The BlackSand Tournament I: Round I, Duel VII
From Charlie Crusher of the North
Charlie Crusher of the North (1536)
Regret. Charlie had been trying to live with it. But that shit was hard. Why did she have to leave? Could she have helped? She SHOULD have helped. Charlie couldn’t really think about anything else. It had been months since that tragedy. In a few minutes all that she had ever cared about, all she had ever loved, had been swallowed by the sea and wiped out of existence forever. Her birth place, her home, her friends and her family all gone. A catastrophic earthquake had hit the peninsula south of Fort Turtle, wreaking havoc and fragmenting into lifeless rocks what once was fertile and beautiful lands. Only a few survivors managed to escape and scattered across the Runiverse in search of a new home.
“I wasn’t there to help…” She had left the city to on the impulsive desire to join the Armada, a grassroots coalition in the Wild fighting to stand up against the frequent goblins and kobolds. “Why? Why would I leave to help some faraway land? I was needed here” she tormented herself.
But maybe there was hope. She had recently heard about a tournament taking place not far from her camp. A city called BlackSand was inviting warriors to compete in duels. Gold coins to be awarded to the winner. “Maybe I can bring everyone back. Maybe I can help rebuild with that gold. Maybe I can still make a difference” she thought while reading the tournament advertisement.
With enough gold she could lay the foundation for a new community. Gather back everyone that had fled and give them a new home. Their new home.
Those thoughts gave her a new meaning. “I need to win!”
Resolute, she pulled up a map and tracked the path to BlackSand with her index finger.“ This should only take a couple of days. I can make it in time” she said as she evaluated the journey ahead. The most direct route would take her through a challenging mountain path in Skylord Rookery. But she didn’t care. She had to get there fast. The Tournament was about to start.
She quickly wore her brown armor and with a swift move she lifted her heavy iron hammer and shield. She was ready to go!
She stepped out of her tent and the cold winter air filled her lungs. Rain was pouring as that hideous monsoon pursued through the night. She had grown used to that, but still hated how wet and humid those lands were.
The forest around her looked intimidating: the wind was howling through the trees and some monster was roaring close-by. But nothing could intimidate her at this point. She had found her new cause. A reason to keep going despite everything that happened. A path to hope. Her own way to stop regretting.
From Cornelius Nullifier of Implings
Cornelius Nullifier of Implings (8664)
“This is just not it” Cornelius shouted as he smashed a pile of documents onto his desk. “How could anyone be ok with this?” he let himself sink into the plush, leather office chair behind his glass desk. “I’m fed up”.
He was sitting on the top floor of Mira tower. The most expensive commercial real estate in town. He looked outside of his corner office. He had made it all the way from intern to partner at his law firm in less than seven years, exceeding any records of career progression. “For what?”
In Cornelius’ eyes the justice system just didn’t work. The dream of spending years fighting for what was lawful turned into a slow defeat of compromises and politics. Criminals could easily find loopholes and take advantage of a broadly defined Law. Innocent citizens often fell for fraudulent actions that he, as a lawyer, could not help avoid.
His career had been a successful one by any standards. Partner at a law firm, a corner office, a penthouse in Downtown, luxury cars and expensive company. Yet, he felt powerless. He felt that Justice kept slipping through his fingers, regardless of his efforts.
He slowly passed his hand over his red tie: the symbol of corporate power that only partners were allowed to wear. He laughed. He wanted real power, not just some status at a law firm that had no business in enforcing justice.
Throughout his career Cornelius had learned that lawyers could only make a difference within very strict boundaries. And that wasn’t enough for him.
He picked up his phone and quickly speed-dialed a number he had saved a few weeks ago. It was time to make a change, and he knew just the guy he needed for the job.
A few months later Cornelius was a different man. He was now a warrior. Someone would define him as a mercenary, but he liked to call himself an executioner for hire. Still wearing his business suit with a goblin sword and gladiator helmet, he roamed around the Wild taking on jobs to execute criminals and bandits. Was that lawful? Debatable according to Cornelius. Did he enjoy it? Absolutely. What mattered is that he finally was in a position to hand out Justice. He was in a position to make a difference.
His latest gig had brought him closer to BlackSand. As he walked the dusty streets, a floating advertisement board passed by him announcing the start of a tournament. Intrigued he decided to learn more and headed towards the fighting arena. There was nothing he did better than winning a fight and getting paid for it.