Erebus walked the narrow dirt path that was all too familiar to him. Life in the West was peace, well— it was as peaceful as it could be. His guild had recently been attacked, and he himself, had recently become something of a urban myth in these lands.

Some doubted that men could surpass God. Erebus disagreed.

After all, even the Creator, must have a mother. Even the brightest lights— begin in Darkness.

Now equipped with his armor, two daggers, four arms, and the aide of an Otherworldly cape. Erebus was well on his way to notoriety, having fully blown his Bounty up in the West, it would surely be no time at all before other lands in Fiore heard word of his deeds.

He remained here, mostly because the need to travel hadn’t yet presented itself. However, Erebus found himself thirsting for adventure, he knew that before long— he would be moving from this place. Today was not yet the day of reckoning however, today there was another typical job to do in Baska. At the tournament, Erebus was instructed to meet Ragnar Asgeir, a famed Warrior from the North Lands.

Erebus makes his way past the lobby, trying to find a man by the description he’d been given. Mullet top hair, ripped and tatted, and wielding a Dwarven Hammer of Meteorite... Frankly, Erebus liked the way this Warlord sounded. However, only time would tell if they were to be compatible workforce partners.

245/2000

Ragnar was finally back in Baska, a place where he spent quite a bit on time thanks to Quill and her daughter. While he waited for his friends to finish up making the guild he was planning on he was going to get ready for a new tournament. Apparently one of his contacts had gotten him in touch with a guy named Erebus. This man was very famous and Ragnar knew alittle bit about him but only by name and he was sure that he most likely wasn't that well known at this point. Either way makes no different. Ragnar got his blood red full plate armor on and walked outside of the hotel he was staying at and said a word under his breath. an Inhuman word. A Loud crack of thunder came out of his body as in the distance a loud noise came, without stopping he jumped onto his mount. The Juggernaut.

As he rode in on his Juggernaut, a beast that was as big and wide as a water buffalo while being far heavier. The horn on his head was a single one, forming a T shape on it, though on top of the flat of that T were large spikes, where it appeared skulls had been placed. It's appeared to be closer to a massive dog in shape and size, it's mouth appeared to be big enough to bite a man's head off with room to spare, its teeth looked like shortswords. From a distance color of the fur of the beast looked a dirty brass only as it got closer would people realize that it was not the color of the fur, it was armor. Sheets of Brass covered armor covered every inch of this beast and it didn't seem to slow it down at all in any way. The chains that were used to 'control' this beast was attached to a massive spiked collar around its neck. As it approached and slowly came to a stop, small gaps in the armor showed something possibly more terrible. This beast had no skin, it appeared to be made of machinery and parts mixed together with a living beast.

It didn't take him long to eventually reach the tournament grounds, where he got off the saddle of the beast before it ran off into the distance and ran out of town, a thunder clap happening in the distance soon after he was out of sight. On his hip was the large meteorite hammer, and that along with the blood red full plate armor most likely gave him away to anyone that might be looking for him.

WC 440/1600

Erebus finally notices a character walking around as out of place as he was, though to say they were alike was a great fallacy. Erebus chose tunics, long robes with a metal beastplate, Ragnar chose full plate armor. Erebus chose small thin items, like fine needles— Ragnar chose magnificent hammers. Nothing alike could be attributed to them, and yet Erebus found himself grinning.

He sat up high at the Coliseum’s entrance, having attempted to find a place to scope his area when finally Ragnar rode in on his beast The Juggernaut, Erebus had never seen such a creature so he whistled when the ride drew nearer. This brass monster was nothing like Benny the Jet, Erebus’ flaming blue Dhulin that answered to his call much the same, the noticeable difference was that Benny fell in from the clouds, and The Juggernaught seemed linked to a thunderclap. How strange...

Then again, the style of Raggy riding in on that forsaken abomination was quite impressive regardless.

Thrusting himself from the ledge to the ground 12ft, Erebus would fall to the ground with a light thud, waving Ragnar down towards the lobby Ere stood in front of. The Summoner had a light-pink hair shade on top of blonde toner, messy and pushed backwards, while the sides were buzzed to and lax unlike the top. Tribal markings decorated the entire body of the Summoner, especially the face, and despite being notably slim by comparison to Ragnar, muscle definition in the Nightmare could be defined even if under the baggy, wizard-like choice of clothing he wore.

