Chapter One

Chapter One. Arrogance

"The best leaders inspire by example. When that's not an option, brute intimidation works pretty well, too."

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The city bustled with life, crowds rushing back and forth between the tall buildings and roads. Throngs of visitors could be seen milling about the unfamiliar territory, creating a sharp contrast with the styles native to the land. Large groups of people wearing weapons and sporting exotic armors made up a large amount of the people gathered, who were all eying each other warily at the same time as talking animatedly with the others closest. An air of excitement lingered over the city, showing on the faces of the people and decorating the stores lining the street.

A small figure moving through the crowd ignored all this, stalking forward with a tone of determination. The size of a child, the gnome female was forced to push her way against the onslaught of bigger races, most of whom didn't even notice the minute person.

Vivace didn't like that. At all. She growled, shoving her way past what looked like a hag who was standing in her way. Her Grandpa hadn't mentioned this in any of his stories. At first, the sheer sight of the city had been enough to amaze the young gnome, since she had never before set foot outside of the Welsth. The buildings were larger than anything she had so much as imagined before, rocketing up to the sky so far that she couldn't see their tips. Well, the ones closest to her. Obviously, from a distance she could see them fine. Once she’d gotten more accustomed to the buildings, the crowds had stopped her in her tracks. As a small gnome town girl, she had rarely seen other races except on the occasional television channel or in her school texts. A huge diversity of species were scattered around, yelling at each other in so many tongues that her head had begun to pound trying to figure out what they all were. And the smells! Vivace was aching to start looking into the food stalls and pick something to eat. But she didn’t want to waste her money, not yet. She still had food in her bag that would go bad if she ignored it.

Glancing at the signs she could read- thankfully most of the empire had switched to a common language that everybody was taught despite heritage, it help unite the country or something, she didn't know the reason, much less care- she continued on her way. The registration center for the Tournaments was near the heart of Sol Bremeck, the empire’s capital, and Vivace had traveled a long way to find it. Maneuvering past an overturned cart and its outraged owners, Vivace caught sight of a large, flashing sign she knew was her destination. Joyfully bouncing forward, she hastened to the edifice where she'd be able to register as a Player. Signing up for the actual Tournament came later, after she'd found a group to participate with. Some competitions could be entered solo, some required it, but the struggle for the Royal Guard posts would be extremely difficult, and Vivace doubted they'd even allow a person to enter alone. It wouldn't do for the new king to be protected by one sole hothead, they would want a couple of arrogant knaves for the job.

The heavy wooden doors swung open on well-oiled hinges, and the pink-haired girl entered the crowded office. Nobody noticed her enter, all too intent on their own business. There was a large line in front of a desk with the sign 'Player Registration', and Vivace made her way over to wait. She hated waiting, but it would do her no good to get kicked out for making an annoying commotion. Posters with information and bounties were hung up against the walls, as well as advertisements for empire related positions and permits. Motivational signs were hung up as well, and Vivace sniffed at the blatant heading, 'Take it easy, you’re no good to us dead!'. She couldn’t in all honesty understand who would really listen to a poster like that. Glancing around at the crowd as she waited she noticed the people going in and out, how some carried themselves differently then others, and the odd weapons and armor that hung off of the people. She made mental lists as they walked past, running through all the classes she knew and trying to recognize everyone's professions. Generally different classes could be thrown into three different categories: Fighters, casters and the specialized classes. Fighters consisted of warriors and martial artist, anybody who would attack directly. Casters were magic users, enough said. The specialized classes were other, odder groups, like dancers and scholars. The way they battled varied, but they couldn't be directly labeled into either of the other two categories. Finally, the line moved forward, and she found herself next, with a crowd of people gathered behind her.

"Next!" The registration staff called over the counter. Vivace raised her hand so her fingers were showing over the top of the structure and called, "Right here!" She thought she heard a mutter about 'bloody gnomes' from the woman, but decided to let it go seeing as the wooden blockade in front of her was to much for her too go through. A brown-haired woman wearing the Tournament staff uniform peered over the top of the counter at her, and asked crisply, in a voice that gave off a mood of repressed annoyance, "Name?"

"Vivace Bluebell."

The woman jotted something down on her paper. "Race?"

The question was needless, but the girl answered anyway. "Gnome."

Another note. "Date of birth and gender?"

"Twenty second day of Sickle Moon, 1732. Female."

"Class?"

"Warrior."

