#ninja hook obstacle

[ninjasports]

Crane Hook - Ninja Warrior Obstacle

Ninja Warrior Obstacle - The Crane Hook

Add this fun and challenging ninja warrior obstacle to your ninja obstacle course! Both kids and adults alike will love this new addition to any obstacle course.  

About the Obstacle

Price includes 1 individual Crane Hook

Great for teaching young ninjas to traverse across a ninja warrior course via unique swinging obstacles!

Compatible with all ninja warrior obstacle course structures

Wholesale pricing for bulk orders available upon request! 

Agreement:

Custom Design Crafts, is not responsible for injuries the purchaser may incur due to misuse, improper installation, or falls that may happen while performing the required exercise. Upon purchasing this product the purchaser agree to not hold Custom Design Crafts, its Employees, affiliates or its owners responsible for damages. 

#ninja hooks #ninja warrior obstacle for sale #ninja warrior accessories #ninja kids #backyard ninja warrior course #ninja hook obstacle

[cutepresea]

First half of Shirabe Meshi chapter 31 is out and this time we got the girls...wanting to learn ninjutsu from Ogawa

Maria, as shown in a previous chapter, already knows a little bit from working with him as an agent and wants to further her skills while Chris and Shirabe were dragged along by the obvious suspects.

So yeah, Ogawa has set up a uh, "ninja labyrinth" with the help of Noble Red (it's Daedalus End). Basically the girls have to make it to the end of the obstacle course they set up with only one rule: They can't use their Symphogears. Whoever clears it will receive the training.

As you could probably imagine, it starts out with Hibiki and Kirika having a blast and certain others...not nearly as thrilled

But then they run into a curved wall they have to find a way over. Hibiki just charges it and makes it up, Maria using a grappling hook after that. Kirika whines that it's not fair, but Maria points out that the only rule was that they couldn't use their Gears.

Kirika and Shirabe try to go over and fail so Kirika and Chris help Shirabe up. She then lowers a rope for the other two to climb

Over the wall, they run into Elsa using V-Combine and she manages to separate most of the group since they can't really stand up to her without their Gears. As Shirabe and Kirika are walking, Kirika starts complaining that Shirabe's cooking actually kinda sucks at times.

Yeah, if it wasn't obvious, that ain't Kirika

The others are going through their own illusions (Kirika gets to eat a lot of Shirabe's food and Maria is surrounded by a bunch of Serenas to dote on)

Hibiki comes across "Miku" and is confused why she's even there at first, but "Miku" starts saying stuff like "Hibiki...you always just solve everything by punching it, don't you? So those fists ARE just meant for hurting others!"

To which Hibiki punches "her"

"Miku...Miku...WOULD NEVER SAY THAT!"

And realizes it was an illusion, so she goes to check on the others.

Meanwhile, Chris has started slapping around Maria to snap her out of hers (we don't get to see whatever Chris saw, unfortunately)

Hibiki manages to get Shirabe and Kirika out of theirs

Hibiki: "Are you okay?"

Kirika: "That was the best illusion ever!" Shirabe: "That was the worst illusion ever."

So yeah, that was also part of the test. That's where this half of the chapter ends. Second half will be next week.

#senki kanshoku symphogear shirabe meshi #senki zesshou symphogear #symphogear #shinji ogawa #tsubasa kazanari #hibiki tachibana #chris yukine #kirika akatsuki #shirabe tsukuyomi #maria cadenzavna eve

[daddyhausen]

I'd also take hook or dante martin on a date, now I don't know if they're common in America but we have like, mock ninja warrior courses over here, and also Go Ape which is like a treetop obstacle course and its super fun. Just both of them doing something active but like, fun at the same time, and the high treetop stuff and dante is a high flyer and at the end of the one I went on there was two 250m zip lines.

Like, I imagine those two would vibe with one of those assault courses or obstacle things. Who doesn't love fun exercise!

yesyesyes !!

#tahlia speaks 🤍 #ask games #dante martin #hook #hook aew

[happiestplacehq]

Activities and Participants !!

Nature Expedition

Alba, Anna, Barbie, Charlie, Cyrus, Fawn, Gabriella, Gwen, Henrik, Honeymaren, Honoria, James, Jane, Javi, Jim, Kronk, Marie, Oz, Peter, Rachel, Raymond, Rosetta, Rowan, Stephen, Tamara, Tina

Water Sports - Canoeing, swimming etc.

Abby, Alba, Anna, Arista, Ashley T, Barbie, Cass, Charlotte, Cyrus, Elsa, Fawn, Flynn, Gabriella, Henrik, Honeymaren, Honoria, Iridessa, James, Jane, Jessie, Jim, Katherine, Kronk, Lilo, Lock, Luca, Ollie, Penelope, Peter, Rachel, Ralph, Shock, Terence, Toulouse, Travis, Wendy

Foraging Expedition

Arista, Broden, Fawn, Gwen, Honeymaren, Honoria, James, Jim, Kronk, Lilo, Minnie, Oz, Peter, Rachel, Rosetta, Rowan, Tamara, Tina

Treasure Hunt

Abby, Anna, Arista, Broden, Cyrus, Elsa, Fawn, Flynn, Gabriella, Honoria, James, Jim, Katherine, Kronk, Lilo, Lock, Luca, Marie, Minnie, Oz, Peter, Rachel, Rosetta, Rowan, Stephen, Tamara, Terence, Tina, Toulouse, Wendy

Competitive Games / Teambuilding

Abby, Alba, Anna, Arista, Broden, Cass, Gabriella, Honeymaren, James, Javi, Katherine, Kronk, Minnie, Oz, Peter, Rachel, Ralph, Rowan, Stephen, Tamara, Terence, Tina, Toulouse, Travis

Cook Out Competition

Abby, Anna, Barbie, Charlotte, Cyrus, Freddie, Gabriella, Gwen, James, Jane, Javi, Jessie, Kronk, Minnie, Oz, Penelope, Peter, Rachel, Ralph, Raymond

Bonfire Bash - A night of telling stories and singing by the campfire

Abby, Alba, Arista, Barbie, Broden, Cass, Charlotte, Elsa, Fawn, Freddie, Gwen, Honoria, Iridessa, James, Jane Porter, Jim, Katherine, Kronk, Luca, Marie, Minnie, Oz, Penelope, Peter, Rachel, Raymond, Rowan, Shock, Terence, Tina, Toulouse, Travis

Fort / Campground Building & Competition

Abby, Anna, Arista, Broden, Cass, Cyrus, Gabriella, James, Kronk, Lock, Minnie, Ollie, Peter, Ralph, Rowan, Shock, Stephen, Tamara, Tina, Toulouse, Travis

Crafting - Woodsmithing, natural crafting, etc.

Alba, Anna, Ashley T, Barbie, Cass, Charlie, Cyrus, Elsa, Gabriella, Gwen, Honeymaren, James, Javi, Jessie, Jim, Kronk, Oz, Peter, Rachel, Rosetta, Tina, Toulouse, Wendy

Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course

Abby, Anna, Cass, Flynn, Henrik, James, Kronk, Lilo, Marie, Ollie, Peter, Ralph, Shock, Stephen, Tamara, Terence, Tina, Toulouse

OTHER

Ashley A & Ashley T - Sunbathing

Charlie Little - Sneaking...

James Hook - Sword Fighting

#happiestevent #happiestevent7

[1gbag]

Unleash the Fun: Top 5 Android Arcade Games to Play in 2024

Get ready to embark on an exciting adventure as we dive into the world of Android arcade games 2024. Whether you're a fan of action-packed shooters or thrilling racing experiences, these top five games are bound to provide endless entertainment on your Android device. From immersive gameplay mechanics to stunning graphics and captivating storylines, let's explore the must-play games that will surely keep you hooked for hours on end.

"Galaxy Defender" - Genre: Shoot 'em up Google Play Link: Galaxy Defender

Prepare yourself for an intergalactic battle like no other in "Galaxy Defender." As a fearless space pilot, your mission is to protect the galaxy from alien invasions. Engage in intense shoot 'em up gameplay as you navigate through challenging levels, dodging enemy fire and unleashing special abilities. With its stunning graphics and captivating sound effects, this game offers an immersive experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

"Turbo Racer" - Genre: Racing Google Play Link: Turbo Racer

Rev up your engines and get ready for adrenaline-pumping races in "Turbo Racer." Take control of high-speed cars and master the art of drift as you compete against AI opponents in a variety of challenging tracks. With its realistic physics and responsive controls, this game delivers a true racing experience. Customize your vehicles, unlock new tracks, and climb the leaderboards in this thrilling arcade racer.

"Pixel Ninja" - Genre: Platformer Google Play Link: Pixel Ninja

Embark on an epic journey as a nimble ninja in "Pixel Ninja." Traverse through beautifully crafted pixelated worlds, battling enemies and overcoming challenging obstacles. With precise controls and fluid animations, this platformer offers a nostalgic gaming experience. Unleash devastating ninja skills, discover hidden secrets, and save your village from the clutches of evil in this captivating adventure.

"Hyper Shooters" - Genre: Shoot 'em up Google Play Link: Hyper Shooters

Prepare yourself for a fast-paced, bullet-hell extravaganza in "Hyper Shooters." Take control of futuristic spacecraft and engage in intense battles against hordes of enemies. With a wide range of upgradable weapons and power-ups, this game offers a dynamic and highly addictive gameplay experience. Dodge enemy projectiles, maneuver through challenging levels, and show off your skills in online leaderboards.

"Super Breakout" - Genre: Classic Arcade Google Play Link: Super Breakout

Relive the nostalgia of classic arcade gaming with "Super Breakout." This timeless game puts a modern twist on the beloved brick-breaking genre. Use a paddle to bounce a ball and break through layers of bricks, collecting power-ups and bonuses along the way. With its intuitive controls and addictive gameplay, "Super Breakout" offers endless hours of fun for players of all ages.

Conclusion: 2024 is shaping up to be an exceptional year for Android arcade games, and the five recommendations above are just a taste of the excitement to come. From the intense shoot 'em up action of "Galaxy Defender" to the nostalgia-inducing gameplay of "Super Breakout," these games offer a diverse range of experiences for every player. So, grab your Android device and immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Android arcade games 2024. Get ready to unleash the fun!

Unveiling the Top 5 Android Adventure Games 2024: Embark on Thrilling Quests!

#android #android games #video games #gaming

[linuxgamenews]

Dungeon Drafters offers you a look into the adventure

Dungeon Drafters dungeon adventure game has a short gameplay video for Linux and Windows PC. This is the result of the teamwork between Manalith Studios and DANGEN Entertainment. Due to make its way onto Steam later this month. We have some brand new a dungeon crawler gameplay. You know, so you can explore dungeons, face enemies, traps, and treasure. Well, DANGEN Entertainment is publishing Dungeon Drafters, and it looks pretty good. Plus it's also due to release on Linux, on April 27, 2023. In this game, you play as a young Shinobi adventurer exploring ancient ruins. The world you live in is a bit different from ours, though. In this world, magic is stored in cards, and people use those cards to cast spells and fight monsters. So you'll need to collect cards, build a strong deck, and use it to defeat evil creatures. Or what may be lurking in the dungeons. Dungeon Drafters is due to feature roguelite elements. This also means that every time you play the game on Linux, the dungeons, monsters, and items will be different. As a result, you will never know what to expect. And you'll need to be quick on your feet if you want to survive.

Dungeon Drafters - Gameplay Trailer

In the gameplay that DANGEN Entertainment released, you get to see a short run through one of the dungeons called the Misty Ruins Grove. The character the player controls is called a Shinobi, a type of ninja. The Shinobi is very fast and can move around the dungeon quickly. The player uses a deck of cards to cast spells and attack enemies. Some of the cards a Linux player uses in this gameplay are called Flame Ring, Fury Swipes, and Gust. There are also movement cards like Shadow Walk, Vault, and Hook. Those that the player can use to avoid traps and get past obstacles. As you play through Dungeon Drafters on Linux, you'll face all sorts of different enemies. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As you can see in the gameplay, some enemies might be weak against fire spells. While others might be immune to them. You'll need to figure out the best way to use your deck of cards to defeat each enemy you encounter. When you're not exploring dungeons, you'll be back in town, where you can buy new cards. Here you can also sell your old ones, and talk to other adventurers. You might even run into some lost adventurers who need your help. If you can rescue them, they might give you a valuable message or even join you on your next dungeon run. Dungeon Drafters dungeon adventure game has you explore dungeons, fight monsters, and collect cards. All due to build a powerful spell deck. It has roguelite elements, so every playthrough is different, and you never know what to expect. Due to release on Steam, on April 27, 2023. Including support for both Linux and Windows PC. Priced at $24.99 USD / £19.49 / 24,99€.

#dungeon drafter #dungeon adventure #linux #gaming news #manalith studios #ubuntu #windows #pc #unity

[lilyandriver]

Little Ninja Play Set Toy

Looking for a fun and unique toy for your little ones? Check out our Little Ninja Play Set Toy! This toy is perfect for kids who love to explore and play imaginatively. With its many features, including a working grappling hook, your child will have hours of fun!

#Little Ninja #Play Set

[kmfree198]

Poki motocross

Moto X3M Pool Party - Play it Online at Coolmath Games.

Moto X3M 4: Winter | CrazyGames - Play Now!.

Mad Skills Motocross 2.

MOTOCROSS SPEL Online - Spela Motocross Spel gratis på Poki.

JUEGOS DE MOTOCROSS en JuegosJ.

Xtreme Motorbikes | Play the Cool Free Game on PacoGames.

MOTORCYKEL SPIL Online - Spil Gratis Motorcykel Spil på Poki.

RACING GAMES - Play Racing Games on Poki.

Poki moto x3m summer.

IO HRY Online - Hraj Hry zdarma na Poki.

Motorcycle Games - Two Player Games.

Attitude In Motocross Vol. 5 - YouTube.

Moto X3M - Play Online for Free at Coolmath Games.

Moto X3M Pool Party - Play it Online at Coolmath Games.

Jul 04, 2022 · Jun 24, 2022 ・ MOTO X3M 5 POOL PARTY - Moto X3M 5 Pool Party Poki. MOTO X3M WINTER - Pelaa Moto X3M Winter sovelluksessa Poki. Moto X3M is a free dirt bike racing game where you have to ride a cool motorcycle on an obstacle course. The great motocross racing game takes you to the cold snowy mountains. Moto X3M. Vuoi giocare ai Giochi di Moto?.

Moto X3M 4: Winter | CrazyGames - Play Now!.

Plusieurs des jeux vous permettent de personnaliser vos moto et pilote. Prenez l'avantage à chaque course à l'aide d'améliorations clés pour le moteur, les pneus et la suspension de votre engin. Foncez dans la poussière, l'herbe, la neige et le sable ! Vitesse et équilibre sont deux facteurs vitaux dans chaque jeux de moto cross. Unsere am meisten Popular Games Treffer wie Subway Surfers, rabbids-wild-race, Stickman Hook und Rodeo Stampede. Diese Spiele sind nur auf spielbar Poki. Wir haben auch Online-Klassiker wie Moto X3M, V, Bullet Force Multiplayer, 2048, Minecraft Classic und Bad Ice-Cream kostenlos spielen. Insgesamt bieten wir mehr als 1000 Spieletitel an.

Mad Skills Motocross 2.

Your task in this game is to make Motocross racing. Now, you follow the instructions in this game and have fun.In the first game, you must choose one in four Equestria girls Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Infigo zap, Sugar Coat. Then you will use the arrow key to help your character pass over all the obstacle on the way and win in this game. Super Mario Halloween Wheelie Motocross Unleashed 3D Motor Bike Hill Racing Uphill Rush 4. Jogos de Moto Moto Nuclear Bike Solid Rider 2. Motorun Fix My Bike Suzuki Spring Bike Trial Bike Pro. Crazy Stunts 2. ATV Destroyer Pro BMX Tricks Nitro Ninjas Wheelie Cross. Coast Bike Moto X3M 2 Sprint Driver Spongebob BMX.

MOTOCROSS SPEL Online - Spela Motocross Spel gratis på Poki.

Os jogos de motocross são jogos de velocidade em motos, que incluem as categorias ArenaCross, Enduro e Trial, além de outras especiais para os jogos eletrônicos. Escolha a sua moto e participe. Seja você o campeão! Ver mais. Anúncio. Want to play Motorbike Games? Play 3D Moto Simulator 2, Highway Bike Simulator, Moto X3M and many more for free on Poki. The best starting point for discovering motorbike games.

JUEGOS DE MOTOCROSS en JuegosJ.

The objective in Moto X3M 6: Spooky Land is to reach the finish line in the shortest amount of time. The quicker you are, the more stars you'll receive for that level. But, each time you die, you're using precious seconds, so be as fast as you can. You can use your hard-earned stars to buy new bikes and riders like a witch on a moped or pumpkin. Moottoripyörä Pelit. Sivustomme monet erilaiset moottoripyörä pelit sisältävät erilaisia hahmoja. Voit pelata oikeilla kuskeilla ja stunteilla tai nousta pyörän selkään Bart Simpsonina tai Paavo Pesusienenä. Peleissämme pääset moniin eri ympäristöihin, esim. kallioille, aavikoille, lumelle tai jopa lavasteiden päälle ja. Minecraft Hry Hry pro Dva Multiplayer Hry Stickman Games. Auta Hry Policejní Hry Unity Hry Kamiony Hry Hry Oblíkačky Running Games Robotické Hry Strašidelné Hry Mahjong Hry Stickman Games Cool Games Srandovní Hry Simulační Hry Tanky Hry Akční Hry Survival Games Had Hry Strategické Hry. Hry. Hry.

Xtreme Motorbikes | Play the Cool Free Game on PacoGames.

Controls in Motocross Simulator 1! Use the mouse to navigate and play the game. And the arrow keys to drive and balance the dirtbikes. Press Spacebar to break the bikes and the shift to activate the nitro. Notice that nitro will not activate only at a certain speed. Release Date Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Xtreme Motorbikes is free 3D racing motorcycle game available for PC and mobile. The game offers 25 customizable motorbikes to drive in various open-world maps with multiple mini-tasks of various kind that let player to make money for equipements and better motorbikes. Xtreme Motorbikes belongs between the best motorcycle games you can play on.

MOTORCYKEL SPIL Online - Spil Gratis Motorcykel Spil på Poki.

Motorky Hry. Máme celou řadu různých her zaměřených na motorky, v nichž vystupují různé postavy. Hrajte jako skuteční jezdci a kaskadéři, nebo zkuste štěstí jako postavička z animáku, například Bart Simpson nebo Patrick ze Spongeboba. Naše hry inspirované legendárními motorkami Harley-Davidson obsahují různá. Giochi di Calcio. Non dovrai più preoccuparti per il tempo fuori, da ora puoi giocare una divertente partita di calcio con uno dei nostri giochi calcio! Abbiamo un'ampia scelta di giochi con tecniche diverse, da incontri realistici in 3D a giochi in 2D con i temi dei cartoni animati. Rivivi i colpi di testa dei giochi reali o diventa un grande.

RACING GAMES - Play Racing Games on Poki.

Choose your favorite rider, or create a custom character to look just like you! Every game in our collection features fast, challenging action. We have riding courses and racing tournaments that send you around the world. Ride your motorbike on dirt, sand, stone, and snow! Cruising on a Yamaha, Honda, or Ducati is as simple as pressing one key.

Poki moto x3m summer.

