The drums resonated throughout the grand arena, the sound pounded at ones chest. The sound of the crowd, intoxicating. The jeering and leering as two unlucky souls fought one another down in the arena. A distraction for the masses, an outlet for their violent tendencies. A change in their dull lives from the standard routine of their jobs. A smile curled at the bottom of Kheris' lips. This would truly be a day to remember, for while now the two combatants were merely average slaves with no powers whatsoever. The main event was going to be one that truly shook the world, and changed it in the coming age. Too long had he sat idle and let his neighbours get away with their transgressions, their foray into his borders. Manipulation and deceipt, he'd start with Othea and carve his way through Azukhar until he took down the Dominion. Possibly his biggest threat, but they too would kneel before him. Then he'd cast his sights to the rest of this world, for beyond the great sea there had to be something, not just vastless ocean.

As the fight concluced Kheris rose, slowly and delicately. Not a single item of his jewelry moved, as if it dared not for fear of it's life. He was the master of his body, his environment and even his attire. He walked forwards towards the podium, arms at either side with his palms up towards the sky. As he got closer and closer to the balcony edge more and more fell silent. Until there were barely any murmurings within the crowd. This is what many of them had come here for today, to hear their lord speak to them. He was after all, their God. He focused on his voice, and the soundwaves that he would create from his speech. Pushing power into them from his relic he spoke, in a clear voice that could be heard throughout the Arena. It wasn't shouting, but his voice was clear as day for all in the arena to hear. "My people. It brings me great joy, to see you all here today." He lowered his arms slowly as he spoke, moving his right in a sweeping motion from one side of the arena to the other indicating he was truly speaking to everyone present.

"Today is a great day, for I, your Lord, wish for you to share a truly historic moment with me. For while I may be a God, you are my people and what would I be without each and every one of you." He smiled, and paused for a moment. There was some slight chatter in response to what he said. He didn't bother tuning into any of it, it was hardly relevant. Yes, there was some discontent towards him however it was so marginal it barely required his attention. The majority stood with him, and that was what is important. He raised his hands again, and the arena silenced once again. The faint beating of drums could be heard, as they hit their cue. Slowly at first, as he would go on to speak the drums would increase in volume and tempo. "For now, my people. I wish for you to relax, as we watch the demons that Mareth has provided for us fight one another, fight in order that they may regain their humanity and redeem themselves in the eyes of your Lord. For I am a forgiving, and merciful God-" He actually had no interest in any of the Gladiators ever becoming one of his chosen Demi-Gods. The relics didn't interest him for study, or for absorption and the people that weilded them proved too unpredictable.

Bar one. Kheris had kept him alive, but far from him for another reason entirerly and word on the wind was that there was another one out there. Vigilance would be required, that was for sure. He already had Krig scouring the shadows for the other. Clouds began to form over the arena, thunder rumbled in beat to the drums. Anyone outside the Arena would just see a single grey cloud forming over the Arena, and nowhere else. "-may the games begin!" A single bolt of lightning struck the centre of the arena before the cloud disapated. Doors all around the arena floor opened, releasing gladiators into the arena all at once as the drums cut out. Kheris merely nodded, turned and moved back towards his throne. Something pulled his attention.

He looked up to see a strange bird hovering above him. Kheris felt it looking directly at him, then it merely turned and began to fly towards the sea to the west.

When traveling, one tended to take advantage of local events to get a good grasp of the culture. For his part, Harold felt that he knew the culture plenty well already, and that it did not become of a member of society's upper strata to spectate glorified blood sports, but he couldn't deny that a tinge of wonder nibbled at him. How barbaric could those of Kheris' dominion possibly be? If nothing else, he wanted to satisfy that morbid curiosity.

