Tricks All Around!( Event) Demi

Gades Stretched his wings a bit as he  landed on the ground and cracked his neck as he pulled his wings back into his body and dusted his coat off. The incubus was garbed in his normal clothing which was a set of black jeans and black boots along with a sleeveless black shirt and a black  coat with openings for both his  wings and for his tail were added to his pants and coat. Glancing around the Incubus prince could easily see that some form of celebration was going on and he smirked. It seemed that  he would be able to enjoy himself greatly here  not only with attention from the opposite gender if he wished but with good food as well. as he walked up to the gate  saw a rune knight who looked at him curiously though the Incubus prince mearly smiled a bit at him and the man gained a dazed  look as Gades passed by. He had his twin blades Alpha and Centauri on his back and as he got closer to the festivities people started to glance at him with looks of interest of with some of the women in the area lust.  The dark mage was always pleasantly surprised how people treated him when he kept his otherworldly features hidden and even still when he did show them the target was always so wrapped around his finger they didn’t care.

Still the Demon thought about his friend and pawn in Sabertooth Karasuki, he needed to get in touch with her again and keep working on what he had put into her head. As much as she liked being in a legal guild  the Incubus could sense it wasn’t the best place for her and he intended to show her just how much better his lifestyle and guild. As much as he wanted to meet up with Kara right now he had more pressing things to do as he pulled out the note he had received that had told him to meet up here with his future mentor, that had gotten the Incubuses attention. Someone wanted to mentor him and make him better which surprised him but he wasn’t going to turn down the offer since it would be foolish to do and Gades was anything but a fool.”I wonder who it is that sent me this. I haven’t been in the guild long but at the same time there are other newcomers such as that group that appeared on the mountain recently, last I heard this mountain was home to another guild I wonder if it has anything to do with that” he muttered to himself. He  sat on a bench and waited for his guildmate and future mentor to  appear and meet him. Idly glancing around the incubus saw a few girls giggling and pointing at him before blushing and talking amongst themselves again. Gades simply smirked before he would wink at the group and one of them actually fainted before the other two blushed darkly and started to drag the one girl away.”I wonder where they are” he wondered more to himself then to anyone around him.

wc- 528

The albino woman had been waiting in the Sabertooth protected town of Ace of Spades, did it bother her not really as she had a job to do just like any other when it came to taking the lifes breath from people. She was dressed in a black and white lolita dress, white stockings, black and white cap and black dolly shoes; had a person not taken a closer look she could have passed as a life sized porceline doll. She had sent an invitation to the guild herself and family had decided to call home for the moment, and one to to the one she had decided she would try and make stronger as he seemed somewhat useful this was so she could try and 'bond' with some people. All in all she really didn't give a damn because eventually they would all meet their end so they were only ships passing her in the night, more so if it was decided that their agenda no longer aligned with her familes that one of two things would happen. The first would be that they would leave and continue with their quests and the second would be that they destroyed the guild, killed the members and then went on their merry way. To be honest with how her husbands mind worked if that day ever came he would likely choose the latter because it would be fun.

She didn't know if anyone would meet her but she decided even if they didn't turn up she would have a good time herself. "Roll up, roll up! burst the balloons and win a trophy." she heard a voice call out from behind her "Accuracy test?" she whispered to herself and smiled walking over to the booth "Hello, hello young lady are you interested in trying your luck with my little game? I'm sure even a delicate flower like yourself could get at least one balloon." The man said, she looked him up and down he seemed to be in his mid to late thirties, black hair, emerald eyes, quite attractive to some dressed in blue jeans, loose white t-shirt with an orange arm back showing a pumpkin to prove that he was an official vender here and well worn black boots. "Yes, I would like to play... what are the rules." she asked putting her finger to her lips seeming innocent as if she didn't know what possiblty to do. "The rules are simple miss, I give you three darts all a sweet petal like you needs to do is take the dart, take aim and shoot it at the balloon. Bursting one will win you the trophy if you burst more than that I will give you one of the additional prizes from the prize wall." he said smiling not believing that she would get one let alone more than that.

