Anticytherian Circle/2017

The Trumping Savage God of Apollo welcomes you to the first ever tourney of the Anticytherian Circle! As a standard tournament in itself but with hidden twists which are not inspired from other games, this event will open the door to imaginative innovation! In this tournament for the year 2016, your character must face off against not only others' characters, but also boss characters- mainly members of the Empyrdom- by Yoshiya Fukami himself so that they may rise up to the top and claim the title of a champion. This tournament will be held on both Wikia and Skype.

Note that this tournament is only 1v1 at the moment to test the individual abilities of each participant. 2v2, Team, and Party rosters will be available next year—probably during January, March, April, or May 2016.

The Enigma Keep is a joint tournament in which willing participants of the main tournament can participate in order to make their way to fight one of the members of the Empyrdom in perfectly well condition. To join, one must be WILLING and must be a participant of the main tournament. You have to fight until you are duked against a character from the Kismetic Sphere lineup, thus you cannot retreat from ALL challenges in the Enigma Keep. However, you can still take breaks after each match within a limited time.

Blog link: User blog:Josh the Hedgehog/Anticytherian Circle 2016 Tournament Blog

Participants (Skype Name)

 * User:Josh the Hedgehog
 * User:Joshua the Hedgehog
 * User:Saren the Dark Lynx
 * User:Brudikai222
 * User:Trisell Chronos
 * User:RedRush3999
 * User:DeathstroketheHedgehog
 * User:CajunCytex07
 * User:Enervar
 * User:Noahc2015
 * User:Lunari64

Moderators

 * User:Josh the Hedgehog [GM]
 * User:Saren the Dark Lynx [Judge]
 * User:Monk the Cat [Judge]
 * User:Xtarhaven [Judge]
 * User:Trisell Chronos [Judge]

Participants
15 slots open before all prelim matches are finished!
 * 1) Joshua Sentrium Burns (Joshua TH)
 * 2) LIVIC (Saren)
 * 3) Axel the Hedgehog (Brud)
 * 4) Pix of The Isis Dominion (Trisell)
 * 5) Komerl "Aden" Hedgehog (RedRush)
 * 6) Ruben The Hedgehog (Enervar)
 * 7) Szorra the Cat (Deathstroke)
 * 8) Thundertonian "Puncher" Hedgehog (Cytex)
 * Dark Lord Riven (Saren)
 * 1) Mars the Dire Wolf (Saren)
 * Ajax The Honey Badger (Noah)
 * 1) Boltstryke The Hedgehog (Enervar)
 * Ashura The Hedgehog (Enervar)
 * 1) Joshua "Neo" the Hedgehog (NBW)
 * 2) Jules the Echidna (NBW)

Spectators
There are no limits to this roster.
 * 1) Nefertiti the Cat
 * 2) Io Iapetus

Bosses
The bosses are fought in random occasions and in random selection from the Enigma Keep Lineup, limited until Nightmare only.

Enigma Keep Lineup
Note: There are five lineups ranging from their difficulty. There will be short descriptions regarding their basic and famous abilities but this should not be taken for metagaming. We are watching you! >:P

Average

 * Imperial Aeretherian Class Infantry
 * Aether secutor
 * Silent lancer
 * Stormlift trajector
 * Imperial Purebreed Class Infantry
 * Argyric trooper
 * Vareionic trooper
 * Imperial Hybrid Class Infantry
 * Dragonadier

Difficult

 * Aeretherius XVII/Seventeen - The scout member of the elite assault envoy Swords of Salem. He wields two aether blades instead of one from the standard aetherbladers.
 * Hydrargus Aermea - The marksman member of Swords of Salem. His accuracy is top-notch among his fellow troopers. Sporting a vareionic blaster which shoots automatic streams of supercooled plasma, this man is mostly lethal from afar.
 * Borias Cynnaveum - The demolition member of Swords of Salem. His Draconian abilities makes him dangerous up close as his durability and his ax-wielding is held in high regard. His dragon bombs makes it harder to fight him in a small area.
 * Salem Misthophorius - The close combatant and leader of the Swords of Salem. His expert skill in wielding lances is almost on par with the Archon Emperor's Caustellonic lancing art skill. He also wields a ranged pistol to increase his range.
 * Reius Draganea
 * Night aether secutor
 * Arch aether secutor

Nightmare

 * Severina Zephyrius - The first princess of Ventilus. Wielding a spear named Avia, she is a skilled spearwoman along with Ancient Aerokinesis.
 * Alice Argentum - A renowned magitech engineer from the Argentum family. She mostly uses her drones to attack but is a master of lightning manipulation.
 * Flarius Draganea - The current ruler of Draconia City. His prodigious skill in close combat and pyrokinetic potential earned him his current authority from his predecessor.
 * Cordelia Eurius - The twin sister of the current Ventilusian queen. More proficient in cryokinesis than her sister and shares the alias "Platinum Heart" with her.
 * Aeretherius XII - The chief aether secutor of the Empyrdom. A prodigy of the aether blade arts.
 * Chrysanthine Emperiales - A known blacksmith from the village of Crystherum in southeast Pyronia. She crafted the Lys, the Golden Spear of Ecliptic Moonlight, which is now being wielded by Joshua Zephyrius. Her fire power is almost as strong as Ancient Pyrokinesis.
 * Bathyna Arteselinus - A wandering huntress from a tropical forest in western Benthos. Her archery and hydrokinetic potential proves her great deal of experience in battle.
 * Silica Caesialeum
 * Anthes Sylvestia
 * Elcia Apocrion
 * Caele Coriolis
 * Nixia Chionis
 * Sumia Cardea
 * Lapis Thracissia
 * Thyella Arniticus