At Poki, play is how we learn. That's why we're on a mission to create the ultimate online playground. With tons of games for kids of all ages, we're bringin. Quer jogar Jogos de Corrida de Carros? Jogue Death Chase, Burnin' Rubber 5 XS, 3D Arena Racing e muito mais gratuitamente no Poki. O melhor ponto de partida para descobrir novos jogos online.

IO HRY Online - Hraj Hry zdarma na Poki.

Jogos de Tiro: Teste suas habilidades de pontaria, e prove que você é um exímio atirador com um de nossos jogos de tiro online e gratuitos! Escolha um de Nossos Jogos de Tiro Gratuitos, e Divirta-se. Jun 18, 2022 · Motocross Motorbike Simulator Offroad - Apps on Google Play. The flying motorbike is a marvelous turn in the bike driving game. It combines realism and fun riding physics to create an amazing motorcycle simulator on mobile with its advanced engine.

Motorcycle Games - Two Player Games.

Motocross bikes are also used in freestyle motocross tournaments, which are focused on jumps and stunts. Enduro and Rally Raid biked are adapted for longer races, and have larger, heavier fuel tanks. Trial bikes are light-weight bikes designed so that the rider can balance by standing on the foot pegs. There dirt bikes have a brisk throttle. Play free Poki Games. You can play many of your favorite Poki games right here! Along with games that are a lot like Subway Surfers, we’ve got tons of exciting gun games. If you prefer sporting competitions, you might want to try our racing games. Hit top speeds while you buzz past other players from all around the world. Vårt stora utbud av motocross äventyr inkluderar massvis av utmanande banor. Varje bana är designad så att du kan få en snabb och beroendeframkallande upplevelse. Spelare kan tävla mot varandra eller mot datorn för att försöka att sätta ett nytt rekord. Många spel ger dig möjligheten att stajla din motorcykel och förare.

Attitude In Motocross Vol. 5 - YouTube.

Mad Skills Motocross 3 has finally arrived. With mind-blowing physics, endless customization, hundreds of tracks and exciting online multiplayer events, Mad Skills Motocross 3 sets the standard for side-scrolling racing games. Its amazing 3D art, realistic bike sounds and energetic original soundtrack help to capture the spirit and aggression. MXGP3 - The Official Motocross Videogame offers the most involving game experience ever, with completely new gameplay and graphics thanks to Unreal® Engine 4. Race on 18 official tracks and in the MXoN with all riders and bikes from the 2016 MXGP and MX2 seasons and be the first to experience the thrill of riding one of the 10 2-strokes. Moto X3M is the ultimate motorcycle game series where you need to dodge various obstacles to complete each level. This series is the most popular one in our motorbike games category because of its mobile support and increasing complexity as you progress through the levels. Developer and Release Date.

Moto X3M - Play Online for Free at Coolmath Games.

Ballerspiele: Teste deine Schießkünste und beweise, dass du ein Profi-Schütze bist in einem unserer vielen kostenlosen online ballerspiele! Such dir eines unserer kostenlosen Ballerspiele aus, und hab Spaß.

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[kaitoujokerscans]

The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH7

<7> Joker Breaks In!

Around the same time, another phantom thief — Joker — was hard at work on another caper. This particular caper was...

"Huuuh? A... recipe?" Hachi asked as a stiff breeze blew against his face. Joker, similarly buffeted by the wind, forced a smile as he answered.

"Yep, exactly! Sounds interesting, doesn't it?"

"But that's not important right nooooooooooooow!" Hachi said, screaming. They were falling rapidly. They were in the sky, several thousand meters above the ground. It was cold, and the air was extremely thin. Furthermore, the two of them were freefalling without any open parachutes. It was enough to make him envious of Hosshi, who was staying at home today. "W-What are we s-supposed to do here!?"

"We'll be fine. We've got this." Joker pointed out the thin layer of fabric between the arms and torso on the bodysuits they were wearing. "This is called a wingsuit. It's used to glide through the sky. We can land at our destination without attracting attention this way."

What Joker said reached Hachi's ears over the radio. But it was pitch black all around them, and the only things he could see were the city lights twinkling far below. The sheer terror got the better of him and he could hardly think straight. It was a far cry from how they usually flew with Balloon Gum. All Hachi knew at the moment was that they were headed somewhere Joker had sent an advance notice to.

"What's this recipe supposed to beeeeeee!?" Hachi yelled. Joker answered as he normally would.

"Hachi, you've heard of the soft drink called 'Riviera', yeah?"

"I-I know about it, but...!"

"The recipe for it is one of the world's best-kept secrets, and it's only known to a handful of people!"

"I-Is that so?"

Joker and Spade both love Riviera, the drink of choice enjoyed all over the world. It's served in restaurants everywhere and can be found in any vending machine. It tastes like a mix of sweet syrup and tangy tonic. It's excellent for chugging, and Hachi likes to drink it on occasion himself.

Hachi was quite the cook himself, but true enough, he had no idea what made Riviera taste like that.

"After all, if the recipe got out and suddenly anyone was able to make it, they wouldn't be able to sell their drinks, right? So only the top members of the company that makes Riviera know the ingredients and their ratios."

"T-That makes sense...!"

"Word is that the secret recipe is kept at the company's innermost level, strictly guarded in a safe."

"Joker-san, don't tell me the reason why you're trying to steal the recipe is because you just want to drink a limitless supply of Riviera?"

"Heh heh, it's a secret♪"

"That doesn't tell me anything!"

The duo continued to drop rapidly. Hachi took a glimpse down and saw right below — well, probably still a few hundred meters away — the lights from houses and tail lamps of cars driving on the road. The color drained from his face.

"All right, it's about time for us to start gliding. Spread your wings!"

"Okaaaaaaaay!"

Joker and Hachi unzipped their wings. While they were still falling at the same speed, suddenly they were zooming at an angle. It was like they were slipping down a playground slide. Their untethered bodies skimmed through the air like gliders, and a blast of wind hit Joker and Hachi's faces from the front this time.

"I see it! Over there!"

A large building blurred into sight. It was conspicuously distinct from the other structures around it. The whole building was curvilinear and shaped like a bottle. A bottle of Riviera, in fact. It was already nighttime, so there were no lights streaming out of the windows.

"We're gonna land on the bottlecap!"

Joker made it sound easy, but from where they were, it would've been like placing a speck of dust on the tip of a toothpick. If they weren't attentive and precise about it, they'd fall headlong into the ground instead. Even so, Joker didn't drop speed. Confidently, he plunged straight toward the Riviera bottlecap.

Joker had the courage to dive right into things without hesitation. Hachi admired that. It used to be that Hachi thought about every possible consequence and would often end up not doing anything at all because he was afraid of failing. But Joker typically took action as soon as he came up with a plan. He had once asked Joker about it before.

"Joker-san, how are you so brave?"

"Well, you never know what'll happen until you try, yeah?"

"But isn't that even scarier if you don't know how it'll turn out?"

"It's the other way around. There's only so much in the world that people can imagine. Most of what actually happens is stuff you never would have expected. So don't you think it's better to just do it?"

"You might have a point..."

"Master once told me that 'knowledge can't beat experience'. Which means that right now, I'm no match for Master. But if you flip your thinking, that means that if I get all kinds of experience, one day I'll be able to win against Master. If I'm too scared to try anything, I'll never be able to beat him," Joker said with a smile, and started writing the advance notice for his next target.

When he heard the reason why Joker had so much motivation and the things Silver Heart had taught him, Hachi felt like he understood. It was exactly because Joker didn't know what was going to happen next that he was always able to act immediately.

"Okay, we're almost there, Hachi!"

Joker's yell brought Hachi back to the present. The Riviera bottlecap roof was coming up to meet him. The rooftop seemed to function as a small heliport.

"Drop your speed on the count of one-two-three!"

"Roger!" Hachi acknowledged and gripped the cord on the side of the wing. He had been told that when he pulled it, he would slow down.

"All right, on your mark! One..."

Hachi tightened his grip on the cord and adjusted his timing.

"Two..."

Hachi was ready to pull on "three", but then Joker said:

"...and..."

"WHAT!? 'And'!?" In his surprise, Hachi pulled the cord on instinct. A tailored parachute billowed out and he slowed down dramatically. At that speed, he was going to drop down before he made it over the bottlecap.

"Oh shoot! Hachi!" Joker pulled his cord. Losing speed, he changed orientation so that he was now facing Hachi. He caught him in both arms.

"Joker-san!"

"We'll be fine! We should be able to make it, just barely!"

But Joker was just saying that to calm him down. The duo stalled in the air as they were almost to the bottlecap roof. Just out of reach, they slowly dropped down. Without anything supporting his weight, a chill ran down his spine.

"Agh, and we were so close, too~" Joker commented laxly. "That's the end of that. My Balloon Gum's in a pocket underneath my wingsuit..."

"Whaaaat!? Please, that's not funny!" Hachi exclaimed. He promptly pulled one of his ninja tools, a grappling hook, out of his pocket and tossed it up. The hook caught on the rooftop fence with a clank and the two of them stopped in midair.

"Whoa! Thanks, Hachi!"

The two of them climbed up the rope and finally made it onto the rooftop.

"What was that about!? You said to pull the cord on the count of one-two-three! What was 'one-two-and' supposed to be!? You didn't tell me there would be an 'and'!"

"Ha ha ha, it just looked like the timing wouldn't match up. But we had a pretty exciting experience thanks to that, don't you think?"

"That was an experience I didn't need to have!" Hachi exclaimed, squirming. It was important to do all sorts of things and gain experience. But there were some things that he really didn't need to experience. Hachi was sure of that now.

The duo ran silently over the empty rooftop and crouched down close to the entrance. Since Riviera HQ was home to the secret recipe, security was always strict. It didn't even overlook anyone coming from the sky. Flying in slowly would take too much time and was more likely to trigger the defense system. That was why Joker had opted for this method to get in rather than using Balloon Gum.

"Though it's strange that there aren't any security guards on the roof."

"Yeah, it might be a trap to lure us in. Sounds like fun. I'll take the bait."

Joker unlocked the door, entered, and quietly stepped into a dark stairwell. He took a look at the map on his phone and pulled up the route info. "The recipe is in the safe on the top level. Usually nobody goes on this floor. There are three obstacles standing between us and the safe."

"Three obstacles?"

Joker approached the door to the top floor. "The president of this company is a bit eccentric. The defense system's set up so that the safe won't open unless you solve three puzzles. If you can figure out the answer, then you can move on."

"Puzzles?"

"Yeah. So the obstacles are like a test for anyone who wants to open the safe," Joker said, and opened the door leading into the top floor. A long, dim corridor lay ahead. Joker and Hachi put on goggles that let them see infrared sensors and wriggled their way along. Soon enough, they reached a large door.

"All right, this is the first obstacle." Joker turned his gaze up to where a huge sign with a puzzle written on it was hanging on the door.

 [Question]

8            1            6

1            5            9

8            3            4

"Enter the number equal to the eight."

 There was a numerical keypad underneath the sign. They were probably supposed to input the correct number with it.

"So this is the puzzle..." Hachi looked at the numbers and tilted his head. "I wonder why these numbers are in such a random order? And it says 'equal to the eight', but there are nine numbers in all, so I don't get what it means by 'equal to'."

"You don't? The numbers aren't exactly random, either." Joker looked at the numbers and smiled a little.

"Joker-san, you figured it out already?"

"Of course I did."

 What does "equal to the eight" mean? Let's all think about it with Hachi!

Hint: Try adding the nine numbers up horizontally, vertically, and diagonally!

The correct answer is coming right up!

 "Hmm~ I don't get it at all!" Hachi put up his hands in resignation. He had given up.

"Yeesh, fine. This number arrangement is called a 'magic square'."

"A magic square?"

"Look closer. If you add up the three numbers in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, they all come to the same sum."

"Huh? They do?" Hachi looked up and tried adding up the lines. 6+7+2=15, 8+1+6=15, 6+5+4=15... whichever direction he added them up in, they always came to the same total. "You're right! That's weird!"

"This magic square has 3 horizontals, 3 verticals, and 2 diagonals, which makes for 8 sums in all, right? Since they're all the same number..."

"Oh, I get it! 'Equal to the eight' is asking for the sum of the numbers, which is 15!"

"Right on!" Joker punched "15" into the keypad. The door unlocked with a clang. "Okay, let's go deeper in!"

Once they went through, the door closed behind them, and they came before the next door. There was another puzzle on this one. This was the second obstacle. The following was written on the sign.

 [Question]

Assume:

0 > 2

2 > 5

5 > 0

Given {2, 5, 5}, which one wins?

 Just like before, there was a numerical keypad underneath the sign.

"I don't get this one at all either..."

"It doesn't look like these arrow-like marks are supposed to mean that the left number is bigger. If they did, the first two expressions wouldn't be possible."

"That's true..."

"It asks 'which one wins', so maybe this mark just means that the number on the left is 'stronger'."

"Can a number be 'strong'?"

"Maybe these aren't numbers in the first place. Maybe they represent something else." Realizing something, Joker stroked his chin.

 Which one wins? Let's all think about it with Hachi!

Hint: Try counting on your fingers and see what it looks like.

The correct answer is coming right up!

 Hachi folded his arms, tilted his head, and stared at the question. It looked like he still didn't have a clue, so Joker gave him a friendly suggestion.

"Hachi, if you don't know, try counting on your fingers."

"On my fingers?"

"Yeah. Use your fingers to visualize the numbers. Try doing it with both hands, starting with the first expression."

After being told this, Hachi tried counting with his fingers. For 0, he balled up his fist into a rock-like shape, and for 2, he stuck out two fingers, forming scissors.

Wait. Rock... and scissors...?

"AAAAAAAH!" Hachi exclaimed. "I've got it, Joker-san! These numbers represent rock-paper-scissors!"

"Exactly. Now you know." Joker flashed a scissors sign.

"Yes! The numbers are the number of fingers sticking out. So 0 is rock, 2 is scissors, and 5 is paper."

"That's right. 0 wins against 2 because rock beats scissors. Likewise, when you have 3 against 5 — scissors and paper — scissors wins. And lastly, when you have 5 and 0..."

"5, which is paper, wins!"

"You see? Which brings us to the question written below. When you have 2 and 5 and 5..."

"It's scissors against paper and paper, so scissors wins! Which means 2 is the right answer!"

"Right on!" Joker said and punched "2" into the keypad. The door slowly opened. At the end of the hallway, they saw a massive door.

"Oh, that must be where the safe for the recipe is!"

"Yep. In order to get there, we'll have to clear the final obstacle."

The door leading to the safe was stout and didn't look like it could be broken through easily. This one, like the others, had a sign hanging from it with one last puzzle.

 [Question]

5            2            2            2

0            5            0            5

0            2            2            2

0            5            0            5

Push the button for the number that doesn't lose.

 Unlike the previous ones, there were buttons on the sign itself this time. This meant that one of the above numbers was correct, and when it was pressed, the door would open.

Hachi took a look at the numbers and tilted his head yet again. "Is this... rock-paper-scissors again?"

"Yep. It's only 0 and 2 and 5, just like before, so we can probably assume that's the case..."

"But I don't really understand this arrangement or what 'doesn't lose' means..."

"Hmm, maybe it's like the magic square we first encountered...?" Joker studied the numbers closely and brainstormed.

 Exactly which number is the one that "doesn't lose"?

Think about it in terms of both the "magic square" and "rock-paper-scissors" you saw before! Hint: you don't have to add up the numbers this time. Just think about it horizontally, vertically, and diagonally!

The correct answer is in the next chapter!

While Joker and Hachi were racking their brains over puzzles, Queen, Roko, and Purple were having tea at a late-night cafe. The train had arrived in town without further incident and they had the secret file in hand. Purple had some spare time before she had to turn the file over to an ally, so now she was going to talk about Noir over tea.

The three sat facing each other in the back corner of a small cafe. Purple leisurely began to speak. "Silver and Noir are complete opposites."

"Opposites?" Queen asked, taking a sip of her honey latte.

"You already know that Silver is a man as lively and bright as the sun. Everyone takes a liking to him. His roguish personality just captivates people. He has luck and natural ability. All of this made him an extremely talented spy. On the other hand, while Noir is also talented, he has to put in effort. He gathers all the intel he can before a mission, analyzes it with a cool head, and executes his plans without a single hitch. Noir goes in thoroughly prepared — that's his style. Noir stayed active even after Silver quit being a spy, and some people even call him the 'legendary spy' now..." Purple dunked a cookie in her black coffee and munched it. "But Noir has a grudge against Silver."

"Huh? Why?" Queen asked, confused. If they had gotten along as spies, there was no reason for him to hate the phantom thief Silver Heart.

"Well. Once Silver became a phantom thief, he started to get a lot flashier. He had always been a daredevil with an affinity for showing off. As ostentatious as his capers were, there were more than a few occasions where he failed spectacularly. Noir got tangled up in those spectacles quite often."

"Noir was involved with Grandpa's work?"

"It'd be more accurate to say that Silver always barged in when Noir was on covert infiltration missions and made a mess of everything."

"What...?" Queen and Roko's faces clouded over.

"The success of our spy operations hinges most of all on not being spotted. We infiltrate without alerting the enemy, do our work, and leave without attracting attention. The longer it takes them to notice that they've been breached, the more likely it is that the operation will be a success. In that sense, as soon as there's any uproar, the operation is a failure."

"Sounds like unforgiving work..."

"I can see why a spy wouldn't want their presence to be known, though," nodded Roko understandingly.

"Right. That's why Noir carries out his missions in secret, never letting anyone know he's there. But Silver Heart was completely different."

"Ah..." Queen realized something. "I get it. A phantom thief sneaks in, but not without anyone's knowledge. They send advance notice."

"Precisely. Phantom thieves boldly proclaim that they're breaking in, reveal themselves when everybody's looking, and steal the treasure dramatically while they're all in shock. Isn't that what Silver always says? He was always a showoff, so that suits him," said Purple. She exhaled and gave a shrug. "Besides, Silver tended to go after the treasure of money-grubbing crooks. Noir would receive a directive, plan everything down to the finest detail, and then once he got there, advance notice from Silver came in. What do you think would happen then?"

"The enemy would be on alert, and it'd make espionage that much harder..."

"That's exactly it. Silver was probably using the same network he had used as a spy to locate treasure. Silver threw a wrench in Noir's work on more occasions than he could count."

"That many times...?" Queen was surprised. Now she understood why Noir would be angry. But wouldn't Silver Heart have realized...? When she asked about it, Purple shook her head.

"...Unfortunately, Silver Heart is clueless about the whole thing. That's his greatest fault. Silver had no way of knowing that Noir was at work behind the scenes. Noir couldn't afford to have his mission be compromised, so he couldn't even say he was there. He had to give up, knowing that his mission had failed because of Silver..."

"So that's the story..." Now that she knew Noir's circumstances, Queen sympathized with him a little. Silver Heart's capers were indeed grandiose affairs and would definitely have interfered with any espionage going on. And since the man himself was completely oblivious and stole without a care in the world, she could understand why that behavior would incur wrath.

"I feel sorry for Noir..." Queen murmured. Purple snorted.

"Well, if you ask me, Noir's at fault too. Of course it'd annoy me to have someone get in the way of my job. But a real spy works around it. If a phantom thief appears and you take advantage of the confusion to accomplish your goals, you might be able to have an easier time of it. He could have even set it up to make his deeds look like Silver's handiwork. Noir just didn't exert himself."