Demi picked up the dart and felt the air around her, the first target was a black bat shaped balloon, she had to give him something for staying in theme. With how close she was to it if she missed even on purpose if the others found out she'd never be able to live it down. She looked so worried though she knew that she was going to get it but she may as well play along with the role she had given herself. As she took the shot but the next thing that was popping sound, the bat was no longer seen to be floating and clapped her hand excitedly as if she hadn't expected it "Congratulations you gain your trophy, would you like to try for an additional prize?" the man asked her eyes lightened up as he said that and nodded "That was so much fun" she squee'd as if she had never done such a thing before as she picked up a second dart she looked at the second balloon that was white in colour and shaped like a ghost. She seemed a little more confident this time as far as the man could see and threw the dart another popping sound was heard and the ghost was gone. "Look! Look! I done it! I done it!" she clapped her hands with glee, if someone didn't actually know he she would seem like an excited teenage girl who had just managed to do a difficult feat "Okay little miss, would you like to try for the third balloon and the additional prize?" he asked watching her nod and pick up the third dart and looked to what seemed to be the hardest balloon to hit. It was smaller in comparison to the first two and further back "Oh no, that black cat is the third one? I is a much harder target than the others." she said almost whining as if she thought she wouldn't be able to get it but she knew should make targets further away and even smaller but she was happy playing the debutant who couldn't believe that this was happening

"It is a true test of skill miss, you can walk away but you have gone this far so you may as well try." the man said making it seem like she was almost going to cry but she nodded and looked towards the cat and took her time almost as if she was trying to figure out how she was going to do it. She could hear the mans thoughts and how he believed that a spoilt brat like her would never be able to make that shot which made her close her eyes as she rolled them not wanting to ruin the guise that she had created for herself. Soon enough she would release the dart and a third pop would be heard and she clapped her hands as she had the first two times, the man looked surprised at what had just happened "W-what? How?" he had asked watching as Demi turned to a little girl who was trying hard to get the balloons but failing misrably "Hay, I just won but don't want the added prize. I want you to have it." she said looking to the guy who owned the booth who nodded the girl rank over her mother following her and hugged her before going to see what she could choose from. Demi looked back to the booth owner "Looks can be decieving." she said with a sweet tone and a smile that matched before heading off with her trophy to where she was to meet any who turned up to have fun at the festival. That was when she felt the energy of the one who had recently just turned up in the guild and walked towards it, what she seen made her stop as she looked him up and down almost as if she couldn't believe that this was the person she had wanted to mentor. "Noble Incubus my eternity, you dressed up as an upscale hobo for the season?" she asked taking note of his sleeveless top it was unbecoming in her opinion and just by his apperance had decided that this arrangement might be a bad idea but there wasn't to much she could do now as she had already made the commitment to make him stronger.

She'd swear if her husband was here he would be laughing like the madman he was at this revelation only to be met by the blade of her scythe for it. "Going by your aura I am guessing you're the one known as Gades. I'm to be your mentor eventually if you prove your worth, don't waste my time you won't like it." she said with a sweet smile and a warm tone though the undertone of her words were made clear, she would kill him if she felt he was wasting what she deemed as her valuable time. "So I have gained one trophy thus far but there seems to be something if you can gain three, also there are some shops and the likes." she said wondering what he would do here, she looked back to the balloon toss booth she had just been too and pointed "That's where I got mine." she said smiling as the little girl had decided she wanted the oversized unicorn grand prize as the thing she wanted. It was a beautiful prize and the horn even glowed like a nightlight so it would be perfect for her she guessed if she didn't like the darkness, as far as she knew this was a common occurance when it came to normal youths. Shadows through the windows, creepy noises, monsters under the bed, in the wardrobe or even in the closet things no one in her family had the luxuary of feeling; their monsters were more tangable and now the monsters that hurt them were being hunted by the monsters they created. That was something for another day for now she was just glad to see her gesture had made a little girl smile.

