forum THE TOURNAMENT OF THE GODS! (9/9) (CLOSED THOUGH SPECTATORS ARE WELCOME TO WATCH)

Started October 15, 2020 by Deleted user

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Sterling really didn't have anyone to say goodbye to, well except for their cat Pete, and their oak tree, but that was about it. When the others began to fade, tears started to roll down their cheek. They weren't ready to die or do this at all, they just really wanted to live their life and enjoy it while they could. As they hobbled through their townhouse, thoughts of fear and worry began to rush through their mind, What if I die and don't make it out of this alive? Would anyone even notice? Their landlord might once their checks for rent stopped coming in, and their neighbors might see Pete looking around for food, but other than that who else would? Well, they knew that maybe their god would, at least they hoped that they would. They had been a loyal devotee to them and loved their god, but did they even matter to them?

To help get rid of the silence in their home they turned on their phonograph, to fill the room with music, Perhaps that might cheer me up? They busied themself with getting different items from around their home that they figured they might need and began to put it into a large backpack. A few t-shirts, an all-weather jacket, a pair of pants -no two would be much better- and a few other things. Of course necessities for the trip, like toiletries and such, but also their notebooks on other realms and healing spells. They never went anywhere without them, and of course a First aid kit, and things for their foot.

Once they finally finished packing they just sat down on their couch as they gazed numbly out the window at nothing. They could see their neighbors lawn from there and watched the couple's children play on the front lawn. That could've been me, they thought with a sigh, Why did I turn him down? Only a few months ago had Sterling's ex-boyfriend proposed, and for some reason -a reason that Sterling was still unsure of today- he turned the man down. They still regretted the decision and wished that they had actually followed their heart rather than what their mind had said, I wouldn't be so lonely had I just done what I really wanted to do. For some reason they thought that they could go on being friends and stuff after they had said no, but unfortunately -well, it was their fault but still- the man left them. Pete hopped up into Sterling's lap and they began to pet the cat as tears began to well up into their eyes. "I'm sorry Peter, I don't want you to lose me," Sterling said as they began to cry into the cat's soft fur. "I wish I could stay here with you, but I don't think that I can." The cat seemed to know what his owner was saying, and while normally he hated to be held like this, he let Sterling just sob their heart out. "M-maybe I can talk to my god about this, maybe she could help me through this." They said quietly as they slowly stood up placing Pete onto the ground. "Wait first, I need to say goodbye to the tree."

While Sterling still was dating their boyfriend they had planted a baby oak tree in their back yard. Sterling loved the tree and took care of it as though it was a child, always there for it, and always trying to protect it. It had been about two years now since it had been planted and although it was still rather small for a tree it was much larger than it was when it had first been planted. They just stepped towards it and said a quiet goodbye, asking the tree to take care of Pete -even though they knew that it could do nothing, it really just made them feel better about leaving- then walked away back into their home. They grabbed a small painting of their tree that they had been finished, before hobbling out of their house and towards the shrine of their god.

Once there they said a quiet prayer to the god, pleading for safety and good judgment for whatever this quest would entail. They quickly finished seeing that a few more devotees entering the shrine since they didn't want to be heard, and left their painting their, quickly limping out to the main hallway of the building. Sterling just wanted this to be over, even if it meant death, this was terrifying to him, the thought of losing all that he loved was scary, but it was much better than living in the fear or tomorrow.

Juniper was about to close her eyes when she rolled out of bed. Without a word, she grabbed an old book off of her shelf, a medical book that she found and kept for the cover. She picked a few more books from her shelves and crept outside, grabbing a few colorful flowers before she left.
The woman walked to the shrine for the Overseer of Life, and knelt before it, placing the stack of books and the flowers on the shrine. "Wish me luck," she whispered. "I think I'll finally get to meet you tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, Overseer. Keep the shop in business if I don't make it, please."
Juniper stood up, waving to the shrine as she walked away. She slipped back inside, letting out a sigh of relief as she heard Tori's snoring from the other room. The woman returned to her room, taking a quick inventory of what she had packed. She quickly packed a few more pairs of leggings, socks and shirts, and finally attached her beloved flower pin to her jacket. Juni decided to pack a box of matches as well, and tiptoed back into the kitchen, grabbing an unopened box from a drawer. She tucked the box into her bag and got back into bed, finally drifting off to sleep.

