forum || The Trials of a Ruler | oxo | private ||

Started October 07, 2023 by @PrettyLittlePyro

tune

@ElderGod-Carrots do we want to do the same characters? And bxb still? I’m good with whatever!

The ruler of Eurallia doesn't usually last long, whether it's because of an inconvenient assassination, a strange sickness that's struck the people in the middle of their reign, being demoted to a commoner because of a scandal, not getting along with the nobles and councilmen, or what have you. Most rulers don't live long enough to bear an heir, so the kingdom has created a holiday to find the best ruler possible.

The Monarch Trials. A series of tests for young people with potentials for ruling. The test differs every time, from tests of physical strength to strategy to intelligence to, one year, physical prowess. This is the year for the newest Monarch Trial, and boy, is it bloody.

A and B are participants in the Trials. Maybe it was intentional, maybe not. All they know is that they don't think they'll survive. They team up together for some reason, trying to survive. All while knowing that, at the end, one of them will die by the other's hand.

THE TRIALS
round one -
Getting to know the opposition. Where alliances are built and enemies are made, where regimes and habits are created, where the rules are made clear and training begins. Lasts about a month.
round two -
The elimination. Where there are various tests and trials that are all tied together. Where most of the alliances fall apart, and the most fatalities happen. Lasts roughly five months.
round three -
The final fight. The remaining contenders are put together in various competitions, until there are only a few left. Killing is welcome and encouraged, as there can only be one Monarch candidate remaining. Lasts a week.

Template -

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Sexuality:

Species:
Abilities:
Appearance:

Personality:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:

Background:

Other:

Yeah bxb still please :) I’ma have a look at my old guy and maybe tweak him/change him a bit. Probably get him up later

(Aight I've tweaked my guy and I'm happier with him now lol)

Name: Koa Calgohan
Age: 20
Gender: male
Sexuality: queer

Species: half-human, half earth spirit
Abilities: Think Flora from 'Winx Club' with heightened senses
Appearance: Koa is around 5'7, though more towards the smaller end of that measurement. He is very lithe, not very strong or big. Being thin, he is very quick, small, and able to fit into places where he shouldn't be, and it makes him easy to hide. He has pale skin with olive/green undertones, courtesy of that earth spirit in him. He is very light weight-wise. Boney with lots of visible veins that make him look sick. He has sharp, defined features, bright green eyes that almost seem to glow, plump lips, and lots of freckles over his cheeks and nose that, like his eyes, almost seem to glow on occasion. His overall appearance is very innocent-looking. He has light brown hair, slightly curly, falls gently across his face and trickles his neck. He tends to wear pretty light clothing, mostly in earth tones and colours. Has a scattering of daggers hidden across his body most of the time. He has a left ear piercing with a simple, silver hoop. Long lashes, and an eyebrow slit over his left brow. Has a tattoo on both his shoulders of multiple different flowers, animals, and earth-related things that connect across his collarbone and down his biceps. He also has a large scar down his back from when he got into a fight when he was younger and nearly died.

Personality: Koa switches often from being fairly outgoing to quite introverted, depending on who he is around. Close friends (not that he really has any) he is more extroverted but most of the time he keeps to himself. Fiercely loyal to those he loves and likes, he would lay down his life for you. Not afraid to speak his mind or stand up for what he believes is right. Even though he knows how to manipulate others, he often falls for his own tricks if it's from the right person. Sentimental, tries to hide his emotions but isn't very good at that and thus tends to wear his heart on his sleeve when not focused on trying to keep his true feelings a secret. Has a pretty bad temper on him, too, if provoked enough.
Strengths: Stealth, speed, manipulation of the earth/being in turn with nature - because it's his element he thrives in the wild.
Weaknesses: Not the best with hand-to-hand combat. He is good at avoiding attacks, but not so good at dishing them out. Swords are a huge problem for him, as well as heavy lifting. Koa is more of an attack from the distance/with magic type of person (although too much magic = him fainting and feeling pretty unwell).