Erebus was also quite tall, so it was possible they were the same height when he approached. As the Rogue-Summoner arrived he took it upon himself to speak first, addressing the Warlord if he hadn’t noticed the appearance of his task partner. “You must be Ragnar Asgeir. I’ve heard of your exploits,” he started. “I am Erebus Gresham, Nightmare’s Sword.” Erebus extended his hand with a welcome, though upon viewing it, one would see that the fingernails were an onyx black, and the fingernails themselves pointed to their tips.

He was man, but the more one stared at Erebus, the less they would feel a human prescience. This was because Erebus was something of an Impure God, or a modified human. The case of whether he was God-like though, that was of no question to the wise. “Before we get started, it’s only right that we make formality first. Yes?”

423
668/2000

Ragnar looked around and it didn't take him too long to find the person he was supposed to go to battle with. The man walked over him, he was nearly half a foot shorter then Ragnar was, so he was tall by most standards. Either way, he was not what he expected. He appeared to be a spell caster and not the rogue he was told he would be. All of the information he knew about Erebus, though it was out of date by over two years, said that he was a sneaky rogue kind of guy.

Looking over the man, he reached out and gave the man a handshake before saying " Ragnar The Red. I have heard of some of your exploits as well, though most likely your old exploits as I haven't been around for nearly two years at this point. "

Ragnar said matter of factually, though the man would know that in the past couple of months, Ragnar had been very active atleast in Baska and most likely had made a name for himself here... him and Quilla anyway. As Ragnar stood next to Erebus he noticed that the man felt... off. Ragnar couldn't describe it anymore then that but he knew that, but Ragnar wrote that off as his instincts simply trying to cover his own back from a known assassin.

" So I assume we have no issues leaving bodies behind during this tournament? " Ragnar said plainly, as if asking someone if they were going to get lunch today.

WC 693/1600

“If they die, they die.” Erebus said with a chuckle, and made way towards the bleachers to view a handful of challengers. Erebus has refined himself in this Coliseum so they no longer even looked a threat to his might, and as a Famed Hero Ragnar too was probably way beyond what one would try to handle in a battle.

There was to be three challenges, a tag duel against the preliminaries, a tag duel for the semi finals, and the both of them would fight the champion. Who— for a lack of better words— was a monster in his own right, however to think himself greater than these two was a fallacy. Erebus believed it, surely the tales of Ragnar the Red carried far and wide. So Erebus knew his trust could rely on this barbaric beast.

“Let’s make our way to the tournament.” He decided, launching towards the bottom row and lunging until he was in the ring.

From here Erebus walked towards the fighters and punches one fifteen feet away. The crowd quiets and Erebus begins to speak to them, a menacing toxin to his words that penetrates the fiber of their senses. “As per order of my Quest, Erebus and Ragnar will replace these fools...” He smugly bows. “By defeating all four of the preliminary contenders right now.” Nodding upward to Ragnar in the bleachers, he would await to see what course of action the Warlord would engage into.

248
917/1500

Ragnar followed the man into the ring, he simply watched as he was trying to piece together what kind of crazy person this was. Clearly this was the Erebus that he had heard of but that wasn't really the point in all reality, he just needed him to not get in Ragnar's way in the fights. He was pretty sure that wouldn't happen, if anything he might get in his way but who really knows.

The Tournament was set up in a set of tag team duels until they reached the champion, who apparently agreed to take them two vs one. None of that really mattered because Ragnar was going to rip the champions spine out one way or another. Ragnar then heard the noise of his 'partner' wash over him like a cold wave. So apparently this guy did have it in him to be scary. Well, lets just see how it goes.

Without wasting any more time, Ragnar jumped into the air, landing on the floor of the arena before dashing over thirty feet in a second towards his opponents. Clearly they were not expecting a man in full plate armor to go that fast, too bad that cost one of their lives as Ragnar's entire forearm went through their chest and his metal hand came out the back. Ragnar had no real interest in messing around with these guys. Pulling Ragnar's hand out of the corpse, he turned to look at the other two living opponents, one of which was by Erebus and the other was by him. Well he might as well remove the one near him, and assume Erebus has got the other guy.

