Story Topic

[Comatose he/him]

River:

I nod thoughtfully as Varius relates his story. The whole thing has the reek of folk lore. Seven demons, seven sins, the whole thing sounds far too neat and tidy for my taste. Real life is messy. Nonetheless, Varius seems to believe it, or at least wants me to think he does, so I keep my peace.

"Say what you want of my character, Varius, but I am no Paladin. I never wanted to be enemies with any of you, and yet Jay-El seems set against me already, and I have no idea where this Eerongal stands. We've come to a dangerous place, and I'd rather have someone who understands no one can be trusted at my back the one who believes there is any honor left in the world. I have met Paladins before, and it seems to me their honor is as worthless as anyone elses. If you ever feel like sating this hatred of yours, I'm sure I could help you out." I give Varius a smile. "At any rate, we'd best get mingling. Our friends have already made a start of it, and I wouldn't want to get left behind." I begin to walk away, but after counting a few steps, I turn back. "Think about what I've said. I would hate to see your talents go to waste." Giving a friendly wave and a slight bow, I move down towards the crowd, not watching to see if he continues to follow me or not. A room full of Spheremorphs... where to start?

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Ambro watches Adolin leave. The amusement and disbelief was clear in Adolin's eyes. He clearly doesn't believe me..oh well, sometimes the strangest truth is the hardest to hold. Ambro looks over the room of spheremorphs. My new companions bore me, I want to talk to someone interesting. Ambro spins around several times then walks into the new direction.

[Comatose he/him]

River:

I smile as I enter the crowd. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Varius walk away. It seems I have lost my tail, so much for Eerongal's supposed orders. Whether Varius thought me not worth watching, there were no such orders, or I convinced him to side with me over Eerongal, I do not know. What I do know is, I should now be free to do as a wish, without having to worry about someone tailing me. Now let's see what these other spheremounts have in store for me.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

River

As you walk away from "Varius" and into the mix of other Spheremorphs, a familiar voice wafts through the air, just as boorishly loud as it ever was.

"...and I say to him, 'What, don't you have a prism to spare?' and he says, 'No, I'm broke!'" A single, self-congratulating "Ha!" barks through the air. You hear a scuffing sound and the sound of air moving very fast. A figure tumbles out of a group ahead of you, pushed by a gust of wind. He walks in your direction, taking a swig of his flask and muttering about "prudes" and "prostitutes".

You duck your head down, not exactly eager to meet him, and he passes you, you're in the clear when the voice rings out again.

"No! It can't be!" A hand clamps down on your shoulder and the man stumbles around to face you. "It is! River! I thought they'd killed you off! Pleasure to see you!" He grips your hand and shakes vigorously.

You recognize him as Peter, Defender of House Skell in Riverheart. A hedonist like his father, booze and women are as necessary for him as breathing. His house was never important enough to get caught up in your sisters' schemes, though you remember dating his sister at one point. She was nice, but forgettable, a stark contrast to her brother. You two had never interacted much at the various social occasions of the Riverheart nobility and that had been fine for you. He hadn't even bothered to join up with the force that Arthur had rallied to bring your house down. Why he insists on speaking to you here is as much a mystery as his presence.

"You know, I've got to say that I've never met a more peculiar group of people-" he swings his arm to gesture to the room at large, "-in all my life, both remarkably uptight and commonly dross at the same time. No sense of humor or propriety. A complete and utter tragedy."

Propriety is hardly something he can comment on. He wears a high, starched collar with the top button done, but it's the only button that's closed on his shirt, his bare chest showing in a most unflattering way. The family colors of his vest, red and yellow, are stained with spilled liquor and what looks to be spit, whether his own or someone else's is unknown. His hair is swept to one side, standing straight out from his head, probably the result of his encounter with the wind controller. And he continues to drink from his seemingly inexhaustible flask every other sentence.

Ambrosius

You hear someone call out: "No, it can't be! It is! River!" You see a man wrap his arm around "Adolin" but your gaze is wrenched away when you run into someone.

"Oy!" says the man you just bumped. He has an odd face, metallic and white with a large, telescopic eye, which glows for a moment. The other eye widens and you realize that he's wearing a mask. "Hey, Flip, look at this guy, he's a demon skin!"

Looking over his garb, and the garb of the three similarly dressed men next to him, you can see that he's from the Frozen Foothills. Not good.