Charlie was now back in her run-down apartment with her brother sitting next to her on the torn-up sofa. James stared straight ahead, his eyes glazed over and his fingers intertwining and untangling themselves from each other, just the way they always did when he was nervous.

"So you're leaving for some tournament," He said at last, slowly and steadily as if he was telling it to himself than Charlie. "For who knows how long, and you have a one in eight chance of making it back alive. Some crazy creature who blows glitter and smoke at you has chosen you for their entertainment, and if you win you become a minor god with a potential ability to overthrow our patron god." It wasn't a question, they were facts. Charlie sniffed and nodded.

"I'm so sorry James-"

"Charlie don't apologize," James turned to her with his blinding white smile, though she could see the pain behind his eyes. "I have faith that you can and will make it back alive."

"But James-"

"You can run fast, Charlie. Remember that race you had with all those boys? You schooled them!" His dark eyes twinkled at the thought. "You're smart too, Char. I've seen how fast you think on your feet whenever there's a random customer in the shop asking dumb questions. You don't miss a beat with your answers, even if they're lies." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice. I'm going to miss that smile, Charlie noted. "Plus, I believe that the Overseer will watch over you. There has never been a devotee has committed and loyal as you." James put a reassuring hand on her leg. His lip quivered ever so slightly. "Char, I know that you'll be okay."

Charlie engulfed her little brother into a bone-crushing hug which he returned with equal intensity. "I just don't want you to be alone," She murmured into is ear, a few tears falling out of her eyes on onto his shoulder.

"I'll be okay, Char. Don't worry about me, please don't worry about me." James's voice wavered and Charlie felt her shirt absorb a few moist drops.

The sun outside soon began to dip further and further to the horizon. Once all of Charlie's tears dried, she stood. "I need to pack a bag," She muttered, immediately reaching for her brown leather backpack that used to be her mother's. James stood and helped her pile a few dried bags of food, a thermos of water, a few spare clothes, a jacket, her sacred knife, her hunting knife, and a small first aid kit into the bag. Charlie just needed one more thing. She opened her locked nightstand drawer with a brass key and pulled out a red velvet drawstring pouch. Inside was a frozen, pink flower, a sign that she was a devotee of the Overseer of Death.

"Get some rest Char," James kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

James smiled and closed her bedroom door, leaving Charlie alone with her thoughts and a feeling that she wouldn't see James again for a long while.

(me reading these:)