The guy was more ready this time, seeing how fast Ragnar moved the first time, he prepared to swing his sword into Ragnar but he didn't count on something. Ragnar didn't care if he took a hit. Ragnar allowed the hit to strike him, cracking part of his armor but not really enough to matter at this point, before kicking the man in the chest hard enough to send him flying back over thirty feet into the wall, where he turned into a bloody art piece. Ragnar turned and looked to see if Erebus had finished up the last one.

WC: 1,072/1600

Erebus allowed the enemies to get angry and start trying to rush him, though a bullet of red mass flew by and tore one entity completely out of the equation, and Erebus casually throws his head to the left and the right. Dodging sword blade as he keeps his eyes on what Ragnar is doing— quickly having put together what that was. After seeing that his partner is as qualified as he figured him to be.

Erebus became a bladed vortex and would blitz one target that Ragnar ignored with so many incisions from the dagger that he came out a mass of ugly. Holes decorated his face and arms, and it was obvious he was a corpse. Oh well, Erebus could not be bothered by death, it was part of life to get tough. If you couldn’t keep up, you were left for the times. Erebus pulls off the grounded foe to look around for the guy he punched earlier.

It seemed that he fled them, having the full sense not to linger around. Erebus laughs, and takes a bow. A crazed ringside audience hollers. Erebus assumes control over the Tournament Event as he begs the next lineup to come outside and face them again. Clearly, the drunken state of death was appealing to it’s War God.

223
1140/2000

Well it did appear that they managed to complete the first stage of the content as required, and it looks like they had another round of people to go to get into the semi finals and then fight the champion. Ragnar looked around for a moment before simply saying to Erebus that " You stay out on this one, then you get to finish the champion yourself. " Ragnar then waited as the next round of competitors came out of onto the stage.

Ragnar was mildly surprised when he saw four people, of the same height, wearing the same gear march out onto the arena floor. They all wore heavy armor, just like Ragnar, but they also had a shield, a long spear and a sword at their side. As they entered the field they spread out slightly and then put their shields up into a large defensive shield wall in front of Ragnar. At which point they put their spears in the gaps between the shields creating a phalanx of sorts though much smaller then the real military formation.

Well. Looks like real soldiers choose to join this and see how well they could do, well that was interesting enough. This was clearly not a case where he could beat these guys with using just his hands, it would take far too long to do it and by the time he was done he would be stabbed to death by sword or spear so he had to use the weapon he came with now.

Pulling his hammer from his belt, he swung it around in one hand for a bit before he made a slow job over to his opponents, and they didn't move as they waited to see what he would do first. Standing just outside of spear range for a moment, he took a step forward and nearly caught a spear tip in his eye socket as all of them in a single motion stepped forward and pushed their spears forward. Ragnar turned his head just enough that the blow deflected off his helmet, but he jumped back anyway out of range.

Well shit... he had to take his far more seriously or he would die here or at least end up with an eye patch. Ragnar thought he might look good with an eye patch but didn't wanna test that theory in anyway shape or form. Walking forward again, this time more slowly and carefully, he had to make a plan as he looked over the four men in front of him. He needed to find the weakest link in this chain. He located the weakest link, in the center right. Making a rush forward, moving at a speed that they didn't expect this time around, he made it past the spear tips and slammed his hammer into their shield of the first man.

Under normal cases, the shield wall would have spread this damage out between all of them and the blow would most likely not have shattered the shield, but this wasn't a normal hammer. The moment that Ragnar's hammer touched the shield, it shattered like glass against his blow, and his full force went into the person standing behind it. They went flying ten meters into the distance, and the fight was over at this point. The shield wall was broken and no amount of armor or shield work was going to defend themselves against a hammer that could shatter anything with a single blow.

It took Ragnar under thirty seconds to clean up the rest of the group, splattering them over the arena or sending them flying towards the walls where they lay dead or unconscious. Either way, Ragnar took a look at Erebus at this point and pointed him into the ring as he jumped out of the ring to go to the bathroom.