There was a pause, where the woman halted in her writing. She glanced over the counter again, clearly checking to see if she had heard correctly. Upon noticing the sword scabbard on Vivace's back, and the tiny mail making up pieces of her armor, the girl leaned back and wrote down the answer, shaking her head. Vivace checked the wood in front of her again, and reconfirming that there was no way she'd get through the solid barrier, let the insult go.

"That's twenty five silver, and you're good." Vivace dug into the money bag she had attached to her belt. It didn't contain all of her money, she wasn't so stupid as to wear an entire dowry worth on her waist. The rest was safely stashed in her bag, out of the reach of common pickpockets. Slapping the money down onto the counter as best she could, Vivace waited eagerly for the coming confirmation. The brunette leaned over the counter a final time, handing Vivace some papers, a badge, and a wrist computer specialized for Players. The gnome had to stop herself from squealing with delight. "Here you go, and have a good day," the woman completed in a bored tone.

Vivace grabbed the offering and muttered a thanks before happily making her way out the door. She spent one glorious moment looking over her papers before shoving them into her bag with all of her other important supplies. The badge she stored safely in her belt, it didn't have to be protected, no one else would be able to use it and she could always get another if she lost this one. The wrist computer was slightly more valuable, since it would eventually contain all of her personal data and achievement listings. The device was a round bracelet shape, which could be extended into a larger circle for usage. The screen was a touch sensitive hologram which would appear after the bracelet had been opened. A mini screen could be pulled down to cover part of the arm while it was being worn, giving the Player a way to check up on their status without having to remove the device. It was water proof, nearly indestructible, and temperature resistant. The computer would constantly run scans on the Player it was attached to, and could determine when a person's endurance was almost depleted. When a person joined a group, the other Players' status would appear on their mini screen as well, enabling the entire group to be warned if somebody was about to give out. If the Player was nice, they could attempt to heal their comrade before anything really bad happened. Or, they could have the pleasure of watching some withering fool get thrashed by monsters too strong for them, and let them learn the lesson of levels. It really depended on the mood of the Player.

Vivace smiled, feeling the rush of excitement flowing through her, and happily made her way to the nearest tavern, which served as general gathering places for Tournament participants. The process was simple, when a Player was in need of information or group members they could go there to find other people interested in the same thing. The gnome worked her way through the crowd without much difficulty, although the number of people had probably risen since she had gone into the registration center.

Finding the WildFang Inn, the number one Player attraction for information and party formation, Vivace quickly realized the amount of competition that would be in the Tournament. The building was overflowing with people, and she doubted she'd be able to get a room there while she waited for the event to start. Gritting her teeth she pushed into the building, which, although she didn't realize it, was much easier for her to do then the other, larger races milling around the doors. The pink-haired girl glanced around the crowded bar, then over at the boards along the wall, with attached papers searching for group members and trade goods. Vivace decided to start there, remembering her grandfather's stories about meeting comrades through the listings he found while completing his quests. She made her way through the legs of other customers, and ended up jumping onto part of the open counter in front of some boards for her to read. Any patrons about to make objections thought better upon seeing it was a gnome who blocked their view. Or most of them did, at any rate. After a minute or so of looking at the lists, she heard footsteps approaching, and another moment going by, heard a female voice sound from behind her.

"Damn, I've never had my view blocked by a gnome before. This is new."

Vivace twitched, and turned to look at a blonde human standing with her hands on her hips and a wry smirk on her face. She was wearing a short, yellow, skintight dress with slits on the sides, and a short-sleeved, deep red jacket unbuttoned to reveal a suggestive amount of skin that could still be considered decent. On her arms were elbow length gloves that depicted her class. For the record, Vivace had been trying to stay out of the way as most as possible beforehand for courtesy's sake. Now she didn't care. She was about to turn back around when the woman spoke again, "Once you're done, shorty, mind moving? Your oversize head is in the way."

Vivace twitched again, and felt herself flush. How dare she?! The human's words had some merit, as gnomes generally had the proportions of children with overly large heads. But common courtesy dictated that one race doesn't comment of the drawbacks of another. Oh, this human was going down.

Vivace shot back the first retort that came into her mind. "Sorry, I wasn't aware the wenches in this town competed. Actually, I'm surprised they can even read."

It was the human's turn to flush, and her eyes narrowed in anger as she looked at the gnome. A few of the other patrons nearby had moved back a small distance, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of any attacks let loose. "Look, shorty," Vivace narrowed her eyes again. This beanstalk was going to drag that out, wasn't she? "why don't you move and let the professionals do their job? This isn't a place for amateurs."

