappeared before him and he fell down a cliff. He fell onto the ground and fainted. As he lied there he soon began to dream.
The warrior from a bear clan in the frozen continent of Anigrima had met a young cleric girl named Valeri whom where searching for the ancient city of the first mankind. The city of the valkyries, Englahem. Braekun saw an opportunity in this to seek battle vigor and wisdom which he needed to become a great warrior and maybe even more.
Braekun and Valeri had in the beginning been in the company of the humans from the camp but they split up after a little more than a week when they came to the great forest of Anigrima and the last place where plants and trees could survive the cold. From there on the land was barren of the cold and frost.
They put up camp inside the forest during the last night. A pack of hungry wolves had found the camp but where scared away without too much trouble.
However at the moment they leave the forest the following day their eventual opposition will consist of far more dangerous creatures than wolves. In the heart of Anigrima resides giants, dragons, elementals, golems and of course the valkyries, and those closer to Englahem tends to be less friendly towards strangers.
The following day, Braekun and Valeri were wished good luck on their journey by the other humans. Braekun was still confused why they trusted him, a bear of Anigrima to guide and protect this young girl. Bears attacking humans were not the rarest of things that could happen but Valeri did not seem to worry, not even a little. When he thought about it. There were other strange things about this girl. She did not seem to be hurt or even much burden by the cold nor was the afraid of the monsters. Maybe she was just great with a lot of protecting spells from both creatures and frost he thought.
The two traveled for days and weeks, across frozen lakes and mountains made entirely of ice. The cold became more and more intensive for each day as they made their way further north. It even became so cold that Braekun himself begun to feel the cold as unpleasant. Yet, even then Valeri was not bothered by it. Some days they had to remain hidden in caves and temporary snow structures to avoid being seen by the frost giants and other beasts. They had not yet seen any valkyries, at least not anyone that resided in Englahem.
They had traveled further north than any animal now. The provisions began to run thin, mostly because of Braekun. The weather was for the most part very calm, almost dead. At a few occasions a deadly blizzard would appear which forced the two to hide. Not even Braekun would be able to survive these blizzards for a longer time. He did however not know if Valeri would be able to. She had not even once been bothered by the cold even though the temperature must have reached as low as 80 or even 90 degrees Celsius minus during the day here. During the night the temperature could even go beneath a hundred. Braekun sat and chuckled in the temporal quinzee. Valeri looked at him with question in her expression.
"When I was younger I dreamed of sometime in my life travel to the heart of Anigrima where Helgnir sleeps. Great mother told me that it was beyond foolish as the temperature of Helgnir's death breath could reach temperatures so low as 250 degrees minus. Maybe even colder. I thought I was impermeable to all kinds of cold. Yet here I sit, covering from a cold far warmer than that."
He looked at Valeri. He asked her how she could be able to resist such extreme cold without a very very thick fur coat. Did she channel a powerful spell of warmth within herself? She looked into the fire before she answered.
"I simply don't get cold."she said with the fire mirrored in her eyes.
Braekun nodded with a gentle yet a little foolish gesture before he went to sleep.
The morning thereafter Braekun woke up to the sound of wing slaps. He quickly went outside of the quinzee to search for the source. He looked around at the clear blue and yellow sky. Then he saw it. A valkyrie that flew on the other side of a large hill and then behind a mountain. Braekun ran up the hill and halfway up the mountain. When he came beside the cliff, in the distance he saw it. The city of the valkyries, Englahem. Braekun became so eager to run there that he almost forgot about Valeri. He turned around down the mountain and as he came down the hill he stopped. He became shocked when he looked back towards the quinzee. It had collapsed.