Background: Koa was born to a human dad and an earth spirit mother. His dad was a lord and met his mum when he first moved to his lands a few years before he was born. The relationship between his mother and father was supposed to begin to bridge Earth spirits and humans together, which was what his father believed, but in reality, it was a ploy for his father's side of the family to infiltrate and kill as many Earth spirits as possible to gain their power. His mother, who didn't believe that his father wasn't involved, fled with Koa and a group of Earth spirits to escape the massacre. Because of this, Koa never knew his father. He grew up with just his mother and the small group of Earth spirits who were less than pleased with a half-breed in their midst but Koa did his best to fit in as much as possible. They were attacked again when he was 16, which is how he gained his scar, and in the fight, lost his mother and most of the group. He moved to the city to find work when he recovered from his injuries but still believes that the death of his mother and most of his people was his fault. If he hadn't been born, they would still be alive.

Other: He is a big fan of water and flowers. Anything nature is good but those two are top-tier for him. Can often be found making flower crowns or near the nearest body of water. Hasn't been in love before, and doesn't think he ever will be, as much as he wishes he was. Loves books and reading, a big lover of head scratches (seriously, he'd probably fall for you then and there if you gave him a head massage).

Name:
Quin Nygard
Age:
22
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Pan

Species:
1/4th elf, mostly human
Abilities:
Not really anything special. Quin did, however, inherit the elves’ exceptional senses and stamina. He’s a little bit stronger, faster, and tougher than a normal human, and has an unusual connection to trees and animals. He also has nocturnal vision. His most useful ability, however, is a sixth sense, to tell when danger is near. It has saved his life more than once.
Appearance:
Quin is very pretty. His features are a mix of feminine and masculine, with a defined jawline and a straight nose. He has full lips, with several piercings, and a mischievous smile. His eyes are a dark brown, and his lashes are so long and dark that it looks like a smoky eye. He has heavier, hooded lids as well, so it seems like his eyes aren’t all the way open. His skin is a caramel shade, and doted with lots of beauty marks. His ears are also slightly pointed at the ends.
He has scars on his hands and forearms from learning to fight, and a nasty scar on his left thigh from being gored by a wild pig. He’s about 6’1”, and relatively muscular and lean. He has big hands for the six of his body, which he can get self conscious about sometimes.
His hair is fairly long, and a dark brown, longer at the top and shorter at the bottom. He likes to think that it is always stylish, but when he gets sweaty, it can tend to look greasy and gross.
He has a lot of piercings, on his ears and mouth and eyebrows and nose, and one on his collarbone. He keeps one of his earrings long, and there’s a scar on that lobe, where the earring once tore his ear and healed.
If he smiles genuinely, it’s gorgeous.

Personality:
Quin is a flirt. When one first meets him, they assume that he has a lot of depth to him, and then he does everything he can to remove that first impression - unconsciously, of course. He loves to have fun, but hates to appear that way. He is very good at sensing others’ emotions and responding accordingly, often giving them profound words of advice, but is very blind to his own feelings and emotions… a thing that all of his partners have found infuriating. He also struggles with boundaries sometimes, and his anger will often come out of nowhere, surprising even himself. He doesn’t know how to communicate hurt and pain, and so will lash out physically. He’s good at picking up on when others are feeling down, and will make them laugh, so that they feel better. He isn’t particularly loyal, unless a person proves that they’re worth dying for. He trusts pretty easily, but always holds a small corner of wariness that the other might betray him at a moment’s notice. He thrives in adversity, when the odds are against him, and finds it thrilling. He also has very low self esteem, but doesn’t realize it because he’s too immersed in fun, and thinking about it hurts, and he doesn’t like that.
Strengths:
Quin’s stepfather was a retired knight captain, and so he learned to fight from what he assumes is the best of the best. He is good at hand-to-hand combat, and can use a variety of weapons, as well as fight dirty when need be. He is a good protector and fighter on the front lines.
Weaknesses:
Strategy and distance combat. He could never pick up on archery, magic, or the like, and hates it because he feels at a disadvantage. His strategy with fighting, as well, is “beat up the other guys until they stop fighting back,” giving him more injuries than if he had thought through his process. He can also be pretty hotheaded, as well.
He also gets weak when he sees someone’s shy smile - it just feels more genuine to him, and he finds a soft spot for people who aren’t as confident as he is.

