Evangeline's eyes flutter open, the vast expansion of the ocean was bestowed in front of her. Startled she jumps up and looks around noticing that she's on a beach and others are strewn across it.
"Is this a dream?" Evangeline contemplates and she wanders the beach. The last place she remembered being was an inn heading to her room for the night after a job well done escorting a caravan.
Everything felt too real to be a dream, the smell of the ocean, the texture of the sand, it was all too real. "Hey!" an unrecognizable voice yells from behind her. She turns around to see a boy who looked about twenty running over to her. He was clearly Thanati due to his dark skin and his white hair.
"It's so good to see another person awake here! I'm Bahn!" He looks her over quickly then takes a step back with a panicked face. "Wait are you undead? Are we all getting turned into zombies?!"
"I doubt it...I've been undead for a few years now." With that Bahn relaxes and comes forward again.
"So what's your name?" He asks while extending his hand out.
"Evangeline." She replies while shaking his hand.
Kinn opened his eyes with a groan, his head ached. He shook his head and sat up. "What the-?"
Why was he on a beach? The last thing he remembered was sitting in his chair at his home. He ad been reading, and very tired, he had started to doze. . . When he appeared here.
He put his hand on his head, was he hallucinating? But it was too real. The beach, the rush of the water. He looked around and noticed with a start that there were people lying all around him. He saw them breathing, good, they were alive. He scrambled to his feet. He saw two people standing on the other side of the unconscious people.
He made his way towards them. A woman and a young man. "Do you have any idea what happened here?" he asked as he approached. "Why are we here?"
The ocean flowed in calm currents around a small body, no taller than three and a half feet at the most. Long golden-blonde hair stirred lazily around ivory-colored skin, as the person lay there unconscious, her bow and quiver of arrows beside her. Finally, the fairy elf hybrid opened her eyes then, as silver-gray orbs met that of white sparkling sand underneath her.
Confused, Nemeril sat up then, before she coughed up sand and seawater from her lungs, expelling it all out of her system. Hacking a final time, she wiped her mouth with a pale hand and looked around whilst grabbing her bow and quiver from beside her. The last thing she remembered was practicing her archery back at home but it wasn't this close to the ocean. She had stopped to take a break underneath a palm tree and closed her eyes briefly when she had ended up here. There was a blankness in her memory banks she couldn't fill in though. How she got from there to here was a mystery, as when Nemeril looked around, the surroundings were not familiar despite it being an island just like Yoreiq. But it wasn't the same island. She could tell that at least.
Standing up, she checked her side for her elven blade and throwing knives, finding them there safely sheathed. Well that was a relief as well. Now to find out just where she was. Seeing three people standing over in one area talking, she made to head over to them. One of them looked strange to her eyes, with gray rotted flesh as though the woman wasn't entirely alive. She was still some ways away from them but quickened her pace to meet up with them and find out just what exactly was going on. Several people of different races and cultures also lay on the beach, and she checked their pulses briefly to ensure they were still breathing which they were. Good.
Soon, Nemeril reached the group. "Hi, not sure what's going on here, does anyone here know?"
All these questions being through into the air, all these people approaching within her presents, this could be it. This could be the chance she's yearned for...a chance to find a purpose.
Directing her attention back to the people. "If you have any questions I'm afraid I can't answer I believe we are all in a mutual predicament."
Meanwhile Bahn sheepishly scratches his head. "Wow I've never met such a diverse group! I mean I've never left Kunata so getting to know you all will be quite the experience!"
Evangeline became quite inattentive to Bahn's rabble and decided to peer into the lush forest behind them. That's when something caught her eye, what looked like a masked and robed figure darted across the forest floor.
Nemeril also caught sight of the strange robed figure. Before the person dashed off into the trees, she saw cold green eyes hidden behind a black mask that covered half of his face, chin covered in thick stubble as the beginnings of a beard started to grow. The man turned his head then and promptly disappeared behind some bushes. His footsteps seemed to stop abruptly as though he had vanished entirely. Either he was no longer there having disappeared by magical means, or he was floating above the ground. Likely it was the former as he couldn't still be there, for Nemeril had sharp hearing being of both fairy and elven heritage.
Frowning, she alerted the others to what she had seen. "There was someone there by the trees. Watching us. But he's no longer there."
The archer turned her gaze back to the small wooded area, trying to catch a glimpse of anything or anyone else out of the ordinary.
Terenas slowly began to regain consciousness, everything going from black to a fuzzy image of reality. Although as his eyes began to readjust he realized this wasn't the reality he knew. He found himself leaning up against a palm tree on the edge of a long beach. Last he remembered he was drinking in the guild hall. Though there have been times in the past where alcohol had gotten him into trouble, he doubted it got him stuck on an island.
