Dust fell from the rafters of the warehouse as William hit the wall, a sickening crack emanating from his torso.
The boy slumped to to his hands and knees like a puppet who's strings had been severed, his teeth stained red as he coughed out blood, shards of plaster and stone falling from the crater behind him.
Pushing himself to his feet, he coughed out another wad of blood, before popping his neck.
"Bloody- hrrk! -mages.." Clutching his side, he began to limp towards one of the warehouse's exits, before noticing the marks on his arm he definitely wasn't drunk enough to forget recieving.
"Oi! Gassy!" Sue him, he was too drunk and concussed to think of a better nickname,
"Whas' this' mark 'ere on my arm? D'you curse me or somethin'?" Better not have been. Magic wind lady or not, his luck was shit enough as it is, he didn't need some black curse on his soul!
The air dragon didn't even deign to acknowledge his rather crass nickname; that, or perhaps she simply didn't realize that William was addressing her at all. When he mentioned the mark, however, that was able to get her attention. Vieldrynur's gaze snapped straight towards the symbol which adorned the young man's wrist. It resembled two gusts of wind atop of one another, and she recognized it immediately, for it was none other than her personal symbol. For it to appear upon a mortal's arm...
"No," she groaned, putting two hands to her temples, "No, no, no, no, no." And then she cursed several times in the language of the Dragons. It sounded like a fish drowning.
"I would prefer to be un-summoned and forfeit the war altogether rather than have this..." She trailed off, staring at William, and ultimately found that there were no words in any language she knew which could describe him better than his own sheer presence. "...as my summoner. Ascalon!" She punctuated the swear word with a stomp of her foot upon the concrete floor of the warehouse.
Amber basked in the glory of the fire before her, taking in the beautiful colors of the flames, before turning to the dragon of fire.
"What is my wish? Well, I don't know what I will wish from the sword, but my wish? Well," and here she laughed. If at sounded a little maniacal it was probably just the wind. "I want to make the largest, most beautiful fire the world has ever seen! A work of art that will cause all others to pale in its splendor! And I need your help to do it, great Ancalagon!"
The air dragon didn't even deign to acknowledge his rather crass nickname; that, or perhaps she simply didn't realize that William was addressing her at all. When he mentioned the mark, however, that was able to get her attention. Vieldrynur's gaze snapped straight towards the symbol which adorned the young man's wrist. It resembled two gusts of wind atop of one another, and she recognized it immediately, for it was none other than her personal symbol. For it to appear upon a mortal's arm...
"No," she groaned, putting two hands to her temples, "No, no, no, no, no." And then she cursed several times in the language of the Dragons. It sounded like a fish drowning.
"I would prefer to be un-summoned and forfeit the war altogether rather than have this..." She trailed off, staring at William, and ultimately found that there were no words in any language she knew which could describe him better than his own sheer presence. "...as my summoner. Ascalon!" She punctuated the swear word with a stomp of her foot upon the concrete floor of the warehouse.
Falling to the floor from the force of the shockwave, he squinted at the gurgling magic user, practically frothing at the mouth. Ascalon, one of the holy swords, given to King Arthur by some lady or spirit, he didn't really remember. Or, if you followed Pop Culture, the Dragon Slayer's sword. What the hell had he gotten himself into this time? And what had she said before that? Summoners? He hadn't summoned anything, he didn't even know how! Rubbing his eyes, he sat cross legged on the dusty warehouse floor. On the bright side, all this wind being thrown around was drying him off.
"Which war you talkin' 'bout, lady? I din't sign up for any war!" He needed info. Unlike most other times he needed it however, he didn't think he could swindle or bribe it from them. Perhaps he could just ask-?
Hah! As if. Nothing in this world was free.
Lifting his flask, he scowled, remembering the emptiness inside. He was far too sober for this.