An obvious foreigner with his complexion and clothing, he drew his fair share of stares as he wound his way through the excited throng, searching for a lofty place to call his own within the colosseum seating. A number of the people he squeezed past treated him none too gently or considerately; were it not for his frame and awareness, he suspected with a dry smile that he might be bearing several bruised ribs already. Having reached the upper perimeter, he banished the idea of making his way any higher and contented himself with leaning on the low wall, figuring he would not remain long.

Sure enough, the two fighters in the great ring tore one another to pieces before long. One stood victorious, but what was victory to a slave? A mere continuation of suffering, Harold supposed. His attention shifted to a twinge of movement in the royal box, and into a position of prominence strutted nothing less than the sovereign himself. “So that is Kheris,” he murmured, his disdain voiced in such a way that the average man wouldn't realize. “A god made flesh.” Kheris unleashed his vaunted voice, impossibly making his everyday tone heard in every seat in the arena. The smallfolk, hearing their emperor, might be touched by his appealing words, but having seen his fair share of politics Harold felt he could see right through them. “He has charisma, I'll give him that...” Aware of the rising drums, he listened with an amused smile as Kheris promised a battle of demons -the condemnation his government applied to Evokers, more than likely as an act of suppression against any potential challengers- with redemption on the line. Not a chance. The show must go on, and any danger must be stomped out. More than before, he felt justified in his choice earlier that day leaving the Standard leaning against the wall in his inn room like the walking stick it was supposed to be. Overhead, the sky had grown dark, and a sudden bolt from the cloud made him jump in surprise. Irked, he crossed his arms and watched as gladiators spilled from the dark to drench the sand in blood.

I've just about seen enough for this cultural experience. Though perhaps I should stay and see if I could learn anything. Pushing off from the low wall, he cast about to find a place to sit. Whether or not he liked it, things were happening here today, and it wouldn't pay for a man on a mission to let personal taste get in the way of his objective.

At the arena, Jana took little interest in the fighting below. In her feline form, it certainly could appear strange if she was taking the same level of interest in the same things as all of the Humans around her. Fortunately, she had little love for bloodsport, so she was missing little by keeping her eyes, ears, and nose on the people around them. They were keeping to the outskirts of the crowd, as per usual. Jana preferred to avoid being the center of attention as much as possible, though with the god-king Kheris addressing his subjects, that was hardly a difficult task, no matter how exotic of a creature she appeared to be. The crowd was completely enraptured by him.

Jana kept close at Hadar’s side, often enough to brush against him. She was in her usual feline form, with a few “accessories” to identify her as being his. She wore a chain collar around her neck that could be used to bind her, as one would with a tamed animal, along with bags strapped to her back to help carry some of their belongings. Her fur even had the appearance of being painted like a war horse, with colorful, swirling markings, though it was actually Jana herself who had changed the coloration of her markings. It was one of the few chances she now had to express herself in the way she used to.

What Jana did notice, and what caused her to finally glance down towards the arena, was Kheris’ mention of the “demons” that would be fighting. Evokers, just like her, but even less fortunate. Her heart ached for them under Kheris. Even for those that might survive the day, Jana did not envy those who had been exposed to the god-king.

Suddenly, as Jana’s gaze went up to Kheris, she felt…strange; like nothing she had experienced before. She felt a tingling warmth emanating from her relic, which was currently fused into her body beside her heart. The feeling grew stronger the higher she looked, and it took a few moments for her to realize that the source was not Kheris, but a strange bird hovering over him. From what she could see, it was white and black, with bright red feathers on its head. The warmth inside her grew stronger, until it ended just as suddenly as it had begun. It had not been painful exactly, but it had caught her off-guard, and she still appeared visibly uncomfortable.

From the outer edge of the Arena, Hadar leaned idly against the wall, only half of him watching the spectacle down below. Two men fought, one with a shortsword and shield, the other with a spear and dagger. They were clad in stylized armor- the swordsman wore a full face helmet reminiscent of a bird of prey and an armguard of steel, while the spearman bore a steel crown and cape with scales. Were Hadar a betting man, he would have put his money on the spearman- the spearman had range, and wore less equipment, meaning his stamina would last longer. Neither warrior wore armor across their chests, rather just had wraps around their lower torsos, so a single good blow to the chest would spell the end for either warrior.