As he pushed himself to his feet his armor clanked, assuring it was all still there and functional. He could feel the weight of Dragonsbane on his back and knowing he had all his belongings he finally began to actually analyze his situation. There were many other people on the beach, some who were still unconscious and others who were just waking or had been awake for a while now. Most noticeably there was a group of four people all standing together. It appears that they were the first to regain their senses and Terenas decided he should go over to see if they had discovered anything important.
When he got near the group, he smiled at them and called out to them. "Hello! I suppose you are all as confused about this whole situation as I am?"
"I saw him too." Evangeline blandly replies. Another person entered the group clueless like the rest of them
A sharp pain suddenly sears through her head. "Welcome combatants to my tournament!" A strange voice rings inside her mind. "Everyone head to the center of the island where you will find the arena. I have guards making sure that you can not escape this fate."
If anyone wasn't awake them they are now. Apparently the voice entered all their minds.
The intrusion in her mind was definitely unexpected. Nemeril rubbed her temples to assuage the pain of it before she looked back to the others. All around them others were getting up, some looking bewildered, while two more people headed toward the small group, obvious questioning expressions on their features. One was a dwarf whom wielded a sharp axe at his side, his brown beard encrusted with bread crumbs no doubt from an earlier meal before he arrived here. The second was a female elf with pale skin, but not the same shade as Nemeril's own skin tone. The elf looked like some kind of mage, if the staff she carried was any indication.
"I suppose we'd better go where they said to." Nemeril said, adjusting the bow on her back. "Maybe then we can find our answers."
Kinn's eyes widened as the voice entered his head. "Do what it says?" he exclaimed. "we could be going to our deaths!"
And though he said that, he knew they would have to follow the voice's orders, who knew exactly how powerful it was? It was possible it could kill them all with simply a thought. "Okay," Kinn said, sighing. "Let's go."
People began heading to the center when Evangeline noticed Bahn's hesitance "Orders are orders, it is not our place to defy them." She recites her father's words to him. He looks at her with fear dancing within his eyes.
"B-but we could die...the only thing close to fighting I've done is hunt with my sling." He notions to the sling tied to his hip."
"It will be alright, I will be your bodyguard." Bahn's face then eased into relaxation.
"Really?! You look strong so I'm sure I'll be safe under your protection!"
"You will I promise, now lets head to that arena."
The voice came as somewhat of a shock, but then again weirder things have happened to Terenas in the past. Everyone else seemed to be in favor of going to the center of the island. That's what Terenas liked to see in the people he surrounded himself with. The spirit of adventure! "To the center of the island it is, then!" He added as he began walking to catch up to the group ahead of him.
Kinn looked over at the amber-eyed man who had now approached the group. He was tall and wearing armor, he had a large greatsword as well, and Kinn assumed he knew how to use it.
"You seem very eager," Kinn said, raising a thin eyebrow at the man. "We could be all going to our deaths, you know."
As he said this Kinn was racking through his brain all of the spells he might need. Fire spells? Air? Water? Light? Well, whatever situation arose, he would hopefully have something to defend himself with.
Making sure her bow was positioned neatly across her back, Nemeril followed the rest to the center of the island. The iron of the black-haired human male's white and gold armor and greatsword, as well as Evangeline's chains attached to her wrists were making the archer feel a bit on the queasy side but it wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with before. Taking a few deep breaths and distancing herself a little from them, she instantly felt better and moved her feet forward on the white sand that crunched underneath. The voice had silenced and the fairy/elf got the eerie feeling it knew they had complied with its wishes.
It was a bit of a walk as the island was bigger than it had first looked. Engaging in small talk to pass the time and ease any tension, Nemeril spoke to the man with flowing silver robes and violet eyes. "So, what do you think awaits us where we're going? The voice after all did say 'tournament'."
A white seagull flew overhead as it passed over the island, letting out a shrill bird cry. Palm trees were located in plentiful supply in this area. Overall, the scenery was quite nice and Nemeril was rather enjoying it. Nature always made her feel happy and serene.
Kinn jumped as the woman approached, he had still been deep in thought about what spells he might need, after all, who knew what lay at the end of their walk through the jungle.
"What? Oh, um, I don't really know," he said to the woman. "Some kind of contest? A competition? Maybe we have to defeat some monster or demon or something." He shook his head. "Whatever it is, I would like to know who brought us here, and why. For their personal entertainment? For help? Who knows."
Nemeril nodded. "All good questions. But the only way to really find out is to go forward and see for ourselves."
Tucking a strand of golden-blonde hair behind one pointed ear, she turned her head to look back at him. "My name is Nemeril. What's yours?"