"Oh, I see..."

"You've got high standards, Purple-san."

The pair voiced their respect for her.

"Oh, also, Grandpa is going after a treasure called the Lachla Crown. Apparently it's something he and Noir were looking for back when he was a spy..."

"The Lachla Crown? That explains it. You could say it ties Silver and Noir together."

"What do you mean?"

"Silver fell asleep, and because of that, the two of them weren't able to locate the hidden treasure. I remember Noir was really infuriated about it."

"Then when Noir learned that Grandpa was going after the Lachla Crown..."

"He quit being a spy and took matters into his own hands, it seems..."

"Huh? Noir quit his job?"

"Yes, just recently."

"Oh..." Queen pondered this. If Silver Heart targeting the Lachla Crown really had prompted him to quit being a spy...

Making up her mind, Queen stood up. Purple spoke to her.

"You're going? In that case..." Purple handed her a slip of paper. "Noir has been frequenting this place since he quit his job. I already looked into it."

"Thank you, Grandma." Queen took the note with gratitude.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, Queen, you were quite sensible back there. Would you be interested in doing some spy training under me?"

Then Queen answered with a little smile. "Thank you. It's not a bad offer, but I'll never be cold-blooded enough to be a spy."

"Ha ha ha, you really are Silver's disciple. And you're headstrong to boot. Just like me when I was younger."

Roko paled for a moment at this, but Purple gave a wink and smiled.

"Hee hee, thank you. Until next time, Purple-san!" Queen said. Then she and Roko ran off like the wind.

Several hours after their conversation...

Silver Heart was at a chic open-terrace cafe in Paris. The aroma of his espresso lifted his spirits. He took a hand mirror out of his pocket and fixed his appearance.

"Heheh. Hello, good-looking..." He couldn't stop grinning. Silver Heart was about to meet up with Her Majesty, the Queen of the Kingdom of Pandora for a date. She was busy with her official duties, but had a sliver of time available. The two of them had planned to take that opportunity to go on an incognito date. Her Majesty was going to escape the castle using Balloon Gum that Silver Heart had given her.

Just the words "incognito date" made Silver Heart giddy. "Heh heh heh, just like in Roman Holiday." Dropping the title of a vintage film in which a princess snuck out of her palace all alone and got to briefly enjoy the city of Rome, Silver Heart's already mellow expression melted entirely. If Queen saw how he looked now, she would probably slump down in disappointment.

But just then, his melted face hardened back up.

"..." Silver Heart's eyes were drawn to the coaster in front of him. He could see a small "N" written in the corner of the coaster.

This is... It was a familiar sign. It was how spies sent each other secret messages...

Silver Heart's mind flashed back to decades ago. He flipped over the coaster to see familiar letters that he had read often in the past.

 To my sworn enemy, Silver.

To have it out with you once and for all, I have crept out of the world of darkness.

I will steal your treasure.

 P.S. Your girlfriend isn't coming. She should be in the custody of the castle guards by now.

 "..."

Silver put the coaster down and took a breath. So Noir really does hate me... The sudden cancellation of his date with Her Majesty was a shock in and of itself, but not knowing the reason for this grudge left Silver feeling ill at ease.

What's the matter with him...? Silver Heart took another sip of his espresso, just as he heard a screeching voice come from the TV set up outside the cafe.

"This is your host, DJ Peacock! We've just received an advance notice from Phantom Thief Noir!"

"What...!?" Surprised, Silver Heart listened closely.

"I'll read Phantom Thief Noir's notice out loud. —Tonight, I'll steal the 'Lachla Crown' which Phantom Thief Silver Heart has targeted from the passenger ship Urban of the Sea. Phantom Thief Noir. —That's all! This is sure to be a heart-pounding and stimulating develop..."

Not even listening to the report till the end, Silver Heart got up. "..."

As Silver Heart faded into the bustle of Paris, he no longer had the same look in his eyes as when he was waiting for his date. His eyes were quietly ablaze, in a manner befitting the legendary phantom thief.

#kaitou joker #light novel

[ninjasports]

Ninja Hook Nunchuck Holds

Ninja Hook Nunchucks

In keeping up with the theme of attachment style products from Ninja Sports Manufacturing by Custom Design Crafts, we would like to introduce the Ninja Hook Nunchuck Holds.

The Ninja Hook Nunchuck Holds are a great variation on body weight pull up training, as the neutral vertical grip simulates and trains your grip and forearms, much in the same way climbing a rope does. Without the risk of falling from 25ft in the air when your grip gives out.

The Ninja Hook Nunchuck Holds are not just for training hanging grip strength or mobility. This ninja warrior training obstacle can even hook onto a standard barbell for an intense deadlift (the current record is 515lbs)! You can also hook on a number of different size kettlebells to perform a hammer hold, or take a trip to your local park and try them on the monkey bars (insane workout)!

The Ninja Hook Nunchuck Holds can be equipped with the Ninja Hook or straps, the hooks can fit over any bar (up to 1-3/8in dia.) and be used for quick setup/ take down when on the go, they take up no more space in your bag than a pair of nunchucks!

With using the straps, you can swing around or traverse across your ninja warrior course for an ideal ninja warrior workout. This product can be painted with a gripping aid polymer, in case your hands get slippery while exercising, or they can be machined with a knurl on them to resemble the style of grip on a barbell

Product Contents:

1-Pair of Nunchuck Holds

1-Set of 1-3/8 in dia. Hooks (optional)

2- 4ft Straps (optional)

*Knurled handles or Black Textured handles for easy grip (optional additional cost)

Agreement:

Custom Design Crafts LLC and Ninja Sports Manufacturing, is not responsible for injuries the purchaser may incur due to misuse, improper installation, or falls that may happen while performing the required exercise. Upon purchasing this product the purchaser agree to not hold Custom Design Crafts, its Employees, affiliates or its owners responsible for damages. 

#ninja warrior holds #ninja warrior obstacles for sale #ninja obstacle #ninja hook nunchuck holds #ninja hooks #ninja warrior backyard obstacle

[thecandywrites]

Blood For Gold Chapter 19

Ya’ll. Google and Pintrist have failed me. This is only kind of sorta how I envisioned this. If you simply take these images as the base and then use them to build with the descriptions I’ve tried giving, you *should* get the right picture in your head because how it looks in my head is more than I can describe. I could give you fifty thousand words to describe the Kamoba. What the arena should look like, how big and how expansive it is, like a really big obstacle course but more intricate than that, what the obsticles themselves should be like what the beacons would look like. What the rulebook itself looks like let alone what is actually written in it, down to what the weapons look like, what the fighting style looks like. What the armor should look like and act like and what the circle of bells looks like and how they sound and how drastically it changes from the day battles to the night battles because day is all about showing off your skills and showing off your moves whereas with the night battle, the fighters almost become invisible because it’s dark and you use more ninja tactics and surprise tactics and how the only time you really see the fighters is when they are actually fighting for brief moments and their flaming swords illuminate not just them, but each other and how it’s overwhelming to the point of you don’t know where to look because everything is going on all at once and how the music makes you want to go to war yourself and battle like a warrior and the roar of the crowd cheering would be deafening at points. Also, Hit The Floor by Linkin Park, that’s the final song but that’s what the music itself sounds like. 

And this is what sucks about having an overactive imagination. Because these scenes played out like an IMAX movie in my head and I’m just trying so hard to describe it to you because I can’t SHOW YOU on a movie screen because I don’t have a way to hook up my imagination to it. I wish but sadly, no. You just have to read it and try to imagine it yourself. And that’s frustrating, at least for me. But at the same time I don’t want those details to clutter the story or clog up the story line. 

THE STRUGGLE. Anyway. This is going to be a big bite and a lot to chew on. Enjoy. 

@punkhorse96​ buckle up, here’s the hill. It’s downhill from here. 

Blood For Gold 

Chapter 19

You happily got Heavencrest saddled as your grandmother borrowed Grevu for today while your mother borrowed Charlico as you were both in the stalls getting them harnessed while Axal was getting ready to ride one of Ramsey’s other griffins while your other brothers got on their own griffins down the line as the boys all seemed to leave at about the same time everyone else did while Jane stayed with Charlotte, Yalin and Gregori who were not participating but hosting this event. 

Commoners were already gathered for the Kamoba battle in the stands for the commoners who were arriving early to get the best seats on them, the vendors had been there since dawn and already had things cooking and grilling away as a series of tents were already up to serve a breakfast, lunch and dinner feasts for the commoners and the royal family’s suite was built onto a high platform above everyone else as a canopy and tent on top of the high platform, viewing right across the battle arena so that they got the best views and very comfortable chairs were already set up as a huge chalkboard was already set up between the commoners and the gentry but also at such an angle so that royalty could easily see it to showcase who would be fighting who to get to the playoffs with the rookies competing first as all the competitors would be flying in and showing off their flying skills to the crowd to also to show off their skill, prowess, strength and stamina.  

Benny was already out there, doing little flips and corkscrews on her borrowed griffin that had a banner in golden yellow with her name as Golden Alpha written on it along with the symbol of a wolf’s head painted in black as she had used the black griffin’s feathers that had been collected when she had groomed it that morning along with the other feathers that had been taken over the course of the last few weeks ever since the Kamoba battle was first planned so that each contestant on a griffin would have a bouquet of feathers from their griffins to pass out to the crowds, the better feathers for the gentry, and the lesser, imperfect, broken feathers for the commonwealth to gain the crowd’s favor as the musicians were playing the crowd’s familiar favorites before the actual battle would begin and they would play the traditional Kamoba battle music. 

After breakfast, then the gentry seemed to show up in force and in style since the announcement was in the papers and the gossip columns in every news paper in London who had been rife with speculation as to why The Turqoise Pheonix had been renamed The Violet Viper as dozens of theories had been supplied and fabricated, also speculations as to why The Violet Viper was now the chosen favorite to win the battle today since their odds to win had gone up since the betting rings were now going for the bet that for every pound they bet on them, they would get two pounds back minus the betting ring’s fee, which was the same odds that The Saharan Viper had along with The Copper Cobra were as well. Whereas Benny’s odds had actually gone down, so that for every pound bet on her- if she won, they would get five pounds back instead of the usual four since the The Turquoise Phoenix's odds had been the same- one in four. 

The gentry began taking their seats in the stands that were especially built and roped off for them and painted white as the gentry’s servants came and put down luxurious cushions for the gentry to sit on as well as comfortable cushions to go on the backs of the benches while a huge canopy had been set up to keep the sun off of most of the gentry but would not interfere with their views, while they had their own raised platform that was open to the sun and thus, open to the griffins to pass by as another servant from the Palace of Windsor came and told everyone still in the stables that the gentry had arrived and that it was officially show time just as you finished getting Heavencrest ready as your mother had finished first and left the stables with Charlico who was chittering at Heavencrest to follow him before Demsey appeared since you were the last one to get ready, leaving you and Heavencrest alone in the griffin part of the barn but Heavencrest noticed Demsey first and started chittering softly at you to get your attention as you looked up and smiled wide when you saw him. 

“Demsey, could you help me with this cinch?” You asked him before he readily opened the door to the stall and ducked into the stall with you, petting Heavencest as he went around her as you readily undid it just so that he could redo it himself which caused him to grin as he happily redid it, becoming more and more accustomed to the giffin’s saddling. 

“Nervous?” He asked you as you could tell he was actually quite nervous himself before you used Heavencrest’s body as your shield before you grabbed his face and pulled him down as you stood on tiptoe to kiss him, granted it was closed mouth and rather on the chaste side but to feel his arms finally encircle you felt better than any trophy ever could.  

“No. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses today. All that does matter is that you do your best. No one can ever ask more from you than that, not even me or the King of England for that matter. Trust your instincts, trust your intuition and trust that win or lose, that my affections for you does not rest on such a thing as a silly battle and your outcome in it, it’s the first time you’re competing, I’m not expecting you to win the whole thing or even your class. All I want is for you to have fun, be a good sport about it and learn all you can, that is all.” You reassured him as you held his face in your hands and looked up so adoringly into his big beautiful purple eyes as he did the same. 

“Likewise.” Was all he could say just as he dipped his head to kiss you again, this time deeper, but you were too excited and happy about the kiss to realize how familiar it was as he held you close and securely as you felt all his own tension leave him before you heard Charlico practically scream as Heavencrest called back to him as she began to pace in place, anxious to get going and join Charlico. 

“Oh my gods it’s like he has anxiety from separation from her.” You complained once you broke for air. 

“I’ll see you out there Demsey Dear.” You cooed to him before you readily jumped onto Heavencrest’s back and into the saddle before giving Demsey one last tantalizing kiss before Heavencrest practically bolted out the barn and flew out into the skies with Charlico. 

Demsey sighed dreamily as he watched you go and practically strut back to the other side of the barn and happily got onto Alaphonse again before he left with the rest of his family and once in the skies, he could see you and your mother doing synchronized flips and stunts for the crowd as you both practiced flying by the crowds so close, you could hand the feathers off to the little kids that had come as their parents held them up from the stands as your battle names were written on different banners on the animals you were riding before the entire Royal Family including Yalin’s sister the Infanta Evinelle DeuSavance and her husband Charles also arrived in style as they waived to the crowds and took their seats in the Royal Suite that had been set up for them.  

That was when your grandmother came out riding Grevu as Grevu roared proudly before taking to the skies and seeing the dragon got everyone to cheer loudly as your grandmother flew him around the grounds, the other flyers, flying behind him, with you immediately to his left while your mother flew Charlico directly on his right as Loreiris was showing Grevu off and scattering preshed dragon scales into the crowds like flower petals or even coins as everyone scrambled to try to get one, which Grevu was happy to do, especially to stretch his wings out before she had him breathe fire to light the bowls filled with special fire oil within the arena as the sheer winds coming off his wings were almost strong enough to topple the people in the stands as the tents themselves billowed and groaned from the force of the winds as quite a few bonnets and top hats came flying off the ladies and gentlemen as their servants scrambled to pick them up again.

Then the announcer for the event with a voice amplifier encouraged each competitor to land, starting from the youngest of The Rookies Class, which was Callie Voyambi who was fighting under the name Little Spitfire which was your old childhood Kamoba battle name when you were a kid which you happily passed off to her, as you let her use your old banner as her own, it’s dark teal color with an orange flame, outlined in black as she landed her borrowed pegasus’ Eterna and came off and waived to the crowds, especially to her friends in the gentry as she then went over to where the circle that housed a myriad of bells were before she picked her favorite and chimed it with a special knocker tied to her fist before she sat down in a chair under the competitor’s tent next to the arena. Then Kiera came down and repeated the process followed by Amara, Tzane, Sierge and then finally Demsey, each of the Voyambi’s ringing a single note of their choosing. 

Then it was The Skillful Class’ turn where most of your family took their turns landing in the grass as the animals laid down regally on the other side of the battle field as their riders were waving to the crowd as they walked in front of the battle arena before they attached pieces of iron to their feet and ankles before they rang out their own “tune” that was unique to the fighter, each battle fought in- carried a longer tune and with each battle won- carried the bigger tunes as each one had their own little dance they did to ring out the various tunes in all the notes.  

Then it was your turn as you landed, being the first in The Proficient Class, and therefore the lowest of The Proficient Class since The Proficient Class was you, your parents and your grandmother, your heir father and his wife and his mother as you rang out your own tune from heart as you hit multiple bells to create a unique melody, the dance to ring them just as unique as all the others had been but it was still a third longer than Benny’s since she was the top competitor for the The Skillful Class and if she won her class, she would graduate the class and cement her place in The Proficient Class, either above you or below you depending on whether she beat you or not at the night games where it was played one on one since the day games usually kept to teams. 

After your turn on the bells, then it was your heir father and his wife and his mother also did the same since they were in The Proficient Class, then it was your parent’s turn before, at last, it was your grandmother’s Loreiris’ turn as she landed Grevu in the grass and practically strut in front of the crowd that went wild for her before she took the weights from your mother and put them on her wrists, fists, ankles and feet and spent the next five minutes ringing out the longest melodic chain of bell ringings, it was twice as long as your own mother’s who was the next one down from her and once she was done the crowd once again went wild.

Once she was done, then there was a flurry of calls for bets as even the royal family quietly whispered their own bets to their attendants before the announcer announced what was riding in the pot between the competitors before the Raymond’s showed off the Cup that had been made and delivered just that morning along with their own little treasure, a diamond necklace, as the Infanta’s put in a diamond tiara before the royal family put in their treasure, a whole bar of moura gold, which had to be carefully set into the trophy first so that it wouldn’t crush the other items that had all of the treasures taken from the pot that had been collected the day before, all of it’s treasures were put into the trophy as the trophy was now so heavy, it had to be carried by three men and placed before the King in the the Royal Suite with the diamond Tiara placed on top, kept there by your dagger Zairrabanit holding it down so that it wouldn’t fly away from the wind coming off of all the flying creatures that would be soon, taking to the skies as the winners of each round would fly their chosen animals around the skies after each victory.  

The way it was laid out, The Rookies, which were basically the whole Voyambi family, were split into two teams, Demsey, Amara and Callie on one, Sierge, Tzane and Kiera on the other. 

The two teams got into position and then the gong was struck to signify the beginning of the battle since the gong was next to the circle of bells. 

To everyone’s surprise, it was little Callie that struck first, striking Tzane down with a swipe of her legs to topple him over and then taking him out with two hits, one with the sword to his neck and the other from a dagger to his leg as she readily used her smaller size to get to the first beacon and readily touched her dagger’s blade to the fire of burning oil to then stab at the first beacon before it exploded in light and colored smoke as Amara then helped catapult her to the second to try to get that one too but Kiera was guarding the second and with three hits, using her larger size and power to knock Callie to the floor and pinned her neck down with her blade to the floor. 

“Good try though.” Kiera offered as Callie laughed and got up and got off the battle stage with Tzane before it was Amara used Kiera pinning Callie down to hit the second beacon where Kiera and made a run for the third while Demsey defended the beacons on his own side against Sierge. 

“So, what did your moura bride offer you if you win today?” Sierge offered as he fought with Demsey near the first beacon. 

“Nothing,” Demsey beamed happily as he did his best to keep the beacon safe. 

“Mine offered me that if I win The Rookie Class, that she would marry me, so I need you to lose with style.” Sierge revealed. 

“Aw, too bad that’s against the rules and against the code of honor. But that’s funny that you mentioned that, mine didn’t hold me to any such thing, all she asked for was my best and that she loves me win or lose, it’s a shame that Benny’s love for you hinges on such a battle like this. If she did really love you, she wouldn’t put such a condition on her love for you.” Demsey pointed out as he couldn’t stop smiling as Sierge and himself battled with the broad swords and the shields since those weapons were the ones they were most comfortable with.  

‘You loved him’ was the only thought that stayed in Demsey’s head because. that was all that mattered to him as Sierge kicked Demsey in the chest as he passed his blade through the fire before striking the first beacon and then sending the same blade to the second beacon before Demsey went to the third to defend that from Sierge as Amara and Kiera fought for the third beacon on their side as well.  

“This has to be the most grand thing we’ve ever done together.” Amara cackled as she and Kiera faced off against each other. 

“And we didn’t even have to get into a corset!” Kiera giggled before Amara spun around, the edge of her warhammer getting alight from the oil in the pan that was alight with fire before she smashed the third beacon, winning the round before a gong was rung to signify the end of the battle as Demsey and Sierge stopped fighting. 