Word count: 1,506
~~Word count complete will continue as a job~~
@Gades Saito

Gades Blinked before he saw someone approaching him but unlike the others he had seen she didn’t seem to be interested in him at all in fact her approach was business like. She commented that he looked like a upscale hobo and it actually Made the Incubus crack a smirk before he chuckled.”Iv never been called that before but these arnt dirty rags I paid good money for them” he said before he went on.” I also didn’t want to show off my extra features since it’s a bit tougher to talk to others when your tail and wings are out normally” he added. He sighed after a moment though.”I suppose that I could have them out considering people are dressed up its just not what im used to” he explained as he stood up and his tail emerged from his pants along with his wings emerging before folding behind him. The snow white wings stood out against the dark clothes he wore and. As Demi explained that she was the mentor he would have if he proved himself he could sense ill intent even behind such a bright smile and warm words. He instantly gained a small flicker of fear.”Understood Ma’am and yes Im Gades Saito first born to the Incubus King in Sin” he introduced himself but there was no arrogance in saying his title. When his new mentor made mention of gaining a trophy the Incubus nodded when she mentioned that gaining 3 would do something but what was still unknown.

"With so many things Im sure gaining two more shouldn’t be that hard” he commented before he smelled some of the street food and glanced at Demi.” Care to get something to eat while we are here Ill pay’ he offered as he spotted a stand for Taiyaki, he stepped up and ordered one filled with chocolate and custard and glanced around for a shop while he waited for any games that might interest him before he suddenly spotted an old man on a stump. Once he had gotten his food and Demi hers if she got any he motioned for them to head towards the old mans location. As he approached him the Incubus took a bite from his confection and enjoyed the sweet custard and bitter dark chocolate as the mans single eye stared at him intensely.”Tell me What Belongs to you but gets used by Others more?” he questioned as Gades blinked before he swallowed and responded.”That’s Easy its your name” he stated before the old man pressed onwards. “What goes up but never comes down” he asked giving the Incubus another brain teaser to work on as Gades took another bite before he mulled it over then smirked slightly.”It your age it rises as you grow older but never falls” he stated as the elderly man just kept his intense gaze on him for a moment before he asked one final question

“I have one and you have one so do the woods,Streams, and Seas, Fish,Treas, and beasts and everything else in this revolving world” he asked as Gades actually had to think for a moment while he finished off his pastery. After a few moments he finally spoke. “everything has a Shadow” he stated before the man nodded and then gestured down to the basket of trophys showing Gades could have one. The Prince took a trophy gently before he looked at Demi.”two down one more to go it seems” he said. Gades knew he needed to prove himself or the threat Demi had given him would come to pass and he got the feeling she wouldn’t hesitate to harm or kill him if he failed to live up to expectations.

wc- 626

total wc- 1,154

Wandering through yet another town that was under the so called protection of a Guild, Solmar had decided to venture through it in order to see if anything was out of the ordinary there. It wouldn't have been the first time for him to enter a village that was apparently under protection and still find issues that had either been overlooked or blatantly disregarded. To name the most prominent instance of such a thing being the case would be to go back to the time he went to the mountain village, a small place located east of the phoenix mountains. While he had originally gone there in order to find an old hunter that had gone missing while out on a hunt, it had been brought to his attention that same kids had gone missing as well. Having no reason to actually connect the two together as a kid being kidnapped or a hunter getting snagged by a wild animal up in the mountains had little to nothing to do with one another, the same thing had probably been the case when the former issue had been brought to the attention of the authorities.

Had it not been for him finding the cottage in which the old hunter had been spending his time between hunts, Solmar would never have come to put the pieces together either. According to the journal he found, the hunter had observed strange moving lights around the cottage, as well as a hulking creature that stalked him whenever he went outside. Based on what he had managed to figure out before he had gotten snatched, the man had gone into the mountains not to hunt, but to find where all of the missing kids had gone. It was in so doing that Solmar had made his way into a sizeable cavern in which he encountered the same strange lights the hunter had described. Heading in deeper, he found the culprit and her lackey, a wraith going by the name Gindendith and a large Yeti she had risen into undeath. Using it to aid her in snatching children, she believed that if she sacrificed them to some dark god, life would be restored to her so she could continue showering herself in the most depraved acts humanity indulged in. After a long battle which had nearly cost him his life, he had managed to release the remaining kids and the hunter from their cage.