The Dragon would lower his head to be level with that of his summoner, he took no time at all with his formalities. "Greetings Chrysanthemum, from this day forward we are partners. May our conquest lead us to victory, lead our armies well and the holly sword shall be in our grasp!" he said, speaking out with confidence and pride. Malitaar may have lost all of the previous dragon wars, but this time may very well be different. He took a moment to observe his surroundings, to see just how much has the world changed with his own eyes. But from the looks of things, he was summoned indoors... However, he had noticed a number of magical artifacts and even treasure that seemed to belong to a dragon horde rather than a mortal of most if not any kind of breed. Puzzled to some degree, he looked back to his summoner and spoke once more. "Tell me Chrysanthemum, what is it that you seek from Excalibur? What is your wish?"
Armies, and a sword of holly? And seeking something from Excalibur? Chrysanthemum's mind flashes through possible scenarios for a brief second, before it all clicks into place. Of course! I know exactly what's going on! Everybody's heard this story before! I shall send out spirits and monsters to acquire this sword that can defeat Excalibur, then use it to strike down Avalon and take the Blade of The King of Knights for myself! And naturally, I will face opposition, in the form of thematically appropriate beings of roughly equal power to my own, together or apart, probably lead by somebody aligned to the element of light! Oh, this is ever so exciting! ... Uh, am I supposed to bind him now, or what? Might as well answer his question while I think.
The Summoner of the Darkest Being stands supremely confident in her domain, the echoes of the meeting ringing across smooth stone floors engraved with intricate tales, suspiciously free of dust or wear, until they disappear into the darkness of this ancient vault, and then come shambling back as distorted waves on the edge of hearing, having met with some terrible fate. No longer any sort of connected, overpowering music, they provide a different, though no less appropriately ominous backdrop for her words. "When I hold in my hands The Blade of The Ever-storied King, I shall use it to bring forth a new age of myth and legend to supplant the Greeks in the minds of men, and strike terror into the hearts of all who have denied the existence of magic!"
The man frowned, briefly pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and checking through some other printouts and notes. "Ferrum, you say? I suppose... I suppose that does make more sense, yes. You'll have to forgive me for my mistake, all of the information I have about you is at least two hundred years old, and most of it much older. The, ah, the 'Dragon Wars', as I believe they're called, they are not incredibly well-documented events, unfortunately, both due to their relative brevity and their rather fantastical nature."
The professor paused, removing his glasses for a moment and beginning to clean them. Once they were back on, he turned to face Ferrum. "Is it true, then? About the Dragon War? About the wish that's granted, if you're victorious?"
Feeling that it would be best to start from the beginning, and avoid any unfortunate misconceptions that might later plague their interactions, Ferrum decided to sum up the nature of what was about to occur in a few simple sentences. "Once, all eight of the Greatest Elemental Dragons were unbound. Our constant conflict was detrimental to humanity. This being an age of Myth and Legend, back before the world was so strictly defined, one human was both willing to object to this state of affairs, and capable of doing so. She asked of us that we cease our existence upon the world, and retreat into our respective realms for two hundred years. At the end of that time, we would be summoned back, and then one of us would then be capable of gaining a wish, one beyond even our mighty powers, from the Holy Sword Excalibur. To provide incentive for the summoner, they too would be granted such a wish, and dominion over the World, accompanied by their partner, until the end of their life. We found this agreeable, and it was so."
The head of the dragon slowly tilts to the side, efficiently conveying a sense of curiosity. "My wishes are typically for the advancement of humanity. What do you desire, Richard Dupree?"
"Oh. Damn," he said. "Yet another one of my summoners is a teething brat, stumbling into our little game." His face creased in dissatisfaction. "Fucking lovely, Why can't I have someone like Zheng He again?" He grabbed her hand. "See this? See my crest. That means you have the honor of summoning the World Serpent, and a list of other titles that I frankly can't be arsed to remember." He let go, looking around. "Where are we?
"S-summon? That book was..real?", she asked meekly, staring at the crest on her hand, and the book and the table, voice soft as she tried to wiggle away from his grip...
Timothy Feng
---/---
"Self defense," I said, hurrying my stride. "Saw then in the alley, they saw me and the pulled knives. Textbook self defense."
Frosntur
"Mhm..", she sounded in understanding, staring forward, as she easily kept pace with him, her tall stature, and thus long stride, making so no problem.