He absentmindedly pat his hand between Jana's shoulder blades, at the base of her neck, giving it a reassuring rub. She hadn't been exactly keen on coming to this arena, though to be fair neither was Hadar. His love of fighting and bloodsports had long left him, the whole idea seeming relatively pointless to him now. All things considered though, his niece was a slave in these lands, and where better to find slaves than to follow the blood? The occasional passerby gave a slight shock or took a double take as they saw Jana, a large, exotic feline seemingly being used as a pack animal, but no one approached. Save for the two swords tied to his hip, Hadar appeared every bit like a typical citizen of Kheris: The flowing white, rich-but-not-too-opulent robes, and a shemagh loosely wrapping around his head marked him as a a fairly well to do merchant or traveler, and his 'painted' exotic pack animal companion helped sell the image.

There was an eruption of cheering from the crowd and Hadar returned his attention to the duel at hand. As he had predicted, it was the spearman who had won, raising up a cut and bloodied arm aloft, as his foe lay before him, skewered through the gut with a spear. Hadar gave a small sigh. They could've done with some money, perhaps he should have bet after all. Still, all thought of bets and money faded away as Kheris spoke. The God-King himself, Kheris certainly knew how to compose himself, he appeared even, all knowing and benevolent, and had Hadar been born in this country, he probably would've believed it.

Kheris spoke at length, before announcing the next event, a fight between demons. Evokers more specifically. At the mention of these 'demons', Hadar unconsciously placed his hand on the pommel of his Zulfiqar, almost as if he was checking it was still there. Not that Hadar wouldn't have noticed if it was gone. Now Hadar leaned in, his attention more greatly piqued. While it was unfortunate they had to fight to the death, the uniqueness of each relic was something Hadar couldn't just ignore. Furthermore, if anyone knew where slaves were being held and what they did, it'd be one of these gladiators.

"Now if only I could find a way to talk to one of them." Hadar murmured aloud. Straying a glance towards his companion, he saw Jana glancing somewhere upwards, and looked uncomfortable.

He reached down, placing his hand gently against the side of her head. "What is it?" he asked her, his tone ever calm, confident, but soothing.

Janais walked into the arena his sword held high for the crowd to see. There was a slight vibration in the hilt of his sword, and he looked out in the crowd. Something was different in the crowd today, he couldn't focus on that for too long however. He stabbed his sword into the ground and pulled a wall of stone up before him. The tell tale sound of shattering arrows on stone. Khonsu was determined to end him, the two of them were easily the longest lasting gladiators in the arena. Krig had told them that if they finally resolved this stalemate between the two of them that one of them could be elevated to godhood. While Janais didn't particularly care for that, beyond the chance to maybe have a chance at Kheris' head, Khonsu was determined to kill him and get his way. He raised his hand in a rude gesture behind his wall of stone at Khonsu, who despite the obstruction could still see him. He wasn't entirely sure what kind of demon Khonsu was but he knew he could see things that others couldn't, despite being blind.

Others ran into the arena, someone moved far faster than everyone in the ring. Another threw balls of fire, and others had less obvious abilities. It was rare that so many gladiators were fighting at once, yet Janais wasn't scared. In fact he felt more powerful than he ever had since he gained his relic from the digsite. He stabbed the stone shield before him several times, bolts of rock flying out to hit anyone in their path. The unobstructed pieces didn't stop until they reached the other side of the arena, lodging themselves in the wall. Diving down to the right he slashed at the ground sending up a cloud of dust to cover him from those who couldn't see beyond the regular range of sight. An arrow grazed his knee forcing him through a tumble and he swore under his breath. He had to close the distance between himself and Khonsu. As he turned to try and face his opponent, formalise a plan of attack he saw a fireball hit him in the face. Khonsu went down screaming and writhing in pain, in mere moments his body stopped moving altogether.