Though such a thing had only happened to him once, it had shaken his faith in this magic council people spoke of, as well as the sanctity of these guilds. So when he wandered into this new place called Ace of Spades for some reason, he was not expecting all of these festivities going on. While his ears had picked up on something as he approached, the colorful tents, banners and dressed up people made for quite the strange sight. Having never witnessed such a thing before in his life, he waited for a moment as he thought about whether or not he wanted to actually go in and see more of the place. Deciding against leaving, he took down his hood and ventured into the village, letting his eyes scan around the place to see what was going on here. While most of the colors symbolized fall, there were some influences that did not mean a whole lot to him such as pumpkins that had odd faces carved in them, as well as rags with skeletal faces and other such things. For a moment, he wondered if this was some kind of death cult on a grander scale, but figured those usually did not have as many kids around as this place did. Narrowing his eyes as someone told him he was wearing a rugged looking costume, he just huffed and continued walking.

Still no clearer as to what they were celebrating here, it was shortly after abandoning the strange man that called his attire a costume that his eyes fell on a baking contest. Moving in along with the rest of the rabble, he watched as a bunch of people were competing over who could prepare the finest dish. While he was not that knowledgeable on the matter, he did not know what they were to be graded on, though he had to admit that it all looked really good and tasty. Mostly because he had wandered out here without a whole lot of rest and things to eat or drink, what he really wanted to do now was move along and find the nearest tavern and pig out the way he always did after traveling. Luckily for him, he got distracted when someone started shouting that the sign-ups for the eating contest had opened up. Walking over to the man, he asked whether or not he would need to pay for it, to which the man replied by saying that they were only accepting a select bunch of people, and that the first fifteen people would be picked to join without needing an entry fee. Using his posture as a means of picking ahead in line, he signed his name onto the paper and placed the pencil back on the table.

Returning to his spot so he could continue watching the cooking contest, he witnessed the use of a lot of ingredients he had never seen before in his life, as well as ways of preparing food that seemed entirely senseless to him. That said, he was no cook and only used spices as a means of adding flavor to whatever kind of wildlife he managed to catch, skin, disembowel, debone and cook. To someone like him, all of the peculiar preparation methods were almost like magic, adding to it the fact that magic seemed easier to grasp as all of these outlandish methods were beyond what someone like him was capable of doing while out in the wilds. No, he would make do with what he could get his hands on, though that did not mean that he was not willing to try the cooking of others. On the contrary, he actually preferred eating the cooking of others as it meant not having to stain his own hands with the blood of an animal. No, for the time being, he would just stay here and watch as these men and women prepared their dishes. Whether they would actually get to eat those or if they had prepared other food would probably be made clear soon enough.


(1088)

The member 'Solmar' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Normal Dice' :

Karasuki Kitsuharu had her purple hair woven into two braids hanging over her shoulders. Her red glasses rested on her pale nose but she kept adjusting them. As she had sat cross legged in the living area, it had occurred to her that although she had been living with Gades for nearly two weeks, she could not recall doing any work to locate Geralt. It was all a dizzy, blurry mess inside of her head, so there she sat for hours. Her thumb nails pressed and scratched into the bottoms of her index fingers and palms. The nervous tick had left small callouses beginning to form. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled again.

