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Hallum: Legacy of the Moon Slayer
Clix
Former ListmasterFull Members
"In one t'ousand years, a Meikyou s'all beget a Meikyou. In a world of two Aet'ers, a series of events will be set in motion, and 'allum s'all not be left t'e same."
-Schambregella Siare, 978 AP
"I said, 'I knew what I was from the start. "Why did Lady Schambregella adopt me," I would ask myself. I still do not know why, but I learned long ago to accept that simple fact. The only one privy to your thoughts is Dai Gratu, is it not?'
Schambregella turned towards me and responded in her soft whisper of a voice, 'Far from it, my dear. I 'ave anot'er pawn or two w'o know my plots. True it is t'at Dai Gratu knows about my sc'emes, but is 'e not our omnipotent Director? Fate is Dai Gratu in action. Many people live ordinary lives, but sometimes a select few are c'oosen by Dai Gratu to act out one long epic--a piece of beauty t'at s'all not end for anot'er t'ree 'undred years.'"
-Cherub Gabriel, Memoirs of Two Lives; recalled event from 1736.
CHAPTER 1: Meikyou XIV
"Welcome, everyone, to the greatest event of the new decade!!" A load, jubilant voice echoed through the fair grounds. Half a million were gathered for this event, people from all over the free world. Stalls of food and worthless trinkets lined the pathways, and five stadiums stretched across the four corners of the fair grounds, with the fifth and largest in the dead center. The magnificent place from above looked like a dice that landed with the five dots on top. The spectacle hardly gave rise to the historical value of this place. The stadium in the northwest quadrant was different from all the rest. Though well maintained, if not by this point merely a replica, the stadium had stood its ground for four millenniums. The ancient home of warriors, Gramtio, had evolved into an international festival of martial arts. In one hour, the true festivities would begin.
"Charlie," another voice in the intercom system spoke, correcting his co-host, "This is not the start of a new decade." The second man spoke in a dryer fashion. Clearly some higher ups felt that the festival's main announcers should be part of a straight man and wise guy routine.
"...You can't do math?!" Charlie explained, shocked and dismayed at his co-host's apparently stupidity.
The co-host, Dr. William, chuckled slightly and clarified, "My good man, there was no year 0. We went from -1 to 1 AP. Thus, the first decade would be 1 AP to 10 AP. Thus, 1980 AP is the final year of the 1970s."
For about thirty seconds, no other voice was heard on the intercom. Finally, Dr. William spoke up again, "Again, welcome folks to the International Gramtio Fair Grounds. On behalf of our sponsors, we are pleased to see such a fine turn out. Today is the day for the true festivities to begin. After a rigorous elimination process, we have determined brackets of the 395th World Championship Tournament. The grand ceremony will begin in the Rockwell Bowl in one hour. From there, please proceed to one of the four stadiums as indicated by your admissions ticket--"
"And don't think on trying to change stadiums! You will be caught and regret it!!"
"Speaking from experience, Charlie?" Charlie once more went silent, but this time Dr. William quickly resumed his introduction speech. "Again, the ceremony will begin at noon at the Rockwell Bowl. Finalists, please report to the Check-In Office at the Rockwell Bowl as soon as possible."
"Seeya later!!"
And thus for some, the festival resumed, unchanged by the silly commentary. A few began to line up for their seats in the central stadium, but nearly everyone continued to wander about, some trying to grab a bite to eat--the overpriced foods on the festival grounds were cheaper than the notorious bites served at the stadiums. For twenty people, however, the festival had really begun.
"Which way is it?" A young woman in a fairly revealing, though sporting outfit asked an older woman dressed in purple and indigo.
A bitter reply came, "Just shut up and follow me. I know where I'm going."
The two women arrived at the Check-In Office, where about a dozen people had already gathered.
"Welcome, names please," ordered a small man with large spectacle glasses, holding a small order form on a clip-board.
"Farida Satpathy," answered the older woman.
"Luna Satpathy," answered the younger woman.
The little man smiled, "So many families competing this year. What a nice way to bond." He pointed over to his left, where some of the other competitors were already gathered. "Please take a seat over there. Or stand."
The eleven already gathered were quite a bizarre bunch. Two were easily recognizable, due to their fame. The older of the two was the C.E.O. of Raiken Corp. and the winner of the 1950, 1955, and 1960 World Championships. Accompanying her was her equally infamous daughter, winner of the 1975 World Championship. The young daughter saw the new arrivals and waved.