"S-summon? That book was..real?", she asked meekly, staring at the crest on her hand, and the book and the table, voice soft as she tried to wiggle away from his grip...
[Rahav]
He shrugged. "If it's not, you're going to be very embarresed when someone walks in and sees you talking to thin air. Either way, let's leave. I can fill you in the details soon." He turned around and started walking.
Frosntur
"Mhm..", she sounded in understanding, staring forward, as she easily kept pace with him, her tall stature, and thus long stride, making so no problem.
Timothy Feng
----/----
AAAHHHHGGHHHHHHH. This is just the thing I wanted. More fucking involvement with the shady shit. Well, there's no drawing away now. I took a deep breath. "So uh," I started. "What's with all-" I guestured at her "-this?"
"Which war you talkin' 'bout, lady? I din't sign up for any war!" He needed info. Unlike most other times he needed it however, he didn't think he could swindle or bribe it from them. Perhaps he could just ask-?
Hah! As if. Nothing in this world was free.
Lifting his flask, he scowled, remembering the emptiness inside. He was far too sober for this.
She laughed, but it was humorless, and sounded far more like a cough than anything else. "If anyone is cursed, it is I." She paused, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out through her nostrils. "But, at present dawdling is the most detrimental course of action. I will attempt to clarify the situation in terms you can understand. There is a war afoot— though, perhaps 'war' is an exaggeration. A... contest, or a tournament, may be slightly more apt. There are eight pairs of people who compete in this tournament, each a pair of partners. For better or for worse, you and I are one such pair."
Feeling that it would be best to start from the beginning, and avoid any unfortunate misconceptions that might later plague their interactions, Ferrum decided to sum up the nature of what was about to occur in a few simple sentences. "Once, all eight of the Greatest Elemental Dragons were unbound. Our constant conflict was detrimental to humanity. This being an age of Myth and Legend, back before the world was so strictly defined, one human was both willing to object to this state of affairs, and capable of doing so. She asked of us that we cease our existence upon the world, and retreat into our respective realms for two hundred years. At the end of that time, we would be summoned back, and then one of us would then be capable of gaining a wish, one beyond even our mighty powers, from the Holy Sword Excalibur. To provide incentive for the summoner, they too would be granted such a wish, and dominion over the World, accompanied by their partner, until the end of their life. We found this agreeable, and it was so."
The head of the dragon slowly tilts to the side, efficiently conveying a sense of curiosity. "My wishes are typically for the advancement of humanity. What do you desire, Richard Dupree?"
"Oh," he said dumbly, sounding surprised. "That's... hmm... I suppose that could make sense..." For a moment, he returned to consulting his notes in a frenzy of shuffling papers, but ultimately abandoned that task and diverted his full attention to Ferrum. "Right, well, ah, that's certainly quite different to what I understood of the situation. There's a general consensus about the war between dragons, and that humans have to play a role in it, but the detail about being granted a wish I had no awareness of. Mostly, I just noticed that in the instances where you were victorious, the world generally prospered, whereas when, um, almost any of the other dragons won, it resulted in a borderline apocalypse of some sort."
He let the implications of that hang in the air. "So, well, I'm not entirely certain what I want. I wasn't aware being granted a wish was part of the prize, I was mostly just in it for stopping Armageddon."
Izumi silently adjusted her glasses as she went over the design of her summoning circle. Everything was perfect, of course, but it didn't hurt to check one last time. Her clan, God rest their misguided souls, has been performing this ritual for thousands of years now, always contracting the great dragon Yggdrasil in the Dragon War. It was supposed to be her turn this time, was it not for the...disagreement. The honor now went for her cousin.
Hah, as if she would just sit by and watch. She will snatch the honor from them, win the war, achieve perfect understanding and control over all things living, and finally fix the mess that humanity had made of the world.
The Runic Circle of Life and Nature, a chant in Dragon Tongue, a Tribute of countless flowers, and the Izumi felt the magic around her came to life.
The flowers quickly started growing, completely covering the summoning circle. Vines started growing upward, and the mass of plants started taking on an almost humanoid appearance. Suddenly, a face starts to appear, and soon after a mostly normal looking human was standing in the center of the circle.