Herculean (First Kismetic Sphere)

 * The Ruinous Tempest - Joshua, the second Lesser Deific King of Ventilus. Widely known for his peerless speed, perception, and swordsmanship which is proven most lethal in the material realm. His Ancient Aerokinesis can create utter destruction in a single spell—earth elementals should take more care!
 * The Abyssal Ocean - Thomas, the second Lesser Deific King of Benthos. His strength and power makes him unique from his fellow kings. His Ancient Hydrokinesis can harness the utmost powers of the deep—fire elementals, beware!
 * The Stalwart Earth - Raymond, second Lesser Deific King of Geomus. His colossal durability is his greatest asset. Coordinating complex gravity manipulation and Ancient Geokinesis, he moves the earth in his whim—water elementals need extra caution!
 * The Flame of Oblivion - Louisius, the second Lesser Deific King of Pyronia. Joshua Zephyrius' archrival due to his Ancient Pyrokinesis and density manipulation. His fire powers leave nothing even cinders in his trail—wind elementals, watch out!
 * The Platinum Heart - Caitlineia, the third Lesser Deific Queen of Ventilus. Famous as her title due to her charisma and beauty. She is nonetheless a threat due to her wide range of magical abilities: cryokinesis, psychokinesis, aerokinesis, and strangely photokinesis.

Herculean (Second Kismetic Sphere)

 * The Prime Sentiarch
 * The Sovereign Sentimatron
 * The Black-Haired Light
 * The White-Haired Darkness
 * The Plasmatic Princess
 * The Swift Stillness
 * The Astral Paladin
 * The Mystic Damsel
 * The Flow

Pyronia

 * Infernal Wreath
 * Calderian Columns
 * Vermilion Pits

Benthos

 * Cryptic Depression
 * Cenote of Gishil
 * Hadrian's Mantle

Geomus

 * Wayward Void
 * Petrarxian Jungle
 * Gorge Prismata

Ventilus

 * Mistral Cylinder
 * Levantic Heights
 * Epiplean Relic

Anticytherian Council
These characters are in-character moderators, aka judges of the battle.
 * Megresiel Septans
 * Altairius Deneva
 * Alcalaid Asclipius

Matchups
I will add a bracket sometime.

Enigma Keep
The following participants are now eligible to participate in the Enigma Keep:
 * Pix
 * Riven
 * Boltstryke

Anticytherian Dome

 * Registration/Confirmation Hall - Upon entry, at the front, leaning on the wall. On the front wall are two doors on right and left. There is also a door on the left wall.
 * Refreshments and Amenities Hall - Right door after Registration Hall. There are few booths for food and drinks. A pharmacy is just nearby. A currency converter is found on the left side upon entrance. Gender-categorized restrooms are through the hallway to the right. A door is just through a hallway ahead.
 * Preparation Hall - Left door after Registration Hall. There are few benches to sit on while waiting, and a large space for short training routines. There is a door through the hallway just ahead.
 * Medical Bay - Door on left wall in registration hall. Injured contestants are treated here.
 * Arena Warproom AI - Through the Preparation Hall. Warproom to the Arena Warproom AII leading to the arena grounds.
 * Arena Warproom BI - Through the Refreshments/Amenities Hall. Warproom to the Arena Warproom BII leading to the spectation ring or the commentator panel.

Arena

 * Arena Warproom AII - Warproom to the Arena Warproom AI leading to the Anticytherian Dome. Has a door to the arena grounds.
 * Arena Warproom BII - Warproom to the Arena Warproom BI leading to the Anticytherian Dome. Has two doors, front and left, to respective halls.
 * Arena Grounds - Through the Arena Warproom AII front door. The battles are commenced here.
 * Spectation Ring - Through the Arena Warproom BII front door. There you can sit down and relax as you watch the contestants duking them out.
 * Commentator Panel - Through the Arena Warproom BII left door. Only Empyrdom members are allowed to enter.

Preliminaries

 * First Match: Joshua's left side was almost severed by Pix into separate halves. He passed out before Pix did.
 * Boss Battle: TBA
 * Second Match: Ajax was defeated by Boltstryke through contact electrocution.
 * Boss Battle: Boltstryke was incapacitated by Cordelia's ice shards, thus he did not receive the bonus.
 * Third Match: TBA
 * Fourth Match: Riven overwhelmed Ruben with his offensive healing magic.
 * Boss Battle: TBA
 * Fifth Match: TBA
 * Sixth Match: TBA
 * Seventh Match: TBA

Roleplay
December 19, 3238 ATS - Anticytheris Receptacle, Heluxion Solar System: 9:00

The planetary fortress Anticytheris Receptacle is quite tranquil around these times. The only bustling place is the newly-built Anticytherian Dome situated just beside the nexus tower. Many people from Antiquus, purebreed and hybrid alike, went to spectate the matches, to see if non-Antiquians can match up to their own fellows.

The participants are quite of mixed origins- most are anthropomorphs and few are humans. The dome was filled with sapient entities going around to register or to spectate.

Before First Preliminary Match
[Anyone can start making the entrance of their characters here. You cannot proceed to the other rooms if you have not entered through this hall.]

A lone man of 5'6" wearing a black Special Ops grade wetsuit with various necessary equipment like ammo packs, regulation combat knife and tactical grenades walked in. Also noted was the mask that seemed to be fused to the man's face for the most part, as well as the Anti-Tank cannon on his back and a duffel bag he was carrying.