"Hello!! Welcome! A lot of new faces this year," she remarked.
Her mother saw Farida and asked, "Ms. Satpathy? You've finally decided to come out of hiding? This will be a tournament to remember. I was wise to come out of retirement for this tournament. I fear this may be my last time here. And you, you must be little Luna. ...Well, you were little last time I saw you. 19?"
"In two months," the teenage responded.
"Right, right... Hikage 17... Awful day that was... I am glad to see you in good health. Good luck in the tournament. If we are in the same division, I promise to play nice for my cute little godchild."
Luna did not smirk or even show much warmth towards her godmother's words. "If we must battle, do not hold back."
Pinyana, the daughter, interrupted. "We've got to battle! I can't wait! I hear you've been trained for years; boy this will be fun. Show me what you've learn, girlfriend!"
Luna stared at the slightly older woman with an uncertain discontent. "...Sure."
Farida cut in, "Aunt Marie, who all is in attendance so far?"
The business woman turned around and began to point out the other nine contestants from right to left. "That's Mr. Vandort, a Gratian private detective. Next we have a husband and wife couple, the Thanos family. The wife is a chef, and the husband is a police officer. Both work in Rockwell. The man in leather undressing everyone from behind his shades goes by the name Eycopefield. Keep away from that pervert. Farther off is Mr. Comech."
"Right, I recognized him from the past tournaments," Farida remarked.
"The gaudy man making poses is Riley. I hear he's big in Rolandd and Autumne. The young girl is from Zotta. I'm sorry, but I actually have forgotten her name. The two werewolves conversing are Mr. Hunt and Nina."
"...So she's back?"
Marie sighed, "I am afraid she caught wind that I was coming out of retirement, so she joined the tournament at the last minute. Unfortunately the restraining order doesn't apply during the tournament."
((Welcome to the final installment of Hallum! I want to spend a few posts introducing all the different characters. If I didn't mention your character being present, just have them show up. You are welcome to use the registration NPC. Converse and what not. We should begin the actually fighting tomorrow or Fri.))
-Schambregella Siare, 978 AP
"I said, 'I knew what I was from the start. "Why did Lady Schambregella adopt me," I would ask myself. I still do not know why, but I learned long ago to accept that simple fact. The only one privy to your thoughts is Dai Gratu, is it not?'
Schambregella turned towards me and responded in her soft whisper of a voice, 'Far from it, my dear. I 'ave anot'er pawn or two w'o know my plots. True it is t'at Dai Gratu knows about my sc'emes, but is 'e not our omnipotent Director? Fate is Dai Gratu in action. Many people live ordinary lives, but sometimes a select few are c'oosen by Dai Gratu to act out one long epic--a piece of beauty t'at s'all not end for anot'er t'ree 'undred years.'"
-Cherub Gabriel, Memoirs of Two Lives; recalled event from 1736.
CHAPTER 1: Meikyou XIV
"Welcome, everyone, to the greatest event of the new decade!!" A load, jubilant voice echoed through the fair grounds. Half a million were gathered for this event, people from all over the free world. Stalls of food and worthless trinkets lined the pathways, and five stadiums stretched across the four corners of the fair grounds, with the fifth and largest in the dead center. The magnificent place from above looked like a dice that landed with the five dots on top. The spectacle hardly gave rise to the historical value of this place. The stadium in the northwest quadrant was different from all the rest. Though well maintained, if not by this point merely a replica, the stadium had stood its ground for four millenniums. The ancient home of warriors, Gramtio, had evolved into an international festival of martial arts. In one hour, the true festivities would begin.
"Charlie," another voice in the intercom system spoke, correcting his co-host, "This is not the start of a new decade." The second man spoke in a dryer fashion. Clearly some higher ups felt that the festival's main announcers should be part of a straight man and wise guy routine.
"...You can't do math?!" Charlie explained, shocked and dismayed at his co-host's apparently stupidity.
The co-host, Dr. William, chuckled slightly and clarified, "My good man, there was no year 0. We went from -1 to 1 AP. Thus, the first decade would be 1 AP to 10 AP. Thus, 1980 AP is the final year of the 1970s."