Background:
Quin’s father was the king that lived three Monarchs previously, King Jestid the Iron-fist, who was killed by his own servants for being too abusive to them. However, when Jestid was alive, he was known for his incredible battle prowess, something that Quin has inherited. Since the Monarchs change every few years or so, no one knows or cares about bloodline, so he can’t get the throne through that way. His mother was a street prostitute, until she got pregnant with Quin and had to leave before Jestid found out. While running, she met the current Captain of the Guard, Felix Nygard. The two fell in love, and moved together to the edge of the city after Felix retired due to a grievous injury.
Felix raised Quin as his own, teaching the body everything he knew. This helped Quin learn a lot about fighting and leading. However, since both his mother and stepmother were emotionally stunted because of their own trauma, they didn’t teach him how to deal with unhealthy thoughts and emotions. He started to play around, getting multiple partners, until one day, he was hunting with his favorite partner, Jenine, when a wild boar attacked them in the woods. Jenine died, and Quin was injured badly, getting so sick from infection that he was in a coma for three weeks. He experienced something in that time, in his head, that changed him. Ever since he woke up, he was harder, more cautious, less willing to open up to others.
And then Felix died of a bad infection that had gotten into his bones, from an old war injury. Quin’s mother was distraught, and so Quin couldn’t stand to be home. He joined the Monarch Trials in Felix’s memory, and also in hopes that he’d find a purpose in life, or die trying.

Other:
Quin actually plays the lute, and has the voice of an angel. However, he refuses to sing well in front of people, unless he knows and trusts them immensely, and is actually very self-conscious about his talent.

If Quin were more inclined to listen to his common sense, he would terrified to join the Monarch Trials, and would think that maybe, just maybe, this was a bad idea. However, he had never been too concerned about common sense, which was why he was here, in line, waiting to put his name down for the list of contestants.

When he got to the table to sign up, the attendant, who was sweltering in the hot sun, only briefly glanced at him. “Name?”

“Quin Nygard.”

This made the attendant start for a moment — everyone knew of Felix Nygard — then shrugged. It wasn’t any of their business, anyway. They asked for the basic information: age, where they were from. But nothing about what their skills were. That would be shown through the rest of the competition.

Quin was handed a key and told that, in no uncertain terms, that if he lost that key, he would be disqualified from the Trials, and he also wouldn’t be able to get anywhere. The key was what marked him as a Monarch competitor, and would get him into all of the rooms he was allowed to be in.

Quin, after losing track of where the heck he was going, since the camp was very big, finally found the enormous stone building that the competitors were supposed to stay. He walked in, and groaned.

It was just two big rooms: one with cots that lined the walls, and showers. Wonderful. There wouldn’t be privacy anywhere. This was just fantastic.

Then, a thought occurred to him. Maybe this was a good place to see others’ scars, see how battle-hardened or weak the opponents were. Suitably pleased with this thought, the brunette looked around to see where he could stay. Since he came later in the day, most of the good cots were taken, making the best place to put his stuff on a cot by the door. He shrugged and walked over, putting his bag onto the cot and sitting down.

One of the legs of the cot promptly snapped, dumping him onto the floor.

There was laughter all around, and he looked up, grinning. “I guess it just fell for me,” he remarked, laughing along, not in the slightest bit embarrassed. He waved cheerfully, stood, and adjusted the cot leg so that the next person would fall over. He made his way to a different cot, closer to the middle of the room. The cot next to it had an occupant already, and Quin turned to the other guy, smiling slightly, impishly, with the charm he knew he had. “Some place this is, eh?”

Koa knew that the likelihood of him winning the Monarch Trails were low. In fact, they were practically slim to none. So why he had signed his name down on that list? Well, if he was going to die he might as well go out at least trying to do something good for people like him.

Being a half-breed, first generation, especially a half-breed of an Earth spirit was rare. They were an elusive people, sticking to the forests and the outskirts of the city and taking to nature over people. They had everything that they needed out there, it was their element. But then Koa came along and had been - was supposed to have been - a bridge between humans and Earth spirits.

That had all gone downhill. His mother had told him so when he was old enough to know why he didn't know his father. Had told him how his father had betrayed her, betrayed her people, and it explained so much about his life and why the other Earth spirits hadn't liked him. And then he had been the only one to escape the massacre of what was left of his scattered people and he wasn't even pure, as they said.

