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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Kiyo's eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't fond of the idea of a "punishment", as Juniper had so lightly put it. To put it frankly, he wasn't fond of the idea seemingly inevititable death, even if not guaranteed to be his own. He wanted to ask to back out just like Felix, to go back to his normal life as a detective and believe in a god that he hadn't even been certain existed. But it was too late for that, wasn't it? This wouldn't be something that he could just deny without the expectation of reprecutions. Or a quicker death, even. There was no time for repentance, nor hesitation. He had to give it a chance, just one. He took Juniper as his inspiration to look on the brighter side of this, and to brace himself for what was ahead, giving a solumn nod in agreement to Juniper's statement. "Yeah… I think I will too."

Avlynn set the instrument case on the floor very carefully. "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with him," she said with a glance at the man who had said he would pass. "I mean no offense to the gods, and if my lord wants me to participate, then of course I will, but I'm quite happy with my little life here." She didn't particularly want to leave Edmund or the shop behind, and everyone was so behind on the translations back at the shrine, not to mention that she and Edmund had been discussing the possibility of children… but if she had to leave for her god, then she would do as she was told. That was her job as a devotee, right?

When the being showed the faces of the other people, Magnolia’s heart warmed at the sight of Sterling. She waved to them, but frowned at the being’s words.
The Archivist didn’t choose her? That only made her doubt the Moderator’s judgement more than she already did. And become a minor god if she won this tournament? She didn’t want that, not if it meant the certain death for the others. This prize felt hollow to her.
Then a knock at the door startled her. She could hear Claire’s voice call, “Mag? What’s the hold up?”
“Sorry, just a minute!” She looked around until she found the box with the chocolate syrup. She picked it up, grunting with the slight weight.
“Um- may I ask what this tournament will consist of?” She wanted to at least know what to expect if she did accept- which, considering a god had personally appeared to her to tell her about it, she might have to. Refusing sounded like an offense.

Charlie closed her eyes and sat back down on her bed. She ran a hand through her hundreds of tiny braids, some a bright hue of pink, others her natural dark brown. She didn't fear death, not one bit. Her Lord taught his followers that death was a release from the constant torment that life was. Death was not to be feared, but to be accepted with open arms when the time came. However, Charlie knew that it wasn't her time, not for a while.

"What's the point to all this?" She had to dial down the venom in her voice. "If the Overseer of Death didn't choose me, why would I accept? Why would I waste my time on this tournament when I'm perfectly happy where I am right now?"

Sterling sighed with relief when they spotted Magnolia, only for their face to darken as they heard the Moderator - or whatever the hell that thing was- continue to speak. "Exactly, we have no reason as to do something as crazy as this. I wouldn't want to be a minor god or even a god in general." It wasn't that they wouldn't enjoy the glory and honor of something like that, but if it meant killing all the others, then it wouldn't be worth it, not at all. But none of this makes any sense to me, if my god didn't choose me to do this, why would I do this, to begin with, it's unsafe and well rather foolish for me or anyone else. They fixed their choker as they waited for the Moderator to answer, growing annoyed and rather upset. "Also, what if we want no part of this, will you just find another?"

Setting down his plate of eggs, the man started considering and weighing out his options. He sighed softly and shrugged.
“Maybe it’s just me, but being a minor god does sound pretty fun. Plus, for me, it’s not like I have anything better to do than being a librarian after all,” he listened to the other people speak before making a note of something someone else said, taking interest in what they were saying.
“Although…. yeah. What happens if we don’t want to participate? Is it a case of you finding someone else to replace us? Or is it a case of ‘the list is fixed and I’m sorry but you must participate’ sort of situation?”

The Moderator tilted their head. "I am so glad you asked! If you were to say no, I would have to kill you and everyone else would still participate. We do not do refunds of any kind!" Their voice echoed on that last statement, seemingly having multiple people's voices behind it. They flipped upside down, still floating. "I also can't tell you what the tournament consists of other then it being a mixture of mental challenges and physical."