Felix blinked a bit and stumbled back over to his desk.
"My gods…" he whispered, "Why me?"
He pocketed his knife and grabbed a few other things off his desk, then rummaged through the drawer for some candles and matches. Felix haphazardly threw them all in a bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. He slid on his boots, his hands trembling slightly as he did so.
Felix crept up through the house, trying to avoid any attention from his dad or brother. He didn't want to talk about it right now. He could already hear them congratulating him on going to his death, but he figured he would maybe grab some weapons from the shop later. Felix wasn't sure he would tell his family where he was going at all. It made him feel far too insignificant and misunderstood.
The young man made his way out to the shrine, trying to sort out his emotions before he made it there. Yet, it was difficult. He tried to find a silver lining in the situation. Sure, there was becoming a god, but that wasn't his style. The only perk he could see with becoming a god that he'd even want was perhaps changing his form. Even that wasn't enticing enough.
Felix barely remembered the walk to the shrine, he'd zoned out so intensely. When he entered the archway, a woman around his age approached and walked next to him.
"Felix, did you bring more amulets already?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised, though pleased.
"Septima, I-" he stopped himself for a moment, "I just stopped by to meditate and leave some offerings, is all."
Her blue eyes flickered to the side. "You don't usually come to do that this time of day. Is everything okay?"
He huffed under his breath. "No. No use lying."
"Do you need to stay with us for the night again?"
"No. I-I… I'll explain in a moment."
Felix glanced around and found a place where they could talk privately. There, he explained the tournament. Septima just stood there, nodding as she listened.
"Felix…" she whispered, "You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. I think you can do more than survive. That said, I'll miss you in the meantime."
"There's like seven other people," Felix protested, "I don't like my chances. Not to mention how… twistedly excited some of them seemed."
"You're tough, though. You remember how you ended up here, right?"
He gave a short nod.
"Give them a taste of that fire. I'll be pulling for you."
Felix bent over into the crook of Septima's neck as she hugged him.
"I'll help you pack," she offered, "Have you told anyone else?"
"I don't want to," Felix admitted, "I can't do it. I wouldn't have even told you, had you not caught me at a bad time."

For a little bit, Septima left Felix to go make his prayers and offerings to the god. He placed a few candles out on the altar and lit them, concentrating on the sway of the flame and the drip of the wax as he meditated and sent his prayers up to The Exiled. He wasn't even sure they were listening at this point. How could their gods have allowed this to happen? Felix watched the whole time as the candles burned all the way down. And now what?
Septima came home with Felix and helped him begin to pack. He started by packing some extra clothes and a simple repair kit. Then he slipped in a couple of his knives and his blessed paintbrush.
"I'm not even sure what else to bring," he admitted, "I was going to steal a weapon or two from the shop, but otherwise, what's the point?"
"Take your sketchbook. Maybe if you have some downtime, it'll help you unwind and push through this."
"You don't think it's a waste of space?"
"No."
Felix let out a sigh. He should probably pack some snacks and a canteen, too. He wasn't sure what food was going to look like for a bit.
When he finished, he flopped over on the bed.
"Take your offerings, too," Septima said, sliding more candles and matches into his bag, "They'll appreciate it."

After the shop closed that evening, Felix took the opportunity to go back in and take the weapons he felt he might need, which included a short blade, some throwing knives, and a hatchet. Around that time, he and Septima parted ways.
"I'm pulling for you," she said, "Good luck."

Felix ran into his father and brother on the way back in, though he'd tried so hard to avoid them. He couldn't bring himself to explain, so instead, he plastered on a smile and pretended he wasn't about to die. He wasn't about to bring their household down to just two. He ate dinner with his family like normal. He holed up in his room, like he always did late at night. Usually he stayed up drawing or working on another project. Tonight, he laid in bed awake and terrified.

And while Curtis was packing up his things, he got the urge to write something, at least for his family to see. He got out his pen and started writing something as a letter. He sighed and signed the letter before smiling, folding it and preparing to send it via delivery.

He looked outside before heading out through his door. He went down to the library he’d been working at for the last two years and smiled at his manager.

“I’ll be taking a break for a while, yeah?”
”Taking a trip somewhere?”
“Yup! Not sure when I’ll be back but…”
”I understand. I’ll put your name on standby, yeah?”
“Appreciate it brother,”
”Stay safe alright?”
“I will, don’t you worry about a single thing,”

With that, he left the library and headed straight to the grocery store to get something to drink. He picked out his favorite brand of orange soda and left, drinking it along the way back to his house. Heading inside, he noticed how he almost forgot the book and pen he’d used for years. He looked at the two things for a minutes before setting them down beside the backpack rather than putting them in the backpack. He had a feeling that he’ll be using them a whole lot.

Making his way to the bedroom, Curtis couldn’t help but feel quite excited about this ‘trip’ he was going to take. He laid awake yet he’d managed to rest his mind and put himself at peace. When was tomorrow going to come…