"Well, ain't that a peach, Trip," says another, "let's have a look-see." His mask glows and he swings his arm up.

You find yourself yanked into the air by unknown means. The one with the raised arm flicks his wrist and you sail backwards through the air to land flat on your back, ten feet away, completely winded.

Dazed, you can only watch as the men walk to stand over you. One reaches down and pulls back the fabric on your arm, exposing a patch of scaly red skin. "Sure enough, fellows. The thief's mark. And that must be..." He trails off, but there's no doubt what they're looking at, your Spheremount.

Over-sized hands grip two of them by their collars and drag them back. It's the armored man.

"You abuse our benefactor's hospitality. Such behavior I will not abide." He grabs your shoulder and hauls you to your feet, but he barely acknowledges you; his focus is on the Frozen Foothills men. "Do not test my patience again." The menace in the words makes any further threat unnecessary.

The one who threw you approaches you, hand extended to shake. He takes your hand and wrenches you close. The breath of his words rattles through the mask and across your ear. "If I could take you down her and now, I would. And mark my words, you better hope you don't meet up with me and my boys in the arena, or you'll wish you'd never come to this place." He pushes you away and stalks off, not daring to do anything else with the armored man around.

[Cuaiir he/him]

"Call me Burly, me and my group-" she gestures to a guy and a girl on her left, "-heard about the tournament while passing through Spiral Falls, figured we should check it out." She's a slim girl, with skin a shade darker than yours, with blonde hair of a tone showing that it had been tinged by the sun. Her hair is mainly on the right side of her face, almost covering one of her grey eyes.

The man standing next to Burly, the one who had alerted them to your presence, introduces himself. "I'm Gregory. The three of us have been here, what, a week?" He's probably the oldest in the group, but still no older than twenty five. He wears a simple black t-shirt under a stiff leather vest, matched by the various other bits of armor on his arms, shoulders and on his legs over the business khakis.

"That sounds right, but time is hard to keep track of down here. I'd never know if I didn't have my omni-tool." The girl on Gregory's other side nods to you. "Veronica." She's a bit thicker than Burly, slightly rounder, but also a hair shorter. Her skin is paler and her hair dark with a blue streak through it on one side, all of it pulled back in a ponytail. She wears bell-bottom jeans and a dark green sleeveless top.

The girl next to you, who had been standing next to Burly, speaks next. "We found out about in Bridge Town."

"Desert's Edge," corrects the man next to her.

"Right, sorry, Desert's Edge, two weeks ago?"

"Two days."

"Yeah. I'm Kara, by the way, and this is my brother, Adam."

Adam tips his head toward you, not quite looking you in the eye.

These two are obviously related, probably even twins. Their build is practically identical, with Adam being just a touch stockier than his sister and Kara a little shorter than him. But it is their bearing that really separates them. Kara almost bounces with sheer energy, while Adam stands still well enough to pass himself off as a statue. They have green eyes flecked with gold and curly brown hair.

"Nice meeting all of you. Burly, Gregory said you guys have been here a week. That's quite a while to wait for this tournament, I hope they've been feeding us, since I'm stuck here too. I wonder how long some of these people have been here..." I smile, and shake my head. These people seem really friendly, and I like them right away. I do try and keep myself prepared in case they turn on me, but I'd hate to see that happen. "I heard about this in the Crook, and that armored guy," I say, gesturing towards the Spheremorph who escorted us in as he manhandles the two men assulting Ambro, "wouldn't tell me a thing about this until I got down here. Kind of annoyed me, but I'm curious enough to be here." I smile again, looking around at this little group. There doesn't seem to be any sort of conflict between the two groups, which is nice. Burly, Gregory, and Veronica don't seem at all similar, except perhaps in personality. I wonder how those three met.

"I'm not sure what this whole tournament would entail, but even if I don't win I think I'll learn a lot. I'm a Spheremorph scholar, taking notes on what I see and trying to understand how the ancients made this tech. Maybe make a bit myself, but that's a long way off. How about you? What made you all want to join in this tournament?" I gesture towards Kara and Adam, inviting them to speak first.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Ambrosius

You hear someone call out: "No, it can't be! It is! River!" You see a man wrap his arm around "Adolin" but your gaze is wrenched away when you run into someone.

"Oy!" says the man you just bumped. He has an odd face, metallic and white with a large, telescopic eye, which glows for a moment. The other eye widens and you realize that he's wearing a mask. "Hey, Flip, look at this guy, he's a demon skin!"