(Here goes nothing 2: The weird kid ate the glue)
~~~~~
It was as he thought. Peace was never an option. Kiyowara furrowed his brows, weaving his fingers in his fiery red hair and heaving a heavy sigh as he dropped his face unceremoniously onto his desk. Mental and physical, huh? Kiyo was fairly confident in his mental capabilities. There would be a problem if a detective wasn't confident in such things, now wouldn't there? His physical capabilities… are what worried him most. He knew with a certainty that he could hold his own in a fight, that was definite. The scars on his body were proof of such capabilities, for sure. But for a devotee of the God of Violence (and Justice). Kiyowara was always weak to the cries of agony that people make when something hurts them. It was something he never got used to, no matter how many fights he got in, or that he witnessed. Sometimes he would wonder which broken arm or which strangled scream would desensitize him to it all. And other times he would wonder how he got hired by the police force of all places.
Today though… he was wondering just how long he had left to live. Surely not enough time to say his goodbyes. Hell, no point in filling out a two weeks' notice if you aren't there to work the two weeks. Might as well just leave without a word and never come back. Give his co-workers a new mystery to solve, even. If what would happen to him would even be imaginably possible for them to figure out. This was no time to think of what's ahead of him, though. He had to look to the present and accept the facts as they presented themselves. He was in a tournament. A test of mental and physical. He… was showed certain death and forced to take it by the hand. What a lucky day.

Felix grabbed for his knife again. What he would do with it to nothing more than a ghastly form, he had no clue.
"Gods above, that's absolutely sick!" He snarled, "And for what purpose would you have us do this? Your own twisted amusement?"
He was livid, and a very clear glow filled his eyes- a glow reminiscent of embers.
Then again… it would be nice to leave this place. After all, he didn't love it here, aside from at the shrine, where he got to use his real talents for The Exiled.
He had a knack for a lot of mental challenges. At least if they didn't entail something beyond what might be deemed "normal" for a tournament. He was pretty clever and creative, and even a little cunning. Yet he feared this physical part of the tournament. He was relatively strong, maybe slightly above average in some respects. However, he struggled with other things like stamina, and that might do him in.
"Our gods ought to stop this meaningless tournament, really. No offense to any of you guys, but I don't think you really thought it through before picking a roster, now did you?"

“Well, I’m glad to tell you that I planned on participating anyways so… eh, sure,” Curtis shrugged as he spoke, going over to get his notebook and pen as the moth-like tattoo on the back of his neck seemed to have fluttered its wings. He turned back to the Moderator or whatever this being had called itself to be.
“Although I have to ask…” he mentioned with a rather curious tone. “…do we have to perhaps… kill one another if the situation calls for it? Just curious…”

In reality, he wanted to know how it felt to hurt or kill another person, mostly because he’d seen it happen so many times before that his own curiosity seemed to have blended in with the idea of it. He had knowledge of it, yes, but he lacked one really important thing to really understand it— experience.

Avlynn's hands flew up to her mouth at the Moderator's sudden announcement. She instinctively took a half-step back. "O-oh." A million things raced through her mind, but the one that worried her most was that she'd be leaving the love of her life behind, forever. Suddenly, the storage room seemed less like the cozy little space filled with instruments and music and more like a crypt whose walls were closing in on her by the second. With a slight tremor in her voice, she asked, "Will there be time for us to say our goodbyes? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to explain to their loved ones why they'll be disappearing without a trace."

"That's exciting!" Juniper felt her uncertainty give way to pure excitement. "Mental challenges? Like, puzzles? Or mind games? Even mental torture?" A grin spread across the woman's face as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Exciting," she repeated. "And killing? I've… never killed a human. But… I'd… like to experience it, if that makes sense. I know it sounds crazy, but…" Juni fidgeted with the blooming flowers in her hair again.

"My own twisted amusement? No my dear, it's my God's will! Entertainment to last us for at least a year or so. The other gods can't turn Them down, they already suffered the consequences last time, games like these keep the peace." The Moderator inhaled the smoke that had served as an example, smiling as the last bit of smoke tucked itself behind their teeth. "You'll get a day to prepare, but then, I'll grab you again, bring you to the stadium where you'll meet your gods, they'll give you a blessing of some sort, and then, the games will begin!"

"Can we bring anything?" Juniper continued fidgeting with the flowers in her hair. "Because I already have some ideas." Sure enough, her mind was racing with what she'd need to bring with her. At least one weapon, probably a knife. A pocketknife would probably work, because of its multiple tools. Duct tape, because of its multiple uses. A small first aid kit, of course, and some food and water, just in case. She'd wear something warm but light and easy to move in, and generally flexible clothing. "I can't wait!"

Sterling started panicking as they heard what the Moderator had said and the other people's reactions. Wait, so if I was to say no I die… They glanced over at Magnolia to see how she was taking this information. And if there are physical challenges well- they glanced down at their foot, I'm screwed… "Wait, so if we lose a round or whatever, we die? And we can also die to the hands of others?" Yeah, not the way I wanted to go out, I wanted to just die peacefully of old age with like a loved one or something, not in an arena full of crazy people.

Curtis nodded and immediately turned to his room, looking for some things he needed to get for this trip. It was sure to be a long one so… better prepare things he wouldn’t regret bringing. Of course, he was excited to hear about this. The excitement coursing in his veins was quite… overwhelming.
“God, can we just skip to tomorrow already? I want to see who I’m up against physically,” he laughed softly, hiding a hint of mania in his tone as he wrote something on his notebook…
‘Objective : Win the Tournament’

The fact that there were a couple of individuals that were not only not worried about the tournament but excited for it worried Avlynn a fair bit. She fiddled with the hem of her sweater nervously. "Is that all, then?" she asked the Moderator. Edmund likely wouldn't take the news well–she wouldn't blame him one bit for being worried–and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before being whisked off to this stadium

"Yepperoni, that's all. Oh, and we don't provide breakfast!" The moderator held out their hand and blew glitter at all the competitors. "Have fun! Don't die before it's time to!" And they vanished in a puff of smoke and glitter.