“This is the final night,” Teyla announced. They had all gathered for the third and last time for this Divine Game. “Two fights shall occur. First, Vimi and Tess shall fight for third place. After that, Rykard and Benhuldran shall compete for the first place of the tournament. Once the final fight has concluded, the placement of the Ocean Tiles shall begin. You will place all Ocean Tiles, starting with those among you that have the least. The Ocean Treasure Tile shall be placed randomly. The populated Coastal Tile, you can place today or at a time of your choosing.”
With the reminders made, Teyla teleported them all to the arena. “Strange not to be down there immediately,” Rykard joked to Miyo.
“Being the first twice is not enough to establish a mental pattern,” the redhead answered plainly.
“It is enough for the foundation of a joke.”
“This battle will likely be a joke.”
The concept was nearly impossible to refute. Vimi had gone down after one backhand, while Tess at the very least had a deal with one of the more renowned gods of the many worlds. Becoming a champion of the Bonding Crow was to be a renowned person who lived in the shadows. Typically, these two concepts clashed violently.
“You might as well just surrender,” Tess said what they were all thinking. In her hand, she weighed a dagger. From pommel to point, the sleek weapon was as black as the rest of her attire. The spine of the blade was covered in shallow, parallel ridges, giving it a feather-like texture.
“I have a duty to my people to try!” Vimi declared.
“Okay.”
Teyla clicked her fingers.
Tess readied herself to throw her dagger.
“O-on second thought!” Vimi shouted, causing the thief to hold for a moment. “M-maybe we can make a deal?” The goth woman slowly lowered her weapon. A long, awkward pause. “Uhm, if you’d be open to hearing me could you… come over here? I don’t want to spill national secrets…”
Tess cautiously nodded and slowly strolled over. The way she did reminded Rykard of a crow that was carefully approaching a piece of food a little too close to another person for its liking. The closer Tess got, the more her body language shifted to allow her to jump away at a moment’s notice. Up above, Teyla let out a hearty yawn.
The two women got close. Tess bowed down. Behind closed hand, Vimi whispered something. Tess’ body language slowly relaxed. First, she nodded, then she shook her head twice, then she nodded again.
A flash of ice ripped up from the ground. Rykard wasn’t sure where it came from, only that its intended target was clear. Tess let out a cry that bordered on a surprised caw, her feet frozen solid to the ground. “ICE BOLT!” Vimi shouted, launching a crystal projectile from the collar.
Either Vimi had been formally trained or she was just lucky when it came to cheap shots. The first sphere of ice slammed into Tess’ left tit, the second into right, and the forth right into her womb. The dignified goth woman bowed over forwards, spitting out involuntarily, and was then hit in the forehead by a fourth projectile. The grapefruit-sized ball of ice would have caused Tess to fall over backwards, had she not still been anchored.
“Ice bolt… oh no…” The crystal’s light faded swiftly, the internal magic failing.
“You lied about making a deal.” Tess straightened back up. The mantle around her shoulders shifted and swayed in winds no one else could feel. The ice around her feet shattered. The boots that been enveloped were replaced by four-towed talons. The clothes of the thief morphed into fur, feather, or made room for smooth skin. In a flutter louder than a hundred birds taking flight, her cape parted into two raven wings.
The moonlight reflected intensely on her colourless skin. The darkness of the night melded seamlessly with the fur, the feathers, and the scales and claws that covered the entirety of her arms and the lower half of her legs. A pair of curved horns grew from her temples, their S-shape oriented backwards. The single blue eye visible in the pitch black frame of her hair glowed with power.
“Ready yourself for the consequences.”
“Uhm, I’d rather sur-” Vimi’s sentence was swiftly and violently interrupted by strings of surrounding shadows latching onto her face. The queen immediately tried to claws them off, but all she managed to grab were handfuls of lightless mist.
Tess turned her clawed hand. More and more of the shadowy tendrils latched onto the Centrepiece of the Snowflake, forcing her arms apart. Calmly, slowly, Tess strut forwards on double-jointed legs.
Rykard had never seen a being like her. She wasn’t an angel, not of the regular, grey, or fallen variant. She was no harpy or demon either. ‘A fae, perhaps? A mixture of everything? A changeling?’ he theorized.
Inhumanely long fingers ending in uneven claws reached for the face of the small dwarf. Vimi’s blue eyes widened. They quivered. She seemed incapable of looking for long at either the fingers or Tess’ face. Those were the only things in her field of view. A cacophony of crows cawed from within the wings of the chosen of the Bond Crow. It occurred to Rykard that, perhaps, he had dodged the actual strongest enemy around on pure accident.
“Vimi has surrendered!” Teyla announced, just before the claws could make contact. The queen was teleported over to where the rest of her people were already up in arms, trying to jump in.
The queen was hyperventilating. Her people immediately tried to soothe her, only to be met with panicked punches and screams. “Get away from me! GET AWAY!” She only stopped screeching when Iceface grabbed her and wrapped her in a silk blanket. That was when the sobs began.
Tess was left alone in the arena. “Never try to fool me on a deal,” she announced, annoyance sneaking into her even voice. That was when Teyla removed her as well. Alone in her corner of the arena, the thief sat, her form suddenly returned to leather pants and corset. Only the mantle over her shoulders hinted at the raven creature inside.