For about thirty seconds, no other voice was heard on the intercom. Finally, Dr. William spoke up again, "Again, welcome folks to the International Gramtio Fair Grounds. On behalf of our sponsors, we are pleased to see such a fine turn out. Today is the day for the true festivities to begin. After a rigorous elimination process, we have determined brackets of the 395th World Championship Tournament. The grand ceremony will begin in the Rockwell Bowl in one hour. From there, please proceed to one of the four stadiums as indicated by your admissions ticket--"
"And don't think on trying to change stadiums! You will be caught and regret it!!"
"Speaking from experience, Charlie?" Charlie once more went silent, but this time Dr. William quickly resumed his introduction speech. "Again, the ceremony will begin at noon at the Rockwell Bowl. Finalists, please report to the Check-In Office at the Rockwell Bowl as soon as possible."
"Seeya later!!"
And thus for some, the festival resumed, unchanged by the silly commentary. A few began to line up for their seats in the central stadium, but nearly everyone continued to wander about, some trying to grab a bite to eat--the overpriced foods on the festival grounds were cheaper than the notorious bites served at the stadiums. For twenty people, however, the festival had really begun.
"Which way is it?" A young woman in a fairly revealing, though sporting outfit asked an older woman dressed in purple and indigo.
A bitter reply came, "Just shut up and follow me. I know where I'm going."
The two women arrived at the Check-In Office, where about a dozen people had already gathered.
"Welcome, names please," ordered a small man with large spectacle glasses, holding a small order form on a clip-board.
"Farida Satpathy," answered the older woman.
"Luna Satpathy," answered the younger woman.
The little man smiled, "So many families competing this year. What a nice way to bond." He pointed over to his left, where some of the other competitors were already gathered. "Please take a seat over there. Or stand."
The eleven already gathered were quite a bizarre bunch. Two were easily recognizable, due to their fame. The older of the two was the C.E.O. of Raiken Corp. and the winner of the 1950, 1955, and 1960 World Championships. Accompanying her was her equally infamous daughter, winner of the 1975 World Championship. The young daughter saw the new arrivals and waved.
"Hello!! Welcome! A lot of new faces this year," she remarked.
Her mother saw Farida and asked, "Ms. Satpathy? You've finally decided to come out of hiding? This will be a tournament to remember. I was wise to come out of retirement for this tournament. I fear this may be my last time here. And you, you must be little Luna. ...Well, you were little last time I saw you. 19?"
"In two months," the teenage responded.
"Right, right... Hikage 17... Awful day that was... I am glad to see you in good health. Good luck in the tournament. If we are in the same division, I promise to play nice for my cute little godchild."
Luna did not smirk or even show much warmth towards her godmother's words. "If we must battle, do not hold back."
Pinyana, the daughter, interrupted. "We've got to battle! I can't wait! I hear you've been trained for years; boy this will be fun. Show me what you've learn, girlfriend!"
Luna stared at the slightly older woman with an uncertain discontent. "...Sure."
Farida cut in, "Aunt Marie, who all is in attendance so far?"
The business woman turned around and began to point out the other nine contestants from right to left. "That's Mr. Vandort, a Gratian private detective. Next we have a husband and wife couple, the Thanos family. The wife is a chef, and the husband is a police officer. Both work in Rockwell. The man in leather undressing everyone from behind his shades goes by the name Eycopefield. Keep away from that pervert. Farther off is Mr. Comech."
"Right, I recognized him from the past tournaments," Farida remarked.
"The gaudy man making poses is Riley. I hear he's big in Rolandd and Autumne. The young girl is from Zotta. I'm sorry, but I actually have forgotten her name. The two werewolves conversing are Mr. Hunt and Nina."
"...So she's back?"
Marie sighed, "I am afraid she caught wind that I was coming out of retirement, so she joined the tournament at the last minute. Unfortunately the restraining order doesn't apply during the tournament."
((Welcome to the final installment of Hallum! I want to spend a few posts introducing all the different characters. If I didn't mention your character being present, just have them show up. You are welcome to use the registration NPC. Converse and what not. We should begin the actually fighting tomorrow or Fri.))
Comments
"VANDORT!" The gun cried from his arm. "GET ME AWAY FROM THESE STINKING PLEBES AND INTO THE RING OF THE WORLDS STRONGEST! AS FIGHTERS AND SEWERS OF DESTRUCTION, IT IS PROPER THAT THEIR GOD BLESS THEM BEFORE THEY ENTER THE RING!"