Many of the Antiquians around the corner marveled as they beheld the presence of the tall man before them. "That man..." some whispered.

"Cool," a male teenager whispered.

"This it..?" He muttered as another contestant wearing a 'corrupted' Monk's outfit with the hood covering the left eye walked in. This contestant just exuded laziness, like he probably wasn't even going to try very hard.

"WHAT, did you expect?" A woman asked, walking forward through the room: glancing around for any area she would register at," She was a light lime green with orange markings and a single wide quill on the back of her head. Scales were clearly seen on her shoulders, though she looked more feline, with green beady eyes. Her attire was some kind of purple-styled Roman of Grecian garb.

Some of them felt suspicion and boredom when they beheld Riven while some others admired his style, even though it is a very simple black garment.

Many of the Antiquians were marked with reminiscence as they saw the woman. "A Kinemancian!" others softly exclaimed, not knowing that she was of an entirely different race.

"......" The man carrying the anti-tank cannon didn't respond, though the monk gave a shrug.

"I'unno, but this is wayyyyy cooler than my castle... And it's not gothic in the least! q~q" The monk answered, tears of joy streaming from his eyes.

"Where do we..." She glanced around again. "Where do we register?"

"Maybe there's a front desk somewhere.." SpecOps, we'll go with SpecOps for now, replied; the mask muffling his voice slightly.

Seated on a chair in the registration booth was a fair woman with mint green hair and is dressed in a highly modest manner, adorned in a long-sleeved white robe with cyan accents as a coat that covers almost her whole body except her head, with a sleeveless royal blue turtleneck shirt underneath the robe. A part of its collar was visible, protruding from the coat.

"Please go here if you desire to participate in the annual Anticytherian Circle tournament!" announced the woman in a soft and cheerful tone.

The lizard-cat-woman immediately walked over. "I am Pix."

"I see then." The green-haired woman was tapping on the screen of a tablet-like device. A screen behind her displayed the name of the first contestant. "Thank you for your registration, Miss Pix! I am Cordelia Eurius of the Empyrdom of Anticytheris- at your service~!"

Pix nodded. "I hope so. Impressive..." she looked about, "infrastructure..."

"Designation; LIVIC." The man in Special Ops gear said, a dull tone conveyed through the mask.

She then registered the man. "Done!"

"I guess I should give my name and title... Nah, that'd take too long to say... Just put down Riven." The monk said, after a small debate with himself.

"Done as well!" she said after registering the monk.

"Of course its nice, it's not gothic.. HALLELUJAH!" Riven cheered, one might think he was being overdramatic right now.

Pix leaned back a bit at the sudden exclamation. "Yes... it seems more... " she cleared her throat, "shining and welcoming than a gothic look."

Riven suddenly composed himself. "S-sorry.." He sheepishly apologized.

LIVIC just sighed. "Any place I can put my duffel bag..?" he asked.

"Yes, at the refreshments/amenities hall through this door on my right," answered Cordelia.

An ashen green wolf bounced in, seemingly a bundle of unlimited energy what with the wide grin on his face. "Oooh, Fun..~" He said, walking towards Cordelia. "Mars Fulgore is the name~!"

She then registered the wolf. "Done!"

Joshua Sentrium Burns entered the Registration Hall in hopes of participating in the tournament. He looked around to see where he was able to register.

Cordelia saw Joshua enter. She took a short while to identify him. "There you are, Joshua! Here is the registration booth."

"Hm?.. Oh, hello!" He said, walking up to the booth.

Cordelia tapped on the device few times. Joshua's name appears on the screen behind her. "Registered! If you want to go to refreshments and amenities, through the right. And the preparation room is just on the left."

"Many thanks." He said, walking to the preparation room on the left.

"Oh, and please keep track of the matchups in this area, okay?" Cordelia alerted him.

"Hm?" He looked at Cordelia. "..Where do I look at the matchups?" He asked.

"Above me~" she said as Joshua's name was registered in the current roster. It seemed that he is up against Pix.

Joshua looked at the roster. "...I'm going up against a individual named Pix.. Interesting." He said.

"Yes, and it is the first match." Cordelia brushed her hair. "Mostly because she is the earliest bird."

Joshua tilted his head slightly in confusion "...?"

"Mm, she is the first participant. Needless to say~" She chuckled.

"..Ah. I see now." He said. "...Wait, so am I the 2nd one to register?"

"Not really, it... depends. Kind of."

"I see. Well, if I am in the first battle, I best start preparing myself." He said.

Cordelia smiled mildly. "Your spirit... it is driven. Very well, best of blessings from our Lord Aeter to both of you!"

"Thank you." He said, now walking over to the preparation room.

She noticed Pix walk toward the registration booth. "Yes, Miss Pix?" Cordelia asked.

"Am I allowed to leave the place for my own training?"

"Hmm, that can be arranged."

Pix nodded. "No offense, but your training room is a bit... claustrophobic."

"Oh, you saw." She chuckled. "True, it is empty, except for a few benches and chests for training weapons." She began to think of ideas. "Perhaps we can add constructs for training mannequins.."

"That would be nice."

"Relaying orders to a Materia downloader to construct training mannequins in the preparation room." At once, a Materia downloader emerged from the Arena Warproom AI and began to build constructs in the open preparation room.

Pix's eye flickered for a moment. "It's building...?"

"Yes, constructs. Thank you very much for your feedback!" Cordelia told her. "Though, do you desire to stay or find a more suitable place?"

"I'll see what it's like and decide," She made her way to the training room.