Two weeks ago she had found the information in a book. The Ring of Broken Souls was created and lost by a wizard in the Rose Garden. What everyone had believed to be myth had been the single outstretched hand of hope for the young lady. She had been born with the magical summoning gift, to be used with the books she lived by and with at a young age. And at her young age, she had thought if she could summon the evil villain out of the book, then she would be able to save her favorite characters within the pages. Without significant practice, the Pirate King Geralt ended up soul-split, living alongside her own soul, alongside her own mind. Constantly, the villain was there, and constantly was he prodding her to do things she never would. The Ring of Broken Souls was supposed to be the answer, the miracle that would save her soul and buy her freedom. It was supposed to be the miracle talisman that would get Geralt back into his own book. When she discovered the Ring in Rose Garden, seventeen days ago... Karasuki had no idea just how much worse her life could become.

The Ring had freed Geralt, gave him his own body and his own will. And Geralt had left her with a broken soul and waning energy. It was only a matter of time before a reaper came to collect her for the dead. Unless she could locate Geralt and figure out how to fix everything. Gades had promised to handle all that with her. He had made a magical concoction, helped her to sleep, and restored some of that energy. So long as she drank that mixture on a regular basis, she felt nearly normal in a physical sense. Karasuki herself had felt something else strange while she stayed with the incubus prince. Her heart raced when he was near and she found that despite her strict independence, she enjoyed doting on him. She spent less time with her summons and more time with him: reading together, watching him paint, and going for walks. She was somewhat ashamed and guilty that she had been staying with him so long without contacting anyone at Sabertooth. Karasuki even felt somewhat guilty for having done no work to find Geralt as of yet, relying on Gades' magical concoctions to sustain her.

Her mind was in a fog however. It dulled her mental senses and made reasonable thought more challenging. It was like all of her wisdom inside of her mind was chained up and just barely out of reach. Gades had said he needed to travel away for a few days. He left her with plentiful books and food to live by, but even with the concoctions she drank every evening, the purple haired summoner felt lonely and lost without him. She sighed and pressed her nails harder into her palms. Then she stood up suddenly and vigorously, "That's it! I got by on my own before, I can do it now!" Karasuki paced around a bit and then headed to the guest room which she had taken over. She changed out of her sleep-clothing and into dark jeans, and a soft pink sweater. The mage slid her shoes on and then rubbed her temples. "Just because I can do it, doesn't mean that I have to. Or that I want to. Besides," she glanced to the door thoughtfully, "Gades'll be happy to see me. He always is."

It was then that Karasuki summoned an old friend. "Resting a hand on his comrade's shoulder he replied, 'There is no such thing as a perfect person. That is why we can't live alone, no da!'" As Karasuki finished, a sugegasa hat appeared before her within a small cloud and Ryokō appeared, the hat riding above as if he came from inside of it all along, standing in a pose with his hand in a position for concentrating chi energy. He had bluish purple hair, long bangs, and shaved in some places in the most unusual manner. A large scar over his eye indicated experience with fighting. Ryokō wore a purple and white monk's clothing and his right hand was holding a shakujo staff. "Karasuki! Finally! I've been so worried, are you okay, no da?" Ryokō asked giving the woman a concerned touch on the shoulder.

Karasuki squinted up at him and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Ryokō. I am okay, really." "And your soul? Geralt? Did Gades help you?" Ryokō pressed on, his eyes focused on her's. She gave him a little hug, "We are still working on all that. I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to take me to him. Can you do that?" Ryokō looked at her a bit suspiciously and then nodded, "I can." He made no gesture to move to take her anywhere. She added, "I'm supposed to meet him, please?" Ryokō could sense her lie the same way an older brother could but he relaxed. Karasuki could tell he didn't believe her lie, but she could also tell that he was trying to trust her as his summoner. He nodded, "All right. But don't go two weeks without contacting me again." "Deal, Sorry about that."

He wrapped his arm around her and lifted his sugegasa hat and then slid it downwards. The hat enveloped both of them temporarily and then lifted back up, having teleported them to the Ace of Spades. Ryokō pointed out the alleyway which they had appeared in. "I sensed him that direction. Good luck, Kara." Karasuki patted her sweatshirt down, thanking the monk before he vanished into a cloud of smoke. From the alley of Ace of Spades she asked herself out loud, "What could you be doing here?" Karasuki walked out of the alley into a well decorated market square.