Vendetta sighed and raised Dai Catarina up to face the Raiken's. "MARIE AND PINYANA RAIKEN!" She screamed. "IT IS WITH GREAT HONOR THAT YOU ARE BLESSED BY ME, DAI CATARINA! GODDESS OF DESTRUCTION! MAY YOUR DEATH'S BE A SPECTACLE NOT UNLIKE MINE OWN!"
Once Dai Catarina had stated her "blessing", Vendetta stood up and apologized to the Raiken's for Dai Catarina. "She's a right head-case, but she's a good partner in a fight." the detective shrugged.
At the gates of the tournament, a man in a business suit, accompanied by two guards approached the check-in office. The man wore a strange helmet which was darkly tinted so as to make one unable to see his face. In addition, there was a strange LED light display on the front which showed letters in red which scrolled from right to left as a form of communication. The man approached the desk and his lights displayed 'R'lyeh Madrigal: here to enter the Rockwell Bowl.'
Marie turned to face the new arrival. "...So, the last three World Champions are present... Welcome, Mr. Madrigal."
"Mom, are you sure that's him?" Pinyana whispered in Marie's right ear.
"Yes," she explained. "Do not let the addition of wings fool you. He volunteered to be a prototype for the angelization project. Fortunately, his gambled paid off. He is the first successful angel made since the Endless War."
Trez made his way through the fairgrounds, taking in the sights and listening to the amusing loudspeaker banter of Charlie and Dr. William. Trez took his time in walking to the check-in office.
Hello there! Trez greeted the small, spectacled man behind the check-in counter with a wide grin. This is the combatant check-in station, am I right?
Indeed it is, the man said. Welcome, you name?
Trenzattimus Anheim.
Very good. The other entrants are to your left. If you would join them
Of course. Have a nice day, said Trez, giving the man a quick nod.
Moving over to where the other fighters were already gathered. Quite a few had already arrived. Among them, Trez noted a number of lovely young ladies.
Fame, fortune, and beautiful women they should hold tournaments more often, Trez thought as he began to approach the largest cluster of fighters a group of women of mixed ages as well as a brown haired man in a black suit.
Well, hello there! Trez said, walking up to the group. Am I to take it that you are some of the fine ladies and gentlemen wholl be competing in this tournament? I am Trenzattimus Anheim, Trez made a slight bow, but you all are more than welcome to call me Trez. Its a pleasure to meet all of you.
R'lyeh gave a nod to Marie, his lights began to display words, reading 'It's good to see you, Marie. I wish you and your daughter the best of luck in the tournament.' With that, R'lyeh began to survey the other contestants, sweeping his gaze over them before finding a seat for himself.
Vendetta watched as R'lyeh walked off and noted back to Trez "Yeesh, they're bringin' in three world champs against us. Hope medical expenses are covered outside of the prize money." the detective chuckled.
"Yes, ma'am. Your name?" The clerk responded.
"Enrica Gardello. Representative of the Order of Wolves." The woman planted the end of her staff in the ground as she finished the statement, causing her to seem almost knightly in appearance. The clerk however simply stared at her for a moment before writing her name down on the check-in list. Realizing that her introduction hadn't left much of an impression, Enrica sighed and made her way to where the other competitors were busy gathering. So many famous faces from years gone by were there. "I wonder if I'll ever be so recognized?" The thought made the merwoman's stomach uneasy. Physical conflict was never a high priority for her. Why the order had selected her to be their yearly representative she hadn't a clue. "Kenju help me." she sighed to herself, taking a seat alone amongst the contenders. Across the back of her cloak one could clearly see the large patch labeling her as a member of the Order of Wolves. The patch resembled that of a wolf's head with six blades skewered through it. Over the years, the Order had gained some fame in Tana though it was far from the global recognization Raiken corp. possessed. Still, one couldn't deny it's ability to produce fighters.
The clerk looked up. "Name?"
The fighter grabbed the old man roughly by the shoulder, ready to punch him. "Who wants to know?"
"It's just a security measure, sir. We want to make sure you are allowed inside."
The fist was pulled back further. "You callin' me a liar?"
"N-no, sir, I just need your name. Nothing to get angry about."
"Adrastos." Adrastos shoved the clerk aside. "And I'm not angry. Yet."