The boy was skinny, with dark green hair and eyes, and looked rather young. He was wearing a green shirt, with a lighter shade of green for pants.
"I am the Yggdrasil, the dragon of nature. For what wish have I been summoned?" His voice somehow seemed to contain within it all the sounds of nature, from the rushing of a stream to the chirping of a songbird, and yet somehow sounded perfectly natural, if a bit melodious.
Amber grinned, "Well, first thing I'm going to do is collect the money for this contract, then, well, I figure we should go find somewhere to set up shop. Probably somewhere... flammable."
She laughed, but it was humorless, and sounded far more like a cough than anything else. "If anyone is cursed, it is I." She paused, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out through her nostrils. "But, at present dawdling is the most detrimental course of action. I will attempt to clarify the situation in terms you can understand. There is a war afoot— though, perhaps 'war' is an exaggeration. A... contest, or a tournament, may be slightly more apt. There are eight pairs of people who compete in this tournament, each a pair of partners. For better or for worse, you and I are one such pair."
Amber grinned, "Well, first thing I'm going to do is collect the money for this contract, then, well, I figure we should go find somewhere to set up shop. Probably somewhere... flammable."
"Ahh, you speak my language kid!" Pausing, he blinked, before chuckling to himself.
"Nuz Hi Dreh Ni Tinvaak Dovah.." Shaking his head, the boy turned to the horizon.
"Pretty sure London isn't made of wood anymore.. such a shame. Well, i'll let you choose! You probably know this place better than I do anyways!"
Popping his neck, he let go of his summoner's shoulders before licking his lips.
"We should probably keep an eye out for my brethren though. To keep from, you know, running into hurricanes, blinding lights, terrible darkness, being swallowed by chasms, whirlpools, etc. Just- Just generally bad ends in general." He punched her lightly on the shoulder.
"Be a shame if I lost someone so promising so soon!"
She laughed, but it was humorless, and sounded far more like a cough than anything else. "If anyone is cursed, it is I." She paused, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out through her nostrils. "But, at present dawdling is the most detrimental course of action. I will attempt to clarify the situation in terms you can understand. There is a war afoot— though, perhaps 'war' is an exaggeration. A... contest, or a tournament, may be slightly more apt. There are eight pairs of people who compete in this tournament, each a pair of partners. For better or for worse, you and I are one such pair."
The alcoholic stared at the woman in front of him, temporarily forgtting the ache of his injuries.
A contest? A magical contest? But he wasn't even a magician!
Bringing a hand to his chin, his eyes lowered to the floor, brows furrowing in thought. He supposed there was that one time with the Succu-
Nope! He promised himself to never bring that up again. Shaking his head, he hefted himself up from the cracked stone floor of the warehouse.
"So.. this thing to'tha' death 'ere? I don't know 'bout you tall poppy, but i'd rather not have to be sorted by the big man upstairs anytime soon. By the way mate, 'ow exactly did I get picked as your partnah'? I'm can't exactly sling 'round fireballs or chant in lati- No, wait, I can chant in latin." He patted his trench coat clean of dust, popping his back.
"By the way, where the 'ell do we go now if i'm apaht'a this lil' feud of yours? Where's the rest of these 'competitors' anyways? Oi! You lot-" The raggedly dressed teen gestured towards the alcohol soaked cultists.
"-might wanna' get 'outta 'ere, I don't know if the debt colle-er- people chasin' me are still around."
"So.. this thing to'tha' death 'ere? I don't know 'bout you tall poppy, but i'd rather not have to be sorted by the big man upstairs anytime soon. By the way mate, 'ow exactly did I get picked as your partnah'? I'm can't exactly sling 'round fireballs or chant in lati- No, wait, I can chant in latin." He patted his trench coat clean of dust, popping his back.
"By the way, where the 'ell do we go now if i'm apaht'a this lil' feud of yours? Where's the rest of these 'competitors' anyways? Oi! You lot-" The raggedly dressed teen gestured towards the alcohol soaked cultists.