People walked around in costumes, music played, and she could see games all around. There was a child dressed as a ghost chasing around another child dressed up as a princess. There was a group of people eating caramel apples on sticks. Her eyes scanned around until they caught onto a pretty girl in a black and white outfit. Karasuki had to smile when she saw the girl donate her prize to another child at the balloon. It was so sweet to see how the kids were getting a chance to play like kids should. Karasuki closed her eyes and breathed in the warm smell of ramen and stews, and even mulled spiced cider. Karasuki sniffed the air and opened her brown eyes again, pushing her red glasses back against her nose.

Her eyes followed the pretty girl in the black and white outfit, caught again by her striking image. Maybe she could win a prize for Gades and surprise him. Maybe this girl would teach her the trick to the balloon game. Karasuki skipped ahead, moving quickly until she stood in the crowd by the balloon game. She pushed in between some bulkier people and let out a gasp of excitement. Gades! Gades was talking to the girl! She bit her lip and then straightened her back up. He would be so surprised to see her. She slid back into the crowd as Gades headed towards a riddle game. Just as she watched him receive his award, she sprang upon him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, "Congrats! Surprise! I'm your reward for winning!"

Karasuki laughed out loud as she squeezed him. Her head turned to the side, mid-hug, and she gave a little smile to the girl she had seen from afar. "Hi there! I'm Karasuki! Nice job winning at the balloon game. I was watching you and thought it was just amazing the way that you gave your gift away at the end." She let Gades go and clasped her hands together in front of her. The girl had the strangest, most adult look in her eyes. How did she know Gades? Why was she going around at the festival with him? Did he... love her? Her heart skipped a beat and her face flushed as she considered the possibilities. Is that why he traveled here alone? To go to a festival with her? She tried to keep a passive and gentle face on, but her temper was more powerful than even Geralt had been. Once it took over, it would be devilishly hard to restrict herself.

WC:1544
Word count complete will continue as a job

((I'm requesting to be skipped this round, sorry for the inconvenience guys. @Gades Saito @Solmar @Karasuki))

Gades blinked in surprise when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and as he heard a familiar voice he gained a small smile on his face.”well if your my prize then I consider myself the luckiest guy here” he said teasingly, as she addressed Demi the incubus realized that he hadent introduced Karasuki to her yet.”ah yes Kara this..Demi right? She is my teacher and will be helping me get stronger” he explained before glanced at Demi.” This Is Karasuki my girlfriend” he said before he looked back to her hoping she was ok with how he addressed her,he hadent called her that yet but it did feel appropriate..” Im a bit surprised to see you out and about Kara I would have thought you would be resting” he said but he didn’t sound unhappy to see her . he knew her soul was unstable right now due to Geralt splitting from her and his mixtures were helping her remain stable but he also knew that she was becoming greatly attached to him so he shouldn’t have been that surprised to see her since she would seek him out of her own accord. He had actually seen it happen a few times in rose garden while he was taking care of her.

The Incubus prince could still remember those days where they were rained inside. The two of them bonded greatly though Gades had made sure with some other measures as well but for the most past she seemed to greatly enjoy is painting and cooking, he also made sure to keep her entertained and happy which made his plans work even better.he smiled at her.” Since we are here perhaps we can enjoy ourselves perhaps make some good memorys here, and if your up for it we can share a few drinks” he suggested, he knew that was pushing considering her condition but if she wanted to have fun and drink a bit he wouldn’t stop her he would just make sure to drink less and keep a close eye on her. Though he did know that Demi was here.”That is if your ok with it I know this is our first meeting as mentor and mentee” he said looking at Demi. He knew he had some how gained her interest and she was wanting to train him but he didn’t want to make a bad impression in front of her since the stronger he got the closer he would get to the throne back in Sin when the time came. The last thing the Incubus Royal wanted was for one of his lazy siblings to get the throne and ruin generations of history and the legacy his family had made.