Looking over his garb, and the garb of the three similarly dressed men next to him, you can see that he's from the Frozen Foothills. Not good.

"Well, ain't that a peach, Trip," says another, "let's have a look-see." His mask glows and he swings his arm up.

You find yourself yanked into the air by unknown means. The one with the raised arm flicks his wrist and you sail backwards through the air to land flat on your back, ten feet away, completely winded.

Dazed, you can only watch as the men walk to stand over you. One reaches down and pulls back the fabric on your arm, exposing a patch of scaly red skin. "Sure enough, fellows. The thief's mark. And that must be..." He trails off, but there's no doubt what they're looking at, your Spheremount.

Over-sized hands grip two of them by their collars and drag them back. It's the armored man.

"You abuse our benefactor's hospitality. Such behavior I will not abide." He grabs your shoulder and hauls you to your feet, but he barely acknowledges you; his focus is on the Frozen Foothills men. "Do not test my patience again." The menace in the words makes any further threat unnecessary.

The one who threw you approaches you, hand extended to shake. He takes your hand and wrenches you close. The breath of his words rattles through the mask and across your ear. "If I could take you down her and now, I would. And mark my words, you better hope you don't meet up with me and my boys in the arena, or you'll wish you'd never come to this place." He pushes you away and stalks off, not daring to do anything else with the armored man around.

The comment of the man to Adolin was interesting but more pressing concerns demanded attention. One of these days, I am going to die from recklessness like this. Ambro watches the Foothills men walk away. A spheremount was stolen from them by a ordinary man once, will I do better? Ambro starts taking a walk, careful not to get too close to anyone, yet looking for watching eyes.

While walking Ambro begins singing under his breath...

"Sanctus Deo si

Voxiferus vox si illa

Nos Deus to clamo si..."

[Comatose he/him]

River:

Curses! I should have reckoned there'd be a defender here before I decided to give a false name. I'm not sure if Varius heard or not. Perhaps I'll just say River is my false name... but what about Peter here? I eye the man carefully from behind a false smile. He's a defender of Riverheart, so he's bound to be tough, but I don't need my memory to know his weaknesses. A woman to buy his friendship, a few drinks to dull his wits, and a knife to finish the job should suffice to finish this one off. Between my three forms, I could even make the death look natural. Can I risk it though? I wonder, thinking of our armoured host, and his strange female companion. As if summoned by my thoughts, he returns to break up a fight. They certainly seem to know how to keep the peace... Perhaps it would be wiser to make use of Peter. Varius can hardly fault me for using a false name when he's plotting against Eerongal. If anything, he should understand my situation. Eerongal and Jay-El might prove difficult, but I'm sure that, with time, I should be able to win them over.

I make a show of eyeing the group Peter has just left. "A stranger group I have never seen, my old friend. At least, not since leaving the defenders." I give him a moment to respond to my jibe and continue. "Jokes aside, it is good to se some true blooded defenders. I was beginning to worry I was surrounded by free riders. How about you show me where you got this wine, and we'll share a bottle while you tell me how you came to be here."

[Eerongal he/him]

Eerongal

You get the peculiar feeling that someone is watching you, different from the normal sensation that accompanies large groups of people. Scanning the crowd you see a face staring at you. Dark eyes under dark hair, and a wicked smile. Seeing you notice him, the face grins and turns away, vanishing almost instantly. You catch a glimpse of a Spheremount on his shoulder, the grid pattern is vividly detailed in the shape of an eye.

Seeing the man staring at me, I grimace.

well, someone has taken special regard to my coming....

With that, I take quick note of my companions whereabouts and current situation, and as calmly and tactfully as possible, start making my way over to where the onlooker was spotted.

got to move in such a way to avoid encountering someone, but slow and inconspicous enough to keep suspicions down....

With that, I try to make my route through the least populated areas, and keep to myself.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

Before anything else can be said, a rumble, slow but building, comes from one side of the room. Looking in that direction you can see the wall over one of the doors start to swell like a bubble before opening to become a balcony overlooking the cavern you are in. A figure emerges from the shade of the balcony, and comes to stand at its edge, hands rested on the railing. He is wearing a red silk shirt with the top two buttons undone over black slacks. His dark hair is neatly trimmed and his brown eyes seem to burn with energy over his bright grin. But two details attract attention. First, witnessed by any Bronze Misting in the room, is a ripple of power just above and to the side of the man, almost a silhouette, hovering in the air. The other is more distinct, and perhaps more terrifying. A night black notebook sticking out of his breast pocket.