Entering the room with a quick glance around, Adrastos was already frustrated with the competition. "What are all these chicks doing in a fighting tournament?" He wondered. "And the guys . . . a couple freaks, a couple fruits, an old guy . . . I thought this was going to be tough. Can't wait to show them what a real man can do." The dragon punctuated his thought by pounding a gloved fist into a gloved palm.
It was a huge hassle getting inside. He had to sign about a thousand autographs and almost got bumrushed already. But, he treated his fans with love and respect as always, because he truly did love them. He even recognized a few faces of the fans who he had met before coming up to give him handshakes, hugs, and kisses. Needless to say, the applause when he stepped out of him limo was booming. It was probably too high a number to figure, with all the people watching on television.
When he finally got in, he was greeted by the other contestants. He smiled at them, almost tripping over himself when he enter, due to a fanatic teenage girl who was trying to rip his shirt clean off him.
R'lyeh looked in the direction of the musician, staring at the young man before turning his attention back to the Raiken's. While he considered the others to be competition, he considered the mother and daughter in a league above them, and so sought to observe them in person before possibly facing them in the ring.
The Satpathys had moved away from the others. Farida muttered, "Three champions... this will be nightmarish."
"Yeah," Luna agreed in private, "But I need this kind of challenge to make sure I am ready."
"Don't f*** up."
Meanwhile, another person arrived. "Hello! My name is Rakurai Raiken. Hope I'm not late."
"No, no, go on ahead," said the clerk, checking the name off his list.
Rakurai skipped into the room and waved enthusiastically. He was a fairly tall man dress as a wayward hippie, despite recent trends in pop culture. "HOWDY HEY!!!" He screamed. "I am Rakurai, nice to meet you all!!" He then ran up and glomped Pinyana. The small woman struggled to get him off, but he eventually got off. "Hey honey-bun, hey mom."
"R-rakurai, what are you doing here?!" Pinyana screamed. She then began to rebated him. "Listen, you aren't allowed back here, even to just wish us good luck."
"I'm here because I'm a competitor. I made it past those hard eliminations! Surprised?!"
Pinyana and Marie were dumbstruck. Pinyana took a minute to process that. "Wait, you entered and made it to the top 20?"
"Yes!"
"....But... You can fight?"
"Appearantly. I kind of winged it. I wasn't expecting to make it this far. Groovy, right? Listen, honey-bun, you and mom mean a bunch to me. I know I've been a bit of a shame for your prestigious family. You both are swell fighters, and I wanted to share this kind of thing with you. I hope you aren't mad."
"Mad? I'm happy, you idiot!" She jumped into her husband's arms and kissed him. "You really didn't have to, you know."
A loud, dumb laugh erupted in the room, but it came not from the dotting husband. The man in leather walked over to the loving family, laughing. "Oh Rakurai, you never change."
Rakurai couldn't tell by appearance who the mysterious Eycopefield was, but that laugh was more than a hint. "Oh hey N--"
"Eycopefield!" The unlicensed superhero was quick to correct.
"Do you two know each other," Pinyana asked.
In unison, the two men replied, "We are bed buddies!!" Rakurai then clarified, "Or, well, we were. We met back in school and had a small fling. It's been YEARS, Ey-something-field. Small world after all!" The two begin laughing, with Eycopefield using the same dumbass laugh.
After she heard the announcement she hitched her shot-gun up higher on her shoulder and walked forward allowing herself to adjust to the crowd while trying to avoid hitting anyone with her snip-rifle case. She had missed seeing people, and this place had plenty of them for her to observe. She made her way to an info booth to find a map and then began weaving her way through the quieter paths to get to the registration area.
When she reached her destination she walked over to the registration person, "Jan-" her voice cracked from lack of use and she cleared her throat, "Janet Abendrot... here to sign...in."
'I'm definitely going to need to work on that,' she thought to herself as the person signed her in. She drifted over to a seat and put her things down before sitting. She thought she recognized some of the others, but wasn't sure.
"Can't help that." Vendetta said. "Not usin' a CD, the singer himself is here."
Dai Catarina screamed at the mention that Riley was nearby "FATE IS KIND TO ME!!! HOW I'VE WANTED TO RING HIS NECK FOR DEFAMING THE DESTRUCTIVE CHAOS OF MUSIC WITH HIS MONOTONY AND TALENTLESS TAKE ON IT!!! POINT ME AT HIM, VANDORT!"