"Absolutely," the gnome shot back icily, "then I think you're looking for the bar. It's on the other side of the room."

"You're getting really close to feeling a beating, brat." The woman hissed. They glared at each other for another moment, letting the tension drag out. Finally, one of the other patrons who seemed to be trying to avoid trouble stepped closer, holding his hands up in a pacifying gesture.

"Why don't you two calm down? There are a lot of open boards, surely one of you can move on? Both of you?"

The two Players spun to glare at the interruption, and the blond-haired boy took a small step back, but otherwise stood his ground. He wore the obvious armor of a warrior and had the air of someone new to the Tournaments. "Stay out of it boy, this isn't your business," the first human snapped.

"Geez, you're just rude to everyone, aren't you?" Vivace shot at the woman, her anger finally taking away the last sense of restraint she had on her emotions. The day had been trying, her stress was eager to unleash itself on someone deserving.

"Me? And what about you?!" The female turned back toward Vivace lividly, forgetting completely about the one who'd interrupted them. "A brat who can't tell the difference between an honorable profession and that of a common whore isn't one to be talking!"

"Honorable profession?" Vivace had noticed the woman's gloves a while ago, but had chosen to ignore them until that point. "Being what you are and a wench in debt isn't that different."

"A gambler is much more then a wench, shorty!"

"Call me that again-"

"What, does your size displease you?" The human laughed. "I suppose I can understand, what with having to jump onto table just to look someone in the eye. Must feel degrading."

Vivace flushed a deeper shade of scarlet, and jumped from the counter onto the floor. Had either of them been truly interested in their goal, they may have stopped there, since the boards were now free of any obstruction. Unfortunately, the two females had become wrapped up in their own dilemma, and proceeded to create an even larger open space around them of patrons, save the one boy who had backed up slightly but remained close. "Listen, wench woman! This is your finale warning before you meet my blade!"

"Your blade?" For the first time a gleeful look entered the human's eyes. "Oh, my. You must be joking. I thought you were just some senseless newbie who didn't know the difference in armors, but you're serious. You're actually trying to be a warrior?" She let out a laugh that made Vivace's blood boil. "I didn't know your kind could even hold a sword."

Having enough, and feeling something snap inside her, Vivace unleashed the sword on her back from its scabbard with speed that she had spent months practicing. The woman saw, and as she was stretching out her arm to cast her own attack, Vivace stabbed her in the lower region of the leg.

"SON OF A F***ING B****!"

A number of Players milling around the outside of the tavern turned to stare.

Inside the building, the human had grabbed her shin were it had been stabbed. She had expected a slashing attack, a thrust or something. Not just a stab in the shin. What type of degraded warrior would stab you in the shin?! She let out another long string of curses, glaring down at the defiant gnome standing in front of her. "What's your name, brat?!"

"Vivace! Vivace Bluebell!" The pink-haired girl responded with a glare of determination. "And yours, wench woman?"

The human stopped grabbing her leg, sending murderous glowers at the attacker, and stood up straight. Compared to diminutive figure in front of her, it was an impressive feat. "Dolce Lithus. Normally known as Dolly. Listen here brat, I'll take care of you later."

"Anytime, Dolty."

The woman glared down at her, seeming to debate drop-kicking her into the wall. For whatever reason, she decided against it. "Whatever kid. You can stab as many shins as you'd like, you're never making it as a warrior."

The girl stuttered angrily, and Dolly sent one last look at the gnome before making her way out of the tavern with a slight limp, no doubt heading toward a healers. Vivace sheathed her sword, glaring at the place where the woman disappeared. The nerve of her! She would make it as far as anyone could. It was her dream, and there was no way she'd follow in the footsteps of all the other Player clones. Absolutely not. In fact, she was glad she was different.

Vivace pushed through the doors of the tavern, heading out for some lunch to calm herself down. She also needed to find an inn where she could stay for more then a night. With every passing day, more people would be coming into the city to participate in the Tournament, and she didn't want to be the only one sleeping on park benches.

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Vivace spent the next half of the day looking for available rooms in all of the better inns. By the time dusk began rolling around, she was ready to admit defeat and search for a rundown, no-name motel normally reserved for the poor. Walking through the streets tiredly, Vivace began a last attempt at searching in vain for any sign that said she'd be gifted with an opening at a five star hotel complete with room service and free mini bar privileges. Predictably, nothing showed up. Sighing- the day had consisted of more work then she'd been ready for on her fist day- she walked down one of the damper streets to the shadier section of the city. The crowds thinned, and eventually she found herself one of only a few people walking the streets.