“Damn it.” Sierge cursed as Demsey and Amara both won the rookie class and their team got to add a note to their chimes but since Callie had been struck down, she was not allowed to compete in the next stage as Demsey and Amara moved up in the competition, taking their borrowed pegasus’ for a ride around the grounds to waive their banners along with their added family crests as the first set of bets was paid out among the royalty, gentry and common folk alike before new bets were placed as Benny volunteered to fight in the next round against them, which went against traditional protocol since it was usually the lowest of the The Skillful class that would compete against the rookie class winners, but there was a rule, saying that anyone could challenge anyone else in the same class and since Amara and Demsey had moved up from the Rookie Class to the Skillful Class for the day battle- it was allowed- as Benny urged Octavia to join her as she insisted she wanted Demsey to herself which Octavia readily agreed to as Demsey and Amara landed before going back into the arena where Benny and Octavia were already waiting for them before they got into position and waited for the gong to ring again before they were jolted into action.  

“I should thank you for getting Sierge out of the competition so I wouldn’t have to fight him myself.” Benny offered smugly as Calla’s warning the night before was called to Demsey’s mind before she tried to undermine his footing by swiping at his legs but he easily jumped over her own leg and leapt onto the higher ground. 

“I knew you didn’t genuinely care for him if you put such an impossible task before him.” Demsey returned as he used his better vantage point to try to get in a strike of his own but she easily evaded him. 

“Of course not, I’ve been working him the same way Audra has been working you, it’s a moura bride thing, we can’t help it, it’s what we have been trained since infancy to do, work men and bend them to our wills and not the other way around.” Benny giggled evilly as she tried to get at the beacon but Demsey shoved her off before she could. 

“She in fact, hasn’t been working me, as you claim, unlike you, she’s actually been genuine, whereas you have had a pretense the moment you left home.” Demsey challenged as he defended the beacon from her as Amara was having the worst time just trying to get a hit in as Octavia evaded every advance and counter striked in such a way that Amara was soon on the defensive instead of the offensive as Octavia was quite advanced for being in The Skillful Class and it was immediately clear that Amara was in way over her head trying to fight off against Octavia who was much stronger and much more skilled than she looked.  

“Oh really? What did you think she was doing all those nights at The Red Velvet Rope meeting with another orc of all things? She was so broken hearted by the shakan status because she couldn’t come home to Leumeni who was equally heartbroken because it was him that was her favorite because he could please her best sexually back at the stables at The Lotus House, which is our version of a whorehouse and Leumeni was absolutely certain that the moment she was free of Edward, she would come home to be his wife, he even waited all that time just so she could come home to him, he even had his own pet name for her, His Liittle Firecracker, and her little nickname for him was her ‘Teal Titan’ that’s why he fights under that name, she’s the one that gave him that name because having sex with him was equal to having sex with the god like titans themselves. The only reason teal turquoise is her favorite color is because it’s the same color of his skin and the color always reminds her of him and that’s how she keeps all her memories of him close to her heart and in her mind. He’s been writing her almost daily ever since, and when not a single letter of his returned, he was devastated. But it was clear that she’s been looking for a replacement ever since, it was only your strict English society that kept them apart at the Ball at Havenfield because he saw her again and was ready to haul her off and bury himself to the hilt in her yet again but couldn’t. Even at the Masquerade Ball she was fucking her own manwhore only moments before being with you at the bar. Your brother Sierge’s sense of smell confirmed it, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s already pregnant by either Leumeni or her own manwhore. How does it feel knowing you’re always going to be second best in her heart?” Benny smugly chided as Demsey faltered so she could claim the first beacon before he ran to the second but she easily threw her flaming dagger at the second just as he got to it and it nearly took his head off before he scrambled to the third. 

“Just ask her or even ask your brother cause I’ve already told him all about it in exchange to learn that you yourself have been using whorehouses to find your own Audra? Miss Audra Draft was it? I heard from the gambling ring leaders that she put a bet of a hundred pounds on you to win the rookie class. I’ll bet you another hundred pounds that she is gonna take the money and run, you poor thing, still chasing a dream that doesn’t exist, because Audra’s love and loyalty lies with Leumeni, not you. Why do you think they’ve been making eyes at each other this whole time? Even now, she was only giving Ramsey the time of day until he could give her Dowager status, and then she’s coming home to Leumeni, no one else. It’s just a shame that your sister Kiera seems so taken with him. It’s gonna sting like a motherfucker when he leaves Kiera for Audra, she’s always been his wild thing, His Little Firecracker. Like a unicorn- untamed, unbridled, wild and intense. They have always had the best sex and off the charts chemistry and are quite the pair.” Benny instigated as Demsey looked over to see you talking with Leumeni as both of you looked particularly anxious and standing quite close, talking quietly between each other to see Benny really going after Demsey before she struck him in the balls before getting the kill strikes in his throat and on the kidneys before passing her blade through the fire and exploding the third beacon as Demsey fell to the ground sputtering and choking and nearly crying from the impacts as Amara happily got up from having Octavia pin her down as Octavia and Benny started cheering their victory before getting on their steeds and flying around, their banners flapping in the breeze. 

“You ok?” Amara asked Demsey as she helped him up and helped him off the stage. 

“Yeah, just, Benny is vicious.” He muttered as he stared at her reproachfully as she smugly blew him a kiss from atop her griffin as she flew it around, hooting and hollering her victory as the crowd chanted ‘Gold Alpha’. 

“Well Calla told me she loves to start shit and that she will take something small that is true and spin it into a lie, because something that is even ten percent true is a hundred percent misleading, so whatever she did say to you, I wouldn’t believe a word of it. She probably made the most atrocious allegations against Audra didn’t she? Because she knows that’s your weak spot. Octavia did the same thing with me and Storren.” Amara tried to reassure her brother as they walked off the stage and towards the buckets of water to clean off the paint marks from their white leather armor. 

“Are you ok?” You asked Demsey worriedly. 

“Yeah, just, was not expecting Benny to be as vicious or spiteful as she was.” Demsey reported. 

“Please don’t believe a word she said, she will take nothing and make it into something and blow it out of proportion to throw her components off. That’s why my tactic with her is to attack without letting her talk at all.” You reassured Demsey as Leumeni took his sister aside and asked how she was able to beat Demsey so quickly but with the low blows before she answered him and smiled smugly when his eyes grew wide and he stared at her in outraged horror before seething something to her just to see her cackle and laugh in his face before he stomped off. 

“Oh no.” Calla breathed when she saw it before she pulled you aside as Demsey was still washing the paint off of his armor as he noticed there seemed to be gold glitter in the yellow paint that seemed to smear and get everywhere as he had the hardest time getting clean again. 

“I think Benny told Demsey about you and Leumeni back in the stables to throw him off.” Calla breathed to you before you winced and grimaced and looked to Leumeni and used marinai’s sign language to ask before he nodded as you gave each other a meaningful look. 

‘Please, knock her down a peg, the past is the past, let it stay there.’ Leumeni signed to you before you nodded your agreement as Demsey watched on a little suspiciously at the interchange between Leumeni and yourself you stretched and got ready as the others began to enter and fight in the arena, the gong ringing out to start the battle before shortly after gonging again to signify a victory before it was Axal and Ramsey’s turn to square off in the arena against your heir father’s kids as you were no surprised to see Axal fight alongside Ramsey as the two of them together used the all out attack method and stormed the opponent's side and your half siblings didn’t stand a chance. It was quite epic to see, they made quite the pair. Ramsey used his greater experience whereas Axal used his youth and vigor and together they were almost an unstoppable force as others fought on in teams, but with the odd number of players in The Skillful class, with Calla being the odd one out, you volunteered to go down a class to fight along side Calla who faced off against Leumeni and her brother Storren. 

“I get Leumeni.” You urged Calla who nodded in agreement before the gong was struck.  

“So what did your sister say to Demsey?” You asked as you ran towards the first marker that Leumeni was defending. 

“She told him about us, but that the moment you get Dowager status, that you’re going home to stables with me.” Leumeni answered. 

“Is that what you want?” You asked him. 

“No. Two years ago- yes, but after the first six months of you not replying to my letters and because you followed the rules of not letting your heart get entangled and I didn’t, I thought it was my own fault. And then when you got the shakan status, I tried writing to you telling you that it didn’t matter to me what status you had, that I would take you no matter what but when that letter failed to get a response, I thought you had sworn off of Dorierra all together, that’s why I jumped at the chance to leave, to come here and a chance to see you again and I pushed Calla to accept so I could get an explanation as to why you were rejecting me only to find out that the mail service here failed you completely. And that you were completely unaware of any of it. But then I met Kiara and she’s everything I’ve ever wanted and now I’m hoping those letters never see the light of day so I don’t make an even bigger fool of myself than I already have.” Leumeni confessed as you dipped and dodged his attacks with ease and offered good counter attacks despite his larger size and considerable strength. 

“I get it, I’m your past, she’s your future. And I’m happy that you’re happy and I hope you’re happy with each other and she’s probably all the wild things you loved about me and just begging to have all the wild released. But I’ve become too tame and restrained for you eh?” You asked with a fond grin as you leaped up and wrapped your legs around his neck and twisted yourself around to get him to topple over, striking the first beacon on the way down before you practically bounced off of him and towards the second beacon. 

“In so many words, yes.” Leumeni grinned happily, relieved that you were taking this so well and were in agreement and happy for him instead of being hurt by the news. 

“Well, while I still want to be your friend, I have never really wanted more than that from you. And I think if the letters do come up, I’ll be sure to just excuse it as us being close friends and nothing more and burn them if you want me to without reading them to spare you any embarrassment.” You reassured him. 

“Thank you.” Leumeni thanked you before he picked you up and tossed you up and back as you used your grappling hooks to grab onto the beam above you before you could smack against a wall as you used the rope of it to run along the walls as you used your momentum from Leumeni throwing you to tie the rope around your arm to anchor yourself to it before you tied the rope around your waist so that it swung around in a circle, back to Leumeni who was gearing up for your arrival as you watched as Calla was already defending the second beacon on your side before you used your momentum on the rope to attach a weight to the bottom of it and threw it around Storren’s arm and wrist as the little weight acted like a snake like vine, wrapping snugly around his wrist and forearm just as he was about to hit the beacon and once it was wrapped around his wrist, you used your own momentum with the rope around your waist and the swinging motion back into Leumeni’s direction to yank him backwards as you were surprised when you barely felt the squeeze of it around your waist to pull him backwards, yanking him off the ground as Calla used Storren being yanked off of her to plant her feet onto Storren’s chest to kick him in that direction since he had her pinned down before you crashed Storren into Leumeni as Calla lit an arrow and sent it into the second beacon now that the two of them were out of the way as you readily untangled yourself from the rope of your grabling hook as you climbed up it as you flipped and swung along the rafters criss crossing the ceiling of the battle ground, using the beams on the ceiling to get you to the third beacon as Storren and Leumeni scrambled to beat you to it, running through the obstacle course to get to the third beacon as Calla lit an arrow and aimed it at the third beacon but with you leaping from the ceiling and onto Leumeni and Storren as they both tried to grab you and pin you down, but like a cat you slipped out of their grasps and instead balled yourself up and put your feet to Leumeni’s chest. 

“I got your back, metaphorically speaking that is.” You assured him before like a spring- you sprung him off of you and sent him flying backwards to crash into one of the obstacle elements as the whole crowd was amazed as you used your own strength to do that as you grabbed Storren who kept trying to grab you to throw you off of him as he tried to simply pin you down to a side as he used his body to try to pin you against the other sides of the obstacles around you as you seemed to crawl all over him, using his larger body as your own personal jungle gym as you seemed to slip and slither out of his grasps like a proper snake as Calla let the arrow loose as you heard it coming as you leaned back to let the arrow come between you and Storren as it seemed time slowed down for you to do so as you watched it pass between you as Storren only, half a beat later seemed to only catch the fletching of the arrow with his line of sight just as it seemed to leave his field of vision as you used this moment to swing yourself around him so that he fell, face first into the floor of the arena just as the target began to explode in colored smoke before time came back to full speed as you sat on the back of Storren’s shoulders as the impact knocked Storren out as you and Calla then practically bounced up and ran into each other’s embrace as the gong rang out just as Leumeni seemed to get the air back into his lungs as he rolled over and coughed as his body curled in on itself before you and Calla came over and helped him up to his feet and congratulated him on a good game before the three of you went back over to Storren to try to wake him up before Calla’s other brother as well as Benny’s and the Voyambi’s came over and picked him up and carried him out of there and laid him on a cot to wake up again before you and Calla rode griffins around the  grounds, doing another synchronized set of flips and twists and jumps and corkscrews to do it which was a feat in itself before you landed again and added your chimes to your tunes before you returned to the competitor tent. 

“You put him down hard, like a proper viper.” Your grandmother Loreiris praised you as you came over to where your family was hanging out. 

“Thanks.” You smiled as you took a deep pull from your glass of water before you took two more figs from the bowl of fruit and bit into them. 

“Gosh I wish these were ripe-er.” You complained about the state of the figs but that didn’t seem to deter you from practically inhaling them. 

“These English common figs are nothing to the ones in Dorierra, at least in Dorierra we have dozens of varieties to choose from.” Your grandmother turned her nose up at them. 

“No, but they are better than no figs at all, otherwise I would be spooning fig jam onto anything even remotely bread-like or even eating spoonfuls of it out of the jar.” You confessed. 

“Do you hunger for them that much?” Your grandmother asked you curiously. 

“I do. I couldn’t tell you why to save my life but I normally don’t overly like figs in general but ever since Grevu cured me, I’ve hungered for them like crazy and I can’t get enough. But Dr. Chu did say I would have cravings so, at least it’s this and not something impossible for me to get a hold of like guava or something.” You shrugged as you finished it off and got another long pull of water. 

“Maybe there is something in them that the mourkatili drained from your system and that figs have to resupply it.” Your grandmother reasoned. 

“Probably,” you nodded before you bit into the second one after promptly finishing the first. 

“So how dirty is Benny playing?” Your grandmother asked. 

“Very, she brought up The Lotus House with Leu and I back in the day with Demsey to defeat him, I want to put her into the dirt harder than I did Storren,” you confessed as Loreiris’ eyebrows raised in surprised as she hummed her acknowledgement of that. 

“Don’t let vengeance cloud your judgement, you have a few battles yet before you can face off against her. Focus on the battle at hand, then win the war with her and remind her that your venom is more lethal than the steel of her battle axes, much less her bark or her bite.” She advised as you nodded your agreement as you watched as Benny kept playing to the crowd and to the royal family even when she wasn’t in the battle arena competing as your grandmother kept an eye on all those who entered the arena and the way they were all fighting, gleaning their styles and leanings as they fought as she mentally fought each one in her head as you looked over to where Sierge was sitting and outright pouting since Benny was ignoring him in favor of the other nobility in the crowd, in particular Viscount Whiteale gentlemen, Kate’s brothers as she had them eating out of her hands practically as Leumeni was still coaching Kiera through the night battles and how to actually win those by doing more stealth tactics and using the shadows the other components of the obstacle course allowed as Amara stayed with Storren as he slowly woke up from being knocked out. 

“Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?” Amara asked. 

“Four?” He answered as Amara stared worriedly at the two fingers she was holding up before the doctor on standby gave him medicine for his concussion and left him to sleep it off before it was your mother and father’s turn to play against your heir father and his wife in the battlefield as almost everyone was on the edge of their seats as your grandmother Loreiris and your heir father’s mother, Anavia were the team to beat since they were technically the two most senior members and a team of their own as they both watched their children with pride while silently critiquing their performances and techniques before it ended in a draw, with both teams hitting their third beacon at the same time. 

“Play offs it is.” Your grandmother Loreiris noted to Anavia who grinned in turn before they came to the court, siding with their children as Loreiris, your mother and father took a moment to regroup and formulate a plan as did your hier father and when the moment the gong rang out, it was your mother and father that went out to the first beacon as your grandmother stood guard over the first beacon on their side as you watched on proudly as your parents easily outmaneuvered and outmatched your hier father and his wife as your grandmother Loreiris defended the first beacon from your other grandmother Anavia and with that, the morning Kamoba battle was done and over before the break for lunch was announced as the commonwealth were more than ready and willing to pay the multitude of food vendors for what they had to offer as they took refuge under the food tent from the heat that was starting to build before the Royal Family asked for a private audience with all competitors and their families. 

“I would like to congratulate everyone on a job well done and their victories and for those that saw defeat this morning, there is always the night battle where you can find redemption.” King Leopold offered. 

“However I would like to have a word with all of you as well.” The Queen Dowager began. 

“Please, Queen Mother, by all means.” King Leopold insisted. 

“Now I understand that Sultana Audravienne, you have survived an assassination attempt and were healed by your brother’s dragon Grevu was it?” She asked. 

“I have, thus my current hair color.” You confirmed. 

“Now I understand all of you are aware of who the guilty party is, however for the sake of decorum and to keep the nosey little busy bodies who are undoubtedly trying to hear this conversation through the door so they can then write about this affair in those horrid gossip columns that have had every newspaper selling out just from the speculation for the Kamoba battle. I will request, that all of you take a vow a silence on the matter until it can be settled properly. There are dozens of gossip column newspapers whose very writers are in cognito as members of the gentry in London and they do love a good scandal but I do not want anyone’s reputation to be damaged beyond repair before the matter can be settled. In order to keep things as peaceful as they can be for a Kamoba battle, you will all notice that the guilty parties are not in attendance, for they have been barred from attending and I’m sure anyone with half a wit will be able to come to certain conclusions. However I wish for today’s focus to be solely on the Kamoba battle and if anyone asks, I insist on everyone simply saying that ‘you are not at liberty to say’ and that is all the talk of the matter that will be indulged in and if I hear otherwise from anyone, the guilty parties will be answering to me. Is that clearly understood?” Dowager Queen Anastasia firmly insisted as King Leopold nodded his agreement along with his wife and all of their children and their spouses and their children along with Yalin’s other sister the Infanta and her family also nodded and vowed their agreement to that command. 

“Yes your Majesty.” Everyone echoed their answer. 

“Now, leave and enjoy the afternoon Kamo, however I do wish to have a private word with Sultana Audravienne alone.” Dowager Queen commanded before they curtsied and saw themselves out except for you and the Dowager Queen. 

“Now, don’t be frightened, or disheartened by this. After the Kamoba battle today, I am very much looking forward to seeing you get the satisfaction of the justice you deserve, you see Gregori and King Leopold keep no secrets between them and all the proof of the case that Gregori has found and told to King Leopold who has since shared it with me and it is appalling that such treatment was rendered to you and it is a feat of greatness that you survived such a thing, make no mistake, you will get your just desserts after such a trial, I’ll see to it personally.” The Dowager Queen reassured you as you blew out a breath of relief. 

“Thank you, your Majesty, I eagerly look forward to it. Thank you for counting me worthy of your involvement.” You thanked her graciously. 

“Once upon a time, I was a moura bride too, such things can never repeat and will never be tolerated ever again and I will be rooting for you- both today, and every day after, until you are satisfied with your vengeance at justice’s hand. I mean who can refute with proof such as this?” She reassured you as she took your hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze with a smile that was warmer than sunshine as her other hand gently pet your head since your hair had been braided back to keep it out of your eyes. 

“Thank you,” you thanked her earnestly as you curtsied down low again before her.  