So signing up for the trails was, to the small half-breed, at least some way to gain at least a little redemption. To both avenge his mother's death and show that he was more like her than he was his father. To try and rid himself of the guilt he felt for her death - and so many others - being his fault. And if he died, at least he died trying to do something good for once. It was better than living with the guilt he felt every day.

But the reality of the situation had crashed down on him when he had entered the living quarters. It was drab. Grey. He had immediately felt out of place. Most of the people who were they were human, he could tell, with a few half-breeds of some sort or those who had magical descent. No one like him, though, he sensed that much. Or maybe he was just more on edge because being inside in such a grey building instead of outside in lush greenery had him uncomfortable.

The cot he had picked was fine enough, in the middle of the room where he could see everyone well enough. Koa had been staring up at the ceiling when laughter erupted and he peaked an eye in the general direction of the talking of what was presumably the new face in the room before he went back to looking at the roof, looking for the cracks that might let in some sunlight. He frowned when he found none.

And his frown only deepened just a little when he felt eyes on him and words spoken in his direction. Koa was more than aware that he was supposed to be making alliances, but he wasn't good with people. The odds were against him in these trials. But, he looked towards the man who was now in the cot next to him and his frown softened just a little at the other's smile, "It's thrilling, isn't it? Totally doesn't feel like a prison at all."

The guy next to Quin didn’t seem thrilled with the fact that he spoke to him. But Quin had never let that bother him, especially when the challenge of making someone laugh sparked his blood so.

The figure in the cot next to him was clearly not human, which Quin could see made the other man uneasy. What drew his attention first was the green undertone of his skin. It fascinated him, how two different colors, the color of skin and the color of nature, could combine so flawlessly into something that he wanted to reach out and touch. It was so smooth and flawless, he wanted to run his finger down the other man’s arm. And the freckles— oh man, Quin was weak for freckles.

But that was beside the point. This guy might be annoying and mean, and then that would just make Quin disappointed if he got attracted to him. The other guy was nice to look at, though, and clearly knew how to handle himself in a fight.

I wonder why he’s in the Trials. I wouldn’t have taken him for the type to crave power.

He increased his smile more at the other guy’s answer, turning the charm up another notch. “Oh, definitely not. Prison is probably much, much nicer than this. At least in prison, we’ll survive.” He hesitated for the slightest moment, hoping the other person would be okay with the joke, then asked, “What’s the worst thing you think I could do in the Trials to get into prison?”

Koa's magic simmered beneath the surface of his skin, begging to be freed. It was like an itch he was unable to scratch, but within the confines of the dull, grey living quarters, there wasn't anything he could do. By now he had learned how to deal with the feeling and it was expelled through the soft, forest-green glow of his eyes and freckles that only added to the indication that he wasn't human.

He wouldn't deny that the man that was sitting in the cot beside him was attractive, pretty was the right word for it. It was obvious he was a charmer simply by the look of his smile. And his entrance had been less than quiet with the breaking of the first cot he had attempted to claim. The half-spirit turned so he was lying on his side, one arm propping up his head so he was able to have a proper conversation with the man beside him and look engaged in their talk rather than disinterested.

If he had to make alliances, why not start now? Even if the man seemed slightly cocky, but that might have just been his own prejudices against humans in general.

Koa's frown only lessened into something that wasn't quite a smile, but he certainly wasn't frowning anymore at the joke, "Prison is a lot safer than here, you're not wrong there." Because they would, unless they were a downright terrible criminal, survive in prison. All the people who were present in the room right now would be dead by the end of the trials. There would only be one survivor.

"I think if you kill one of the guards, or one of the game makers, they would ship you off to prison quite quickly."

The other man’s face softened slightly when he joked, and Quin had to restrain himself from fist pumping victoriously. I’m so good at this.

He pretended to consider the other man’s answer, before nodding mock thoughtfully, his face mushing into an expression of concentration. “Of course. Those are all excellent ideas. If there’s someone who annoys me, that might end up happening.” An idea occurred to him, and his face lit up. “What if I blew up the camp site? That would be nice.”