Janais reversed his hold on the hilt of the sword, ready for a defensive pose as the perpetrator faced him. Surrounded by dead bodies on fire, he hadn't been paying attention but whoever this was they had wiped out almost ten gladiators in mere minutes. An unprecedented amount of power, the likes of which had never been seen in the arena. The kind of power that could free him from his bonds, if it wasn't going to be used to kill him first. Stabbing his sword into the ground he kept pushing until his entire arm was covered in stone. Pulling his arm out he now had a gauntlet made of solid rock. The gesture was clear, he wasn't going to strike first but he was ready to go if it came down to it. The man screamed as his entire body was engulfed at flame, before casting a massive firebolt straight at the royal viewing booth. Straight at Kheris.

Janais nearly dropped his sword in disbelief...

Finding a way through the bustling crowd was a difficult job, when Sha constantly felt like he had to be watching his back the entire time. While his relic helped him get out of most sticky situations, some, he just could not manage. However, he found a seat in the arena, and slowly seated himself, keeping an eye out for any unwanted attention. His nerves had never been as bad as they were now, but it was to be expected, as he was possible in one of the most dangerous kingdoms to exist in, if you were an Evoker.

The fight began, and noise flowed through the stadium as the gladiators clashed against one another, a gruesome display of skill and athleticism, but an impressive one nonetheless. As the spear of one gladiator pierced through the torso of the other, a hush fell on the crowd, and Sha could just make out the outline of a grand figure standing high above all the others, and all eyes fell on this figure. It didn't take long for Sha to realise that this was Kheris, a despicable man leading a despicable country, and the reason for his friends' deaths.

The speech was imposing, and terrifying, as it displayed how much power this evidently deranged man had over his people, where they applauded his exploitation of Evokers for the pleasure of others. Sha wouldn't be surprised if there were other Evokers in the crowd having a similar reaction to himself. When the speech ended, with the promise of a fight between 'Demons' a cruel and horrible word for Evokers in this part of the world, Sha was ready to leave. But the crowd made it almost impossible, and he realised that he would draw much too much attention to himself if he upped and left as it was getting 'interesting', so he decided to stay put.

The fight, in of itself, was interesting, with many different Relics on display. One who could manipulate rock, one fire, and some others, who he couldn't quite tell what they could do. It became quite clearly that the fire Evoker had the upper hand over the other competitors, charred bodies flying around the arena, all in the name of sport. When there were only two left, he felt for sure that the rock Evoker had no chance, especially as the fire Evoker covered himself in flames, those which an ordinary man could not survive for one moment.

Sha was sure that the man was dead as the fireball was released, but, at the last second, the fireball was heading upwards, towards Kheris! Sha reacted like the rest of the crowd, with a combined intake of breath, and he had to struggle to hide the glee on his face as he watched what he was sure would be Kheris' demise.

The gladiator games that Kheris had thrown in his own honor were a proper spectacle, greater than any Nora had encountered in her life of travel, trade, and occasional piracy. Most interesting and alarming to her were the number of Evokers that the so-called god were willing to throw into the ring, sentencing most to a grim demise for the amusement of his people and perhaps himself. It was all very wasteful and clearly a sign of how much wealth the emperor had weaseled away somewhere within the walls of the great city.

Still, Nora could not help but feel a mixture of boredom and distaste, she had never held a great love for sport fighting, be it man or beast fighting to first blood or the death, it was a bloody, pointless pursuit, and she had seen she had seen enough crew mates lose all their gold, possessions, and even pants while gambling. Drinking and finding companions to spend the dark hours were with were far more interesting pursuits in the opinion of the young pirate.