“Now, go enjoy the Kamo lunch feast, and don’t let anyone beguile you or your charms.” She urged you before she urged you to go as you obeyed her and thanked her before you left with the Queen and went into the formal dining room were King Leopold and his Queen Alexandria had turned their attentions to Ramsey and getting to know Octavia since Ramsey had brought her over to meet with them and the rest of his royal family to get their figurative stamps of approval which they were happy to do. 

“What did the Dowager Queen say to you?” Your family asked once you reappeared.

“That she was a moura bride too, and that she will see to it that I get justice to my satisfaction and that she herself will be involved in my case. The Morrigans are finished.” You whispered excitedly as your moura marks lit up like fireworks on your skin as your eyes practically glowed gold as soon everyone was smiling just as happily as you were before you disbursed to have lunch with the gentry as all of them seemed to open up seats for any they could snag, since eating with with a Kamoba battle contestant was seen as an honor to be eating with a warrior of legend. 

Little Callie had never been so popular among the other children her age since she was the only one in her age group to compete as she and the rest of her family were proud to announce that they were building a proper Kamoba battle out of steel and iron back at Whydah and as soon as it was completed, the Voyambi’s would be happy to host another Kamoba battle to host more battles such as this which was met with great joy and jubilation as the King himself offered to help be a patron of the project which the Voyambi’s happily accepted. 

Kate Whitesale’s brothers who were seated around Benny as she ate and coyly flirted with both of them while Kate tried to take notes about how Benny was completely enrapturing her brothers so that she too could win back Duke Demsey since it was clear that neither Benny or Calla had ensnared him yet and if anything he still seemed unaffected by them now as he was at the ball which gave her a measure of hope that she had not lost that battle yet. 

“Princess, would you instruct me on how to win back Duke Voyambi’s favor?” Kate asked Benny as she looked down the table to see Demsey eating lunch with Tzane and Calla while you were having a private word with the rest of your family at the moment. 

“That would be difficult since the Sultana has her eye of favor on him and has already found his favor in his. And with her being the favorite to win today, it will be hard for him to see her as anything less than that. However, there is leverage to be had that could potentially break up the pair that I am in possession of. But since the Sultana is a friend of mine, I would be loathed to part from it…” Benny began before she got a wicked curve to her grin. 

“For anything less than the right price, so tell me, what would you give to come into possession of that leverage?” Benny asked Kate as Kate was seated across from her as both of Kate’s brothers were seated on either side of her as all three of them were practically salivating at the thought as the tips of their ears wiggled excitedly.  

“Anything that you could ask for. Anything I have that you would want.” Kate answered desperately as she fought to keep her voice down. 

“Well as it is, I don’t know what you have, so my suggestion to you, is to compile, perhaps a list of what assets, connections and favors that you have that can be transferable to me or shared with me. Because you see the reason I have that leverage was because the Raymonds had their eye on the Sultana as a bride for their son but since Buchon Octavia has come and stolen Ramsey away from the Sultana, it seems my leverage was rather useless and came with the unfortunate complication of Lord Sierge Voyambi’s affections, which of course I do not return since he is the second son, heir to nothing and has no real power or clout in this society since it rests solely on the first born son. But if the Duke is what you desire, then that leverage once again has value and I myself am in need of an escape from Lord Sierge’s unwanted affections and advances. So, think long and hard about what your family can offer me in return for what you desire most, which is obviously becoming the next Duchess Voyambi and host to the King and Queen to when they come to Whydah for those amazing Kamoba battles where fortunes could be made from the losing bets and of course a percentage of all bets made going to the hosting house.” Benny pointed out. 

“Would my own hand in marriage to become a Viscountess Whiteales be enough?” George asked her hopefully. 

“Perhaps, an honest appraisal of your situation and your family’s situation, as well as- an honest and accurate accounting of your family’s wealth, would be key to understanding it, so we shall see won’t we?” Benny cooed to him before she stood and went around to the other orc families to get to know them and see if there were any better options than Sierge or even the Viscount George Whitesale as you passed her and noticed she was “working” every other orc family there and just shook your head at her. ‘So short sighted’ you thought to yourself before you sat down next to Demsey for the lunch feast, much further down the table. 

“What did the Dowager Queen say to you?” Demsey inquired curiously. 

“How she personally is getting involved in my court case and won’t rest until I see justice and am perfectly satisfied with that justice.” You grinned triumphantly as your eyes glowed gold again and the moura marks that were visible on your skin lit up like fireworks again. 

“Oh, then your would-be assassinators are quite finished then, aren’t they?” Demsey smiled triumphantly in turn. Your infectious smile quite becoming.  

“Even if they are not and even if I don’t get another penny from them or even if I have to give back everything they’ve ever given to me to be free of them completely, I’ll gladly agree to it. I just want the past to stay in the past because you’re my future, whether you’re a winner or loser or Duke or not, just you, that is all I desire and I don’t need or want anything other than that.” You insisted as he took your hand and brought your knuckles up to his mouth to kiss them tenderly. 

“Likewise. Even if you were a commoner on the streets, my love for you would not be any less than what it is right now.” Demsey reassured you. 

“So would you prefer I court you the English way, the orcish way or the moura way?” Demsey asked. 

“Whichever you prefer, although if I’m to stay here with you as Duchess Voyambi, might I suggest the more English route, so that no shame or reproach may come upon your family, no matter how tempting the moura way can be as far as instant gratification is concerned.” You suggested in a sultry murmur in his ear that had him ever so grateful that he was sittind down in stiff leathers to hide his physical reaction to you as that little line had him threatning to destroy every ounce of propriety he had if it meant his piqued curiosity could he satisfied as to what you were really implying and to feel your petal soft lips ever so gently graze the shell of his ear, had him ready to damn the whole thing, pick you up, throw you over his shoulder and carry you upstairs to bury himself to the hilt in you that instant as the flames of his desire for you ate him alive. 

But he was surrounded by the entire gentry and to look past you, down the table to where Kate was as she did her best to give them her ‘come hither’ eyes. Had him thinking the better of it. He wanted to marry you and shove your soon to be engaged then married hand into her face and flaunt you in front of her had him thinking the better of it.  

“Or your honor, which is the most precious above all else.” Demsey readily agreed as all of Benny’s earlier words seem to have washed away completely. That’s all they were, words meant to strike at him but were not based at all in truth because he could clearly see that while you and Leumeni were friends, he did not see anything other than that between you and his intuition and instincts were telling him that your loyalty and affections rested solely on him, and no one else and he trusted those more than he trusted whatever little seeds of doubt that bitch Benny tried to plant. 

“Yeah, about that…” You couldn’t help but wince apologetically. 

“The past is the past and it can stay there, you said so yourself, it doesn’t matter to me. Your honorable character and integrity in this moment and every other moment that I have known you, is what counts and both of those are the highest caliber in my honest opinion. That’s all.” Demsey reassured you as you smiled adoringly and appreciatively at him and kissed his hand in turn because outright kissing him at the table would not be permitted in society but that was all you could get away with, but tonight, when everyone went home, oh you were going to try your best to rut him so good and show him exactly what he could look forward to as being your husband and in a committed, monogamous relationship with you could encompass and how you were going to drain him dry, it would make battling in a Kamoba battle seem like a walk in the park. 

“So I have some ideas about the Kamoba battle arena at Whydah,” you began as Calla and Tzane, Amara and Storren and Kiera and Leumeni seemed to eagerly lean forward to also engage in this particular conversation as you spent most of the afternoon just talking about all the wonderful ideas you had about the arena and the stands that people would sit on and what the Royal Box should be like as well as the stands for the commoners and the gentry and special spots just for the food vendors and just how big and extraordinary it should be so that even the one in Dorierra would be hard pressed to compete with and as the afternoon wore on, there were several games and rounds of dancing between the competitors and the gentry and even the royal family participated. 

“I’m so happy that you’re happy with Olivia, Ramsey, honestly and truly, I am.” You offered to him in turn as you took a little turn on the dance floor with him in one of the English dances. 

“Thank you, and I fully intend to deliver on my promise to raise your own status and help you in any way I can, especially helping you destroy your ‘attempted assassintors’.” Ramsey answered. 

“Even if you can not, I will not hold it against you personally, you asked at the ball at Havenfield to be friends. And all I hope is that no matter what happens, that we stay that way.” You offered to him. 

“You really are remarkable Sultana, I would count myself lucky to have a woman such as you be my friend.” Ramsey smiled brightly as you did the same. 

The afternoon practically flew by and quickly morphed into evening and lunch was taken away before dinner was served and quickly eaten as you and the other competitors practically had to run to your rooms to change into the night leathers and other armor before rushing back the stadium to gear up for the night’s events as Grevu woke up when you returned before he gently knocked Benny over with his head as she passed by him. 

“Grevu!” Benny complained as Grevu sniffed her over curiously as his snout pinned her to the ground as he sniffed her all over. 

“Axal! Get Grevu off me!” Benny hollered as she tried batting Grevu’s nose away from her crotch. 

“You perverted rat with wings, get your nose out of my business!” Benny ordered before Grevu cleared his nostrils out all over her as he lifted his head and seemed to narrow his eyes at her and settled back down comfortably. 

“Ewwww! Yuck! What is your deal?!” Benny demanded as she went back over to the buckets as she washed herself off with Axal’s help before she began to feel nauseous and found a private corner to quickly and quietly throw up.

“You ok?” Axal asked as he handed her a towel to wipe her throw up off her mouth with. 

“Your rat with wings is gross.” Benny spat resentfully at Axal as she wiped her mouth with the offered towel before using another to wipe the sweat off her brow since the sweat was threatening to destroy her makeup.  

“Sorry.” Axal offered with a half hearted shrug. “He’s a dragon, he’s temperamental, maybe he didn’t like the scent of betrayal on you.” Axal offered with a smug smile as his eyes narrowed at her. 

“What betrayal?” Benny tried to shirk off. 

“Sure, go ahead, play dumb, I mean you’re really bad at it, almost as bad as you play innocent. I don’t care. Just don’t be surprised when the bite back for whatever barking you’ve done or you’re about to do knocks you down so hard you can’t get back up.” Axal warned her as he went over to Grevu to pet him and praise him for snorting snot all over Benny as Benny felt another wave of nausea and threw up again as her whole body felt weird as she shuddered almost violently.  

“Are you ok?” You asked as you noticed she was sitting in a corner and sweating profusely. 

“No, Grevu snotted on me,” Benny told you. 

“Oohh, well, he must have had a reason. Dragons can sense things we can’t, maybe you ate something that you shouldn’t have and needed to throw it up now instead of getting sick in the arena itself.” You offered as eyed the mess in the grass in the corner of the tent that she had clearly tried to dump water over to wash away as Benny recollected everything she had eaten and mentally tried to see if you had a point. 

“Probably.” Benny nodded as you simply smiled pleasantly before you turned and walked away and could feel Benny glare at your back as you smiled happily to yourself before you looked at Leumeni and gave him a meaningful look and looked pointedly at Benny then back to him before you looked pointedly to Grevu then back to him before you emphatically breathed out through your nose in a small snort as your smile grew more mischievous as Leumeni barked a laugh.

“Ha! Good dragon.” Leumeni practically crooned. 

“Yes, very good dragon.” You agreed as you passed him. 

“Ok, so how the night games go- is the lowest member of the class fights up the line, the first loser up to the winner of the class, up through the three classes.” The announcer revealed to the crowd as Tzane was the first to fight off against little Callie as this time, Tzane was expecting Callie’s tactics and had his own counter attack and won. 

Then Tzane, having won that round, faced off against Kiera, as Kiera didn’t hold back and promptly handed him his ass on a platter before she faced off against Sierge who used his bigger size and strength to his advantage and beat her and then used the same with Amara and won out before going up against Demsey but Demsey was still more level headed and much more tactical whereas Sierge was all emotion to win out against Sierge yet again as Demsey was happy and impressed that he got to win his class and move into the next class, however his very next fight in the skilled class, with Rian- beat him out as they went through the fighting all they way up until it was Calla against Benny as Benny, once again, used her vicious words to undermine Calla and take the victory. 

“I wish to break with Tradition.” Your grandmother Loreiris began as Benny was preparing to take you down in The Proficient Class. 

“Instead of trying to see if you can go through Audra and all of her parents, I wish to follow the example you set in the day games, now that you have reached the proficient class, I volunteer to be your first competitor in The Proficient Class.” Loreiris announced as everyone gasped in astonishment as Benny looked both thrilled yet terrified at the prospect as she entered the arena with The Saharan Viper herself. 

“Trying to protect your precious little snakelet from me?” Benny grinned as she got into position before the gong rang out to signal the start of the round as Loreiris charged Benny, a sword in each hand. 

“No, she has had attacks from foes pretending to be friends already and knows how to protect herself, so she needs no such protection from me. Least of all from you. I have heard what you have been saying all afternoon to the others about that leverage you have against her relationship with Duke Demsey. And while I have said nothing yet, because you have not revealed it. While she is The Violet Viper, you are acting like the bitch you are- vicious, conniving and two faced and so overly eager to prove yourself because you have been reigning supreme ever since she left and now that you’re in her presence again, she outmatches you without even trying- so of course, you are threatened. It is true, nothing reveals a moura’s colors of character like Kamoba and so far it has revealed that you rely too much on the damage your words say while your fighting skills themselves, have suffered greatly from neglect, you power through your strokes without relying on the actual proper execution of said strokes and techniques, aiming at the lowest, weakest yet easiest points, because any other is too much for you. Know that nothing you say can hurt me, let alone destabilize me. All you are is a bitch dog, pretending to be a wolf.” Loreiris taunted as she started attacking Benny, using an overwhelming tactic, swinging both her flaming sword along with an elven one, that was alight with magic that with every strike against another blade, grew stronger and hit harder, but also, unfortunately grew brighter to help illuminate the wielder. 

“Except that I know your secret.” Benny taunted right back. 

“I know that Kushi was blessed by Anuk-sunamun-ra. And has been carrying all of the goddess’ power in it ever since that she was banished into the blade at the fall of the empire but would always protect the wielder to keep them from being enslaved. It has always given you super abilities to beat your components and to demoralize your enemies the moment they see it, until now. Now that you gave Kushi to Audra, Anuk-sunamun-ra has left you to be with her which means you’re not unbeatable anymore. You’re just flesh and bone, no magic, or gods or goddesses to protect you or help you. The two times you lost in battle with it, were because you were pregnant and the goddess was protecting your unborn babe more than it was helping you in battle. The same is true now. I saw Audra with my own eyes go into a room and fuck her favorite manwhore and then I noticed she has not once drank pregnancy warding tea since, and while it is true that Grevu cured her of the rest of the mourkatili, Dr. Chu also had a big hand in it too and had already cured most of it already. Dr. Chu was likely curing her with the goal to restore her womb first. She most likely is pregnant right now, for only pregnant women hunger for fruit’s of their youths. That’s why having that rope around her waist and the toll of pulling Storren back didn’t rip her in half. Anuk-sunamun-ra is guarding her pregnancy. That is why you will lose to me, as will she and everyone else and you will not speak of this leverage. Demsey’s reputation can’t afford to take on a fallen lady, one who was fallen with child out of wedlock, much less by a manwhore. The best he could ever do by her is accepting her as his whore. Whereas with Leumeni, he can still save her as his wife. Granted the babe she’s carrying will obviously never fit in anywhere it goes. But Leumeni will still care for it nonetheless.” Benny spat as she did her best to keep her head and wits as she fought off Loreiris’ attacks and counter attacks. 

“The problem with such logic is that any trace of mourkatili acts like a natural birth control. Even if what you say is true. It is impossible for her to conceive before Grevu cured her and I know for a fact, she has not laid with anyone who can get her pregnant since then. So you are lying and that leverage will land in you in boiling lava that will burn you up completely and permanently and no one will be able to rescue you from that.” Loreiris said as she could feel the strain on her body from the fighting as she kept her wits and temper in check. 

“And you lie about the dagger. All it has ever been is a knife, made of steel, gold and jewels. Anuksu-namun-ra is a goddess of battle, of victory and she protects everyone who believes and puts faith in her. She is too powerful to be contained in a simple dagger made of steel, gold and jewels. If you worshiped her, perhaps you would benefit from her protection. But she is also a goddess of truth and loyalty and since you can never be counted on to be truthful or loyal to anyone who isn’t paying you to be, she will not protect you. Because any loyalty that can be bought, is never worth having.” Loreiris grinned as she kicked Benny in the head and stabbed her flaming sword into the first beacon. 

“Oh on the contrary, if Audra can make me a dowager, then I will feel inclined to keep her secret for her and that leverage will never see the light of day so Audra is in no real danger from me. Besides, the science of pregnancy is well guarded in Dorierra. If I keep my mouth shut, little Demsey will be none the wiser and you can keep your mouth shut for her sake can’t you? You should. She is, after all, your favorite granddaughter from your favorite daughter?” Benny said as she took a throwing star from her waist and threw it through the flames at the first beacon on Loreiris’ side and beamed when it became alight before throwing a second and hit the second as the whole crowd went wild to see Benny of all people that was able to get a score in on Loreiris as Loreiris threw her own throwing star at the second and exploded it before aiming at the third but Benny used her flaming sword and knocked Loreiris’ hand down while body slamming her into the back of the still smoking and burning beacon and burned Loreiris’ face and pinned her there so she couldn’t get out before she threw another throwing star at the third beacon as Loreiris screamed in pain and agony as your whole family were up on their feet and rushing to the battle arena and screaming curses at Benny before Benny grabbed Loreiris by her collar and picked her up to the crowd. 

“You call this woman a viper?! Where is her venom?! Where is her bite? She is an old, feeble garden snake, no bite at all, let alone any venom! Wolves always eat serpents! Always!” Benny roared to the crowd as it went wild as you had never wanted to murder Benny so badly before as rage seemed to course through your viens as your eyes and the eyes of your parents and heir parents all glowed gold as you all came forward as you got under your grandmother’s right shoulder and your mother got under her left as both of you were hissing hatefully about how you were going to make Benny pay for such a gross display of unprofessional and unsportsmanlike conduct as everyone contested the win. 

But sadly, there was nothing in the rulebook that specifically ruled out Benny’s actions or disqualified her as Benny continued to hoop and holler to the crowd how she was undefeatable as Sierge realized he just won a fortune, since he had bet everything he had that she would win against The Saharan Viper, at Benny’s insistence. And while he wasn’t exactly thrilled about how she got that victory, the fact that she got it and that it was uncontestable, and thus, the victory stuck and cemented her place in The Proficient Class. That that was what he had bet on. 

“I’m gonna kill her.” Your mother hissed. 

“Don’t actually kill her.” Your grandmother said as burn balm was put onto her face by you. 

“We need to get you to Grevu, he needs to heal you.” You insisted as you helped your grandmother to stand again. 

“Mama, bite, inject, put down.” You hissed angrily in Marinai at your mother as she then challenged Benyana herself as you helped your grandmother to go over to Grevu as Grevu was making the most unusual noise as he met you behind the battle field’s wall, so that all of you were hidden from view as Loreiris came over to him and kneeled before him as she simply said ‘please’ before he blew a blue, glowing smoke over her, that healed her wounds as the smoke turned from blue- to red the moment it touched and healed her wounds as you breathed in deeply and the smoke entered you through your nose as the whites of your eyes glowed neon white while the iris of your eye’s glowed a bright gold while your pupil’s seemed to grow twice as big as you felt more power than ever before unlock in your body. 