He sighed and shook his head after saying that out loud. “Maybe not. I shouldn’t do that to something that I signed up for in the first place. I guess I’ll just suck it up and, if worst comes to worst, kill a game maker or two.” He shrugged, then held out his hand. “I’m Quin. What’s your name?”

Quin wasn’t entirely sure that this would result in an alliance. He wanted to for alliances as soon as possible, since it would be useful for winning, if he chose the right team members, and then he could kill them all later. Loyalty had never been something he thought of. But if this strange half-human across from him wanted to be friendly acquaintances with each other, great. They might even agree not to kill each other until the third test!

"If you were to blow up the camp either the game makers would immediately crown you the winner because of your ambition and determination, or kill you for your stupidity." But then again at that point there wouldn't be anyone left for them to crown the next king so, they wouldn't have much of a choice. It would be both a smart tactical move and the dumbest decision anyone might ever make. Koa didn't know whether the man on the other cot was smart or simply just an idiot. He was going to guess the former until he did something unbelievably dumb. Everyone in there would make a decision along those lines at some point to try and get ahead, they all did. Especially humans.

Koa had learned in his life time that humans tended to be more idiotic than any other species. Of course, he was well aware that he was half-human himself, and he hated it. When his mother had told him what his father had done to his mother he had been furious. It had taken everything in him to stop himself from trying to find the man and kill him to try and avenge his people. Instead, he had opted for the games. If somehow he miraculously made it to the throne then it would be an achievement for the Earth-spirits, and maybe for once he would feel as if he made his mother proud, would have avenged her and her people. He could only hope, but the odds were stacked against him and there wasn't much he could do about it.

"It's nice to meet you, Quin," He said after a moment, and extended his arm out to offer a handshake, "I'm Koa. Human, I gather?" He asked, raising a brow and tilting his head to the side. Honestly, he couldn't tell whether or not he was, and it would be good to learn about the man if he were to be fighting against him. And it might come in handy if they were to be in an alliance. Koa didn't know whether or not that was to be the case, but there was no hope in seeing where it might lead.

The man in front of Quin had some prejudice toward humans, he could tell. Even the way he said, “Human, I gather?” made his skin crawl — although he didn’t show it. Oh well. The other man - Koa, as he introduced himself - probably had some horrible experiences that set him against humans. Either that, or he was raised wrong. In which case, Quin was screwed. Changing childhood ideas was a very difficult thing.

He gave a little half shrug, shaking Koa’s hand and smiling lightly. “Not sure. I mean, yeah, I’m human, but not pureblood. Other than that, I don’t really know. Mom wasn’t one for talking about bloodline.”

He laced his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall. “However, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of humans here.” He glanced around the room, at the variety of beings there, noting the fact that he was correct, that most of the contestants were humans. Shocker.

After everything that his mother had been through with his father, and then again when he had been a teenager, Koa wasn't going to be changing his mind about humans anytime soon. They all seemed to be the same. It didn't help that everyone who was there for the trials wanted to rule, and who knew what they would do to people like Koa if they got on that throne. At least he wouldn't be able to see it, considering he would be dead if the time ever came. All he could hope to do was win to try and bring some balance for people like himself.

He listened to Quin and brought his hand back to his side as the other spoke, nodding along. Well, at least he wasn't a pureblood human. That was something he could get behind, he supposed. Maybe it meant that Quin would be easier to form an alliance with. Koa already knew that there were people in the trials who didn't like him simply because of who he was, because he was not only a half-ling but half spirit. There were few others like himself, but they seemed to have no intention of socialising with anyone at this point. Maybe that would change later on, he didn't know.

"It does seem to be that way," He replied with a hum. Humans are greedy, Koa had seen it first hand, "That doesn't surprise me, though. A lot of people like me tend to stick to their own circles. Bringing negative attention to their kind would only make things worse in the long run."

Koa’s words filled Quin with a burst of sadness that he quickly shoved away. Emotions had never been his strong suit, but he ached for the half-spirit next to him. He kept his face carefully blank, however, not an ounce of empathy on his face.

“That sounds lonely,” he said, after a moment of silence. “I know I partially joined this to meet new people, because it’s so fun. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to be with the same group constantly.” He shrugged, knowing that wasn’t the right words to say, but not knowing what else to say. Besides, it didn’t really matter, anyway - he and Koa wouldn’t know each other for very long, anyway.