"-might wanna' get 'outta 'ere, I don't know if the debt colle-er- people chasin' me are still around."
"You were not picked at all; the man you crushed to death was my chosen summoner, I suspect. And there will still be recompense for that incident, believe you me, mortal. However, one way or another, your... decisive self-insertion, shall we say, made it so that you took on the role meant for him. Luckily for you, I cannot afford to end your life, as doing so would forfeit the war, and the victory of some of my competitors would be... problematic, to say the least."
Vieldrynur crossed her arms, and looked towards the front doors of the warehouse rather pensively. "As for where we go... there is no particular staging ground for this war per se. It is quite likely that my kin will make their presence known soon enough, however. Dragons are not the most subtle of beings."
"You were not picked at all; the man you crushed to death was my chosen summoner, I suspect. And there will still be recompense for that incident, believe you me, mortal. However, one way or another, your... decisive self-insertion, shall we say, made it so that you took on the role meant for him. Luckily for you, I cannot afford to end your life, as doing so would forfeit the war, and the victory of some of my competitors would be... problematic, to say the least."
Vieldrynur crossed her arms, and looked towards the front doors of the warehouse rather pensively. "As for where we go... there is no particular staging ground for this war per se. It is quite likely that my kin will make their presence known soon enough, however. Dragons are not the most subtle of beings."
Mortal? Who the hell did she think she was? Sure, maybe she could probably snap his neck and flay him alive in less then a second, he liked to think of himself as a bit more than a bug.
Extending a finger in defiance, he blearily squinted and continued his drunken facade.
"'Eyy, i'll 'ave you know-" The teen paused, blinking. Silence filled the warehouse, bereft of the sound of William's constant banter.
"Dragons?"
What the hell had he gotten himself into this time..?
[Rahav]
He shrugged. "If it's not, you're going to be very embarresed when someone walks in and sees you talking to thin air. Either way, let's leave. I can fill you in the details soon." He turned around and started walking.
"A-ah! You can't-!", Mei Ling scrambled onto her feet trying to stop the strange man from going further.
If someone from the faculty found him here!
Timothy Feng
----/----
AAAHHHHGGHHHHHHH. This is just the thing I wanted. More fucking involvement with the shady shit. Well, there's no drawing away now. I took a deep breath. "So uh," I started. "What's with all-" I guestured at her "-this?"
Frosntur
"Hmm. So you did not choose to participate in this battle."
She strolled alongside Timothy.
"I am Dragon, hatchling. Frosntur, a Dragon of the Ice, and you have summoned me, now a participant in an old war between our kind."
Her face was neutral, her tone steady, as she told you all this with a look that said she wasn't lying.
{Rahav}
He whirled around, eyes flashing. "Can't? Can't?! What force prevents me from walking as a free man? I'll walk wherever I dammned well choose!" Then he turned and continued walking, whistling at an obnoxiously loud volume.
Frosntur
"Hmm. So you did not choose to participate in this battle."
She strolled alongside Timothy.
"I am Dragon, hatchling. Frosntur, a Dragon of the Ice, and you have summoned me, now a participant in an old war between our kind."
Her face was neutral, her tone steady, as she told you all this with a look that said she wasn't lying.
Timothy Feng
/-----/-------/
"You know, I can't help but feel that we'd notice a couple of dragons dueling. But maybe that's just me." I remarked, heart racing. You are in deep shit now, Feng! Would it be too soon to job the thing and drop out? I do want to complete my PHD with all the requisite limbs intact.
With each word, the summoning circle glowed brighter and brighter. The light was harsh and blinding, as if the sun had supplanted the ritual. For a brief second, time seemed to be frozen in awe of the radiant power.
Suddenly, a beam of light split the heaven, painting the world white with its splendor. Something roared, the sound was that of war and triumph, the desperate cries of sinners and the victorious cheers of the just.
Seconds passed, and the blinding light started to deem, yet the sheer radiance power persisted. The moment the world was not a blinding white, Sabrina came face to face with a literal mountain of gleaming white scales that stretched into the sky. Two golden orbs bore down on her, each large enough to be a stadium of its own.