"Glad to be of service~"

Before Second Preliminary Match
Meanwhile, Thunder entered the hall to register. He looked around in amazement at the many competitors. "Hmm....I wonder who my opponent is..." he said in curiosity. Of course, his nine-tailed wolf spirit, Yang, was excited in case it was another spirit he could fight.

Antiquians in the area were numerous, expecting competitors from outside their own planet. They were there to spectate as the people that support their interplanetary military force.

Cordelia intently waited for Thunder to walk towards the booth.

Thunder headed towards the booth. "Hello." he said in a calm and respectful tone.

"Greetings~" Cordelia replied. "I am Cordelia Eurius, the registrar of this tourney! I just need your name if you desire to fight with these numerous warriors."

"Ok then, my name is Thundertonian "Puncher" Hedgehog, or just Thunder for short." he responded while looking at the crowd of fighters here for the tournament.

"Thunder, I see," Cordelia said as she tapped on her device. Thunder's name was registered thus it was displayed on the screen behind her that showed the matchup bracket. "You are up against Mars. Best of luck to you~"

"Alright then, thank you very much." Thunder said as he continued into the refreshments area. His power was surging with excitement.

Ruben landed here. "I'm in, baby!"

Riven looked at Ruben, then his PSP, then back at Ruben. "...... PSP, don't fail me now.."

Ruben looks at Riven "Hi!"

Riven didn't give any indication that he heard Ruben, rather he just kept playing on his PSP.

Ruben laughed awkwardly and looked around "A few people, hum..."

"Huh, you still 'ere.."

"Of course I am! My name's Ruben. Yours?"

Riven let out a lazy sigh. "Riven... Current Dark Lord, master of evil, bringer of darkness yadda yadda yadda.." He said all that with a lazy drawl. "Just call me Riven, the rest takes too long to say."

"You're Riven? Awesome! I'm gonna be your opponent on the first match!" He smiled.

"Qué?"

"You heard me!" Ruben smirks.

"Oh, the matchups are now organized by the judges," notified Cordelia. Behind her was a screen of the current brackets. And it seemed that Ruben had already registered before the day of the tournament proper.

"That lady told me." He pointed at Cordelia.

"Yippee..." Riven sighed. 'I really don't need this nowwww..' He whined internally.

Ruben was confused. "At least I know what I am up against."

All of a sudden, a green-haired man entered in the dome. The Antiquians around them began to bow before him.

"Hum?"

LIVIC watched them bow. "....."

"Greetings, Emperor," Cordelia greeted.

"Greetings to everyone- participants and spectators alike," the man said.

Riven just yawned. "I reaaally don't feel like bowing; I just had pizza.."

A female cat appears. "Spectator I am, but look at this participants... Ruben's going to have a blast."

"I am Joshua Zephyrius. I have planned this event for your delight and training to become stronger and more mature than you are." He glanced at Riven and Ruben.

Mars was just boooouncing around in his own little corner.

Riven caught Joshua's eye. "You, gentleman. What is your name?"

Ruben was happy!

"The full title or just my name?" Riven asked, he wasn't trying to be sarcastic; it was just how he had to deal with other people at times.

"Any way you like to."

"Riven, just Riven."

"I see. Interesting. I take it you are a participant of the tournament?"

"Yep."

"Good, good," said Joshua. "Now, there is one matter I need to dissertate with you all."

'One of the castle staff brought this up as a way to put more money in the coffers...' Riven thought to himself.

"Hmm?" Joshua was interrupted as he had read his thoughts. "Anyways, this is regarding the Enigma Keep."

"Enigma Keep?" thought the cat far away.

"Listen very carefully," requested Joshua. "It is a joint tournament in which willing participants are pitted against the members of the Empyrdom. It starts from the Average to the ultimate: the Herculean, in which you are pitted against a leader from the Empyrdom. These leaders are designated into the Two Orders of the Kismetic Sphere."

"Hum? So we aren't going to fight each other but members of Empyrdom?" Ruben asked.

LIVIC stayed silent, ever the cautious fack he is.

"Only in the Enigma Keep," answered Joshua. "But the main tournament is another story."

"I have no idea what any of these things are," Riven said.

"So the Enigma Keep is something different... Cool! More opponents to face!" Ruben was pumped!

"Those who have been exemplary in their battles will have this privilege to face off in the Enigma Keep. If one of you manages to fight one of the Kismetic Sphere members, you will be given a boon."

"And if one of us managed to win..?" LIVIC spoke up.

"If you defeat one from the Kismetic Sphere... you will either be granted a six-month training regimen to receive officer membership in the Empyrdom or receive a greater boon, depending on the difficulty you have managed to reach."

Ruben looked kinda troubled. "So we need to win at least once in the tournament to fight in the Enigma Keep?"

"No, not really," Joshua responded to Ruben. "You will have to win in the Preliminaries to fight in the Keep."

"Oh... Consider it done!" He let out a big smile.

The female cat previously metioned goes to seat in a bench.

"Oh, and all registrations are free of charge. Unless if you buy from the refreshments, of course."

"Interesting..." LIVIC muttered. "Why not, I have the ammo to spare."

"Interesting! I sense most of you are driven to fight!" Joshua inferred. "I will give you a small hint."

Cordelia grinned. "Ooh, this will be more interesting as they go on~"

Riven wasn't really motivated, but we'll see what comes of it.

"There is a probability that you will be fighting me in the Herculean level," said Joshua.

Ruben smiled. "Let's see then which one of us is stronger then!"