"Friends, honored guests, Spheremorphs! Lend me your attention for a few moments," he says, his voice seems magnified, whether by magic or just good acoustics is hard to tell. "I am thrilled by your presence, that so many of you have deemed to join my little gathering. I hope my invitations weren't too...invasive." He smirks, showing his jest. He knows perfectly well how invasive some of his "invitations" were. "I would hate to interrupt your no doubt important conversations, but there a few things that you should know at this time.

"Living quarters are through the door beneath me, for those of you who have only just arrived. I hope you find the conditions to your liking. The other arenas are to either side of this room.

"For those of you who are wondering, yes, this is a dungeon, but rest assured that no monster will crawl out of the walls to kill you while you sleep. Not unless I want them to." He smiles again, but the threat does not seem to be idle. "The first round of the tournament will be held tomorrow at noon, the bracket will be posted in the main room of the living quarters at dawn tomorrow. I hope they are to your liking. Now, goodnight! This is an occasion of merriment! A joyous celebration of our - your - strength! May you eat well, sleep well, and fight well!"

He turns and walks back into the shadows, the presence following him. The balcony dissolves back into the wall.

[Cuaiir he/him]

I look at my new companions, and they all seem as surprised as I am. Did not expect someone to be popping out of the walls. It looks like he has some sort of control over the environment around here, too. This just get more and more ominous. Not much I can do about it at this point, though. "Well. That was unexpected. How about we continue our conversation over drinks? I'm parched."

[Emeralis00 she/her]

"Hostione me revit

A devore fe-"

The sudden appearance of the newcomer cut off Ambro's song.

A sudden wave of terror blooms in the back of Ambro's mind. Ambro looks around, only now feeling claustrophobic.

"For those of you who are wondering, yes, this is a dungeon, but rest assured that no monster will crawl out of the walls to kill you while you sleep. Not unless I want them to."

Storms. I don't like this place.

However, at the mention of food Ambro's stomach rumbled.

"Time to eat already?" Ambro asked himself," Its only been four days... never mind that now."

Ambro walks to the edge of a particularly crowded spot, then starts listening to conversations.

[Comatose he/him]

River:

As soon as the wall begins to warp, I drop my conversation with Peter and shift into my Sympathist form. The twenty seconds are agonizing, but whatever happens, I want to be ready. As they tick by, the wall forms a balcony and a man appears. I note the black note book, obviously some sort of form appliance, but one I am not familiar with. He has begun speaking by the time my transformation, but as soon as he does, I flare bronze and feel...

Something.

Focusing, I hone in on the source of the strange pulses, only to find they are coming from behind him, not from him. My own Necromancer form has made me familiar with subterfuge. I feel no pulses from the man himself. That's four strange spheremorphs now, I think to myself. Three who I can sense nothing from, and one who I can sense but can't see. I stop the shivers before they can run up my spine. Four sphere morphs within half an hour, and all appear to be more powerful than me. I start to wonder if it was a mistake to come here.

I catch the thinly veiled threat in his words. The details of food, drink, and resting places are distractions I file away for later. His true message is plain. We are all in his power, and will be dependent on him for survival. That woman and the man in black armor seemed to know each other... I wonder, are they in cahoots with this man and his invisible companion as well? It seems likely, if they are all involved in the organization of this tournament. There are powerful people pulling strings here, and if I want to succeed, it would be beneficial if I could somehow work my way into their circles.

The strange man and his bronze pulse tail vanish as suddenly as they came. I lean over to Peter, hoping to get some information.

"You have any idea how to contact our mysterious hosts? They seem to come and go at will with that warning or this instruction, but I still feel horribly uninformed."

[Eerongal he/him]

Well...that was.....interesting.

Momentarily distracted by the appearance and subsequent exit of our apparent host, i jerk my head back around to where i was headed. Quickly, I once again take a quick mental note of all those I arrived with, and continue forward to find and question the man whose attention i seem to have caught.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

The crowd starts to move to the living quarters, new energy brought to each conversation.

Jay'el

Kara rolls her shoulders, stretching, there's a definite glaze in her eyes, fatigue.