The prospect of competing in a tournament was exciting to say the least. It had been far too long since Nemeril had done so. She was eager to do so again.
Kinn looked sideways at the woman, Nemeril, could he trust her? Despite not being the most street-wise in general, Kinn was not very trusting, not at first, at least.
Finnally, he decided that telling her his real name could not be to horrible, after all, they were both stuck on an island together.
"Kinn, Kinn Dice," he said, half smiling at her.
"It's nice to meet you Kinn." Nemeril smiled before turning her attention back to the front. "Whatever this competition is should be interesting, I should say. I just hope I have enough arrows on me."
It seems they had a ways to go still. The tree cover grew thicker as they moved onward, and once again Nemeril thought she spotted the same figure from before. She wondered who he was, if he was the head of this obvious setup or someone else tasked to keep an eye on them. Making sure they didn't try to escape. It all did sound very sinister but there was nothing for it at this time.
So walk on they did. To whatever awaited in the distance.
The group continued to journey towards the arena and Bahn kept close to Evangeline's side. Eventually a grand towering structure came into view.
"I see you've made it to the arena...good. There is a gate near by, enter through there and become a champion, of the Grand Tournament!" The voice rings in her head again and she could tell Bahn heard it too.
It was strange though it was almost like the voice would set off once they became close enough to the arena.
It was all very mysterious, Nemeril decided. The large tower structure came into view, it being carved from a combination of stone and brass, the large gate also being made of brass but with wooden hinges. She looked around for the source of the voice but did not see anyone at this time. They would have to go through the gate obviously to find out anything more.
A couple guards adorned in heavy plate mail and helmets stood on each side of the gate bearing halberds, and once again Nemeril felt the familiar nausea take hold as she walked passed them through the gate to wherever it would lead, as their armor clearly had iron pieces in it. Feeling bold and adventurous she stepped through and looked around at the arena then. It was definitely a big one, the perimeter of it encircled by a thick grey stone wall.
Once again, the archer looked around for this strange Grand Master who had likely been the one who brought them all here. Nemeril also looked back toward the group she had traveled with as they too went through the gate.
Terenas entered the arena with the rest of the group and looked around. The guards didn't bother him. It was normal for someone to want to protect their land, which in this case happened to be a giant arena. However if the arena was indicative of a fight, he wondered what they actually got themselves in to.
He could feel his greatsword still on his back and he was wearing his magic armor, so he felt comfortable that he could protect himself if need be. It was the thought of potentially having to fight these other contestants that he didn't like.
Evangeline enters with the rest, standing by the fae like woman and the armored clad man who were in the initial group. Bahn had made sure to tag along right behind her.
They were in a large room and from the other side was an archway leading into the center of the arena. "Well it looks like we'll have to fight after all." Evangeline casually mutters.
"Welcome everyone to the 73rd annual Grand Tournament!" A woman with full on pitch black heavy armor yells seemingly able to project her voice through a rune as she resides on the balcony. Her helmet covered her face so it was impossible to read her expressions.
"As you may know I am the Guardian of the Games Matilda Deathclaw." A roar went through the crowd, which was mysteriously simultaneous. "And this year we have brought you some of Le'raana's best fighters!" Another simultaneous cheer rippled through the arena.
Kinn's eyes widened as they entered the arena, but he raised his eyebrows, unimpressed, as the woman spoke. "Seriously?" he muttered. "I bit theatrical."
He raised his eyebrows again as she said 'some of Le'raana's best fighters', indeed, Kinn was a considerable fighting mage, but he wasn't one of the best. He looked around the arena, there was obviously magic happening here, he could sense is.
It was as Nemeril was glancing at the audience that she noticed something strange about them. Her vision was superior to that of a human so she could immediately tell that something was off about them, like they weren't entirely there or something. Their faces and bodies seemed to shimmer in and out of reality as though they were ghosts or apparitions of some sort. Perhaps some kind of illusion magic? Blinking once, they all disappeared before reappearing once more. Now Nemeril was certain that magical forces were at work here. It had to be pretty strong though since as a half-fairy, Nemeril was even fooled for a little while. Her elven half was no slouch at detecting such magics either, but her fey half was far more attuned to such things.
Once more the crowd vanished, leaving an empty expanse of space as even the seats disappeared as well. Nemeril turned to her nearest companion, which happened to be the Serenian mage with the violet-colored eyes and silver robes.
"I think the crowd is merely an illusion. They keep disappearing and reappearing."
"A agree," Kinn said. "This whole thing is some sort of trick. Hmmm. . . I don't know, but something is definitely up."