“You need to pray, pray to Anuk-sunamun-ra, pray for the strength and power for vengeance, and to have victory over her. She told me she has leverage against you and Demsey, that you are pregnant with a whore’s child, how she saw you at the masquerade ball bedding someone but did not drink pregnancy warding tea and that Dr. Chu’s medicine had the power to give you your womb back before Grevu could cure you. And how if you can not give her Dowager Status, she will unleash this upon all of England and you will be ruined and will have no choice but to return to Dorierra.” Your grandmother pleaded with you as you could hear from the battle arena how Benny was beating your mother, two beacons against one. 

“Pray for control over your emotions, pray to protect your mind and heart from such flaming arrows.” Your grandmother pleaded before the Benny hit the third beacon on your mother and came back to find you there with your grandmother. 

“Let your other parents fight her, we need to pray.” Your mother insisted as she wiped her angry tears away from her eyes as the three of you sat down in the grass, with you against Grevu’s chest as the three of you formed a triangle before Calla and her brothers as well as Leumeni and even his brother Coravien came and sat around them, all of them praying to their favorite god of choice to favor you as your mother and grandmother went through the sacred chant of Anuk-sunamun-ra in the ancient language of her origins while making the appropriate hand gestures as you once again found your center as a calm cooled your anger, but turned that fire that had been blazing inside of you into a lava that both flowed through you like a gentle massaging hand, going over your body, yet filled you, solidified you and strengthened you as you felt the air around you shift as a stiff breeze started to roll in as a storm that had barely been on the horizon seemed to make a B-Line for you as you heard a distant rumble of thunder, but instead of fearing the oncoming storm, you were welcoming it as the cool breeze caressed you as you barely noticed the other beacons from your father, your heir father, his wife and his mother’s as they all took their turns battling Benyana and how she used the same hurtful, spiteful, malicious words against them, beating them and crooning so loud and so high with every other victory before they all seemed to join in the prayer circle around you. 

“Go ahead, say your pointless, hopeless, meaningless prayers over the last little snakelet, who is barely even out of the egg.” Benny taunted everyone as she turned and sauntered off once she came upon all of you. 

“Told you I was a sure bet.” She grinned smugly at Sierge before going back towards the crowd to get them to chant her name as the Royal Family were quite fed up with her lack of sportsmanship and putting their bets on you to please put this brat in her place before, from the back, to the front of the group. Everyone put their hands on the top of the shoulder of the one in front of them and the one to the side of them before they all reached forward to you, your mother with a hand on your right shoulder and your grandmother with her hand to your left as they all prayed for their gods to bless you and make you stronger, faster, better. To make you their champion in the name of good, righteousness, and justice.

“Are you done yet? I don’t want to get struck by lightning and I would prefer not to get these leathers any wetter than they need to be, I want you to hurry up and beat you before I or much less the royal family has a chance of getting wet from the rain.” Benny sassed as she came over again several moments later as she looked on disapprovingly at her brothers for their traitorous act of trying to bless you instead of her as you pushed all the air out of your lungs before you took in the biggest and longest breath in, feeling that with every millimeter of space in your lungs that filled with air, you filled with power before your lungs reached their capacity as did your body before you steadily exhaled and opened your eyes to fix Benny with your gaze as everyone slowly pulled back, all of them feeling a sense of excitement tempered with peace that their prayers were about to be answered. 

“Come, let us battle, Axal, Rian, Zax, belt “Hit The Floor” out for me.” You suggested to them with a scheming and easy smile which they readily returned before they, along with Calla’s brothers as well as Benny’s rushed over to the band and eagerly took the instruments out of their hands and insisted that they needed to play this particular song themselves before you looked out over all the weapons offered to you by the whole family as the right weapons seemed to almost have a glowing aura around them as you picked them up and armed yourself with them before you entered the arena. 

“Let us do five out of seven, arm the arena with the two additional beacons and put the last two on the roof, above the rafters.” You instructed the others who came to change out the beacons with fresh ones. 

“Agreed.” Benny smiled as you simply sat down on top of the first beacon and got into a meditation pose and used these last moments to cement your mental fortitude as Benny laughed. 

“Oh are suddenly a monk? Praying and meditating all the time?” Benny taunted as you could see the gods that were supposed to be blessing her weapons were frowning at her for her haughtiness. 

“What is this? The Violet Viper is suddenly The Violet Monk? The Violet Praying Mantis? The Violet Idiot? Or just The Violet Whore.” Benny continued. 

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones.” You stated as you kept your eyes closed as you watched from the spirit realm as the remaining gods and goddesses with her finally seemed to have enough and leave her completely and come to be with you and all the other gods and goddesses with you which caused you to smile before you opened your eyes and got down and into position as the others finished doing what you asked and left the stage. 

“Axal! Now!” You called out after the gong rang out and your family as well as hers began to start up their instruments. 

“So? Leverage huh? Going for the lowest of blows? Betraying my trust and friendship for your own personal gain? Too bad I’ve seen this coming since the moment I saw you at the ball at Havenfield. Do you really think you can say anything that will break apart what the gods have given their blessings to bind together?” You asked as you struck first with more strength than what Benny was expecting as she faltered slightly as suddenly her battle ax seemed a bit heavier and unwieldier than normal. 

“I see your grandmother can’t keep a secret to save her life, like using a goddess, locked inside a dagger to fight and win all of her battles for her.” Benny taunted back. 

“Do you really think a goddess can be locked inside a weapon? No, she is everywhere but more importantly, she is with me, whether I possess that dagger or not because I am a believer in her and in her power and have willingly let myself be an instrument for her and all the other gods and goddesses who wish to use me as their instrument as well, I feel it to be true, I know it to be true. Just like how you can feel or know in your heart whether or not your own gods are with you, which I can both see and feel that they are not, they have abandoned you in the face of your own viciousness, of your own ruthlessness and your own haughtiness. You do not fight with honor. Your pride and your hunger for victory at any cost has made you blind to what is right and wrong. It has calloused your conscience and dulled your moral compass. You play men who would love you like instruments, if only to see their strings break. You play with feelings and intentions the way you play with toys, if only to see them fall apart then to be thrown into the fire at will.” You told her as as you advanced forward with surprising speed and strength as real fear started to seep into Benny’s eyes. 

“You crave destruction and only wish to have the fires of other people’s catastrophes light up in your eyes. If you do not turn back, and mend your ways, what you have lied about me and others and what you have predicted for me and others will come true for you. The gods have spoken this to me. And your redemption will only come at the hands of your latest victims. Whether they will give it or not, depends on them. Not me, for I am no longer a victim to anyone. Let alone you. You- who should have been a sister to me, you- who should have been a friend to me, you- who should have had my back instead of trying to stab it with everyone else since it already had an open wound for you to stick it into. But after tonight, I am healed, I am free. Of you, of everyone. I don’t owe anyone anything.” You vowed as you easily battled her across the course, as if the obstacles were not there at all as the whole fight seemed to be in slow motion for you, as you could almost see what moves she was going to make before she even made them as you were predicting her moves and counteracting them just as quickly as she was frantically trying to make them as your sword that was on fire kept slashing at her and lighting her entire torso on fire, as you could tell the heat from the fires were affecting her as if they were especially hot as you kept on advancing at a steady pace, the beacons practically exploding the moment the tip of a weapon touched them until you had her pinned into a corner before you struck the fifth beacon. 

“Seven out of 13!” Benny screamed from her corner as tears streaked her makeup. 

“Fine, seven out of 13.” You readily agreed before you stopped and calmly walked back to the center mark as she rushed to get out of the battle arena to get doused down with water to keep from being on fire as she was gasping for breath and sweating like a whore in church. 

“And this was her still barely out of the egg? I can’t imagine what she will be like after she fully sheds and grows into her own then.” Your mother and your grandmother taunted Benny from their spots inside the tent as everyone else laughed. 

“What’s wrong? I thought wolves eat serpents? Why aren’t you eating her before she eats you? Or does this viper actually have venom that you’re not immune to this time?” Calla snipped snidely herself. 

“I will eat her! I will eat her whole!” Benny screamed back as she put her weapons back into the fire to get reheated as you simply let your flaming sword “rest” in the flames of one of the bowls in the arena. 

“I don’t know why you’re getting so upset, or why you’re calling her a whore when you yourself are the biggest one I know.” Sierge taunted Benny himself. 

“Shut up! No one asked you!” Benny snapped angrily. 

“Make them the hottest you can!” Benny told the blacksmith who had set up a mini forge right there next to the battlefield. 

“I can try.” He answered as he put them in the hottest parts of the fire to get super heated as once again, you sat on top of your own beacon and meditated again. 

“There, that’s hot enough.” Benny said before she pulled them out and splashed them in the fire oil and let them become alight once more as she could feel the heat of them in her palms but they were nothing compared to the heat of her inner fiery temper as you opened your eyes and got into position before you pulled out another elven blade along with your fiery one before you pressed the jewel on the hilt and the weapon suddenly glowed white as frosty mist started falling from it. 

“That sword will shatter when it touches mine.” Benny said. 

“We’ll see.” You simply grinned before the gong rang out and you used the flaming sword to get her weapons into positions before you used your ice elven sword to cut bits and segments off of Benny’s weapons like cutting through soft butter. 

“NNoooo!!” Benny screeched as she pulled her own spare weapons out but they had similar effects, for every strike against your own weapons, they grew weaker and softer, bending and dulling greatly as you continued to take out the same five markers before leaping through to the roof and climbing onto the rafters to get the final two beacons on the roof as She did the same, using her body as a shield to protect them as you walked along the beam like you were walking along a paved sidewalk, paying no mind to the fall only a few scant inches away from each side of your feet. 

“No! I beat the Saharan Viper! I will beat you too!” She said as she used her flaming arrows to strike at your beacons as you used your own bow and arrows to throw hers off course and away from their intended targets until she was out of arrows. 

“You’re empty.” You called. 

“So are you!” She called back. 

“You’re right, I am.” You said before lighting seemed to crack right above your heads and fan out over the sky. 

“You’ll get electricuted!” Benny said as she cowered but would not leave the beacons. 

“You’re right, I will.” You smiled as you held Kushi up in one hand and your mother’s copy of Kushi- Kushi 2 in the other and raised them to the sky as lightning struck down and danced between the two blades around you as your eyes glowed white while you otherwise remained unharmed. 

“Viper- kills Wolf!” You boomed as you threw both daggers, the lightning dancing off of them, making it look like they were the fangs of a viper as the image of a viper’s head, made out by the lighting lit up the space as Benny screamed and dove down as you used your grappling hook to suspend yourself from the rafters as you used the other end of the rope and threw it around Benny so she wouldn’t crash on the ground as the two beacons exploded in bright white lights and smoke as the whole crowd roared in thunderous cheering and applause as you hung from the rafters with Benny hanging from the end of your own ropes as she gently swung around under you, the rope tied around her waist in such a way as she fought to untangle herself while you slowly eased down the rope like a silk climber flowing effortlessly down a length of silk before you got to her as Sierge came and gave the rope a quick tug to cause Benny to fall into his arms. 

“Well hey there loser.” Sierge grinned. 

“Put me down!” Benny screeched at him before he did as she asked as she fell the five feet from his arms to his feet as that little fall, knocked all the wind out of her lungs while Demsey was more than happy to let you slide down the rope into his own arms before he gently set you down and threw decorum out the window and kissed and dipped you in front of the gods and everyone which caused another round of applause as Kate and her brothers knew then that whatever “leverage” Benny had, was as good as worthless yet again as you happily got up and took your banner off of Heavencrest and put it on Grevu and rode him around the arena as others flew their own animals around behind, your grandmother happily riding Heavencrest in your stead as you cheered as Benny just sat there on the floor of the arena and sulked as she watched the Royal family’s attendants get the cup as the Royal Family got up and came down as Benny was escorted off the battle arena to the tent since her griffen was flying underneath Grevu in a show of dominance as the gentry crowded around the arena before you touched down as everyone offered their congratulations to you as you passed through, your mother to your immediate left and your grandmother to your immediate right as you climbed up into the battle arena yet again. 

“It is my supreme honor to bestow unto you- Sultana Audravienne Saharazat, this winning cup and prize for winning the Kamoba battle today.” King Leopold announced as he gestured to it as it sat on your first beacon before he took your hand and raised it high as everyone cheered and applauded. 

“Thank you, your Majesty.” You thanked him before you had to get help from your friends and family to help pick it up as the Royal Family as well as everyone else took their leave to go home as you came inside and had the cup put into your room as you began to unload it before you took your old knife, Zirrabanit and approached little Callie before you presented it to her. 

“To Callie, who was the first to strike and the first to take down a contestant today. Since you have taken up my old mantle from my youth, it is only fitting that you continue that legacy, Little Spitfire.” You said as she gasped and took it and gave you the biggest most excited smile. 

“Thank you!” Callie squealed in delight as she took it from you reverently before she practically launched herself in your arms and hugged you tight as you readily hugged her back. 

“You’re welcome.” You happily laughed as you hugged her back oh so tight.  

“Could I stay with you tonight? And could you pass down all the knowledge you can to me?” Callie asked hopefully and as much as you wanted to rail Demsey against every surface in his room, you didn’t have the heart to say no to her and her big lavender eyes. 

“Of course, all the ladies, sleepover in my room tonight.” You offered as all the girls giddily left and got dressed as the gentlemen saw themselves out before you managed to snag Demsey by the arm and pull him down to kiss him again. 

“Tomorrow night, I’ll properly and traditionally celebrate with you in the moura way.” You promised with a wink and a salacious smile. 

“Can’t wait.” Demsey practically giggled before he kissed you again. 

“Good night My Love, don’t stay up all night, we need to formulate a plan for court.” Demsey offered before he saw himself out just as his other sisters were coming back into the room, clad in only their nightgowns and robes as you all got into the bed in a circle, passing around the other treasures from the pot as Benny refused to even do that much as she continued to sulk in her room and went to bed only to fall into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares.

#Woooooo! #Blood For Gold #Blood For Gold Chapter 19 #this is it #this is the hill #the crest #the climax #it's downhill from here #regency era orc period drama #regency era orcs #orc romance #orc love story #moura #Now the truth can come out #Have I left you enough clues? Do you know them all yet? #There are several #dozens actually. #I want to know!

[kz-i-co]

Summer Camp: Part III

» Summary: Song tries to drag you out once again but things don't go as planned.

» Pairing: Song Yunhyeong x Reader

» Genre: fluff

» Words: 3.2k

» Part 1 | Part 2

» m.list ╫ ikon masterlist

-

You pinched the tarantula cage as you marched to the boys cabin. You made sure to get up extra early so you could give Yunhyeong a piece of your mind.

You entered the boys cabin with anger noticing all the boys still fast asleep. Once you opened Yunhyeong's room he was just putting on his shirt.

"Hey." He said with a smile until he saw what you were holding. "Oh right. I'm sorry about that."

"What the fuck." You whispered but the anger was still in your voice.

"It wasn't my idea.......It's in a cage, they wanted to let it out, but Mrs. Nu wouldn't be happy about that."

"So they stole from the science lab. Now you're training criminals." You rolled your eyes.

He took the cage off your hands looking at you with guilt. "I'll talk to them."

Your expression didn't change. "I'll make it up to you I promise." He walked past you into the boys cabin. He blew the whistle startling all the boys awake.

"LISTEN UP! I know you guys have had fun pranking the girls but unfortunately it needs to end." The boys groaned. "The pranks have gotten too out of hand and the owner is not happy. So just enjoy the rest of your summer and maybe instead of teasing the girls, start making friends with them because they're pretty cool once you get to know them."

"Also the last one ready is going to be Counselor (Y/N)'s slave for the rest of the day." Then he left with no response and you followed him awkwardly.

"Yunhyeong What the hell." You said.

"What?"

"My slave? Really?"

"It's funny. I hope it's Youngjun."

"What's with you and that kid?"

"His mom is friends with my mom. I used to babysit the twerp." He laughed. "But anyway....you want to do something later? It's movie night."

"I don't know." You we're unsure. "We will still be on duty."

"Nah. The movie grabs everyone's attention."

"We'll see."

The boys came running out and Youngjun was the first. "Youngjun can you grab my clip board I forgot it." Yunhyeong asked. He ran back inside and came running out a second later. "Oh Youngjun! You're last that means you have to be Counselor (Y/N)'s slave."

"But you asked me to go inside." He whined.

"You could of been a little faster." He smirked.

"Yunhyeong stop." You said as your girls came out.

"Don't worry, she's a softy. She'll go easy on you." He laughed but the poor boy kept whining.

"Hey." He leaned over to talk to Youngjun more quietly, so you couldn't hear what he was saying. The boy grew a smile and ran off to the rest of the boys.

"What did you tell him?" You glared.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"Alright So you guys are with Mrs. Nu first and please give this back to her." He handed one of the boys the tarantula cage, showing no sigh of fear what's so ever.

....

As you walked the path to the main camp sight, you and Yunhyeong walked a close distance behind the kids. Your sight was all around, looking at the tall trees and the different sight of birds flying from tree to tree, just basically minding your own business until you felt Yunhyeong's hand interlock with yours. You arched your eye brows from the sudden gesture and noticed his eyes on the ground. You couldn't help but blush. He came off so cocky that you couldn't believe it was the same person. He was like a little boy with a crush, being all shy and timid, causing you to bite your lip to prevent from laughing.

"Yunhyeong?" You heard a familiar voice and he dropped your hand quickly.

"Yes ma'am." You saw his mother waiting at the end of the path. "Mrs. Nu will take over from here, I need to see you and Ms (Y/N)."

He nodded and you both followed her. She was intimidating as the boss but was sweet off the job. You figured she wanted to talk about the prank wars but hopefully she'll go soft.

"Sit down." She said once you and Yunhyeong were in her office. She tapped her finger nails across the desk.

"Can I just say it was my idea." Yunhyeong started.

"I'm not mad about the pranks." She started. "Though I better not hear from another staff finding some booby trapped toilet."

"I told the kids to stop." He spoke but the silence in the air was still intimidating.

"Ma'am are we in trouble?" You asked as the curiosity was killing you.

She stopped tapping and interlocked her hands ready to talk. "Jensen saw you two enter the storage room, soak and wet last night."

You took a deep breath trying not to panic.

"What were you two doing in there?" She said stern yet puzzled. "And at a quarter to midnight?"

"We were washing our clothes." He said but his mothers hard expression didn't soften. "We went swimming."

"At midnight?"

"I was dying to go in all day."

"Then go during your break. You have an hour." She said and then looked at you being quiet. "Why drag poor (Y/N) into your mess?"

"I didn't want to go alone." He shrugged.

She sighed leaning back into her chair. "Please no more sneaking around. After hours especially. If something happens to a child in your cabin and you're not there-"

"What's going to happen?" He said cutting her off.

"You never know." She said. "It's just safety precautions."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to hang out with (Y/N). It's been how long since we've seen each other?"

"I told you Yunhyeong, after 6 you and (Y/N) can go do whatever. Just ask permission first." She started. "I can send you on tank duty every once in a while. Give you some fresh air."

You had no idea what tank duty was but you were intrigued.

"Alright dismissed. No more scaring my night guard." She smiled.

You and Yunhyeong left feeling nervous. "What's tank duty?" You couldn't help but ask.

"We take all the canisters and fill them with gasoline for the golf karts and such."

"I'm sorry I got us in trouble. I didn't know we would get caught." He spoke up.

"It's fine I guess." You smiled. "We just need to be more careful next time."