Appearances had to be maintained however and Nora presumed that the noblewoman from the Dynasty of Kheris, that she was not, would at least feign polite interest in the fighting, and so did she. It was a great stroke of luck that the woman had been abroad from her homeland for so long, Nora was not sure how long she could have pretended to be a citizen that had never left the strange nation. Passing herself off as some strange, eccentric, and modestly wealthy vagabond, was however right up her alley.

The gasp of surprise that escaped past her lips as fiery death raced towards Kheris required little acting however, the low laugh that she stifled with a hand, similarly reflected the pirate's true feelings, she hadn't expected anyone to hurl fireballs at Kheris himself, but she couldn't begrudge the unknown Evoker the attempt. Tyrants, in her admittedly limited experience, were best deal with using fire, lots of it.

The explosion kicked up flame and dust, there was a collective breath throughout the entire colloseum. Then the dust settled as the entire balcony Kheris had been sitting on crumbled away. As the debris, smoke and dust cleared Kheris still stood where he had been before. Unmoved, untouched. He waved a hand at Janais in the Arena, who bowed and walked out. The flamed individual pointed towards Kheris again throwing bolts at the diety. Kheris merely raised a hand and stopped the bolts where they were. "Behold my loyal subjects, a test for my newest and youngest son. My last born." A drum sounded, seemingly unphased by the man who cast firebolts towards the godlike figure.

A small figure entered the arena, all eyes on him. Then all of a sudden he grew, and he grew...



Eventually he towered out above the arena. The flamed man threw bolts at him, but they didn't seem to phase the giant in the slightest. The gargantuan head turned to face Kheris, who merely nodded.The giant man raised a foot, and then placed it down squarly on the flamed individual. There was an explosion beneath his foot and the sound of screams to anyone with excellent hearing, or a ringside seat.

"This is Trelon! God of War! I am pleased to announce that as of today, our armies stand ready. Our navy, stands ready. Trelon will lead our people to a vast victory over all other lands. We will start with Elenoir. Be ready my people, for tomorrow the cleansing of the world begins!"

There was a cheer throughout the entire stadium, as people stood up to applause and a smile creeped onto Kheris' face. He blinked as his eyes changed spectrum to see the energy flowing around them. He was surprised to see the energy of Evokers in the crowd. He floated back into the room behind the old balcony he was in. "Krig."

A figure appeared out of the shadow, materialising out of nothing. "Lock down the exits, we have demons in our midst. Check everyone leaving. I'll be in my throneroom."

As much as Jana might have wished the results to be different, she was unsurprised that Kheris was untouched. His reputation spanned the known world, and seeing him here and now, she did not know what to believe. Could he genuinely be a god? Or was he a false deity as some in other lands believed? As her father had believed. No matter what, his power was undeniable.

With how much Jana was lost in her thoughts, she did not notice the introduction of Trelon until he had started to grow in size. As he grew into such a gargantuan titan, there was no one who could fail to notice this new god of war. Even the blind could feel the ground quake under his steps. So in awe of him was Jana that it hardly even registered in her mind that he had killed the defiant evoker in the arena. The only thing that could pull her thoughts away from the titan was the declaration of war that Kheris had announced over the arena. For all of the world, dark days were ahead.

By this point, Jana, despite her ferocious appearance, looked to be as meek and frightened as a kitten. She had pulled back somewhat behind her husband and was looking up to him in obvious fear. She wanted to leave, right away.

The melee began in earnest. Flesh ripped, cloth flew, weapons scraped against one another, and blood spattered into the thirsty sand. A number of relics, with powers as distinct and far-ranging as those poor Evokers who wielded them, wrought special havoc. Their use demanded a somewhat more defensive bloodbath than one might normally expect from such a barbaric sport, since each so-called demon needed to figure out the others' abilities and work around them, lest their lives be extinguished by some gimmick. It was a task that demanded constant vigilance, yet amid the murderous chaos, a pair of eyes lay not on his fellows.