"Not us, me and my sister and going to sleep," says Adam. He nods to each of you then puts an arm around her sister and starts to guide her toward the door to the living quarters, joining the flow of the assembly.

"Well, not me, I'm up for it." Burly grins.

"As am I," says Veronica.

"I'll go find us a room," says Gregory, nodding to his companions and then moving with the crowd.

Burly gestures for you to follow, and the three of you move to follow the others.

Ambrosius

The conversation among most of the groups tends to be in the same vein: anticipation of the battles; curiosity as to what they'll entail; nerves; and a definite edge of paranoia, more than would be expected; along with eagerness for food and sleep, it is midnight after all.

River

Peter shrugs, a movement that is more exaggerated then necessary, especially since it kicks up some of the odor he's accrued over the evening. "No idea, apart from being thoroughly annoying, they've left us alone. I have no idea where they get off to. Odd, isn't it? They're not shy about showing off their power, but when it comes to actually talking to people, they're as evasive as rabbitghosts!" He chuckles. "Well, old boy, I'm off to see if this place has a bar with proper hellfire spirits like I'm fond of." He wanders away in the vague direction of the living quarters, humming an old Riverheart drinking song about hitting on angel women and getting sent to hell for it, then finding that they have better liquor than anyone on earth and trading your soul for it.

Eerongal

The surge of the crowd has swept away any trace of the man you saw. To the point where you could have imagined it, but something about those eyes tells you you didn't.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Finding nothing more interesting there, Ambro heads to the living quarters.

[Comatose he/him]

River:

As Peter leaves, the crowd around me begins to scatter and disperse. I flare my bronze. There aren't many transformed spheremorphs, but there are some. I try my best to take note of as many faces and abilities as possible. For all I know, I could be facing one of them on the morrow. As I do, I eye the space where the balcony once was. No trace remains, just untouched stone. What is this place? My head is practically spinning from all the variables in play. I need more information, that's for certain, but how to get it? No on in this hall seems to know anything, and the people who do seem to be intent on keeping the rest of us in the dark. I feel... helpless, and I don't like feeling helpless. When I was a boy caught between my scheming sisters, I was helpless. When my house came to ruin, I was helpless. When Robin betrayed me, I was helpless. I told myself I would never lose control of my situation in such a way ever again. And yet, it seems I have.

I find a corner, and watch the crowd, listening with both my ears and bronze to glean whatever I can. There will be time to sleep later, but I plan to get as much information as I can before I do.

[Eerongal he/him]

damnation, lost him

Looking around and seeing the jumble of people going this way and that, I go ahead and head towards the sleeping quarters to get myself acquainted with where i'm expected to be staying.

[Cuaiir he/him]

Jay'el

Kara rolls her shoulders, stretching, there's a definite glaze in her eyes, fatigue.

"Not us, me and my sister and going to sleep," says Adam. He nods to each of you then puts an arm around her sister and starts to guide her toward the door to the living quarters, joining the flow of the assembly.

"Well, not me, I'm up for it." Burly grins.

"As am I," says Veronica.

"I'll go find us a room," says Gregory, nodding to his companions and then moving with the crowd.

Burly gestures for you to follow, and the three of you move to follow the others.

Grabbing a seat at one of the long benches in what I've decided to call the Great Hall, I say, "You know, you guys never answered my question about why you decided to join this tournament. You don't have to, I'm just curious." I look over the three faces that sit with me and take a swig of the ale provided by our mysterious 'benefactor.' Not bad. I know Un'po and Da'vi like a stiff drink after working with Pa some days. Maybe I should get the name of this guy's vendor.

Burly looks at Gregory and Veronica before answering me. Obviously she got some kind of 'okay' signal, becasue she simply says, "Mageprice. All of us."

My eyes widen a little, and I let out a low whistle. "That's some Price. Hope it was worth it."

Gregory says, "It was."

"Our turn for some questions. You seem very at ease with being dragged off by mysterious forces, not to mention those strange happenings back in the observation area. Why?" asks Veronica.

"There's not exactly much I can do to control some aspects of the situation. So I don't try, saving my efforts for when it will make a difference. Seems to be the most effective way of making actual change," I say, shrugging off the the question. And being a Shaman doesn't hurt either. I'm at the call of the Wild Magic whenever I cast Finding.

Gregory yawns as Burly says, "He's also a Shaman, V. You get used to that kind of stuff. My turn." she smiles at me, and I catch a bit of a glare from Gregory as he sips his ale. Okay, definitely not going there. "You aren't the typical build for the Machine Desert. Where are you from?"