Solaris the Lightbringer had answered her call in his full godly splendor. The winged serpent's form was massive beyond all words, just the head that was facing down on Sabrina was dwarfed the forest she was in, and his body filled the sky behind him; a cooling, twisting mass of white, dotted by the occasional feathered wings, filled out the very sky for miles on miles.
The Lightbringer's gaze bore down upon his summoner. Judging, disecting.
"Mortal, is it you that wish to win the Dragon War?"
With the Arrival of the Dragon of light, a glimmer of hope washed over Sabrina as she spoke out to the great shinning beast. "Yes Great one! I wish to win this Dragon war, I must restore the life of my mother!", she said to him with little to no hesitation. If Solaris could help her win the holy sword of king Arthur, why would she not turn down the opportunity? After all He was the Only dragon she COULD summon, All the others either required resources she could not obtain or couldn't bare to do and/or use. Though she did wonder if her new partner would even see her as just that, a partner, or as some level of inferior.
Armies, and a sword of holly? And seeking something from Excalibur? Chrysanthemum's mind flashes through possible scenarios for a brief second, before it all clicks into place. Of course! I know exactly what's going on! Everybody's heard this story before! I shall send out spirits and monsters to acquire this sword that can defeat Excalibur, then use it to strike down Avalon and take the Blade of The King of Knights for myself! And naturally, I will face opposition, in the form of thematically appropriate beings of roughly equal power to my own, together or apart, probably lead by somebody aligned to the element of light! Oh, this is ever so exciting! ... Uh, am I supposed to bind him now, or what? Might as well answer his question while I think.
The Summoner of the Darkest Being stands supremely confident in her domain, the echoes of the meeting ringing across smooth stone floors engraved with intricate tales, suspiciously free of dust or wear, until they disappear into the darkness of this ancient vault, and then come shambling back as distorted waves on the edge of hearing, having met with some terrible fate. No longer any sort of connected, overpowering music, they provide a different, though no less appropriately ominous backdrop for her words. "When I hold in my hands The Blade of The Ever-storied King, I shall use it to bring forth a new age of myth and legend to supplant the Greeks in the minds of men, and strike terror into the hearts of all who have denied the existence of magic!"
The Darkness dragon rose his head and smiled. "To Subjugate the world in an age of magic, you don't seem inherently sinister like any of my previous summoners... But that's not a bad thing in the slightest." He would say to his summoner, almost certain that she knew that he had no intention to bring harm or allow harm to come to her. That dose beg the question though,just who were his previous summoners? An even better question would be, what was his wish going to be? All that would have to wait however, as all eight dragons had been summoned meaning it was time for the gathering.
With The Summoning of all eight dragons, all summoners and their dragons would be transported to an arena of sorts. A place much like the Roman Colosseum, with eight tall pedestals formed in a circle along the walls of the structure. Each summoner had been positioned on one of them, and behind them was their respective dragon whom would be standing on a larger platform. But they could not see each other, no... There was a odd sort of magic that seemed t protect the identity of each player by only allowing them to see the silhouettes of both the other summoners and their respective dragons. The only thing each summoner could see clearly was their own dragon, the arena its self, and something else...
There was no floor to this arena, but instead a sky blue abyss with a ninth platform in the center, a platform the was floating in place with magic. Upon this object stood a beautiful woman with hair like sliver and eyes like jade, she looked out to each of the summoner before speaking to all of them...
"Greetings Summoners, My name is Eireta. The Game Master of Dragon War, and I ma here to disclose the rules of the game before we begin." She would pause for a moment before continuing, just to make sure they were all paying attention.
1. You may have noticed that when you summoned your dragon that a rune was engraved on your dominate hand. THIS is your dragon crest, and you may use it to forcibly give your Dragon an order should they ever disobey. How ever, you can only forcibly give your dragon five commands. Once you have used them all you best pray that they are in the mood for reasoning.
2. Needless to say, You will be fighting other summoners to win the Dragon war. But don't think for a second that is the focus of the game. The Dragon wars is primarily about Territory control. There are 16 territories In Dragon war, two for every continent, with the exception of Asia which has three and Greenland which acts separately from North America.