wc- 456
total wc - 1,610

Several minutes later, the cooking contest had concluded with the winner being someone who had built a surprisingly pretty looking cake, complete with multiple layers, different colors and what seemed like tiny buildings and trees on it. Though he had no idea what it was supposed to look like as he was simply not that well aware of what the cities in the region looked like, a loud horn was blown to sound the gathering of the contestants of the eating contests. Gathering at the man with the horn, he named the people that had been picked to take part in it. At this point, he could only hope that he was the one that got picked as one of the first people signing their names. Within the next two minutes, it seemed that he was indeed one of the people that had managed to make their way onto the roster, something he himself was quite content with. Once those that had been picked had gathered, they were taken to a large stage that was still covered behind tall curtains that obscured all sight from those that had come to watch the contest go down.

Being told that he was to take seat number seven, the contestants made their way onto the stage where they all took their respective seats. Once the lights came on, it was shown that there was a large score board behind them that not only had their names written on it, but also a large floating zero directly above it so the spectators would be able to see who was winning. When the man hosting the contest came up to them, he told them that the seats they were sitting on had been enchanted with a spell that counted every finished meal and relayed it to the scoreboard. Wondering how they were going about doing this exactly, Solmar could not care about it enough to actually ask any questions about it. All he cared about was dinner being served so he could replenish his reserves for free and maybe even win a prize while doing so. Because that was all this was to him, a means of filling his stomach without having to pay a dime for it. On the other hand, he was never one to shy away from a challenge, even if it meant having to step into the spotlights like this. For the time being, he figured it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Once everything had been made clear with the contestants, the man took to the front of the stage and started talking into a strange stick that relayed his voice to all corners of the stage, telling the people to make their way over to it if they wanted to witness the next eating contest champion being crowned. With a loud pop, confetti was sprayed all around as the curtains suddenly disappeared entirely, showing that a large crowd had gathered in front of the stage. While the host was hyping up the crowd, various cooks entered onto the stage with neatly stacked plates on a cart. From what he could tell, they brought in a cart for every contestant as they were placed in front of them. The tricky part about it was that they were all sealed, so no one could tell what was inside of them until they put them in front of them and opened them up. If they did not like it, it would take them more time to have to switch to another plate and start eating, or so he figured. Luckily for him, there was very little that he did not like, so he imagined that he would be quite safe throughout the contest. After all of the plates had been stacked, another horn was blown, marking the start of the contest.

Caught off guard by it, he just reached for the first plate he could get to, pulled it towards him and took off the lid, finding that there was a large turkey leg underneath. As a grin appeared on his face, he took it in hand and started digging into it like a wild animal that hadn't eaten in days. Tearing through the meat and ripping it clean from the bone, the leg did not stand a chance against such a seasoned meat eater like Solmar. Tossing the bone that had been picked clean back onto the plate, he reached for the next one, at which point he learned two things. The first was that he had in fact been first at clearing the first plate, the second being that the plates that still had food in them were starting to levitate. Instantly, the contestants were starting to blame one another, claiming that one of them was cheating as they started tugging at one another and taking plates that did not belong to them. Albeit confused, the host claimed that an "extra element" had been added to the game, though Solmar could tell by his tone of his voice and stance that he was just making this up on the go. This meant that someone was tampering with the competition, though he did not have the time to figure out who that might be.

Watching as the plates were starting to mingle with one another, it made for a very messy and tricky situation as all of the contestants had clearly come here to win, though Solmar himself was really only here to eat his fill. Reaching for one of the floating plates, the guy next to him grabbed his shoulder and started tugging at him, claiming that it was his plate Solmar just snagged. Knowing full well that it wasn't, he took off the lid from the plate with his left hand while using the right to pick up the empty plate with the turkey bone still on it. Smashing it over the man's head, he fell back in his seat, clearly knocked out cold from the force of the blow. As the crowd gasped, others started cheering as things started becoming more lively and interesting than just some guys gulping down food. Apparently following up on the example he had just set, other contestants also started going after one another as a bit of a brawl started up on the stage. Still, the only thing that counted was the amount of plates they finished within the time frame provided, something they were all quite aware of.