Her grandfather hadn't mentioned any of this in his stories. The exhaustion, anger at other Players, the crowds. The only problems he'd spoken of were the ones that could be laughed at later, like that time with a dwarf in the horse stables with a meat cleaver. She still couldn't understand the full effect of that particular story, but he had a rather large scar running along his chin for the troubles. It's not like he actually-

Damn that woman!

The gnome stopped, feeling her breathing pick up again. That wench! How dare she imply that Vivace could do anything less than justice by being a warrior! She would show her. A gambler. Like she was one to talk. Gamblers were a sketchy class of people, dealing more with blue magic and abilities that anything else. They could use area effects and trap their opponents within their games, forcing them to play or suffer injuries. It was where their name 'gambler' came from. The entire profession was risky, since all of the abilities had a lash back that could harm the caster if the opponent knew how to play the games.

Vivace continued fuming, making her way down the street with hunched shoulders. She was so obsessed with her thoughts that she didn't notice the figure moving out of the door in front of her. The impact came quickly, and she crashed into the black cloaked man's legs. The young gnome bounced back, falling to the ground with a small thump. The figure turned to look down at the creature that had brushed into him between the opening of his cloak and hat, which hid most of his face in shadow.

"Oh, sorry..." Vivace muttered from her position on the ground. She wasn't sure who's fault it was, all she knew was that she hadn't been paying attention. The man shook his head dismissively and walked away. Vivace looked after him for a moment, then shrugged. The 'you can't see any of me because I'm wearing ten layers of dark colored clothing and am a mysterious outsider' fashion had gone out of style years ago, but she wasn't about to point it out.

Instead, she got to her feet and brushed herself off, the tension of a few minutes ago leaving her body. There was no use being mad if she was going to get hurt over it. Besides, the chance of seeing that woman again when the city was being overrun by Players was slim to none. And obviously, since she'd thought it, the chance of it happening increased from 'slim to none' to 'going to happen and you'll be sorry that it did, b****' within moments.

A door on the other side of the street opened, and said blond-haired woman walked out, accompanied by a tall dark-haired man. Vivace dived behind the nearest trash can without thinking, and peered around to see what was happening. They were walking in silence down the street like any normal companions, without doing anything of importance or that would incite any type of interest from bystanders. Vivace was immediately curious. Waiting for the duo to get a good stretch ahead of her, the gnome dodged out from behind her hiding spot, grateful that her hair was a dark pink, not the neon 'I'm over here where everybody can see my bright shininess and note my every movement' kind. She moved lithely forward, ducking behind small barriers that would prevent people from noticing her every so often.

Finally, the couple got to a scrubby building and went inside. Vivace watched the entrance for a minute, doubting she would be able to enter unnoticed. It wasn't a bar or public gathering place, but more of a familiar, privately owned looking type of edifice. Debating whether or not she should remain there, when there really wasn't any evidence that said something was odd, Vivace noticed something that made her smile. Down her side of the street a few buildings was an inn with their lights still on, and she had a feeling they had vacancies. With a ready excuse if she was seen, the gnome stood up happily and made her way to the inn, which was named quite fittingly as The Lurker.

Pushing through the doors, the gnome made her way to the counter which was filled by what she assumed was the owner of the business. There were stairs in the corner, and from the noise coming from it, she could tell it was an underground bar. Another set of stairs led up onto the next floor with rooms. "Excuse me? Do you have any rooms?" Vivace prompted, wanting to get to a window position as quickly as possible in case she missed something.

She paid quickly and rushed up to her number, threatening the gods listening of what would happen is she didn't get a room with a view of the street. Reaching her room, the gnome cursed. Of course she was given an odd numbered room. Of course. Vivace made her way inside, glancing around with a damp expression at the peeling walls and dusty light bulb. The entire city was running off of top notch tech, and this places still had hanging light bulbs. Vivace sighed, trying to think of a quick plan. She needed a way to watch the events unfolding across the street. She went to her window, which faced a small courtyard behind the inn, complete with a well and abandoned sports ball. Not quite her version of room service and mini bar privileges, but she figured she'd deal. Suddenly an idea struck her, and Vivace smiled. A smile that told the world to run and hide because she was doing something far out of her jurisdiction. She could deal. Very well, in fact.