Harold shook his head, more than dubious, as one of the Evokers called forth blasts of flame against Kheris himself. Fool. Do you think he would be out here if not completely assured of his safety? Even if we can see this tyrant face-to-face, that does not make him vulnerable. It was with resignation, however, that Harold realized a moment later that Kheris appeared to have no particular tricks up his sleeve; he simply remained and withstood the burning onslaught, unfazed. “What a monster,” the foreign scholar bemoaned, making sure to keep his voice low. With a morose look on his face he watched as the executioner appointed by Kheris appeared and swelled to enormous size. Though he'd known it already, Harold couldn't help ruminate over how the god-king's society functioned. Since magic is gone from the world, such a feat is only accomplished by a relic. Since both are Evokers, what is the difference between a god and a demon? Only Kheris' say-so. This realm's law has no principles—just the whim of the powerful. The over-the-top spectacle ended with somewhat anticlimactic suddenness, with the son of Kheris crushing the offender beneath his heel. The other warriors of the arena had ceased fighting, meanwhile, and backed as far away from the colossus as they could. So truncated was the supposedly terrifying execution that Harold almost needed to stifle a chuckle.

What came next, however, made Harold freeze in place, for it was no joke. The tyrant announced that his nation would be going to war, not just with one enemy, but with all the world...a global conquest. When Harold recovered a few moments later, releasing his breath in a wheeze somewhat like a sigh, he bore an expression of amusement rather than grimness. “So it's war, then.” That meant mission complete, though in an odder fashion than Harold would have ever anticipated. To declare global war not with a crippling surprise attack but over a bloody colosseum, with a day for rumors to fly before the first attacks even began...it beggared belief. While Harold knew for certain that Kalnach recognized Kheris as a threat, he could not imagine that the other nations remained ignorant of either his ambition or his barbarity, and his intention of conquering them all would, if backed up by an attack on Elenoir, make nothing more apt than a temporary alliance between every other power with the soul purpose of putting Kheris down.

Pausing for a moment in his contemplation, Harold made a start toward the nearest exit, thinking, I'll need to round up Levi and Flora before heading straight home with the news. To think that Kheris himself would eliminate the need for subterfuge. With plans set, however, he could continue to ponder the god-king's plan, finding the cracks deeper and broader with every moment. If he means to topple each nation, he'll need to minimize his losses and shorten his campaigns, lest his forces deplete or his enemies' strength grow overwhelming. That means hitting each target one-by-one with all he's got. Which means all the others would be able to rally their strength in the meanwhile, and possibly assault Kheris' domain itself while his army is away. If he split his forces between attacking and defending, there's no way he could take down the other powers decisively. He wanted to laugh. What could he even do if he gained some ground? His people might be brainwashed, but the other countries know him for what he is. He could not possibly maintain any control over such a massive area, and even if he and his family are strong, they cannot be everywhere at once.

He would have plenty to think about, and plenty of time to think about it. For now, an obstacle had reared its head before him. At the gate he approached, a few guards stood watch where none stood watch before. Their thorough scrutiny of every person seeking to leave had already created a bottleneck, even though the majority of the crowd stayed behind to continue watching the blood sport. Harold wagered that he knew who their targets were. Given the unpredictable powers of relics, an arena fighter might have conceivably been able to make a run for it, and Kheris clearly meant to allow no 'Demon' the slightest chance at escape. To his fortune, however, Harold had thought ahead. Only a fool would have marked himself as a member of the dominion's most fanatically hated and persecuted caste. Furthermore, he carried no incriminating evidence of being an intelligence agent of Kalnach, aside from his skin and clothes, which he did hope with some feverishness would not be enough.

There was nothing for him to fear, so he strode up to the guards with no hint of trepidation or something amiss. After making sure to study the reactions of the few civilians that preceded him in line, he followed in turn. As a foreigner, he made sure to be a touch more surprised. “Oh, inspection? Yes, sirs.” He gave no hesitation or resistance, allowing himself to be searched over.