"I shall be seeing to it, then!" Joshua told Ruben as a single cyan hypotrochoidal pattern manifested in both irises.

Ruben is hyped!

Riven sighed. "You two can duke it out, less trouble for me."

"Now I best be off to organize the current flow of the event," he spoke. "The matchups for the main tournament are now shown on the registration booth."

LIVIC kept his duffel bag close, looking at the registration booth.

It seemed that LIVIC will be facing off against Szorra the Cat on the third match.

"Szorra... Hmm, let's see how many rounds I'll expend.."

"So me and Riven are the first?" Ruben asked.

The Ruben vs. Riven bracket is on the fourth match.

"It is all on the screen," Joshua told Ruben. "Well, I be off now," he said as he exited the dome, going to the nexus tower, the main control factor of the whole planetary fortress they are on.

RUBEN HYPENESS INTENSIFIES!

Cordelia chuckled. "Even though the current participants are few in number, this fray is turning out well."

Boltstryke landed. "Sup?!" Ruben looked at him. "Bolt!"

"Oh, a friend of yours, Mister Ruben?" Cordelia asked.

"Yup!" Ruben said.

"I'm Boltstryke, nice to meet you." He kissed her hand just before Ruben punched his head. "Not again, Casanova..."

Cordelia smiled mildly. "I am Cordelia Eurius, the registrar of this fray~"

"Well, if I knew the registrars where that gorgeous, I would sign up sooner." Said Bolt, Ruben just facepalms in the background.

"It is well that you did not choose the wrong person to pull off such a stunt," she told Boltstryke. Afterwards, she began to whisper. "Because if I were my twin sister, the Emperor will have you in for a cold serving of his Tachyon Eyes."

Boltstryke whispered. "Well, Cordelia, I'll be cautious to know my twins right." Ruben uppercutted him far away. "Jeez, that guy only brings me problems since the day we met..."

Cordelia chuckled. "My, quite the casanova, isn't he? He shares a similarity with the Emperor."

"Really? So the Emperor brings problems too, hum? That's interesting!"

"Hm, I would not say he does," Cordelia told him. "He may not be a full casanova on the matter but I would say... he is a knight in shining armor. That is how he took the hearts of his wives- that included my twin."

"Like Ruben, then?" A female cat approaches them.

Cordelia noticed the cat enter in.

Ruben looked at the cat. "Nefer?" "Hi! My name's Nefertiti, nice to meet ya."

"You seem to have a lot of friends, Ruben. That is quite interesting to know~"

"Well he's save the world many times, so it makes sense." "C'mon Nefer, no need to give me all the credits! I have grown stronger because of all of you."

"World? I take it you are apparently from Mobius, by the looks of it," inferred Cordelia.

"Well..." Ruben laughed. Neferiti continued. "We live in Mobius, but he's from another planet that was destroyed."

"Oh, so he is not a Mobian, then," Cordelia said. "That reminds me, are you participating? Miss Nefertiti?"

"Oh no, I'm here only to see my hedgie working." Ruben blushes. "Don't say that in front of uthers!"

In the stands, a figure stood out from the rest of them; a honey badger, it seemed, but it appeared to be wearing leather greaves and pauldrons, along with two short weapons in between his leather belt, which appeared to be holding up a dark red skirt. It didn't look like an ordinary spectator, but more like a warrior of some sort.

"How endearing~" she complimented Ruben. Seconds later, she glanced at the honey badger. "That surely looks like a participant.

Ruben looked over at the badger. Nefertiti did too.

The badger looked over towards them in response, an eyebrow raised as he started to become quite curious as to why they were suddenly looking towards him specifically.

He then stood up from his seat, and slowly began to make way towards them, it seemed.

Ruben was smiling waiting for him. Nefertiti was serious, though.

After a few seconds, he was right by them. As his first action, he looked to Cordelia. "Yes, m'am?" He asked. His voice sounded a bit deep. "I saw you all looking towards me from afar. Was there something that any of you needed?"

"We were just asking if you were a participant!" Ruben said cheerfully.

"Yes, precisely~" Cordelia added. "It is most likely you came here to fight. There are no other primary reasons, I suppose."

"Oh, well... I never took thought of that decision..."

Nefertiti looked at Ruben smiling. Ruben was daydreaming about the tournament.

"Hmm...maybe I could join...." he said under his breath as he was stroking his chin.

"Gladly! Your name, please~?"

"Ajax Akachi." He told her.

"Mister Ajax, hmm," she said as he tapped on her device again. His name was displayed on the screen. He was up against Boltstryke. "Thank you for joining!"

"The brackets are just behind me if you want to see who is up against you."

He turned to see the name Boltstryke paired with his.

"Hmm, Boltstryke? Is this some type of lighting user? An elemental?" He thought to himself.

"Probably," Cordelia spoke as he read his thoughts as an inherent Antiquian ability. "If you need to relax, through the right door. The preparation hall is on the left one."

"Thank you, Madam," he responded in a respectful tone, as he slowly made his way to the preparation hall. He took one long look back at them, and continued on his way.

Boltstryke landed in front of Ajax. "Hello, Ajax. I am Boltstryke. The guy who will defeat you in the first round."

He chuckled slightly. "Best of luck to you, too."

Before Third Preliminary Match
Cordelia returned to the registration hall and stretched. "My, that was a good sight..." She observed the hall. "Oh, still no registrees yet... Hm, what should I do around now...?"

Bolt arrived and facepalmed due to stress. He remembered to check Ajax's condition and went to the medical bay.

A petite human lady had just walked in through the doors. She was short, with black unruly hair and strange heterochromic eyes. She had come to spectate, out of curiosity. She saw so many different people, she looked very shy.