Further at the side he saw Valeri trying to defend herself against three ice trolls. Braekun ran as fast as he could towards them. Why had he left her alone? He had been stupid and felt to his eagerness. He ran faster as a fire began to burn within him. A fury and desire to protect this girl he had been with for the last month. He ran on all his four and when he reached the trolls he took his axe high and cleaved straight through the first one. The other two turned towards him. Braekun took his claw and hit the left troll with such force that he broke its neck and Rib bones. The left one jumped onto Braekun slashing his head. Braekun, full with fury managed to take a hold of the troll and throw it down. Braekun took a large bite at the trolls neck causing it to bleed heavily. It died within seconds.
He ran to Valeri who lied down in the snow. He took her up but was surprised. She did not have a single wound on her body. She was completely unharmed. Braekun did not understand how it was possible but he was just happy to see Valeri unharmed. He begged her for forgiveness for his foolishness, which she did. Breakun was very happy.
They gathered their stuff and then proceeded towards Englahem.
A fire now burned within Braekun. He had found the vigor to fight with. Now he just lacked wisdom.
As she is digging through her things, she pulls out a half broken sheathed sword,. She... didn't remember why she had it, she knew it was important
but
"Why?" She asked herself, the words leaving a slight echo in the relatively empty room, she unsheathed it and it was glowing slightly, more than if the sun was shining on it but less than if it was enchanted to shine. It also had 3 runes etched into the handle the lines descended down under her hand. There's a glint in her eyes similar to the swords luster. She sheaths it and puts it at her side, the weight pulls her down a bit, but she runs out the door all the same.
She escapes into the sewers with the sword, twisting through the tunnels. Once she gets to a damp area, she unsheathed the sword. The sword gives a faint glow, but doesn't light much up. She lights her swordless hand with flames and swings the sword, but it slips out of her hand, hits the wall and falls into some grimy sewer water.
She picks the sword out of the water and holds her flaming hand up to it to dry, as the flame hits the sword, her arm erupts in to flame and onto the sword. She drops it in surprise and it falls to the floor, flames forming the end of the sword. The sword continues burning on the floor, one of the three runes is glowing red, after a minute or two, the flames die down and the sword is once again, just a half broken sword.
She sighed, she still couldn't remember why or where she got the sword. She also wondered what the runes meant, she figured the one that lit up had something to do with fire, but the other two? Maybe she should ask a professional, but she should probably keep it a secret until her match, rumors about magic swords aren't the best to spread around.
She set the sword on the ground and let it burn out, she then picked it up and sheathed it. By the time she left the sewers, the sun was setting and she realized how hungry and tired she was. She grabbed some food, washed up a bit and fell asleep as soon as she crashed into bed.
"Hello?"
"Are you alive?"
Braekun was slowly waking up. Someone was poking him with a stick while speaking to him. It sounded like a young woman or older girl. First he thought it was Valeria but he realized that the voice was different and it kind of echoed. Braekun beside sore was also feeling very cold, a bad freezing feeling. He woke up in haste and grabbed his axe that was beside him in the grass. He turned towards the person and saw a teenage girl with a stick in her hand. She looked at him with dark eyes and her skin was pale, almost grey.
Braekun had a very bad feeling about the girl. He raised his axe in both hands as he began to spoke.
"Who are you? What do you want?" he said with an almost threatening voice.
"You don't need to be afraid, bear." She said with a smile.
"I am not afraid, but I don't like the feelings you give me" Braekun said interrupting the girl.
"You're white, like a ghost. Are you a ghost?" she asked while crawling a little closer to Braekun.
"Wha.. what? A ghost? Of course I am not a ghost! What do you want? Who are you?" Braekun became both confused and angry.
"I can't help you, bear. I can't ease your pain nor your fear. Neither can them."
She said while moving her hands around in the grass.
Braekun looked at her and then into the dark forest where a shadow was moving.
"What was you name?" the girl now asked.
Braekun looked back at the strange girl. She felt so threatening but she appeared so innocent. "Braekun" he said.
"Nice to meet you, Braekun. My name is Chastity.
My sisters must be looking for me by now so I must go. I hope we see each other again. Otherwise, rest peacefully." the girl said.