WC 1600+

Erebus allowed Ragnar his fun— returning to the bleachers, kicking up his feet, and stealing popcorn off an elderly woman next to him. Throwing the snack back with a grin, he laughed as Ragnar immediately had to retreat. “Ah come now Ragnar! You can do better than that.” He joyfully played. Upon his ally dashing back Erebus, watched with intent, not only was his viewing good for their quest. But it also taught Erebus Ragnar’s fight style, it was information that was up for use later, assuming they ever stood on opposing sides.

Interesting. Ragnar’s weapon did more than break the shield, it actually disintegrated it into shard. Erebus notes that his item, is a little more than what he assumed it to be. Dear rn by design, Erebus must assume its of Legendary quality, or at maximum, Mythic. The style was brutish and unlike Erebus’ dance of the dagger. The man quickly picks apart the targets. Erebus claps slowly, and watched his large partner pass by him on his way to the restroom.

Fair enough, Erebus thought without little delay or hesitation, his feet kicking him back off and into the air so that he would move like a blur to reach the arena floor.

Removing three daggers, Erebus places one behind his back, and bows. The Gate is lifted, and the opponent who steps forth is a man unlike men. Erebus thought Ragnar was large, but this fellow was ripped with muscle, his weapon twelve feet in length, and he was just under seventeen feet.

“Lucretia?” He thought. No, that wasn’t her, this was a human. “Ha. Hahaha,” he began to break into a laugh, this was it? Erebus had faced a fighter like this. Under normal circumstances he would have lost to them. But the fact he had Jin was the deciding factor that ensured he lived. Now, he would be all alone. Forced to fight with agility. Agility he himself did not yet believe in entirely for facing tanks.

“You go no where,” the man boomed. Searching the crowd for his partner. “Facing me alone is death, for you thy departed.” The monster of man thundered. He was a Goliath of power, a rare giant in the world of Fiore. Hanging over his chest was a vest, fur boots, and a loincloth that hung a few feet to keep the creature’s junk hidden. A split mohawk and thick bushy upper mustache was all he had to decorate his visage. Overall, he was like Street Fighter Zangeef, a style that didn’t seem to match up, but evidently proved he was a serious body-building warrior.

Erebus casually adjusts his mask from his shoulder plate to his face, the magic of it’s animating hanma bends his smile to a raging glare. Smoke clouds began to emit off the body of Erebus expanding fifteen meters outward and erasing him from sight. The cloud made near the Zangeef Warrior, and the beast roared. “Out and fight ! Out and fight!” It gripped its massive two-handed blade and rushed through the black.

The first error was allowing the trap to work. Inside, the Champ’s eyes burned with CS gas. He couldn’t vividly make out any shapes, but before he could dash back, three piercings are felt in the calf muscles, disabling lunges. Zangeef cried out for help. He kicked at his leg, punishing himself only for Erebus to dash and propel upward off the leg and spin into a somersault to the next legs knee. He carved the letter E into the kneecap with style using three blades, disabling movement in general aside walking. A burst of fire from Erebus mouth would catch the monster in the face as it swung wildly on him. Erebus barely turns in time to create a star with his weapons, his free hand holding the center true. The block pushes him through the air to to ground.

His rogue like acrobatics allow him to casually backflip and land on one knee. Erebus stands and walks slowly towards the giant. His enigma, his ego, something are greater and more estranged than previously thought. Erebus slashes the sword his dash inward— he does again, the Iron dagger snapped and broke, but one more strike from Maiden’s Voyage completely splits the behemoth blade. Without needing to emit a word, Erebus acrobatically propels up the side of Zangeef, releasing his dagger to fly up into the air and go through the enemies neck.

The neck shot causes Zangeef to choke on blood, he wants to breathe but he doesn’t know how to stop the deed. He slowly dies out in the smoke, and after it cleared the entire stadium would be silent. The legend of Erebus was growing, and the power of Ragnar too was noted. No further deliberation was needed Erebus left to find Ragnar and get their cash, if he could not— then he’d abandon the area and return for his quest rewards alone.

Erebus stops by a blacksmith to repair his Iron dagger, he then hits Odin’s bar back in Oak for a casual drink. The day was well spent.


2006/2000

-Exit & End-