Vivace kicked the ball against the wall, testing its strength and how far she could kick it naturally before it'd stop. Satisfied with the condition of the equipment, she peered down the alley that led to the road. It shouldn't be too hard to change the situation, she figured. Walking over to the well, she lifted out a bucket of water and returned to the end of the alley. Glancing around and making sure there was no one present to see her actions, she threw the water onto the ground. Vivace did this several times until the opening of the alley was a large puddle. Then she went back for the ball, and leaned herself against the side of her inn, now with a complement view of all the buildings down the street as reflected in the puddle.

Smiling merrily at her genius, Vivace kept up a steady kicking of the toy against the opposite wall while keeping an eye on the building down the street. She did this for maybe an hour. Then, she wasn't so much merrily kicking the ball as she was struggling in an epic battle against the opposing wall, in which rubbery orbs of impending doom was the sole choice of weapon. Never let it be stated Vivace was a patient gnome. The soft opening of the door across the street caught her attention, and she spun to watch the unfolding. In her rush of excitement, she forgot about the abandoned ball in which she had just unleashed against the aversive structure. The wall of the closed cafe' next to the inn saw it's opening immediately, and sent the projectile back with a swiftness rogues trained for a lifetime to achieve. The resulting crack that indicated victory for the underdog earned a loud, mouse like squeak from the pink-haired receiver, and she was forced to throw herself back into the alleyway to avoid being seen.

The inhabitants leaving the building, however, took no notice as they were intent on their own business. Vivace snuck back to her past position, glancing in the puddle to catch sight of what was happening. She was momentarily disappointed to see that the people leaving the building weren't the ones she wanted. A second later, however, revealed yet more people leavening from the edifice. The groups began making their way out in small numbers, and Vivace waited with baited breath for the blond human she was looking for. It was another few minutes before she found what she was searching for, but finally the woman and her past companion exited the building as well.

Vivace was on her feet, recovering the offending play thing from where it had landed after its act of assault. She dodge to the other side of the building, running to an alley closer to the position of her target, and peered out, preparing to follow the duo all night for her answers. Answers to what, well, she wasn't quite sure yet. But she would get them.

Seeing the pair turn down the opposite street, Vivace glanced warily around to make sure no one would notice the little gnome stalker, and quickly crossed the road after them. The two humans remained blissfully ignorant of anything behind them, and Vivace took the opportunity to inspect her victims. The woman didn't seem any different from the time in the tavern, although Vivace did notice the lack of a limp, suggesting that the human had paid a visit to a healer. Upon watching her for another second, she also noticed that the woman- Dolly, she called herself?- was walking in a rather rigid pose, her back and shoulders stiffer then how a normal person would carry themselves. The man beside her, wearing a think coat with the color turned up and stereotypical black pants was also stiff, although in a slightly different fashion than Dolce.

Ah ha! Vivace did a mental jig, congratulating herself on her perceptive instincts. The formal, 'I don't want you near me even if you had a million gold' poses proved, in Vivace's logic, that there was something more going on then what she could see. The two turned down an alley, inflating the girl's theory like a balloon-filling machine on steroids, and the gnome carefully crept closer trying to find a way to see what was happening without casting her shadow from the light behind her into the opening. Their footsteps echoed against the deserted walkway, stopping a number of yards into the passage. Suddenly a male's voice broke the silence sharply.

"I suppose you know what Erego was implying back there?"

"Like you need to ask?" Dolly snapped, clearly annoyed with her current situation.

"Then I won't have to spell it out for you. Get it done. Tonight."

There was a shifting noise, like something being passed between people, and a person's footfalls drifted away out of the other end of the alley. Vivace felt a wave of euphoria pass though her. Until she heard the second set of feet making their way back toward her. Vivace glanced around, panicked, for a hiding place. Seeing a trash can shortly down the road, she bolted for it and dived behind the metal object. A woman exited the alley the second after she had hidden herself, looking around with a frown on her face. Vivace waited desperately for her to leave, and was severely disappointed when the woman stood her ground. She kept searching the area, as though she knew someone was there, and Vivace cursed the noise she had probably made while hiding herself. Just as she was thinking that, Dolce looked at the trash can. Vivace swore silently. There was a minute that stretched by where the gnome actually believed the woman would brush off her feeling. After all, who could successfully hide behind a garbage can? The average person wouldn't be able to fit. And it's not like Vivace had any real reason to be following her...