As Braekun was about to answer, the shadow in the forest now moved again so he looked away towards it. He then looked back to the girl but now she was completely gone. Braekun looked at the shadow but it was also gone now. He was still sore and exhausted from earlier so he walked to the cliff side where he sat down. Before long he had fallen asleep.
When Braekun woke up again the sun was shining over the forest top. The birds of the forest was singing as usual. "I should probably make my way back" he thought as he stood up and began to walk back to Legorna.
Pele was walking through the streets of Legorna as the city bathed in the morning sun's warm rays. The sound of seagulls, ocean waves, and the awakening city surrounded her as she walked from her residential house all the way to the library's front doors. Once she opened the large wooden doors and stepped inside the building while the doors slowly closed behind her, the noise outside muffled. Pele yawned, then she walked through the vestibule to the main hall, where she could see a few scholars carrying or reading books next to the library's various shelves. The young pyromancer walked to a certain reading corner, where she could see a black-haired faerie at a wooden table, reading a scroll while sitting on top of a pile of books. The faerie noticed the pyromancer when she sat down at the opposite side of the table.
"Oh, hi Pele!"
"Morning, Tai," Pele said while she wiped her tired, closed eyes with her fingers. Tai didn't seem sleepy at all, though. She kept reading the scroll with a curious look in her eyes.
"What are you reading? Did you find the thing you've been looking for?"
"Nope," Tai sighed. "But I picked up this scroll on my way here which some scholar had dropped as they were carrying other scrolls somewhere. It contains the names and information of this world's gods. I've wanted to know for a while now what kind of beings these people sing for."
"I'm not looking for information about gods right now," Pele said while yawning. "I came here in hopes of finding a book about the efreeti or something that could help me prepare for my fight against Kift."
"But we've trained hard for days, Pele."
"It may not be enough," Pele said even though she had not forgotten her sword. "Kift could have been training somewhere as well, or observed our training sessions while being transformed into something small and unnoticeable. You remember how easily he defeated Mettir when the tournament was hosted in Eternstor? Or how quickly he transformed into Mettir?"
Tai closed the scroll and scratched the back of her head with her left hand. "Maybe we could bring something to your arena beforehand? Something that could greatly help you in your match?"
"And what would that be? There's only a few hours left, and we still don't know where the fourth match will be held."
"In Sirkonda," someone said next to the two contestants. Tai and Pele turned their heads and saw a long-eared scholar, who was putting some large books to a shelf. They didn't hear the man's arrival, maybe because of the countless mats of the library that prevented the sound of light footsteps.
"In where?"
Pele asked as she and Tai stared at the scholar while trying to remember why he seemed familiar. The elf turned towards the girls while still holding one of the books in his hands.
"In the third arena, the abandoned town nearby Legorna. We decided it would be the best place for two fire conjurers to face each other."
"'We decided?' Then you're--"
"My name is Fedron, a scholar and a tournament host here in Legorna. You two must be Tai and Pele, the young contestants who have trained hard since the day you arrived here. I'm pleased to finally meet you face to face."
"I thought the elves of Eviera only resided in the Blue Forest," Tai said as she joined the conversation.
"Most of us, yes, but very few like myself are here in Legorna. Yet we rather remain hidden and unnoticed in case the wrong people would find out about us."
"Champion Jessica told about your history on our way to Legorna," Tai said. "She disappeared into the forest soon after, and we haven't heard of her since."
"Yes," Pele said as she remembered the night in Caerul Vicun. "A raven with red mantra lured her away, and almost me as well."
"Jessica is one of the most powerful champions of Friyena, you don't need to worry about her. Now, I believe each one of us have things to do before the start of the match. Let us talk another time, Tai and Pele."
Fedron shook each contestant's hand before walking away. Few seconds later, the girls could faintly hear the announcer's voice outside.
( @pjbear2005 & @Faiths_Guide )
"The match between Pele the pyromancer and Kift the efreet will be held at the abandoned town in three hours!"