When he took off the lid from his second plate, Solmar saw that what was inside was a steak, which was generally rather hard to eat without the right tools. Taking it with both hands and bringing it to his mouth, he chomped into it, pulling at it with his teeth in an attempt at biting off a big chunk of it. Once he did, he had to chew it for a while so he wouldn't choke on it. Feeling that he had picked the wrong thing this time given how long it would take to properly finish it, finish it he did. Instantly reaching for the next plate, he uncovered a plate filled with octopus rings covered in a spicy sauce. Being one of those people that barely noticed spicy, he figured it was a side effect of him being a slayer that could actually eat fire, compared to which some spicy dressing really did not stand much of a chance. And so the contest continued with Solmar digging his way through his own plates as well as those from his unconscious neighbor. Making use of the brawl going on at the other side of the table to get ahead of most of them, he only barely managed to stay ahead of a guy that made it all seem like each plate was filled with crackers he could finish in a single bite.

When the final horn resounded on the stage, the host pointed past the stage which had several beaten men, some bloodstains, broken plates and a bunch of animal bones covering them. Pointing at the score board, it seemed that Solmar managed to take the win with thirteen finished plates while the runner up had twelve of them, making him into a very worthy adversary. With a snap of his fingers, a spark of light and a puff of smoke, the table was cleared of all of its contents, leaving only a sparkly trophy in front of Solmar. Taking it up with his free hand as he was still holding a partially eaten chicken wing with his dominant hand, he stood up and held it over his head when the host hyped him up to the crowd as a "Mage who had been a rising star up until recently". Wondering how he had managed to find out such a thing, the young black haired mage could not say that he really cared for it either way. Giving the crowd a crooked smile as he held the trophy over his head, he took another bite from his chicken wing and wandered off-stage with his prize. Not sure what to do with it, he figured it might be worth something somewhere before depositing it into the deep part of his thick coat.

For the time being, he had at the very least managed to replenish some of the energy that he had lost on the way here, which was a small victory in and of itself. Not really sure what to do next, he just wandered through the crowd of people that had gathered, not really expecting anything interesting to take place.


(1603 // 2691)
Turning in 1500 for the event, using the rest as freeform material
(1191)

Karasuki's face pinched up for a millisecond and then instantly turned to a face of surprise. Had he said... girlfriend? They were dating!? She hadn't dated anyone since Masha and well, that turned out to be a heartbreaking disaster. Karasuki wasn't really interested in another relationship, but when Gades said it... it just sounded so reasonable. How could she deny it? How could she debate or question it? Especially in front of his apparent teacher. "I.. I rested up plenty. And uh... well I wanted to see you. Boyfriend." It sounded weird coming out of her lips and she hoped that Gades and his teacher Demi didn't notice a thing.

She waited as Gades addressed his awfully young-looking teacher. His teacher was a kid? A girl child? She searched his eyes, looking for the lie, but couldn't find it. Karasuki couldn't tell why he thought this child was so powerful and that fact was the only thing making her doubt his statement. She joked a bit and poked at Demi, "Well if she's such a powerful teacher, maybe she can help us with Geralt too. Think you're up for that, kid?" Karasuki was in her early twenties, there was no way Demi was more powerful than she or Gades. It had to have been a friendly joke Gades was making. Not an outright lie, but it couldn't be the truth either.

The sound of a brawl and an excited crowd nearby caught the purple-haired summoner's attention. Her eyes flicked over and she saw some sort of contest finishing up. She watched as the male ate his chicken wing and showcased his trophy. Then Karasuki made a little face. It was fairly gross watching them all eat the way they had and his pride as he held up a trophy for such sloppy eating in the contest was worth little to the mage at all. She snorted derisively, "Eating isn't a contest but eating with dignity should be. You see that guy? Gross.."

WC:345+1544= 1889