The woman seemed to debate checking elsewhere, and finally she looked away. But she didn't leave. Instead, she glanced around the street again. The sky had fallen dark, and shadows stretched across certain areas of the pavement where the street lights hit. Suddenly Dolce's head snapped back toward the garbage can. Or more accurately, the ground beside the trash. Vivace looked up at the bright structure across the street from her position. Abandoning all caution, she cursed.

"I know you're there. Why don't you come out?" Dolly called out, glaring in the direction of the trash. Vivace debated her options, and looking down at the ball in her hand, nodded to herself and stood. Consequently, she still wasn't in visible view, so she moved from her position to the side of the trash where she could be seen. Dolly's face immediately changed from a suspicious displeasure to outrage.

"You!" She stood there for another moment, apparently too appalled to find the words to say.

Vivace decided to take the casual, 'I have no idea why you're angry' approach. "Hey." Then she turned and tried to make her way down the street back toward her inn.

"Hold it shorty!" Dolly snarled, stalking up toward the smaller figure. "You're not going anywhere. What the hell do you think you were doing?"

Vivace turned, glaring at the approaching woman. "Going for a walk, not that it's any of your business."

"Behind a trash can? Unlikely! What the hell do you think you were doing, spying on me?" Dolly stopped a few feet from the gnome, glaring down at the girl. Vivace knew she wasn't getting out of this quietly, but she refused to give in to this suspicious character. Her pride was at stake.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." she replied stiffly. "I was going for a walk, I happened to hear some people talking, recognized your voice and didn't want to be bothered when you came out, so I hid. Now that it's over, I'm going." She turned back around to continue on her way. Needless to say, the human wasn't pleased.

"I don't like fooling around, brat." Dolly hissed quietly. "You should really learn to keep to your own affairs in the city."

"If you don't like fooling around, you have a bad pick of profession." Vivace jabbed, not able to resist the opportunity. "And I was minding my own business, you're the one being nosey. Seriously, why would I be walking around with this when I was spying?" She held up the ball she had brought with her, a choice item in case of being caught and in need of an alibi. Dolly blinked, clearly not understanding the genius behind the toy.

"Why are you taking a ball for a walk?"

Vivace stuttered, a flush creeping over her cheeks. "I wasn't taking it for a walk! I was bringing it with me so I had something to do!"

"While you were walking?" Dolly asked suspiciously. "That doesn't seem quite normal, shorty."

"I was kicking it! It- it's just something to do!" Vivace cried, defending her alibi with a type of pride that was probably unhealthy to feel. "Seriously, meeting up with weird strangers in alleys isn't exactly normal either, but you do it well enough! Should I judge you for that?!"

Dolly's eyes narrowed, her gritted demeanor returning at the mention of their reason for encounter. "Fine. No need to have a tantrum, kid. But, since you were so innocently walking by, you wouldn't mind telling me what you heard. After all, it's not like you were doing anything wrong," Dolly finished with a slight sneer in her voice, daring Vivace to reject what she'd just said.

The gnome fidgeted, suddenly wanting to be back in her inn and in the not-so-cozy-but-better-than-what-she-had-currently-bed. "Erm, yeah, sure, whatever. I didn't really hear anything, you know? Just some mumbles." Under the glower of the intimidating tall figure, Vivace shrugged, slightly nervous, but refusing to show fear. She hadn't done anything wrong, really. It was a public street, she could listen to whatever she wanted to on it. "Something about an Erego, getting something done. Not much."

The human's eyes widened briefly at the name, obviously receiving the information she'd been looking for. Then she glanced down the street, obviously struggling over something. After a minute, where Vivace watched her curiously, the human seemed to come to a decision and a grim shadow appeared over her face. "Hey kid," she asked, still not looking at the gnome in front of her. "Do you know who Erego is?"

Vivace shook her head, interested in spite of herself. The human looked down with an almost sad look. "Well, that's too bad, really. I'm still going to have to get rid of you."

"Huh?"

Dolly shook her head, but instead of responding, she lifted her arms up swiftly and the area was encased in a circle of blue light. Vivace spun around, looking at the barrier with slight confusion and a growing sense of dread. A soft voice spoke from behind her, and she flinched, looking back at the woman. "Ever played the Oblivion Deck before?"

Vivace shook her head unconsciously, at the same time as un-strapping her sword from her back. The woman grinned, "Well, shorty, let me tell you the rules." She sent a circle of human sized cards around the gnome, with their faces towards her, depicting grotesque images of people receiving injuries and wearing expressions of unbearable pain. Vivace snorted. She doubted anything actually hurt as much as the pictures showed- the creators must've been into drama.