He quickly cast about to find a different topic, before Koa could respond, but a commotion in the corner made him life his head and look over. Good timing.

A large, beefy man who looked like a former soldier, was standing over the shorter, slim form of a defiant half-demon looking creature. He was jeering at them, and clearly mocking the demon for not being human. Or maybe just being smaller than the soldier. Quin couldn’t tell from this distance, but it annoyed him. No one was stepping in, but a lot of the contestants were starting to pay attention, and a hush was falling over the room.

He rolled off the cot and rolled his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair, and slid the most charming, roguish smile he could on his face. He strolled over to the commotion, as if he owned the place, and leaned an arm on the soldier’s shoulder. The height difference, while it wasn’t enormous, made it so that either the soldier had to lean down, or Quin had to lean up slightly. He pressed his elbow down slightly into the ex soldier’s muscle, forcing the other man to flinch slightly. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Why do you care?” The ex soldier scowled and tried to fling Quinn’s arm off his shoulder and punch him. Quin avoided his fist deftly, sidestepping it and wrapping his arm around the other man’s shoulders instead, his arm wrapped just hard enough around the other man’s neck for it to be uncomfortable.

“Oh, I don’t,” Quin said agreeably. “Your voice is just too loud for me, and I’m trying to nap. Will you keep it down, please?”

Quin wasn't exactly wrong, it was a lonely life, more so in his case. Being the first half-breed of his kind only added to feeling ostracised by his people. He would never truly fit in, not really, not when they had been so defiant against him. It didn't help that it was his father's fault that half of his kind had died, and he continued to feel the weight of survivor's guilt every day since.

Koa could only pray that maybe winning the trials would make him feel better, like he had redeemed himself from his past mistakes. Well, not that he had done anything apart from being born. It was because of his father that so many had died. It was because of him that he was an outsider both to the humans and to the Earth spirits. He had never had a place to fit in, and he didn't think he ever would. At least dying in the trials might add some honour to his name.

There was no time to comment, though, because there was a fight brewing in the corner and all of the attention in the room was drawn to two people about to have a brawl. The little demon-like figure he doubted would have a chance against such a big man unless he had somehow managed to weave his way through his legs and kick him in the nuts or some bullshit. He was half tempted to roll over and ignore it but instead, Quin was getting up and he couldn't help but sit up on his cot. Was Quin an idiot?

Frowning, the half-spirit climbed off the cot with a roll of his eyes, and while the two humans were distracted with each other Koa went to the half-demon's side, easily pushing him out of the corner so there wasn't a chance someone else would try and pick a fight with him, "Can we leave the fighting to the arenas? I dunno how pleased the game markers would be to find contestants fighting in the forms way before the trials even started, or before we are all here."

The half-demon glared at Koa. ”I didn’t need your help,” they said. ”I had it handled just fine.” He crossed his arms and half turned away.

This wasn’t true, as anyone could have seen. Unless the half-demon had some sort of abilities that no one was aware of, which was possible, they would have been very outnumbered, and possibly beaten to the point of leaving the competition before it had even started.

But he was stubborn, and not happy about being helped at all.

Quin saw Koa take the half-demon away out of the corner of his eye, and gave a small, quiet sigh of relief. As long as they were out of the way, it would be easier to get this dumb soldier taken care of, as well as gain the respect of many of the other candidates. He knew what he was doing; he’d done something similar many times before.

“Who are you to tell be what to do or not do,” the soldier sneered. He didn’t seem to have noticed the half-demon’s leaving.

Quin gave a loud, mock-irritated sigh. “Who I am is of no consequence. You forget, but rank doesn’t matter here. Everyone here is going to either die or live, regardless of status. So I don’t see why I should be bothered to tell you anything.”

The soldier fumed, and wrenched Quin’s arm off his shoulders, spinning it and holding it behind the smaller man’s back, in a hold that, with any more pressure, would have snapped the limb. “You’re dead, pretty boy.”

Quin bit back a noise of pain, and just smiled. He could feel his arm straining, and knew that it would break at any moment. The soldier’s grip was like iron, and any struggling would just result in him breaking the limb. Felix, his stepfather, had held him in a hold like this many times. And so he knew how to get out of it, could do it with his eyes closed and half asleep. With a quick movement, his free elbow went up and walked the soldier smartly across the face, and with his foot, he stomped as hard as he could on the other man’s foot, digging his heel into the center, where the tendons were.