Vendetta did not comply. "Sorry about that, DiCat's a big classical fan and really hates modern music with a passion."
DiCat shot the ground several times in frustration.
R'lyeh looked on, intrigued by the sudden outburst from the pistol. However, he went back to sitting down and waiting for the brackets to be announced.
"Name?" the clerk said.
"Lobo Hunt."
"There, you're signed up."
After registering, Lobo headed for the food stalls, as planned. He never once checked if Nina decided to come with him or not. After looking around, Lobo finally found a food stall, unfortunately, the prices were a bit too much for him. Once again, he was broke. Nevertheless, Lobo decided to order something.
"Dumplings. Ten servings, please. And may I have a twenty-five percent discount?"
"No can do. Go somewhere else if you want a discount." the merchant said.
Lobo cleared his throat and said, "Do you see my claw?"
The merchant nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, I'll make you a deal. If you don't charge me for my meal, then I won't jam this in your throat. Got it?"
The merchant gulped in fear and nodded yes.
"One last thing: if you report this little.... incident to security, I'll make sure you don't live another day, understood?"
"Yeah..."
Lobo doesn't usually resort to threats and he's always polite, but he will never let anything or anyone stand in the way between him and his food. After eating, Lobo headed to where the other combatants are gathered.
Now wasn't the time to stand and be amazed by the celebrities though. Enrica had worked up the motivation to speak and now was the moment for it. She stood firmly in front of the group but no sooner than did she open her mouth then did a sudden realization hit her. "....The hell am I supposed to say!? Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap..." The thought repeated several times over as Enrica simply stood there for a moment, mouth agape as the others waited for her to speak. "Greetings!" she finally blurted out, losing some breath as she did. "I am Enrica Gardello of the Order of Wolves. Pleasure to make your acquaintances." Enrica sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow as she did. "This is no good. Kenju would never have been so slow to speak no matter who he was conversing with." The thought caused the merwoman to giggle under her breath as she remembered stories of Kenju's rather rude behavior when in the presence of royalty.
“What an interesting country!” Trez thought. “There is so much personality information I could gather by speaking with these people. I should have visited Tana sooner.”
Trez’s thoughts were interrupted as a young woman with golden brown hair hastily introduced herself.
“Enrica, you said it was?” Trez said with a smile as he walked over to her. “I am Trenzattimus Anheim, but you may call me Trez if you so wish.” Trez made a slight bow and offered out his hand to shake. “It is an absolute pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a beauty.”
After hearing Enrica's announcement, R'lyeh actually stood up and approached the woman. He walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, his lights displaying the statement 'Interesting, would you mind telling me why you joined the Order of Wolves?'
No sooner than had the words left her lips then was Enrica startled by the sudden tapping on her shoulder. The former champion stood behind her, a bizarre fellow in his own right. It took a moment for her to register that R'lyeh was attempting to speak to her through the strange LED helmet. Equally strange was the question he was asking. "Why? Seems a little forward but I suppose there's no harm in it. I grew up in Braisen where Tana does a fair amount of trading. When I was young I became quite infatuated with the Rockwell Epics. Like other members of the order I was most attracted to the stories of Sir Kenju, ....especially those concering Lady Morgan." Enrica added under her breath. "Anyway, I heard about the order in my mid-teens and came over to Tana after finishing up my magic studies."
"She probably lost it or threw it out. Sad to think it's probably disintegrated by now. It was already a thousand years old when stolen," Marie pointed out. "Without proper care, even such a well crafted sword would fall apart against constant exposure to the elements. The odd design made it impossible to sheath for protection as well."
"Hmmm? Mom, I thought you didn't care for the Rockwell Epics."
"I still read them, dear," Marie laughed a little. "It's a part of your heritage. My memories of the subject aren't particularly fond, but I am a part of this family, and I value your heritage and your interest in it. I wish I had a past I could be proud of."
Again, Enrica sighed. In truth she wished for nothing more than to meet a host like Kenju. It was after all her only chance of seeing what the man was like in his lifetime. Nevertheless, Enrica quickly shook the thought out of her head and turned back to Pinyana. "If you'd like I'm sure the order wouldn't mind if you came for a visit once the tournament's over. We have several historians there who've dedicated the bulk of their study to the Rockwell Epics. Not to brag but I've virtually memorized them myself. I'm certain you could find something for your dissertation there?"