3. To Capture a Territory, You must Simply say that you wish to do so. If the Territory is un-owned by anyone else then it is yours. You may also Steal territories from other Summoners and dragons, but you can not do so if it's owner is standing on it.
4. If you wish to capture a territory that it's owner is standing on, you must issue a challenge. Should they choose accept, then they will choose what said challenge is. This could be a simple game, or a fight to the finish. The Challenge is over when either one side meets the win conditions, if they surrender, or if they are unable to continue.
5. Even if a Dragon loses, they may still continue in the dragon wars. Only when they or their summoner comes to ruin will they be unable to participate. Should this happen, their victory will be forfeit.
6. The First Two Dragons to be summoned may choose a starting territory of their choosing. In this game, that would be Malitaar and Ferrum.
7. Failure to Break any of these rules, or any sub rules will result in harsh consequences.
After she Stated all the rules, she paused once more and looked to all the combatants. "I will Answer any and all questions before The Game begins."
Chrysanthemum speaks up, confused. "Wait, what are we supposed to do with the territories? Just hold all of them? What stops somebody from just staying in their own territory, and challenging all comers to a game of looking like them but one second older, something technically winnable but in practice impossible? Further, what are the incentives not to challenge somebody else? That is, any negative effects for losing above and beyond what was required in the contests?"
She pauses for a second, before continuing, "And is conflict outside of the challenges allowed? This being relevant to my previous line of inquiry in that if there are no negative effects for not holding a contest instead of just fighting, nobody is going to use the contest system, in favor of assassination, which would be much like the worst-case result of a contest to the death but with the added benefit of the antagonist holding the element of surprise?"
She almost seems to settle down, before popping back up with her finger in the air. "And another few things! Doesn't this give massive advantages to whichever team has the highest mobility? Any unclaimed territories would be swiftly snapped up, while they could return to any challenged ones and deal with them before another incident pops up elsewhere. And why is the last rule that we've got to break at least one of the rules?"
Finally done, she bends over with her hands on her knees and puffs like she had just run a marathon. Combined with her previous talk with her partner, this had been the most effort she'd had to exert in a week, and, up past her bed-time by an uncomfortable margin, she was beginning to feel it.
{Rahav}
He whirled around, eyes flashing. "Can't? Can't?! What force prevents me from walking as a free man? I'll walk wherever I dammned well choose!" Then he turned and continued walking, whistling at an obnoxiously loud volume.
With The Summoning of all eight dragons, all summoners and their dragons would be transported to an arena of sorts. A place much like the Roman Colosseum, with eight tall pedestals formed in a circle along the walls of the structure. Each summoner had been positioned on one of them, and behind them was their respective dragon whom would be standing on a larger platform. But they could not see each other, no... There was a odd sort of magic that seemed t protect the identity of each player by only allowing them to see the silhouettes of both the other summoners and their respective dragons. The only thing each summoner could see clearly was their own dragon, the arena its self, and something else...
There was no floor to this arena, but instead a sky blue abyss with a ninth platform in the center, a platform the was floating in place with magic. Upon this object stood a beautiful woman with hair like sliver and eyes like jade, she looked out to each of the summoner before speaking to all of them...
"Greetings Summoners, My name is Eireta. The Game Master of Dragon War, and I ma here to disclose the rules of the game before we begin." She would pause for a moment before continuing, just to make sure they were all paying attention.
1. You may have noticed that when you summoned your dragon that a rune was engraved on your dominate hand. THIS is your dragon crest, and you may use it to forcibly give your Dragon an order should they ever disobey. How ever, you can only forcibly give your dragon five commands. Once you have used them all you best pray that they are in the mood for reasoning.
2. Needless to say, You will be fighting other summoners to win the Dragon war. But don't think for a second that is the focus of the game. The Dragon wars is primarily about Territory control. There are 16 territories In Dragon war, two for every continent, with the exception of Asia which has three and Greenland which acts separately from North America.