"It's a simple game, really." Dolly said from her position on the other side of the barrier. "I show you these cards, then flip them over and mix them up. You pick one, and that card decides your fate. Pick a nice card, you might not be in the hospital for too long, pick a mean one, and you won't be going to the hospital at all. Get me?"

Vivace attempted to glare over at the opponent, but her view was obscured by the swirling mass. Instead she spat out, "Aren't there supposed to be non injury inducing cards somewhere in the decks? I thought that was the rules, that gamblers liked the risks."

Dolly shrugged. "It's called the Oblivion Deck, shorty. It doesn't follow the rules."

"Ha!" Vivace practically shouted, still keeping her eye on the cards in front of her, trying to find the best card to choose if she couldn't find any other option. None of them looked much better then the others. "So you are just a common wench!"

Dolly stiffened. "Excuse me? Do you really think now is the time for you to be insulting me?" Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the small figure in the center of her circle. The lights dimmed into a dangerous icy blue.

"Well you are!" The gnome kept up, not really knowing what else to do. She was trying to remember everything she knew about battle games. In all the stories she'd heard, the key to winning was to find the one card that was suppose to send the damage back at the gambler, but as Dolce had already stated, there didn't seem to be any in this game. "What type of respectable class would go against the entire point of their profession? Gamblers are gamblers because they like to gamble. Ever notice that connection? You're not gambling, you're hiding behind a stack of cards and letting the game do all the work. The only part of the class you're following is the whoring!"

Dolly nodded curtly. "Yeah, you're dead. Hope you picked." With that she pointed at the deck and made a gesture with her hand. The cards flipped over and began spinning at an extremely rapid rate. Vivace felt herself getting a headache just by watching them. Suddenly they stopped, and Vivace thought she felt herself get whiplash. The one good thing about what was happening now was that the cards were facing the ground, and Vivace had a chance to see the woman standing across from her. "Well, what's your card?"

Vivace watched her silently for a moment, not bothering to look down at the game pieces. She had no idea what was what, and it didn't matter if she did, since she had never chosen what would be the best choice. Instead she looked at the woman, and not quite understanding why, felt herself, out of all the dreaded emotions she could have felt, a little disappointed. The gnome pointed to the card between the two of them, knowing there was no way out of the game without choosing. The human gave the girl a grim smirk, and the piece rose in the air with its face toward Vivace. Having looked down at the card when it began rising, Vivace felt a sudden impulse, and dropped the ball she was holding. Just as it was about to hit the ground, and the card finally reaching its upright position, the gnome kicked the round toy with as much strength as she could muster inside of her.

Dolly watched with a detached interest as the gnome first began moving, there was nothing she would be able to do inside of the Game Board. The null interest quickly turned to apprehension as the ball sped toward her. The little brat was trying to get in a last shot! Talk about a sore loser. Then she noticed the ball wasn't headed at her. It was aimed at the card directly in front of her, which had just stood itself upright. The ball impacted the side of the card just as it finished straightening, and both women stared as the card was knocked off its axis and twisted toward the caster, the red play toy falling out of its arc after the collision. There was no way to prevent the card from delivering its attack, and Dolly cursed, falling back to avoid the blunt of the damage. A bright light was emitted from the outlines of the card's design, and the human felt the bones in her arm twist and shatter.

As soon as the light appeared, it went out, and the playing field disappeared with a final flash of color. Vivace stood shock still, trying to figure out what had happened, and if whatever it was had worked out in her favor. Hearing a long string of curses coming out of the human, she supposed it had, and shook herself out of her trance. She approached the kneeling woman slowly, trying to stop the trembling that was coursing through her body.

"You lose." she said slowly. Then, in a louder, angry voice demanded, "Why not tell me what the hell that was about?!"

Dolly looked up at the not-quite-towering, and not even intimidating figure, who happened to now be level with her. "Sorry kid, nothing personal, although I'll admit I don't like you."

"Really?!" Vivace practically shrieked, now that the danger was gone, she felt herself becoming slightly hysterical. She could have been killed! "I didn't notice, what, with you trying to off me and all!"

The human cringed, more at the voice then the implication. "Chill, kid. Aren't you suppose to be a warrior? You really are new to this, aren't you? People are gonna try to kill you, get used to it."