I smile, seeing the question for what it is - both a stall tactic and a genuine curiosity. This could get bad. Gregory most definitely seems like the jealous type. "Suspension Point. I'm the son of a fishmonger family. And if your next question is how I got my Spheremount, you already know the answer to that - by the will of the Wild Magic, of course," I state, trying to both answer the question and make myself seem less interesting to Burly.

Burly and Veronica yawn in unison then, and smile at each other when they finish, containing a little laugh. I smile at their obvious companion-ship as Gregory asks his question, "Who else is ready for bed?"

"Me. I should get back to my other companions as well." I raise my mug in a minor toast, saying, "Here's to hoping that we all come out of the first round alive." I down the rest of my ale as the others raggedly say 'here, here' before downing their own drinks. "See you all tomorrow." I let out a yawn as I head towards the sleeping chambers in search of Eerongal and Ambrosius. I wonder how they set up the bunks. And I hope that 'Adolin' isn't in with my companions. I do not trust that one.

I find a chamber with Eerongal's name seared into the door, and knock as I open the door. I note four narrow beds in the chamber, two up against the back wall and another at each side wall. I also see a bright light on the door. "Woah. That's different." The light I see is a spark running along the wood, searing the wood as it passes. It moves in a specific pattern... "Okay, now that's cool." The spark fades, leaving my name seared into the door under Eerongal's. "So, uh, I guess we're bunk mates now, whether we like it or not. I'll see you in the morning, Eero," I say as I walk over to the bed on the right side of the room, claiming it as mine by promptly going to sleep on it.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Ambro watches as many spheremorphs enter the rooms. Names becoming seared into the doorway. Ambro regards the doors suspiciously.

Its impossible to hide your name with that. Ambro walks up to his companions door and pushes it open.

Ambrosius

His name was revealed for all to see, and Ambro was not happy about it.

Ambro enters the room, grumbling to himself.

[Comatose he/him]

River:

After tailing several groups, I come across the room I've been looking for.

Eerongal

Jay-El

Ambrosius

It would seem that 'Varius' has played me false as well. I suppose it doesn't matter, given that my deception will soon be completely revealed. Perhaps I should choose a different room... I discard the thought. These three will know my true name soon enough, no matter which room I choose. By sharing with them, at least I know what to expect from my roommates.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

The part of the dungeon known as the Living Quarters is rather extensive. The first, main room is a large oblong with many smaller, alcove type rooms attached like soap bubbles gathered together. One of these is the bar; another is a Spheresmithy, with flashes of light and sound constantly spilling out from it; and there are various shops set up selling various magic and non-magic items, and a variety of services. There are also staircases leading off of the hall in three directions, one goes to a dining hall, one to the rooms, and the last to a gym. There are fewer people here, some peruse the the shops, others sit at the bar, and still others continue conversations from before, but the majority have left to go to bed.

The rooms hallway is lined with doors, twenty on each side, but most rooms remain empty, only about half have names on them, since there are very few that have come here on their own. The hall ends with another door, this goes to a small room that has a door on either side, the bathrooms. Inside can be heard the sound of running water in many forms, from sinks to showers.

Burly's group is across the hall and three doors down from your group's. Four names are burned into a door five in the other direction on your side: Flip, Trip, Whip and Skip. And the door across from that is labelled Kara and Adam. Peter seems to have found a room of his own at the end of the hall, presumably after being forced out by everyone else. There's still no sign of the dark haired man with the eye Grid, he may or may not be in one of the rooms, but it's impossible to tell since you don't know his name.

[Cuaiir he/him]

Waking, I note that all three of the other beds in the room are occupied. I can make out the outlines of Eerongal, Ambrosius, and 'Adolin' as I quietly step out of the room. River. Well, that puts that card out on the table. I can't imagine he's too happy about it, either. I follow my ears to the showers, and revel in them. It is next to impossible to find a shower in the Machine Desert - sand scrubbings are much more common. After toweling off, I head back to the dining area and grab some grub before poking my head into the Spheresmithy.

It must be around mid-morning, and I know I saw the lights on at midnight the previous evening. Working off the assumption that there are multiple smiths, I announce myself, "Hello, the smithy."

A boy, no older than 17, comes running to greet me. "Good morn, sir, just a few moments until Tori finishes the Grid he's working on. Might I ask why you've stopped by today? Rewards from the tournament aren't given out until after the first round."