The soldier cried out in pain and jumped away in surprise, giving Quin the opportunity to whip around, punch the soldier squarely across the face, and then kick the other man’s knees out from under him, causing him to fall. He pressed his boot against the soldier’s sternum. The soldier attempted to grab it and make Quin lose his balance, but Quin deftly pulled his foot away and kicked the man right at the end of the ribs, where they meet the stomach, in that corner. The air left the soldier’s lungs, and he wheezed for breath.

Pinning the soldier down to the floor with his foot, Quin surveyed the crowd that had gathered to watch. He saw awe on some faces, enjoyment or entertainment on others, anger, even indifference. He smiled widely and opened his arms, bowing slightly. “I hope you enjoyed the show. I’m here all day.”

He knew that his words would be taken as a challenge, and others would try to fight him. He was ready for that; if he fought the ringleaders, it would be easier to grab a following, as well as some good allies and pawns.

Koa rolled his eyes at the half-demon but made no comment about how they could have handled it. Obviously, they couldn't. It was as clear as day that they would have been pummeled if they had stayed in that situation any longer but he wasn't about to argue with the demon on it.

It was useless trying to do so when they were so stubborn. To be fair, Koa was no better at times but at least he had his moments where he could be spoken with. He could be reasoned with. The half-demon, who had stormed off to their bunk grumbling to themselves, seemed like the type that couldn't be. Well, at least he knew who to avoid in the ring, and who to avoid when making allies.

But his attention was turned to Quin and the other soldier. The half-spirit wouldn't deny that he was intrigued to see how the fight would go but he also didn't want to see the smaller man beaten the fuck up by a man twice his size. That could be reserved for the ring. However, he couldn't bring his eyes away from the scene when the soldier took Quin's arm and wrapped it around behind his back in a grip that must of hurt. He clocked the wince before that smile over took it. Cocky.

Koa was ready to turn away from Quin moved and quickly had the soldier down within seconds and his brow raised. Well, that certainly was something. Might not have been the smartest move since he would have a target on his back now when it came to the trials but at least it meant he was going in without any broken bones, the likely scenario had he not done anything and let himself be completely broken by the other man. Koa was determined to keep his own skills and abilities to himself until the last minute. He didn't need anyone knowing what he was capable of, the magic he possessed and the connection he held with the earth, it would only make him a target, too.

That, or people would try and befriend him in hopes to have him on their side till they stuck and he ended up dead. He had a feeling he wasn't going to win these trials, but he would do his best for his people to show that he wasn't as useless as they thought he was. The half-spirit rolled his eyes again at Quin's words, "Arrogant," Because he was. The showmanship was a clear display of that, "But impressive."

For some reason, as soon as Quin was done with his little performance, his eyes darted, just for a moment, in Koa’s direction. To his pleasure, the half-spirit was looking at him, an eyebrow raised at Quinn’s actions.

Quin hid a grin at that and scanned the crowd, assessing them. Felix, his late stepfather, had always stressed the importance of making the first move. That way, if it went badly, people would assume it was because of arrogance, and not weakness or inability. It was what had made him such a good commander, and his skills had been passed on to Quin.

The eyes he saw held varying degrees of curiosity, entertainment, anger, fear, hatred, or jealousy. He made eye contact with one figure, a young woman with an innocent face and black eyes, and the expression in her gaze was a feral sort of challenge and enjoyment. There. That was his next ally.

Now, there was just the challenge of how to impress her, how to draw her to his side. And he figured that, judging from her interest in the fight, it would be a fight. But not yet. Not now.

In order to reveal his intentions, Quinn’s eyes glinted with a challenge, the face of someone who had found a worthy opponent. The woman flashed a smile with teeth, and he knew his message had been received.

Quin stepped off of his poor opponent and made his way back to his cot. He could feel eyes on him, and he grinned. Soon, probably tonight, the first move would be made, and he could show exactly how good of an ally he could be. For now.