He inspected the crowds, and, as a mage, he could see some of what Nemeril could, though not as clearly. He wondered what the purpose of this whole thing was. Was it for amusement for some being? Or perhaps it was to choose one of them to go on a quest or something. Kinn didn't know, but he wanted to find out.
Matilda let the crowd die down before speaking. "Now let me present to you the preliminary round set up!" A giant sheet of stone arose in the edge of the arena directly under Matilda's balcony. The sheet had all the match ups painted on it and Evangeline would be the second up.
The first fight was between a person named Kinn Dice and someone named Galdwin Clockpeg. A gnome with a thick white beard and a pack of artificer like materials on their back stepped out. Evangeline didn't pay attention to the other opponent, because all she could think of was who Bahn had to face, a woman named Nemeril.
The archer turned her attention from the not exactly there crowd back to the announcer. A large block of stone had risen up underneath the balcony where the woman stood which had all the contestants' names painted on them and who would be up against who. While Nemeril liked to compete, she was unsure about the nature of this type of tournament and whether anyone would actually be harmed or not. That was what worried her. Supposedly she was to fight someone named Bahn, and she remembered hearing that name earlier from when she had first woken up on this strange island. While Nemeril wanted to do her best, she also didn't want to kill anyone either. Therein lay the dilemma. She could only hope that certain safeguards had been put into place by their unknown hosts.
She was to be up after the mage Kinn competed against a gnome artificer of some sort. Nemeril could see that the white-haired gnome possessed a few grenades in his arsenal and she even spotted a small handgun that he wielded with great pride. Swords were one thing, but guns were quite another, even if the fairy/elf didn't know much about the latter. She just knew they had excellent range and far more superior killing power than most ranged weapons did.
Turning to the purple-eyed mage by her side, Nemeril wished him good luck. "Fare thee well, and best of luck to you." she said to him, giving his arm a gentle squeeze to emphasize her point.
Kinn took a deep breath as he saw the names, who would have to fight who. The mage looked over at the gnome he would have to fight and bit his lip. The stout being looked tough, and he had several grenades and even a gun. Kinn knew somewhat about guns and the like, and he knew how to defend against him, but the mage wouldn't have wanted to fight anyone, guns or no. There had to be a way out of this, there always was an alternative to fighting, at least in Kinn's experience. Maybe this time he would have to fight, but he still wouldn't give up, he would find a way not to fight.
He nodded at the fey woman next to him as she wished him luck. "To you as well," he replied, but his mind was still on a way to get out of here.
While Kinn got ready, Galdwin had been polishing his weapons. Not that he needed to, but it was more of a sign of disrespect. Matilda then booms through the arena.
"All current fighters must be in the battle zone by the next minute, or they will face a premature end! Believe me it isn't pretty!"
Evangeline just watches on coldly. She knows that this is twisted, but the life of a soldier is too. Besides nothing could be any more twisted than her death.
At that most recent announcement, Nemeril frowned. Now she knew that this would likely be a fight to the death, as most ethical tournaments did not express such grim rules in which to follow. Not to mention the fact that none of them were exactly here on their own accord further pointed this out.
Looking up, Nemeril caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye and glanced over in that direction. A strange weather-worn face at the window of the high tower greeted her vision for all of one second before it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared behind thick drapes of green. Nemeril suspected this was the one pulling all the strings here. But at the moment she could not voice this to her companions, and so she simply stepped forward as instructed to, while gripping her bow firmly in hand, checking her supply of arrows once more. Her blade was sheathed at her side as well, and she patted it once before looking around at the others with a nod.
Kinn stepped forward, and so did the gnome, but Kinn raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Why is this happening?" he asked. He didn't expect this to work, but he may as well try.
This was probably some powerful being's idea of fun, to watch others fight to the death in its arena.
Galdwin eventually looks up to acknowledge Kinn. "Don't know, don't care. But didn't ya hear? There's a prize of five million gold at stake. Do you know how much high quality materials I can get with that much money? I'll be the most famed inventor history ever knew?"
Keeping a tailored grin perfectly aligned, Matilda throws her hands into the air and shouts. "Let the first round begin in three...two...one...fight!"
"You would kill for money?" Kinn asked, trying to keep himself from freaking out. "I mean, seriously?" his voice involuntarily rose in pitch, but he controlled himself.
"Why fight for someone else's pleasure?" he lowered his voice, but he assumed that if whatever was holding them was strong enough to bring them here, then it could hear him as well, but it was worth a shot. "Let's try to get out of here!"
Even if their captor couldn't hear, Kinn doubted the gnome would listen to him, so he was ready to preform a spell if he needed to, though he hoped it wouldn't come to the fight their captor still clearly wanted.