"Oh? Here!" Cordelia noticed.

"Huh?" The lady looked straight at Cordelia, approaching her. She seemed lost and confused. Though she did think Cordelia looked familiar...

Cordelia was often easily mistaken as Caitlineia Eurius, the Archon Empress of the Empyrdom, despite sharing the alias "Platinum Heart" with her because she is her twin sister. "Do you want to register in the tournament?"

The lady, known as Io, shook her head no. "No, I'm just here to spectate. Thank you." She smiled.

"What is your name?"

"M-my name's Io. Io Iapetus." Io answered, bowing slightly.

"Io... Yes, Lady Io!" Cordelia said. "I have heard you from my twin sister Caitlineia. Please wait a while, the Emperor is expecting you."

Io nodded. "Thank you." She said, trying to maintain her composure.

She started to telepathize to Joshua. "Milord, Lady Io has come to the registration hall."

Joshua entered through the main door hatch of the registration hall.

"T-That was swift!" thought Cordelia.

Io turned to look at Joshua, and smiled. She waved.

"Milady, you have come," Joshua said.

Io nodded. "Yes, indeed."

He walked toward her. "How are things during your transport?"

"Quite well, thanks..." Io replied.

"Please come with me to the commentator panel. I have been expecting you."

"O-okay." Io seemed shy, but she followed along.

Before Fourth Preliminary Match
Cordelia was there relaxing on her seat. "Ehh..."

A reddish orange hedgehog appears. "Is the tournament still open?"

"Oh, hello there~!" Cordelia said. "I presume you have heard the invitation from Mobius as well?"

"Yeah. My name's Ashura." He lent her the invitation.

As she received the invitation, she then registered Ashura. "Registered! We will update the brackets real soon so please be up to date~! Please proceed to the left door if you want to train or to the right if you need to relax."

Ashura goes to the right. "Excess of training is useless."

"Very well, please suit yourself~"

Ashura started meditating in the ground, just among the tables.

Before Fifth Preliminary Match
Ruben appeared kinda bumped. "Hey, peeps..."

"Welcome back, Ruben! How did it go?" Cordelia asked.

"Lost. That Riven guy had some crazy mag—" He was punched by Boltstryke. "YOU LOST?! HOW DARE YOU?!"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT, SPARKY!"

"THEN FIGHT ME, SANDWICH NAME!"

Cordelia chuckled.

"I WON AND GOT TO ENTER THE ENIGMA'S KEEP!" Boltstryke laughed proudly.

"Good job, man. NOW LET'S FIGHT!"

"OK, ORANGE!"

"That's kinda racist, you know...?"

They both laughed.

"Ruben, you can spectate any match around here even though you lost," said Cordelia.

Riven entered, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't get to say this earlier, but good fight.."

"Though I didn't show all my potential... Go figure." Said Ruben. "And I just quit, because I saw Nefertiti almost crying in the seats..."

"Welcome back, Mister Riven," Cordelia said.

"Thaaaanks." Riven was holding a slice of pizza in one hand and a one and a half liter bottle of Doctor Pepper in the other. Strangely, said items were also available in the refreshments hall!

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make—orders from the Emperor! Listen well."

Bolt and Ruben were focused on Cordelia.

"All the victors have been given titles for their victory!"

Boltstryke was excited.

"Titles..?"

"Pix, who has won the first preliminary match, is dubbed as... the Elemental Lady! Boltstryke, who has won the second match, is dubbed as.... the Electrifying Casanova!"

"Suits you right!" Ruben jested.

Boltstryke turned to Ruben. "SHUT UP!"

"Riven, the victor of the fourth match, is... the Healing Warlock!"

"Huh.. Healing Warlock.. Sounds like one of my Guild Wars MMO Builds..?" Riven said with a chuckle.

"I see...?" answered Cordelia to Riven.

"What's the third match?" Asked Ashura that arrived.

Ruben and Bolt were surprised. "ASHURA?!" "Hi, guys."

Ashura smiled. "Do I have an opponent? If not, put me against LIVIC."

"Please stand by for a while, we are still lacking in participants to organize the bracket."

Refreshments/Amenities Hall
[Only for those who have entered through the Registration Hall.]

Before First Preliminary Match
LIVIC entered without a word, looking for an out of the way spot to set down his duffel bag so he could inspect the contents.

Aside from him, there are few people hanging out in the hall, sitting among the dining table sets, because there are a handful of booths for refreshments and amenities. Restrooms are just nearby. To buy items in the hall, one needs to have his or her currency exchanged in the currency converter just beside the entrance.

LIVIC unzipped the duffel bag, pulling out and inspecting various munitions before settling on his favored heavily modified Scar-H assault rifle with an underbarrel grenade launcher, reflex sights and combat railing for on the go reconfiguration.

After closely inspecting the assault rifle, he set it back inside the duffel bag before removing a standard .USP 45 Tactical, pulling back the slide a few times with a hidden smile on his face as he holstered the weapon.

He looked back at his Scar-H, shrugging before pulling it out again and holstering it on his back like he does with the Anti-Tank Cannon. Oddly enough he wasn't encumbered by the weight in the slightest, but now he put away all of his munitions; making sure to take a recount in order to account for all of what he brought along before zipping up his duffel bag and unsheathing the mono-filamented Carbon Steel military knife he had on him in order to inspect the blade.

He pressed a finger against the sharp edge of the knife, chuckling silently when he saw a tiny amount of blood drop from the blade itself. "Perfect.." He muttered, wiping off the blade and sheathing the knife; LIVIC was now officially ready for the tournament.