He smiled at your answer and continued going back to the cafeteria for breakfast.

-

"Let's see if you guys can handle the zombie outbreak course. Muhahah." Yunhyeong said taking the kids to the level 5 obstacle course. You remembered this course when you were younger but you could tell they expanded it and made it more challenging. The theme was ghost busters back then but now zombies were the big thing.

"It was my idea to make it zombies." Yunhyeong could read your unamused expression.

"Of course." You smiled sarcastically. "Where did you buy those cut outs?"

"Different Halloween stores." He said going over to the stereo that was hooked up. As soon as he turned it on a bunch of typical zombie growls started up causing the kids to laugh.

"I'll let you guys try it out once and then we'll do ninja warrior style and see who's the fastest." You hated to say it but Yunhyeong was good at his job. He knew how to entertain kids no doubt. Without him here you would of just told the kids to have fun and be done with it, but he knew what kids liked and knew how to have fun.

You waved your hand in front of your face as the sun was glaring down on the both of you. It was the beginning of July and and one of the most hottest days yet of this summer.

"Over here." He stepped back a few steps to guide you to the shade. "It's not much but at least you won't have to worry about sun burn."

"Yeah. How do you deal with standing in this heat for hours."

"I'm used to it I guess." Then he blew his whistle. "Youngjun......water!"

Youngjun ran over to the cooler and pulled out a water bottle and ran over to you. He got down on his knees and held up the water. "For you, your highness." He spoke causing everyone to laugh.

"Thank you." You took the bottle and smacked Yunhyeong.

"What, he's your slave."

"I feel weird. Make him stop."

"Alright. Youngjun!" The poor kid pulled out a water and brought another one over for Yunhyeong. "Thanks buddy." He high fived him.

"You're gonna get us in trouble again." You mumbled.

"No worries." He smiled not giving you any detail.

"Okay you guys ready for the competition. Winner gets $10 for any junk food you want." Yunhyeong made his way over to the other side of the obstacle course. He had his stop watch and clipboard in hand ready for the competition to start. "We'll have one girl winner and one boy winner. Fair?"

The kids agreed in unison. "Ready.....go!"

You just stayed in your shade watching the competition. "Hey hun, how's it goin?" Esther greeted you.

"Good." You smiled.

"Is Yunhyeong being nice to you?" She asked.

"Yes. More importantly, is he being nice to the kids?" You laughed and she cracked a smiled.

"He's only teasing. Just like his father."

"For you, your majesty." Youngjun gave you your clipboard. "You must have dropped it." Then he ran back over to the rest of the kids.

"He's joking." You laughed nervously from Esthers expression. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." You walked off awkwardly and made your way into the bathroom. You took a piece of paper towel and soaked it in cold water wiping off your excess sweat.

As you grabbed your clipboard, ready to head out again, you noticed a folded piece of paper poking out. You took it out and opened it, fold by fold.

Meet me at Ravens bridge, tonight at 7:00pm.

You blushed reading the note. That was when everyone would be occupied by the movie showing. You were still nervous though. What if someone notices you were gone?

You took a deep breath and left the girls bathroom, heading into a water gun fight.

You were only in there for five minutes.

"There she is!" You heard the kids shouting and sprinted towards you.

"No no no. Stay back!" You ran off but the kids were already squirting you. "It's cold!" You screamed.

You saw Yunhyeong laughing as he was watching the whole thing. You managed to get away and grabbed the hose. You ran up to Yunhyeong and sprayed him in the face. He tried grab the hose from you causing the water to shower over both of you. You could tell the ground was getting all mushy and muddy causing you to slip. He laughed distracting himself, giving you the opening to take back the hose spraying him more. He turned away taking off as the kids followed your lead.

"Get him." They shouted.

"It's time to take the kids to- oh my goodness." The boss shook her head. "It's my fault for hiring a kid to look after kids." She smiled to Esther.

She blew her whistle causing the commotion to stop and you ran over to the side of the building turning off the hose. "Everyone having fun?"

The kids were all quiet.

"Alright. Showers and then cafeteria for dinner.....you two clean up first." She spoke before taking the kids.

You went around grabbing all the water guns and placing them in the cart as he picked up pieces of the obstacle course. The course was all muddy now from all the water.

You wheeled the equipment back into the storage unit. It was where you and Yunhyeong shared a moment last night. The memory just gave you a shiver up your spine.

You heard Yunhyeong sigh then lean against the washing machine.

"Your mom seems pretty mad, you don't think she'll fire us do you?"

"Nah, my mom loves you." He smiled.

"I'm not convinced." You shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong." He laughed.

"So about tonight?" He started. "Can I count on you?"

"I don't know." Your tone was conflicted. "We already got busted for last night."

"It won't be after midnight though the movie starts at 6:30. No one will know we're gone."

You pursed your lips. "Okay." You looked down hiding your smile. "You're not gonna murder me are you?"

He arched his eyebrows at your question. "The middle of the woods on the death bridge." You clarified. "It's seems pretty sketchy."

"I told you that bridge is perfectly safe, plus it's our spot."

"Our spot?" You laughed.

"Yeah. Don't you remember? I'm pretty sure I proposed to you on that bridge."

"First of all, we were 9 and second, you pushed me and made me cry and gave me a flower out of guilt."

"But I got down on one knee."

"To tie your shoe."

"Yes technically but I meant it for you." He said causing you to laugh.

"You're such an idiot."

You laughed and looked down remembering you both were covered in mud. "We better go shower."

"Nah, it's a good look for you." He started walking towards the door.

You rolled your eyes and followed him outside.

....

Time was ticking, making you more nervous. It was already 6:15 and the kids were gathering their dinner, getting ready for the movie. How were you gonna sneak away?

"Oh (Y/N) can you fill all the napkin dispensers?"

"Of course." You got up and checked the time. It was 6:25. You went around to each table like you were told as you search around the room for Yunhyeong. He was nowhere in site. Where was he?

"Looking for Song?" You looked behind you startled and saw Jae smiling as he pushed his glasses up in place. "The boss put him on film duty."

"Film duty?" You asked.

"He has to watch the reel in the booth."

"Oh really?" You said trying not to sound disappointed.

"We usually all take turns. It's easy."

"Sucks too be him." You laughed nervously.

Does that mean the meet up is cancelled?

As the movie started you sat bored, chipping the polish off your fingernails. The film was one you watched a million times. Time was ticking once again as you noticed it was only five minutes to 7. What if he got out of it and was already on his way to meet you? You didn't want to stand him up but on the other hand show up being all alone in the woods. You got slowly and looked at the other counselors as you caught their attention.

"Bathroom." You smiled nervously and made your way down the hall. You were about to leave out the door until you saw the door to the projector room.

You entered slowly and saw a grouchy Yunhyeong clicking through his phone. "How dare you stand me up?" You teased.

He sat up staring at you surprised. "I'm sorry (Y/N), my mom is being unbelievable. She caught me trying to sneak out."

"That's ashamed." You said pulling up a chair. "So what were you gonna show me exactly?"

"I had a huge crush on you back when we were 10 and I carved our names in a tree." He blushed. "It's stupid but I just wanted to explain why I was an asshole to you." You couldn't help but giggle.

The movie reached its main menu causing him to get up and activate the laptop. You got up following him seeing a bunch of camp photos placed on the wall.

"I noticed that when I got in here." He laughed and you noticed a photo of the both of you during your crazy paint balloon fight.

"You look the same." You laughed.

"You look the same." He fought back that you couldn't help but blush at his cute pout.

"So about this tree, when can we see it?"

"Are you suggesting we sneak out again?" He smirked by the look of your pleading expression.

"Maybe." You shrugged. "But for now what should we do?" You leaned against the counter.

You grabbed his shirt pulling him closer since he was getting the message and brought your lips to his. He didn't hesitate to kiss you back and he had you sitting back making himself comfortable as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

"You don't think anyone will come in here do you?"

"I hope not." He said already out of breath and returned kissing deeply.

You ran your fingers through the back of his hair as the kiss turned more desperate. He held his hand along your neck for support as he towered over you.

He moved his hips along with yours causing more friction. You couldn't help but moan causing him to pull away and begin down your neck. Your stomach immediately erupted with butterflies. His hand dragged down your side until it laid nicely on your hip. He played with the hem of your shirt, tugging on the material.

The muffled laughter coming from the other room pulled you back to reality. You completely forgot where you even were.

"I think we should call it a night." You began causing him to pull away. "I don't want either of us to get into trouble."

He nodded respectfully and kissed your lips one last time slowly. "I feel like my mom already suspects something." He laughed softly. "She's pretty smart."

"I better get back out there." You began walking but before you could open the door, it opened revealing his mother.

"Oh (Y/N), How are you?"

"Good, I was just-"

"It's okay sweetie, I know you two are friends." She said politely, causing you to be more nervous then before. She definitely knew.

"Yunhyeong when the movie hits 45, we're gonna let the kids have a bathroom break."

"Okay."

"Oh (Y/N)..." You followed her out of the room. "The counselors are handing out water, do you mind helping."

"Of course not."

....

The kids were yawning left and right as you walked them back towards your cabin.

"Sorry about our plan turning to shit." Yunhyeong spoke to you causing some of the kids to turn their heads. "You're 13, I'm sure you've heard that word before.....except Youngjun who is only 10, my apologies."

You couldn't help but giggle as the teasing never got old. "That's okay. You still got another 5 weeks to show me."

"Show you what?" Your conversation became the kids conversation as well.

"The dead body I found in the woods." Yunhyeong spoke before you could.

"Don't tell them that. You'll give them nightmares." You pushed him gently.

"Okay, brush teeth and get to bed." You spoke as you got to your cabin and the kids followed through.

"Maybe not tonight but I'll find a way."

"I'm sure you will." You arched your eyebrows ready to head into your cabin.

"Goodnight (Y/N)."

"Night."

#ikon scenarios #ikon fanfic #ikon one shot #ikon smut #ikon fluff #ikon imagines #song one shot #song scenarios #song fanfic #song imagine #song smut #song fluff #ikon masterlist #yunhyeong imagines #yunhyeong smut #yunhyeong fanfic #yunhyeong fluff #yunhyeong oneshot

[ittybittytatertot]

Batman & The Flying Graysons Ch. 3

Bruce Wayne was an idiot. Sure, he was a junior chess champion. Yes, he graduated high school early and went on to get fancy degrees from fancy schools across the world. And, it’s true, he has been described as a master of deductive reasoning as well as escape artistry, martial arts, and stealth.

But the real truth is, Bruce was just a theater kid with jock tendencies who liked Sherlock Holmes. He wasn’t actually smart. He didnt have, as one of his best friends was quick to point out, “a lick of common sense”.

But he had no idea how to tell John Grayson that while the acrobat shoved a finger at him and went red in the face trying not to yell.

“Do your parents even know you’re Batman?” John was saying.

“No.”

“No!?” John’s screeched. “How-”

“Sweetheart, we don’t know Bruce. Maybe he has a good reason for not telling them.” Mary tried to reason.

“Don’t know him!? Haven’t you heard? We’re lovers.” John said, Bruce not the only one he was upset with.

Mary sighed, leaning back into the reading chair as she rubbed her temple.

They had sequestered themselves to an office in the east wing after a very uncomfortable tea time where Dick asked more than once “Does this mean I have two dads now?” At the moment, the older Waynes, who had picked up on the awkwardness, were entertaining Dick in the game room, so Bruce, Mary, and John could talk in private.

Bruce’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment as he struggled to think of a way to fix this, “You don’t have to stay here. I can give my parents some excuse, and you can go back to your hotel and forget the whole thing.”

“What about Haly? We still want to help.” Mary looked pointedly at her husband, “Don’t we, Honey?”

John threw his head back with exasperation, “Darling, of course I do, but do you really want to stay here and be made into liars? In front of our own son?”

“Do you want to hunt down a criminal from a hotel room with Dick bouncing off the walls and getting into everything?” She countered. “I don’t like lying to him, but you know if he found out what we’re doing, he’d try to help.”

“And working from here is so much more secure?” John gestured around the office. It was fancy but not spectacularly secure. Especially not if they had to worry about keeping it all secret from not just their snoop of a son but Bruce’s parents too.

“This isn’t where I work.” Bruce said as if that were obvious.

An almost proud smile tugged at the corner of Bruce’s mouth as he walked over to the bookshelf and pulled on a seemingly random book. There was a click and whirring gears before the shelf opened to reveal a secret passageway.

Mary and John stared, jaws dropped, and Bruce gestured them toward the stairs. John swallowed, looking to Mary, and Mary stood up, looking to John. A silent conversation passed through just their eyes before they clasped their hands together and followed Bruce down.

The air grew cool and damp, the stones echoed with each step. The further down they went, the darker is became, until they were led more by the sounds of slowly dripping water and Bruce’s eerily quiet footfalls than their own eyes.

When the floor evened out, the lights came back in full force. Row by row, lighting up the shadowy stones until they reach across the cavern floor to a large series of screens turning themselves on.

Blinking the spots from their eyes, Mary and John found Batman standing in Bruce’s place.

Bruce was an idiot, but Mary and John could appreciate showmanship.

“I knew it!” John laughed, looking up at the bats fluttering among the stalactites. “You do have a cave!”

“I do.” Bruce said with a smile, pulling his cowl down now that his dramatic reveal was over, but the moment the couple turned their backs to him to explore the rest of the cave, his smile dropped. They were the only people other than him to ever see his sanctuary. 

Bruce smoothed out his expression and gripped the inside of his cape instead when John turned back to him.

“So this is where the Batman works?” He said, his toned awed despite his earlier anger. Perhaps due to the Ninja-Warrior-esque obstacle course in the far corner that the acrobat’s eyes couldn’t seem to look away from.

“Which means this is where we would work, if we stayed here?” Mary asked, coming to a work bench filled with prototype gadgets.

“It is.” Bruce nodded.

Mary carefully traced a finger around a grappling hook Bruce had left on the table for some fine tuning. She bit her lip, looking to her husband. John met his wife’s gaze, and they again shared a silent conversation.

“And the only catch is we pretend to date you until we clear Haly’s name?” John asked.

Bruce had the decency to look sheepish, “Yes, sorry about that. We can stage a break up now, but that might make things,”

“More awkward.” Mary finished his sentence. She was partially to blame for the situation since she had impulsively agreed to his excuse. “And with Dick...well that won’t be easy, but the manor is a better place for him than a hotel.”

“He’s going to miss that pool though.” John said, only half joking.

“Oh, we have a pool.” Bruce said. “Two if you count the outdoor one we only use in the summer.”

“Of course.” Mary rolled her eyes at the level of wealth. She slid her hand into John’s again. “What do you say, Honey?”

John mulled it over for a second; his decision seemed to come when he glanced back at the obstacle course. He stuck his hand out toward Bruce,

“Looks like you just got two new partners; fair warning, I’m a little high-maintenance.”

Mary and Bruce laughed, and the three of them shook on it.

#earth 386 #long post #dc #ficlet #ch: bruce wayne #ch: john grayson #ch: mary grayson

[mst3kproject]

324: Master Ninja II

There used to be a restaurant in the plaza across the street from where I work that actually had a conveyor belt buffet.  Plates of sushi would go around and you could pick the ones that looked tasty, and when you were done the staff would count the empty plates to calculate your bill… whereupon you would realize your eyes were bigger than your tummy and your wallet was smaller than either.  It truly was a work of evil genius.

So here we have the continuing adventures of Max and McAllister the Boring White Ninjas, and Max is still a whiny dolt with a hamster instead of a personality.  First, he enters a motorcycle race, where he’s beaten by Carrie, a young woman trying to unionize the cannery her town depends on.  Naturally the business owners don’t want to waste money treating their employees like human beings, so they’re trying to run her out of town. The good guys win, the girl kisses Max, and we’re on to the next episode, in which a senator’s garden party is interrupted by members of a militant cult.  Lucky for his guests, the senator’s cute daughter Alicia invited Max and McCallister, so there are ninjas on hand when the cops need somebody to rescue the hostages.  Unlucky for McCallister, the Foot Clan is still following him and they choose the worst times to swordfight.  The good guys win, the girl kisses Max, and then the movie’s over. ‘Bout time.

This movie is so boring I think I actually died while watching it. I saw a light and flew towards it, but then a voice told me that my job wasn’t over – I still had to write the review! Next thing I knew, I was face-down, drooling in my keyboard.  Now that I’m back, though… what the hell am I supposed to write?  I think I already got through everything I had to say about The Master in my first review, and the second is really just more of the same. Timothy Van Patten is just about the most boring actor I can possibly imagine, and we get the idea that Max wouldn’t give a shit about any of this injustice if there weren’t pretty girls involved.  None of the this-week-only characters are played with any conviction.  The stunt fighters are bad.  Lee Van Cleef has more screen presence than the entire rest of the cast put together and is entirely wasted on this stupid show.

One thing that I guess does kind of stand out is how badly they use slow motion.  We see it now and then – particularly in two consecutive motorcycle jumps, which I suppose are meant to look impressive.  They’re not very, and the slow-mo just gives us time to notice that rather than Van Patten and Van Cleef, the bike is being ridden by a stuntman and a potato sack in a helmet.  Later we get slow-motion of a truck breaking through a gate, which just doesn’t come across as worthy of it.  They don’t even do anything to make the wood break dramatically.  Remember in A Knight’s Tale where they filled the lances with spaghetti to make lots of fake splinters when they broke?  There’s nothing like that here, they just run over a gate and expect us to think it’s cool.

Then there’s the ham-fisted writing.  The villains are such caricatures of evil, they’re almost as bad as real-life politicians.  Even worse, the exposition.  Why does McAllister just randomly die in the hotel room?  There seems no reason for it, unless, like me, he died of boredom listening to Max talk.  It establishes he can do that so he can ‘resurrect’ later, but it’s so obvious that when he does ‘die’ we don’t believe it for a second.  It’s all so blatant that it’s almost painful to watch.

So when the movie explains things, it’s annoying, but when it doesn’t, it’s even worse.  Episode Two begins with Max in a small airplane, saving a girl whose car brakes are out. Uh… what?  Where’d he get the plane?  When did he learn to fly it?  How did he know the girl needed saving?  Did she just happen to be there?  What the hell is going on?  We never find out.  The fact that this sequence gets the whole plot going means it at least introduces the plane without the big flashing sign that this will be important again later, but all our initial questions about the opening remain unanswered.

I can also say that the second episode that went into Master Ninja II, while still not something I’d go out of my way to watch, is much, much better than the first one.  This is at least partly the writing – the bad guys in the second half are slightly less cartoonish and much more threatening, and the various intersecting storylines make it somewhat less boring.  The second half also has actual ninja stuff going on, which is a definite plus in a movie called Master Ninja.

There’s not a whole lot of ninja-ing happening in the first half, and when it does, it’s almost as if they chicken out from actually showing us. McCallister throws down a smoke bomb to vanish with the damsel in distress… and the camera cuts away!  They had a chance for a neat in-camera effect, and they totally dropped the ball!  Later, Max throws a grappling hook so he can climb a wall… and again, the camera cuts away!  Instead, the set-piece action sequences for this half are a couple of car chases. These are badly filmed, never giving us the sense of danger they should have, and make the aforementioned poor use of slow-motion.  A few caltrops and throwing stars come out, but only really appear in close-ups of a hand holding them, in the vain hope we won’t realize it’s not actually Lee Van Cleef doing the ninja stuff.