Tai kept reading the scroll while Pele looked around the books of the library.
Lisakdonians believe there are only four gods. However, there are actually six, or more likely, they once were six.
Friyena
The holder of the grail, the goddess of warriors, battle, love, and compassion.
Friyena is considered to be the most powerful of the gods and highest in the hierarchy of Lisakdonia. Every year a tournament is arranged in honor for Friyena, Her knights and Her champions for their deeds against the enemies of the kingdom. Knights and soldiers sing to Frieyna to watch over them as they prepare for war.
Friyena is a hero of the people of Lisakdonia as She saved the city of Crastine from Margeficus Akon, a monster resembling a dragon and the greatest Akon to have ever traveled the world. To compare them is misleading though as the Margeficus has killed more people than the other hundred or so Akons combined.
Terrodus
The watcher of the abyssal gate, holder of the key, the god of death and dark essence.
Terrodus was once a god of death as He guided dead people's souls to the afterlife, where they would later be reborn back to Avelaide. He has however in the later thousands of years picked up the duty to guard the gate of the abyss since the great failure.
Just as Friyena, Terrodus has his own chosen knights. Most of these are abyss seekers that seek up wounds created by the abyss and prevent them from spreading to untainted lands. After that they begin to treat it, a process that might take weeks or even months if the wound is large enough.
Levirga
The bringer of harvest, the goddess of life, white essence, life, and fertility.
Levirga is one of the oldest gods, and She provides the world life and fertile soil. She is also the god that blesses fertilization and is the most important god to young couples. Levirga is considered by many to be the god of Legorna because of the fertile lands and animals in there. Trogon is said to be one of Ser homes in Eviera. People sing to Levirga at the beginning of the harvest season to show their gratitude.
Keralda
The master of the harp, the singing goddess, the goddess of song, harmony and peace.
Keralda is the youngest of the gods, and is easily considered to be one the most loved of the them because of what She has ever done for the people. Keralda brings peace to people in tragedy. People in sorrow and broken souls seek Keralda so that their souls can be given peace and they can once again live in harmony. Similar to Friyena and Levirga, Keralda loves to hear the people sing and dance so they tend to do it for Her even when they are not in need. As people sing and dance for Her, She sings and dances for the people.
Decaotus
The bringer of truth, the god of loyalty, honor and dignity. The traitor god.
Decaotus was once a god that acclaimed men and women that fought for their families and loved ones. A god that praised people to be loyal and true to each other. Decaotus was thought to be the lover of Frieyna until He betrayed Her, the other gods, and all of Lisakdonia by venturing to the land of Stelladora, the enemy of Lisakdonia. It's believed that He is the reason of the Margeficus attack and thus the one behind the war between the realms.
The Abyssal God
There is not much known about this god except that He was the first of them all and a protector of the world. Only the greatest of scholars and the gods even know his name.
He is not praised except by a very few handful of priests. A few ones that tries to control the abyss.
Thousands of years ago this god saw a vision of demons, monsters or beasts not from this world. Beings that would render the Akons as weak and insignificant. Beings so tall that they would cover whole cities in darkness as they travel the world and consume everything living. Three beings that would consume Avelaide and leave only a wasteland behind.
In a desire to protect the world, He tried to conquer and control this worlds strongest source of power; the abyss. To turn it into a weapon against these monsters if they ever entered Avelaide. But as He got more and more power over the abyss, the abyss also got more power over Him, and in the end, it took over and consumed Him. As He lost control of the abyss, it was released upon the world. The other gods managed to trap the abyss in what was earlier the gate to the afterlife.
He became trapped in the abyss to be tormented for eternity. Robbed by both His life and death. The abyss had been realized from its initial state and now seeks to destroy. Just like the abyss let tormented souls back into the world as Akons and other beasts, it is believed that this god will also return. As the abyssal avatar.
As Septhis.