Before Second Preliminary Match
Thunder entered into the Refreshments Area, and took a seat in an open area where he wouldn't be bothered. "Hmm..." he started to think and enter his mindscape to find the wolf, Yang, sitting there. "Yang, are you happy that we're in the tournament?" he asked his wolf spirit companion. "Well yeah, I was needing a real fight for a while." the giant wolf responded. "You don't say..." he then went back to the conscious world, and went to see what the booths had to offer, before heading to the Preparation Hall to prepare.

There were booths for food and others for drinks. They were quite exotic but some room is given for common Antiquian goods.

"I guess some steak and water should be good enough!" he thought as he walked to the booths. He first went to a drink booth.

"Greetings, sir!" The boothkeeper said. "What will it be? We have a wide range of exotic selections!"

On the list was spring-fresh water, Lac berry juice, silver apple juice, Ventilusian home-brewed minted green tea, Benthial grape juice, diamond effervescus (clear Antiquian softdrink), Cimmerian effervescus (cola), and many others. However, they seemed to have a cost of a strange currency!

"I'll take water." Thunder replied.

"That'll be 15 denarium," the vendor told him.

Thunder luckily already transferred his currency from rings to denarium. He paid 15 denarium to the vendor.

The vendor gave him a bottle of spring-fresh water and received the payment. "Thanks a lot!"

"Thank you." He said as he continued to a booth that served food.

"Greetings, sir! What do you desire to dig in?"

On the list was numerous meat dishes and vegetable dishes. Appetizers and desserts also lined on it.

"A steak to go please. I need to start training." Thunder said, looking at his holo-watch located on one of his wrist rings, which also act as inhibitors.

"Here you go, sir!" the vendor said as he handed him a plate with hot steak, fresh from the pan! "That'll be 20 denarium for one."

Thunder paid 20 denarium. "Thank you." then left for the preparation hall.

A warp ring suddenly appears and Komerl jumps out of the ring.

He looks around at his surroundings nearby, thinking about food....


 * (Yoshiya: Was that on purpose? .o.


 * Komerl must enter through the registration hall first.)

Before First Preliminary Match
[For participants only.]

Pix made her way inside of the preperation room, searching for anything of note.

It was notably silent as she was the only person there. There was a large space for short training routines and benches to rest upon.

"...hm," She looked for any form of employ briefly before walking back to the front desk to speak to the woman.

Minutes later...

Joshua entered the preparation room, looking around. "Hmm.."

There were around 8 constructs there, excluding the Materia downloader which was building a data transport module on the wall.

"..Interesting.." He thought.

Pix glanced around before locating Joshua. "You're not one of these constructs."

"..Hm?" He looked at Pix in response.

"You're here to train, right?"

"That is correct." He replied.

"...Alright, well I'll leave you to that," She walked toward the opposite wall, near one of the constructs.

"Okay then." He said in response, wondering now what he should begin training first.

The constructs were booted, ready to actually retaliate accordingly like sentient entities.

Pix's hand darkened slightly as she rammed a fist at one of the faces.

The construct's composition was quite light so its head was crushed by the fist.

"Hm... Perhaps Close Quarters Combat would be good to practice first." He thought, now equipping two Sword Handles from his hips.

The other constructs stood still. They will only act when they are attacked.

Pix gripped the inside of the one she punched, flinging it at another.

As it was flung, it crashed through another, allowing a double "kill".

For the sake of allowing the element of surprise, JSB did not have his blades emerge, and as such, got into an offensive stance.

Pix gave a short "Hmph," shaking her head. She glanced over toward Joshua, then up. "Is there an intercom? Staff in the room?"

There is an astral comm unit on the ceiling of the room in order for the participants to communicate with staff. "Yes, Miss Pix? Do you need something?" Cordelia's voice was heard from the unit.

"When is the first fight?"

As the Construct blocked Joshua's attacks at a steady pace, Joshua took notice of the intercom. "..Miss Pix?" He thought, as he continued sparring with the Construct. He kept on the offensive with the construct, as he wondered who Miss Pix was, and why her name was said on the intercom. The construct held its ground effectively against Joshua's melee attacks.

"Oh, it will be you and Mister Joshua at the Petrarxian Jungle in Geomus. That match will start within ten minutes. Sort everything you have before the match~" Cordelia spoke through the astral comm unit. "Oh, if you want to proceed to the arena grounds, a door near the benches is there to let you in," Cordelia spoke through the comm.

Hearing that the match would start in ten minutes, Joshua immediately halted his training with the construct and took notice of the directions Cordelia said. He then headed straight for that area.

Pix made her way there as instructed.

Before Second Preliminary Match
Boltstryke was jumping from excitement.

Ajax is pumped as well, in a minor way. All he was doing stretching his body as to stay flexible in the battle.

Boltstryke shocks himself with three different tasers and drains the energy out of them. "That should be enough for a warm up."

Before Third Preliminary Match
A short while after, LIVIC entered the training room to practice his marksmanship; having set various weapons on a table ranging from standard Tauros .45 ACP, to LMG's like the Browning, to Automatic shotguns like the AA-12, to assault rifles like the AR-15, to his trusty .50 MM Anti-Material Rifle.

LIVIC would see Szorra already in the training room. She opened her eyes to peer at LIVIC, then she closed them, seeming to meditate.

LIVIC gave no response as he grabbed the Tauros .45 ACP and pressed a button for targets to pop up; taking aim and firing the moment each target popped up.