The second half more than makes up for it.  Max throws a smoke bomb, and we actually see the effect it has on the soldier he’s fighting!  McCallister climbs a wall, slips, and has to grab the bricks with his crampons and throw his grappling hook again!  Ninjas doing ninja things!  And of course there’s the fight between McCallister and the Foot Clan guy. It’s not great.  The relatively enclosed space of the hotel suite could have been used far better, and if Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum will forgive me, I’m afraid I just do not believe that ninjas shout “ha!” every time they throw a punch. And yet, after the near-absence of ninja stuff in the first half, I was eating it up.

The big problem with the second half of Master Ninja II , besides the whole why does he have an airplane?! thing, is that we don’t have a sense of place.  This isn’t so important at the senator’s garden party, where everybody’s pretty much in the same space and the bad guys descend from above and leave the same way. We also know how the cops managed to find their hideout, since we saw the tracker get stuck to the helicopter (although how Max found it I have no idea), but what’s where in this place? We’re told that the hostages are up in the tower, but that doesn’t look like a good place to keep them.  We don’t have a sense of where all that is in relation to where Max and McCallister get in or what obstacles might be in their ways, and not enough is made of what does happen inside that it seems important it would be a surprise.

While the fight between McCallister and Foot Clan Guy does provide the best action scene in the entire movie, it also has nothing to do with the plot of that particular episode.  Again, this is a thing that would work in a TV show, where they need to intermittently remind us that the overarching storyline is still going on somewhere in the background.  If this extra ninja were to do something like injure McCallister, leaving him less able to carry out the rescue, that would be important.  Or if he and McCallister were to put aside their differences for the episode and work towards a common goal, maybe something to do with the security guy who seems to know them both, that would be relevant.  But he appears, there’s one fight, and then he’s gone.

I’ve complained before about the practice of putting two episodes of a TV show together into a movie, but out of all the variations on that theme that showed up on MST3K, I’m pretty sure the Master Ninja people did the worst job of it.  Sandy Frank would at least give us both the beginning and the end of things like Time of the Apes and Fugitive Alien, even if it were hard to understand them without some of the stuff from the middle.  Cosmic Princess and Riding with Death both picked pairs of episodes that had characters or situations in common, and did some dubbing to strengthen the connection.  Master Ninja just gives us Episode One and Episode Two, without even the slightest attempt to provide a narrative connection or to disguise the fact that these are two unrelated stories.  It’s particularly blatant when they just cut from ‘happy ending of Episode One’ to ‘action opening of Episode Two’ without any sort of bridge.

I really did mean to get to Master Ninja II ages ago, but every time I tried to watch it I ended up just giving up.  The first episode was just such a slog of annoying writing and bad acting that I couldn’t take it.  When I finally watched it, the fact that the second half was so much better helped, but on average the whole Master Ninja series is just so dull and nondescript that I have no urge to watch it or anything else to do with it.  Thank goodness MST3K never did a Master Ninja III.

#MST3K #reviews #master ninja 2 #80s

[theonceoverthinker]

How do you think Kim and Ron’s relationship and eventual romance was handled in the show?

I think both worked pretty well! So I actually spoke a lot about their friendship in this post, so I’d recommend checking that out because I’m gonna focus more on their romantic relationship here as to not repeat myself.

The fact that Kim and Ron’s romance was never thrown in our faces was their relationship’s secret ace in the hole. At the start of the series and until about Season 3, Ron and Kim were friends, they never had crushes on one another, and they both liked other people, and they both regularly casually conversed about their crushes with each other. That allowed for two and a half seasons of organic intimacy to build up between them because there was no stress to their dynamic for a romance by the creators.There was no carrot on the end of the stick to make the audience feel impatient as we waited for them to get together because it wasn’t even close to being promised. Like, Star and Marco from Star vs. The Forces of Evil were in-universe ship teased from like the tenth episode. So people who wanted them together were now stuck in this waiting period until the penultimate episode of the series until they finally got together, lessening the broader importance of their other romantic relationships and making every tease for Star and Marco agonizing. 

But with Kim and Ron, there was no such issue and it not only allowed us to see them together, we got them together ALL the time with none of the stress and groans that came with waiting for them to become a couple. Because of that and their already established friendship, they and the audience got to know them as both individuals and a team and fall in love with their dynamic before anything else happened. They got to explore other romantic options and see why they didn’t work where theirs might. And when the time finally came for these feelings to emerge, it wasn’t out of nowhere and knocked it out of the park. The idea of Ron realizing his feelings for Kim when she finally gets what seem to be a long term boyfriend in “So The Drama” – something we had never seen before in the series – made us feel that same punch in the gut that Ron did. We saw those moments of bonding between Kim and Ron lessen so dramatically as Kim and Eric’s increased and that sense of not knowing what you wanted until you lost it (Or her) resonated so strongly. Kim and Ron are still friends, but she and Eric are connecting and bonding on a level that used to only be reserved for she and her friends and Ron’s no longer a part of that. Even when they are together, there’s this clear distance in the shots that are used and Ron’s not an active part of the scenes in the same vein that Kim is, making the moments where they collide feel intelligently awkward and heartbreaking.

This got long, so meet me under the cut for more!

I think Kim’s development also worked, but to a slightly smaller degree. The entire series thus far has had an almost subplot of Ron showing that he was more than he seemed, and no one got a front row seat to that better than Kim. Aside from “Transfer,” Kim was around for everything Ron did – the mystical monkey powers, Ron saving Kim from the embarrassment ninjas, Ron travelling across the world to give her a good Christmas and find her library book, them literally swapping bodies – Kim saw all of that. And the mood modulator scene definitely helped as well, giving her a setting (Albeit, a crazy one) where she could live out a what-if with being in love with Ron. That development was all great and when paired with being Ron’s date to his cousin’s wedding showed potential for a relationship that Kim would enjoy and get something out of just as much as Ron.

And then in “So The Drama,” when the feelings came out, I think it worked…mostly. Ron’s pep talk after being trapped by Drakken was a great scene and set up the basis for why Ron is great, Kim believing Ron about the “evil toys” despite Ron having no evidence is practically applause worthy, we still see so much of their great teamwork throughout the film, and I can see Kim’s hidden feelings for Ron coming out in a similar way it did for Ron, but it never quite reached that level. Ron felt Kim’s absence whereas Kim was so wrapped up in Eric that it never hit her how much they haven’t been seeing each other nearly as much as they regularly did. And I think for the most part, that was fine. I just think a moment where Kim asked about Ron at the prom or tried texting him before dancing with Eric would’ve gone a long way to show that his absence was felt (I don’t count the clubhouse scene because that was literally after Ron had a mini tantrum in front of her, not something on her end). That would’ve served as more of a means of feelings for Ron penetrating through her relationship with Eric because as it stood, the relationship was a bit projected onto Kim by her mom and Bonnie and not the culmination of her own romantic feelings coming to a head. The story is really more about Kim overcoming the embarrassment Ron sometimes makes her feel more than a realization of deeper romantic feelings and those are two different things that aren’t guaranteed to mesh well. I mean, I can see it as a final obstacle between them and their relationship, but I don’t think that was set up well enough to work like that. To do that, they’d need something like either a moment where Kim lists out all of Ron’s great qualities, Ron and Kim have one of those small romantic moments that ends with Kim blushing or seeing a change in her expression earlier in the film, and/or some flirting between them, but as it stood, that didn’t happen. Or if they wanted to have Kim realize those feelings all in one go, that moment needed to be bigger. 

...I get the feeling that I’ve VERY alone in that and I even rewatched the film to make sure that I knew what I was talking about because I didn’t want to reach that conclusion, but yeah, that’s how I feel. But even then, it’s not terrible by any means -- I still think the development was there. It just needed to be a bit tighter.

But enough about the negativity because I still have plenty of positive stuff to say! Once their relationship really started, it was fantastic! 

Once again, their relationship isn’t flung in our faces, but because they’re a couple, every moment that they are together gives us fans what we want! We see them working together, supporting one another, and all that good stuff, and the romantic moments we do get are the icing on the cake! And now, moments like Kim applying for colleges and Ron joining the football team have an added emotional weight that they didn’t before because of that relationship, but wasn’t done in a way that disrupted the comedic and absurd tone of the show.

And when we get episodes and stories focused on their romance, that’s doubly true! They’re a total unit during the hilarious double date with Shego and Barkin and they can practically read each other’s minds as they slip away from it. The whole matter of Ron worrying over KP’s safety and then his own because of statistics is just as absurd as it is heartwarming! He literally stuck himself in the equivalent of a nuke shelter! XD The matter of Ron being kissed by Bonnie has Kim letting Ron off the hook because it took years for him to kiss her, and the way Kim says that line is just hysterical!

Of course, we have to talk about “Clean Slate.” Kim knows Ron so well that she immediately gets him the perfect gift and her knowledge of how perfect that gift is was what reminded her about her feelings for Ron! That made for an adorable moment between them and probably one of my favorites in the entire series.

It’s kind of interesting that Kim and Ron’s relationship and its uncertain future is kind of a secondary running plot throughout the season. Between the aforementioned joining of the football team for Ron and college applications for Kim, the question of can Kim and Ron endure in high school and beyond is a topic that comes up a lot. Those are the big two, especially the latter two because Ron’s both never been portrayed as an excellent student nor are his contributions to saving the world highlighted nearly as much as Kim (if at all), and that’s what inevitably comes to a head in “Graduation,” but there are smaller bits. Ron’s inability to pay for fancier dates, Bonnie being a jealous homecoming queen to Ron’s king, and Kim getting amnesia all call into question aspects of their relationship, making it all the better when they’re overcome by Kim and Ron!

As I said before, “Graduation” is where it all comes to a head. The larger question of Kim and Ron’s future is directly addressed and both characters get to be afraid of what comes next, just like we might. We saw “A Stitch in Time” and how the long distance thing was tough when they were just friends! How are they gonna fare while in a relationship? However, by fighting the literal end of the world, both Kim and Ron prove on a meta level that they’re ready and completely able to fight for their relationship and themselves outside of high school. 

Kim and Ron have an incredible romance, one that was created with patience and care and because of that, paid off in such a satisfying way. While I took issue with a small part of it, where it mattered, their relationship didn’t just succeed, but THRIVED on our screens. I hope the new movies get a similar treatment if we get more and if we do, I have all the faith in the world that we will!

#Anonymous #kim possible #ron stoppable #kim x ron

[kinsie]

Game Impressions from PAX Aus 2019

Wake the fuck up, samurai. We've got a city to burn.

Every year I go to PAX Aus with some close friends to check out the Incredible Future of Games that everyone else already checked out six months ago, along with some cool weird indie shit and some awesome retro stuff. And every year, I write a little diary of what I saw to share my impressions with my friends. This is that diary.

Doom Eternal

Okay, let's get this out of the way. I played Doom Eternal pretty much as soon as I got on the show floor. It may shock you to know that it is, in fact, good.

No pictures of the demo units, sorry, so have this big logo.

The demo started with a little grey-box tutorial map just to teach you what you need to know for the demo level, since it was taken from the middle of the game. It looked very Snapmap-y and had some Doom 2 MIDI music playing. After that we were given about 25 minutes to acquaint ourselves with the lengthy "Mars Core" mission they've been showing since E3. I was at the start of the first arena of the hell bit when I ran out of time. :(

Here are some scattered thoughts from playing:

Your standard running around and double jumping feels much the same as in Doom 2016. The dashing feels great, although I think it might reduce your air control a little afterwards as I had some trouble overshooting a platform in the floating debris bit.

Climbing walls felt a bit weird to me. You have to press E on the wall manually to grab onto it, which feels a bit unintuitive when you're plummeting past it. Also feels a bit odd considering mantling up walls is automatic. You can auto-grab onto walls if you dash into it, but I think it's only for the first bit of the dash? Maybe I'm just bad at videogames.

I think the Combat and Super Shotguns now use different ammo types? I could have swore there were situations where I could select the Combat Shotgun but not the SSG.

The Chainsaw now no longer has even the slightest pretence of being a "real" weapon. It's now just a swing animation when you press the button, like a melee attack, before bringing your weapon back up.

When you have the SSG's Meat Hook attachment, a little meathook icon appears below the crosshair. When you're close enough to an enemy to grapple onto them, the icon floats over them, indicating that it has some kind of auto-aim mechanic to reduce frustration.

There was a monster with swords on its arms that acted an awful lot like the Baron of Hell (might have been the Hell Knight, looking at the Quakecon footage of the same fight) but it looked quite different. Looked fuckin' cool, whatever it was.

The platforming but in the debris section with the giant floating red barrels was actually kind of frustrating. It wasn't always clear where you needed to go, and the climbable bits tended to blend in with the rest of the world. Then again, keep in mind I have a frankly abysmal sense of direction. Thankfully falling into the void just whacks you for a paltry five health and teleports you back onto safe ground.

The locational damage stuff is really fun. Breaking a monster's guns has a satisfying metal "PING" sound to it to inform you that the dude got fucked up and is weaker now, and that you should keep doing it.

When I picked up one of those "?" secrets, the pop-up box told me that they unlocked "collectable dolls" and "cheat codes". The former is vague, but I suspect they'll be like the mini-Doomguys but of more characters. I'd imagine the latter will be like in Rage 2.

Oh, and it looks a million bucks, too. Though you probably didn't need me to tell you that.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with what I saw and it's even more of a pity it's not coming out next month.

Not Indie Games, But Also Not Doom Eternal

The Vive Cosmos felt really comfy - the lack of cabling and the decent display resolution made it feel a lot more natural than the Gen 1 Vives I've previously used. The game they were using to demo (Audica), however, was pretty lame. A rhythm-target shooter that didn't really take advantage of the medium at all.

Bleeding Edge was not inspiring. It was basically the control point mode from TF2 or Overwatch, except every character was a third-person brawler with little emphasis on projectile weapons beyond the occasional special. It felt like someone making a claim at TF2 or Overwatch's throne several years late while bolting a weak character action game on, which is fairly odd considering how innovative and critically acclaimed Ninja Theory's previous game was.

Dreams is fairly fascinating in its potential. The creation tools weren't available in the demo build so I can’t really judge them, instead there was a choice of eight developer-made experiences ranging from Mario-inspired obstacle courses to videogames as art.

I didn't get the chance to actually play MediEvil, but I watched some folks play it and it basically just looks like the PS1 game with more triangles, with all the slightly wonky 32-bit gameplay that entails.

The demo unit for Monkey King: Hero Is Back had some utterly bizarre graphics settings for some reason that made it look like I was playing a JPEG file, with big whopping compression artifacts surrounding each character. Weird!

Not happenin’.

Indie Games

Grabimals is a brilliant local co-op puzzler where players roll around as shapes and link together to solve puzzles like catching a falling water droplet, crossing a gap or casting a shadow that matches an example image. Supposedly it's still a ways off from release, but it's already impressively polished (disregarding one hilarious crash bug we found by accident!)

Hamster Scramble is a really fun take on Puzzle Bobble, with platforming elements, team play and the ability to jump over to your opponent's screen and fuck their plans up directly. It's an absolute blast and didn't feel like it was almost a year away from release.

Fork Knights is a platform fighter with an emphasis on one-hit kills. The character designs are cute, but I can't really say the gameplay itself struck me, to be honest.

Baron is an eight-player single-screen local multiplayer dogfighter. Fairly simple mechanically, but pretty fun all things considered.

Broken Roads had some lovely hand-painted art assets and some interesting ideas like a literal moral compass, but the demo build showcased was waaaaay too early to be shown off to the public. Of the eight or so areas present in the demo, only two had any characters, interactivity or really anything other than wandering around set up, and the combat side of things was extremely rough and sequestered off to a side area as a "well, if you insist..." kind of deal.

Misadventure In Little Lon is a true-crime adventure game for mobile with a unique mechanic - each "scene" is integrated into the real world via AR, with characters (that resemble Poser models more than a little bit) speaking to you directly. Not sure if it holds up over an entire game, but it's attention-garnering at least.

Speaking of true crime, The Black Window tasks players with using an Oujia board to question Australia's first female serial killer, with responses taken from court records and letters from the time. The well-acted performances of the actual individual in question's words lends it an impressive atmosphere, which the booth added to with a big wooden oujia board type thing you could "type" on. Sort of.

ACID KNIFE is real, real early, but the aesthetic is awesome and the pixel art is great. Hopefully it grows and expands into something special.

The Vigilante Proclivities of the Longspur is an oldschool Lucasarts-inspired point-and-click adventure with a custom demo scene set at an oddly-familiar videogame convention. Pretty promising so far, but could do with a good bit of polish - I'm pretty sure there was only one sound effect in the entire demo, and dialogue was often lacking in punctuation.

I didn't get to play Hot Brass but I watched over shoulders and talked with the developers, and it looked pretty cool. It's basically a take on SWAT 4's rarely-imitated brand of tactical copwork, but with a Hotline Miami-style top-down perspective, but with all the characters abstracted down to simple board game like tokens - a circle with a coloured outline denoting attitude towards the player, with a weapon icon if armed.

Blood Metal... Blood Metal is not good. It is extensively not good. Development seems to have only started in July, so one can still hope that the bad AI, unsatisfying gunplay, buggy collision detection and complete lack of damage feedback (outside of some ridiculous, sight-obscuring gouts of blood) get fixed over time. The 80s action movie aesthetic and low-poly artstyle forces it to be compared to Maximum Action, which is at least a fun kind of jank...

This Starry Void is a real-time, tile-based 3D dungeon crawler set in an abandoned spacecraft. It seems pretty cool so far, but it could probably use some UI/UX tweaks. The attempts at a "graphic novel inspired" visual style for the environments could probably benefit from looking at how Void Bastards did things, as well.

Lethal Lawns and Beam Team are fucking arcade games with massive cabinets. In 2019. Granted, they're also on computers and coming to consoles and stuff as well, but still! They're both pretty simple games, and therefore best played in cabinet form.

Unpacking is a "zen puzzle game" by the developers of Assault Android Cactus about the second-worst part of moving house, unloading an unseen character's packing and getting a glimpse into their lives as a result. I wasn’t able to play it due to an unexpectedly-crowded booth, but the pixel art is quite lovely.

Feather is a chill game about being a bird and flying around an island trying to find its secrets. I tried the Switch port, which played alright but obviously (and understandably) toted a lower framerate than the demo PC.

Topple Pop is a cute puzzle game that blends together elements of Tetris, Puyo Puyo and that one joke game that was Tetris but with a proper physics engine. Looks cute, with a fun gimmick!

Shooty Skies Overdrive is an VR spinoff of the popular mobile shmup, and basically similar to that one shmup minigame in Valve's The Lab. Weave your plane, which is attached to one of your hands, through incoming bullets and enemies like a toy! The 3D effect on the incoming projectiles looks great, but they can tend to get in the way of the action sometimes.

Dead Static Drive has been at like the last three PAXes and it looks better every time I see it. I hope it comes out this decade.

Snow Mercy is a third-person shooter/strategy thing where you hunt down icecubes to spend on an army of snowmen to crush your opponent's base before they crush yours. Not a common genre combo, reminds me of C&C Renegade a bit.

The Adventure Pals has graphics straight out of mid-2000s Newgrounds and level design out of pretty much any european platformer, but it didn't seem too bad from my brief prodding at it. The player character is perhaps a bit too small for my elderly eyes in Switch portable mode, but that's about as far as my gripes go.

#gaming #paxaus2019