3. To Capture a Territory, You must Simply say that you wish to do so. If the Territory is un-owned by anyone else then it is yours. You may also Steal territories from other Summoners and dragons, but you can not do so if it's owner is standing on it.
4. If you wish to capture a territory that it's owner is standing on, you must issue a challenge. Should they choose accept, then they will choose what said challenge is. This could be a simple game, or a fight to the finish. The Challenge is over when either one side meets the win conditions, if they surrender, or if they are unable to continue.
5. Even if a Dragon loses, they may still continue in the dragon wars. Only when they or their summoner comes to ruin will they be unable to participate. Should this happen, their victory will be forfeit.
6. The First Two Dragons to be summoned may choose a starting territory of their choosing. In this game, that would be Malitaar and Ferrum.
7. Failure to Break any of these rules, or any sub rules will result in harsh consequences.
After she Stated all the rules, she paused once more and looked to all the combatants. "I will Answer any and all questions before The Game begins."
{Rahav}
"Claim Polynesia and Australia. Failing that, the coast of America," he hissed at Mei Ling, sound too low for anyone to hear. "Fill you in later. Just do it." He raised his voice, calling out to each of his compatriates with a thin smile on his face.. "Hey, Yiggy, how's it going? And Ferrum! Still quite annoyed about that little thing called 'anthropogenic climate change.' Solaris! I must congradulate you on your winning the battle, and Malitar on winning the war. Child of Solaris, I must warn you that he's kind of a gilded asshole. Not as bad as Malitar, but still quite shit. Anaclagon, never change. Hello, Frosntur, and how are you doing today? And Vieldrynur-" he drew his face in consernation. "-you exist. I've always had a habit of forgetting you."
Timothy Feng
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What the fuck is this I don't even.
Chrysanthemum speaks up, confused. "Wait, what are we supposed to do with the territories? Just hold all of them? What stops somebody from just staying in their own territory, and challenging all comers to a game of looking like them but one second older, something technically winnable but in practice impossible? Further, what are the incentives not to challenge somebody else? That is, any negative effects for losing above and beyond what was required in the contests?"
She pauses for a second, before continuing, "And is conflict outside of the challenges allowed? This being relevant to my previous line of inquiry in that if there are no negative effects for not holding a contest instead of just fighting, nobody is going to use the contest system, in favor of assassination, which would be much like the worst-case result of a contest to the death but with the added benefit of the antagonist holding the element of surprise?"
She almost seems to settle down, before popping back up with her finger in the air. "And another few things! Doesn't this give massive advantages to whichever team has the highest mobility? Any unclaimed territories would be swiftly snapped up, while they could return to any challenged ones and deal with them before another incident pops up elsewhere. And why is the last rule that we've got to break at least one of the rules?"
Finally done, she bends over with her hands on her knees and puffs like she had just run a marathon. Combined with her previous talk with her partner, this had been the most effort she'd had to exert in a week, and, up past her bed-time by an uncomfortable margin, she was beginning to feel it.
The young woman would look over to the Darkness Summoner and answer her questions accordingly and in order.
"Correct, once you have captured a territory you need only hold it as long as you possibly can. If a dragon is able to hold all 16 territories for three months ill be crowned winner of the dragon wars... this is one of two ways to win the game.... how ever since The first dragon war, not a single dragon has been able to accomplish this."
"Technically, nothing. although it isn't against any rules, both the Dragon and their summoner can remain in a territory indefinitely for any reason they wish. And there are no penalties for choosing to deny a challenge, However if they must have a sound reason for refusal."
She paused a moment but then continued shortly after.
"Skirmishes between Dragons and Summoners outside of challenges is forbidden... Disobeying these rules can lead to grave and sever consequences. How ever, Do not think it's not possible to get around this by having something that's not either a summoner or a dragon take out your intended target."
"If the owner of a territory is not standing on it then you can steal it with no opposition, but yes the team with greater mobility would indeed have an advantage... But not one that would identify them as a clear or obvious winner. Needless to say I am yet to meet a dragon or a summoner who navigate the world at that kind of speed, and of course they still have to hold all territories for a three month period."