More other constructs were transported into the hall through the data transport module on the wall.

Before Fourth Preliminary Match
Ruben is taping is foot impatiently. "Where's my opponent? I hate waiting to fight..."

Riven finally walked in, real lazy like.

"......." Riven sighed. "I'm here I'm here.."

"Finally..." He mumbled to himself.

Riven yawned. "Ready..?"

Ruben tilted his head. "I am, but we need to wait for the stage to change, the commentator to talk, yadda yadda yadda..."

"Gay."

"What?"

"... Nevermind."

"So, what made you accept the invitation for the tournament?"

"Not telling."

He laughed awkwardly. "OK then... Tough crowd..."

"Look, we aren't friends; I have my own reasons for entering this tournament. None of which I really feel like telling.."

"OK, buddy. I guess you're a hard-shell type of guy. Don't worry. I'll only break the shell, nothing more." He smirked.

"You'll fail at that."

"That is yet to be seen."

"Riiiight..."

"I'm the current Dark Lord, there's no way in hell I'm losing to an orange twat of a furry.."

"I defeated the archangel and a few gods, being only a mortal. This will be interesting."

Before Fifth Preliminary Match
Thunder entered the Preparation Hall with his lunch in a bag. He looked around for the training room he will be in. "Hmm...From what I heard, my fight with someone named Mars is taking place in an arena with moving terrain, so that's where I need to train. I guess I might need to ask for directions..." he looked around for any attendants that could assist him.

An ashen green wolf walked past Thunder, well more like bounced over Thunder in what seemed to be a sugar induced high. 'o3o'

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Thunder yelled as he was bumped into by the green wolf.

The wolf was too hyperactive to listen, just bouncing around and occasionally staring at any of the knick-knacks that caught his eyes.

Thunder just looked at him, and something caught his nose. He was smelling the sugar. "Sugar junkie..."

The wolf ignored Thunder's comment, though if the brackets included pictures of the contestants than Thunder might know what his opponent looks like.

It took a couple moments but Thunder then remembered seeing photos of the contestants, and saw this wolf's picture next to his. "Is this guy.....my opponent?..." he just sighed. "Oh dear spirit wolves..."

The wolf kept ignoring Thunder as he played around. ".3."

"Just snap him out of it..." Yang told Thunder. "Will do, big guy." he told his wolf sprit. He picked up Mars and started shaking him "Hey! Are you Mars?!"

The moment Thunder tried touching Mars, he would receive a nasty shock from the wolf's fur, static cling and all that.

"OUCH!" Thunder yelled, then he growled. "RRRRR.." then he grabbed Mars with an Energy Arm. "Persistent and mentally sick bastard."

Mars jumped up to avoid the energy arm, his fur raising slightly due to an influx of electricity coursing through his body. "Leave me alone!"

"Answer my damn question and MAYBE I will!!! IS YOUR NAME MARS?!?!", He roared. He looked at Mars with eyes expressing anger and annoyance.

"It's on the fucking bracket you idiot! And they show the fuckin pictures!!" Mars retorted, he was very close to just throwing down here and now.

"Well sssooorrrryyyyy!!! I just don't expect you to be a FULL BLOWN DUMBASS INSTEAD OF A WORTHY WARRIOR!!!" Thunder looked like he was about to grow claws and tear him apart, but it was his anger doing the talking. Someone would've noticed their argument by now.

"If I want to have fun, I will; so sod off you overly serious pretentious douchebag!!" Mars growled, as the lights started to flicker; well if they were powered by electricity that is.

White electric orbs were forming in Thunder's fists, but started to dim. "Don't do it Thunder. He's not worth the trouble you can get into if you fight him here. Save your anger and power for the match." Yang's words seemed to calm Thunder down. "Looks like Yang dosen't want me to fight you here. I guess it isn't worth the trouble we could get into if we clashed right now. I'll be looking forward to seeing your power, Mars. See ya later." Thunder then walked away, heading to the training room.

Mars continued on his way, walking off in the middle of Thunder's response because quite frankly he didnt give a fuck.

Thunder was thinking to himself while entering the training room, "Wolf traits, mysterious powers. Looks like Mars is a good match. I'm actually starting to like him..." he smirked as he closed the door.


 * (Yoshiya: u wot m8? The preparation hall is the training hall. .-.)

Arena Warproom AI
[For participants only.]

Before Fourth Preliminary Match
LIVIC entered the room, waiting to be called for his fight.

Arena Warproom BI
[For spectators only.]

Medical Bay
[For le injured or if you wanna visit them.]

Before First Preliminary Match
The medical bay was devoid of injured, as gram grails were practicing their healing magic, some practicing their use of equipment.

Before Second Preliminary Match
Joshua and Pix were lying on separate beds as gram grails were tending to their wounds.

Before Third Preliminary Match
Ajax was resting in the medical bay.

Boltstryke ran to the medical room where Ajax was. "Hey, are you awake?"

Ajax couldn't respond with words, sadly. However, he slowly lifted his thumb to signal that he was okay.

"You were awesome! Thanks for the battle! And don't worry, I'll win this for us!"

The medical bay was as awesome as the arena warprooms, except with a bench, a bed, and a table for equipment.

"This all looks gorgeous."

Ajax turned his head towards Bolt, shaking his head.

Bolt was excited. "And if I can't win the tournament, I'll do my best in the Enigma Keep! I promise you. See ya other time, Ajax!"

Ajax put his hand up and waved towards Bolt. At least, he thought he did, but he actually was waving towards the bench. And he stayed like that. Then he slept.