Vivace felt herself flush. Fine, that had been her fist real battle. Maybe she was over reacting. "Whatever. Just tell me what that was."

"No."

"WHAT?!"

"Why should I?" the human asked, looking at the small gnome and trying to hold the bones in her arm in place with the other hand at the same time. "You won, out of blind luck I'll add, but that doesn't mean I'm telling you anything. That entire theory of being honor bound to the victor? It's rubbish, shorty. No one follows that anymore. A win's a win, a lose is a lose. That simple. Now excuse me while I leave, I'm beginning to catch newb-istis."

Vivace glared in a shocked amazement at the human as she tried to pull herself to her feet. Then she felt herself flush, and turned around herself. "Fine, I'm just going to go to the tavern. If you won't tell me, I'm sure I can figure out who this Erego is by myself." With that, she began walking away with a small tension in her shoulders. Her grandfather's stories had always been full of honorable people. People who actually had pride in being a Player. She hadn't seen much of that yet, although she wasn't quite ready to give up hope. It was only her first day in the city still, after all.

The human seemed to have other ideas, however. "Whoa, whoa. Shorty. You can't just go into town and ask about that crap."

"Sure I can. It's not like there's anything against it, I can find my information however I want," she responded sulkily without turning around.

"No, listen- s***!" Dolly had tried reaching out her hand to grab the small gnome's shoulder, and had dropped her injured arm in the process. Without any bones to hold it up, the limb was completely invalid. After a long procession of curses and a moment where she felt she might pass out, Dolly looked back around for the smaller figure- only to find that she was already at the end of the street and turning the corner. "Son of a-!" Dolly raced after her, as fast as she could without injuring her arm any further.

"Hold it, shorty!"

The gnome didn't bother listening, preferring to continue on her way wrapped up in her own musings. The sound of pounding feet on the pavement behind her didn't so much as make her blink. Finally the pace settled into a slow walk a step or two behind her, and she heard jagged breathing coming from the human.

"Would you just stop?"

"No."

"Ugh! Damn it shorty," Dolly hissed, grateful that the pace had slowed. "There's no need to go angsty on me. Stop sulking, you're acting like a child."

"What's it to you?" Vivace snapped, feeling her aggravation rise.

"Ooh, fiery little squirt, aren't you?" Dolly jibbed. Unfortunately for her, the lack of feeling spreading through most of her body kept any of the right emotion out of her voice, and the comment passed with a type of bored exhaustion. The gnome ignored her plight and kept walking.

Finally the human sighed. There was no way she was talking the girl out of her decision in the condition she was in, and there was no way to fight for the same reason. The only option she could think of to keep herself out of jail, and most likely the grave, was to go along with her and see what came of it. "You want to know what that was about?"

The gnome glanced up from her brooding, the first real sign of compromising that the human had gotten. She plowed on, wanting to get this over with so she could see a healer. For the second time that day. For the second time that day resulting from injury caused by the same person. There was a small grit in her voice when she spoke. "I'll tell you. If you swear to drop it after you've gotten the information."

Vivace stopped, and looked up at the human. Dolly held her breath while at the same time trying to look only half interested. Her bluff seemed to fail, because Vivace shook her head, and stated, "I want the information. Then I'll choose if I want to drop it."

"Listen shorty..." Dolly growled, getting fed up with the smaller female.

"That's NOT my name!" the gnome broke in. She glared up at the human, her hands curled into fists. "My name is Vivace Bluebell! I refuse to be the type to simply hear something and chose to do nothing! My grandfather, Wrilinth Bluebell, was an honorable Player, and he taught me to follow that path, even if nobody else chooses to do so!"

Dolly glared down at the small figure, who glared back at her.

"You're an annoying twit, you know that?"

Vivace growled, and turned to walk away back toward her inn. "But I'll tell you, because frankly, I don't care anymore." The girl turned to look back her, a questioning expression on her face. "You're not worth dealing with. Then you can go and get yourself killed, and I won't have you as a problem anymore.

"Now where are we going?"

Vivace stopped herself from making an angry gesture, and nodded her head toward the small inn that had come into view. Dolly stared. "By the gods, you're staying at The Lurker? You must have more money then that."

Vivace shrugged. "I didn't pick it for the expenses, I wanted it for its location." The human glanced at her in confusion, but was rewarded with the gnome making her way toward the building in silence. After a long moment of staring, the human asked in a numb voice, "You're not going to stop being my problem, are you?"

Vivace peered over her shoulder, and turned away with a small smirk flitting across her face.