[b]Solarel[/b]

The gods cower, and the swift ones flee. The slowest one is a half-crab, its transformation into an evolutionarily perfect form not yet complete. It walks on four legs, evenly spread, and it is heavy and lumbering, needing at least three on the ground to maintain its weight and balance at all times. You must take care in approaching it directly given its weight, but there are a hundred thousand options for an effective approach against such a creature situated as you are in the Aetline. 

You can understand how a design like this might come to be though. The creature clambers and metal clanks as it moves over rocky terrain and you can see how the additional legs add support to a heavier chassis in uneven terrain. A typical design, especially absent particularly strong thrusters, might struggle on the rocks and with the wind, but this is relatively immune to the contours of its environment. A few more decades and it would turn its weight into pincers and begin to prey on its own lessers. 

If you take it, of course, it will not have the time. Unless you’d rather leave it for speedier game?

***

[b]Dolly[/b]

It is more than Nine Forests who greets you. More than Silver Ripples, and Six Stones, though the latter for once wears a face that has not trace of laughter. Angela Victoria Miera Antonius is the one who lifts you from the cockpit once the idol straggles into the Hangar with help. She is holding a glass of something fizzy and sweet that she places in your hands. It is strong and fortifying and makes your head spin at the same time when you take a sip.

The hangar break room dedicated to your cult is already decorated: the bright fabrics from the pirates’ offering have, in the intervening time, been cut into blankets and draped about the space and there are streamers and party decorations that the crew has been gathering to celebrate. Ksharta is just finishing laying out some plates of lightly seared meat, a small blowtorch in her hand to do the finish right there at the table. 

Angela lifts “To dual victories for the goddess!” she cries, a grin on her face, and around her the collective room bursts into a cheer. 

[b]Jade[/b]

[i]You escort the jackal to the intersection of the great tree, and there it meets Kachtenkirya who gives it her special wine to lap up and Mu Ysha who hangs it about with garlands. She bows with all six of her weapons stowed. Yet you are left with the thought that she never yielded. She met defeat but not surrender and rage was her companion. What freedom do you see in roaring so proudly that you refuse reality?[/i]

***

[b]Mirror[/b]

Maelia takes a deep breath. Lets it out. She couldn’t talk during the last move. She had screamed “fire fire, get her get her get her” over and over, deeply into the moment, tail wagging beside you with full abandon. 

Then she blinks and yawns. “That was…wow, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. That match was intense.” She grins and shakes her head, trying to shake off the stress. Looks like she might fall asleep if she sits still too long. “You seemed really into it, but maybe too…nervous.” She glances, nervous herself, at the claws you’ve bitten, at the blood you wiped off. “You don’t have to cast any more matches, this is just something of a tradition for the first round because of the seeded slots I guess. I’m not sure, this is only the second time I’ve done it, I was in [goddess chakram made of suns] nebula before that.”

She gives an awkward shrug. “Well, it’s not my place to judge how you do on commentating a match anyway. I just…well you knew I was staring so I thought I should say something instead of just pretending I wasn’t thinking anything at all. I’d do it again with you, for what it’s worth. You matched the type of commentary I like to do really well. I think people learned a lot from this back home. Well…anyway, the goddess’s crew let it be known that they were planning a victory party for this round if she won, something about a capstone for all the pirates. We’re invited if you want to go.”

***

[b]Isabelle[/b]

“Shantri will keep, especially after she sees this match.” There’s a grin in Kiriala’s voice. 

“Besides, I already made a promise for the moment to join Mirror’s crew and she’s counting on all of us, you included to help finish out this tournament. Though you’ve got to fight the champion Zaldarian first, right? She won the tournament a couple back so don’t take her lightly.”

There’s an invitation there, if you want it. To go celebrate with Kiriala, to go find Mirror and celebrate with the Hybrasilians more generally. It’s on offer if you want it, or you may want to go back to the hangar and your own more private celebration. Or perhaps you’d like to check in with your mother. She has been oddly distant and while that has given you space to breathe, it’s also pretty worrisome in its own way, right?