>>6333338“You have all done well to make it this far, and I am pleased to say we stand in the presence of the next King of Morfis!”
The Yasha and mages present begin clapping politely as you and the rest of the contenders are herded towards the strange mystery contraption that they’d dragged towards the center of the roof.
“I will now explain the rules of the fourth and final stage. Please listen closely.” Kosmas says. “This will be perhaps the simplest stage yet, and will take place a week from today, within the esteemed Morfisian Arena, in front of a crowd consisting of tens of thousands of your potential future subjects.” Kosmas whips the cloth off the mystery object, revealing…
“A box.” Crowley observes.
“Yep, that’s a box alright.” Butch confirms, squinting his eyes.
“Please remove your badges and place them within this box.” Kosmas advises. “Rest assured, the magic imbued within them was deactivated upon reaching this floor. Removing them will not send you back to the manse.”
You remove your badge, and one by one, the final eight competitors line up, dropping their badges through a slot within the top of the box.
“Thank you.” Kosmas says. He grabs the box within both hands, and begins shaking it, allowing you to hear the jangle of badges within. He speaks over his work. “The fourth stage of the contest is a single-elimination tournament. The rules are straightforward. Contenders will face off against each other in one-on-one bouts. They are allowed to bring two weapons each. Any other items are strictly prohibited. Mounts are allowed, however, those of you who ride wyverns will be prohibited from taking to the skies with them. Battles conclude when an opponent is killed, rendered unconscious, or surrenders. Any questions thus far?”
Straight forward enough, as Kosmas said. There were no questions, however it was clear to all why Kosmas had asked you to deposit your badges. You remember playing a game like this back at the Academy. Funny that these Morfisians did it here as well, given how mundane this seemed for something so important. The brackets were going to be selected at random. Meaning your first opponent might be any of the other seven standing here with you.
1 - Arios
2 - Leonora
3 - Uriyan
4 - Saoirse
5 - Butch
6 - Crowley
7 - Homer
>A): Leave it to fate. (Roll 1-7)>B): Use Fortuna’s Blessing to choose your opponent 