"I'm assuming Tori is the Spheresmith on duty?" Seeing the boy nod, I continue, "I found a component before coming to this place. I managed to get it attached to my Grid, but the Spheresmith I saw told me he didn't have the right tools to make the most of it. I was hoping that, in this place, our benefactor may have gathered what he could to make sure he gets the best possible fights out of his Spheremorphs."

"Of course, sir. Tori was brought in by our benefactor for her skill and ingenuity. While I'm not entirely sure what she has available, I'm sure she'll do whatever she can." The boy turns away from me, mumbling something that sounds like, "she's gettin' paid 'nough. Don't even le' me eyeball th' shinies." In his more formal, and louder voice, he tells me, "Right this way, sir. She should be finished with that Itemizer by now."

Itemizer.. I wonder what that does. I'll ask. As the boy leads me further into the smithy the temperature increases,and we pass many Grids on display for potential customers. I note that many are strictly for shifting in a certain pattern, and there are a great deal without any Grid ability whatsoever. I see none that look like the Cradle. Maybe my Grid is unique. Either that, or they get snapped up very fast. Or no one has seen or thought of one, and thus can't copy it. Or.... My thoughts get away from me, but I keep looking around at all Grids. The walk isn't very long, perhaps thirty yards, but the path winds and weaves and it seems to take longer than it actually does to reach the working portion of the Spheresmithy.

A large, well-muscled woman in smith's leathers swings a hammer with an air of finality. Sparks fly as she strikes the object on the anvil, and she hangs up the hammer by its leather thong before turning to speak to the boy. "Kerr, we're low on magisteel. Check the shops, see if they've made any more, and get me prices. We need at least fourstone to even start working on the weird Grids he wants. I can go as high as three of the smaller mundane Grids for that."

"Tori, I presume. I'm Jay'el, one of the competitors."

The smith continues working even as we talk - clearly this Spheresmithy is busier than it appears. "Yes, yes, of course you are. What can I do for you?" I explain my situation to her, as well as what I'm looking for. "Well, no guarantees. Leave it with me for ten minutes, I'll give it a close inspection, and depending on where you are in the line-up I might even be able to work on it today."

I refuse to be useless. "If I leave my Grid with you, how do I know I'll get it back? There are a lot of shady characters running around down here." Like my bunkmate, for instance.

Tori looks at me like I'm a complete moron, saying, "You really think he'd let us operate down here without some sort of protection? No one gets into the actual Smithy without an escort by one of our staff, thanks to some handy magic from him, and all the Grids on display are trapped. You leave your Grid with me, I'll get you a loaner, and I'll see what I can do."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'll gladly leave it with you for a bit. I need to check where I am in the bracket, anyway." I unhitch the Cradle from my Mount as Tori gets me one of the mundane Grids as a loaner. With the loaner Grid set back in my Mount, I say "I'll come back in ten, soon as I know when I fight. How will I get back in if Kerr is still out?"

Tori is already examining my Grid, clearly fascinated. "Hmmm? Oh. Just hit the button near the door. I'll come and get you, or send my own apprentice, Quinn. Now go, shoo, this is fascinating."

I chuckle softly to myself as I leave. Apparently I'm not the only one intrigued by the mystery of the Spheres. I really need to spend more time in a Spheresmithy. Too old for an apprenticeship, though. Ah well. I make my way over to where the bracket is posted, and check my spot.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

Dawn has come and gone, and some have done the same, others are still examining the bracket. The bracket has each position labelled with a number, and underneath the bracket is a list of names with attached numbers. Checking the list you see that your number is 22. Then scanning the bracket you can see that your first match is against someone named Thomas McGee. You also notice that the name right below yours, at position 23, is Ambrosius, who is against number 24, Veronica Amazon.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Ambro had just finished checking his room and was going to get food at the bar. Noticing Jay'el, Ambro walks over.

Ambro looks over the bracket, then turns to Jay'el.

"You wouldn't happen to know that person, would you?"

[Comatose he/him]

River:

The sounds of Jay-El waking up banishes any sleep from my body. I am instantly alert, and I listen as he and, a little later, Ambrosius leave. Taking note of Eerongal's position, and ensuring all my possessions are secure, I dress, pack up and make for the showers. On my way, I notice a gathering around the bracket and look up my slot.