Making allies was going to be critical, but somehow Koa was finding it difficult to care. The little half-demon wasn't going to be his friend or ally anytime soon, he could tell that much. A lot of the supernatural beings that were there had a look in their eyes that showed they were going to be staying away from those who were human, and so it meant that either he allied with only those who were non-human or risked being allies with humans themselves. That wasn't going to go well when he didn't like them to begin with.

Quinn seemed… okay enough, if not arrogant and maybe slightly stupid. Getting into a fight in the first few hours of being in the camp wasn't the smartest move in the book but he came out of it on top, and really, Koa wasn't worried. He shouldn't be worried. They weren't friends let alone allies, at least not yet, he didn't have to concern himself with the other and his doings. If he wanted to start fights then he could start fights, Koa wasn't going to stop him.

In fact, it was at least some entertainment for the half-spirit while they were stationed in the drab bunks that were their 'room.' Soon enough the space would be emptied. One by one they would die or be kicked out of the trials before they could go further than they wanted and rise to the throne. Honestly, half of him was debating being there in the first place.

But, if he won, it would mean a better life for those like him. That was his plan, at least, and to show that he was more than capable of bringing honour to his family. That he hadn't been a mistake on his mother's part, trying to join humans and earth-spirits together. No, he had to do this, for them at the very least.

(I took the liberty of doing a time skip. Hope you don’t mind!)

Three hours after

When the time limit for signing up for the Trials had passed, some of the guards and volunteers who directed them lined the contestants up. The competitors all stood outside, some of them shuffling from foot to foot, some of them standing still, others not even trying to pay attention, but instead looking up at the sky, which was drenched with stars.

Quin was one of the restless ones. It was a beautiful night, and the last thing he wanted to do was stand among a bunch of unwashed beings and listen as someone droned on about the rules for the Monarch Trials. He wanted to do something.

The guard who was explaining the rules - no killing, not yet, but maiming was acceptable as long as it was justified - was finishing his sentence when Quin noticed a presence near him. He glanced over, noticed it was Koa, and grinned, sending the half-spirit a little wave. Maybe Koa was just as bored by all of these rules as he was.

(no that's all good!)

Drained didn't even begin to cover how the half-spirit was feeling when it came to listening to the rules and regulations of the Monarch Trials. There were so many, and half of them would be disregarded by the majority of the people there in the first place. A simple look at the competitors that had signed up made it obvious that they wouldn't be listening to what the guards and game makers had to say, even if there was a potential to get themselves disqualified. He supposed there wasn't much they could do about it as long as they didn't get caught breaking the rules.

Either way, Koa had tuned out halfway through the speech when they started talking about magical abilities and their use outside of the trials. Yeah, because that would go well. Limiting magic users to when and where they would be able to use their power. He could tell by the grumblings of the people around him that he wasn't the only person who was displeased with that rule, and knew he wouldn't be the only person not listening to it. If there was a quiet moment where he could at least expel something then it would be fine. The question would be if there was even a place to do so. With the grey walls and concrete, there wasn't much an earth-spirit could do. Finding a place would be more than a little task. Maybe one he could do tonight under the blanket of stars.

Koa felt a set of eyes on him and turned his head from where he was glaring daggers into the ground and spotted Quin. Seemed the other would be around more than he thought he might have been. He returned the human's wave with a small nod of his own, taking a few small steps until they were standing closer to each other, "Bored, too?"

Koa made his way over to Quin's side, and the human grinned at the earth spirit's question and laced his hands behind his head casually, and smiled as if he'd rather be here than anywhere else. "I want to jump out of my own skin," he answered cheerfully, his voice at a level just low enough that the guards couldn't hear him.

Why was he doing this again? Going through all these rules and regulations? He should just drop out of the Trials; they hadn't publicly announced the candidates yet, so he could leave and no one would care.

He sighed. Quin knew the reason he was here - it was for Felix. He just had never done well with sitting still, not doing anything, and listening to rules. It made him impatient, cagey.

Dismissing those thoughts, he raised an eyebrow at Koa. "What do you mean, bored too? Isn't this your favorite thing? Standing and not doing anything?" He knew that the earth spirit probably wasn't that way, but he wanted to verbally spar with someone, make conversation, and also find out about the unusual being beside him. One stone, three birds.