ArchSpike

Kani had been in deep thought over recent events. After his team had been disqualified during the sol roc race, Barnaby had taken him to a doctor to have his recent injuries tended to. He had also offered him a do-over on the drink offer, suggesting to have some food after the winner ceremony that was happening tonight. He had agreed but it was difficult to get into a cheerful mindset right now. The satyr’s words were resounding in his mind quite loudly and yes, they had made him feel better, but as a result he found himself stuck in a sort of emotional limbo. He still felt like he needed to prove himself but now there was another voice in his head telling him he already had where it mattered. When it came to games, the young paladin was no longer stressing himself out over the results, which by all accounts was an ostensibly good thing. He could actually make his way towards the ceremony without feeling like utter crap. Yet, the guilt over upsetting a friend who was just trying to

It was not exactly what Kani had in mind when he registered his name in the Sol Roc Race. He had not looked into the games very thoroughly, to be entirely honest, least of all the relay race. First of all, it was a relay race and as such not the lone wolf type of challenge as the arena games had been. Luckily for him, a familiar painted satyr was waiting for him, alongside another bird he didn’t recognise but whomst Barnaby had seemingly befriended. The young paladin did not really want to sign up as a team but there was little choice if he wanted to at least grab one victory throughout this event. “I missed you, Kani. For the drink, I mean.”, Barnaby pointed out. After the browbird’s confrontation with Onsen, he had been feeling terrible and Barnaby’s cheerful and positive attitude was just making it worse. Even now. Then again, he did realise that it was not his fault. The satyr just wanted to help. Kani breathed in and out, his eyes staring directly at the yellow-feathered sol roc

Kani was upset, to say the very least. The paladin had lost his first and only contest of strength and while to the naked eye that didn’t seem to be that unlikely, given his small statue, to the young browbird it had proved to be a severe hit to his pride as a representing member of the Palatine. At least that is what he kept telling himself as he signed up for the Aspect contest and then spent the remaining time until his scheduled battle watching the scoreboards in the arena’s lobby. He was going to be paired up against a person named Onsen and judging by some murmurs going through the masses hanging out around here, he had already made a name for himself. People were genuinely excited to see that one perform and a ping of jealousy stung the apparently younger browbird. This was probably not going to be easy but if he was able to succeed against whoever this Onsen guy was, he would be able to go home to Leon with his head held high. “Kani?” The young man was torn out of his thoughts

Kani looked shellshocked. Clearly he hadn’t read the fineprint when he signed up for the Test of Strength and now it all came crashing down on him: He was not allowed, or even able, to use any of his magical abilities. At the same time the magical protective properties of his Palatine armor that also assured its weight didn’t become a detriment would be nullified by a magical dampening device. The young bird was honestly devastated over the news and the worst part of it was that it was clearly stated in the form he signed. He had gotten overzealous. All of this had dawned on him when he was sitting in the preparation room of the Harara Arena, his armor already resting tight on his shoulders and a rack of weapons stretching across the wall. Yes sure, he had practiced with real physical swords and bows - Leon insisted that when it came to honourable combat, one had to feel the full weight of the steel they swung to fully control the flow of battle - but in an actual fight Kani preferred

Enjoy yourself. Yeah, simple, wasn’t it? Enjoy yourself… That’s what Leon had told Kani to do while keeping an eye on the festivities of Harara and for the first time the apparently young browbird had no idea how to fulfill that order. He had gone on little training missions, passed physical tests with enormous efforts and has become an official member of the Palatine. This place did not seem like work. Anything but. Every street looked like a modernist painting, neon signs illuminating even the darkest of alleys and colorful displays attempting to coax visitors into spending their hard-earned money on souvenirs, accessoires and food. The latter’s scent was filling the air as Kani did his best to not bump into anyone. He wasn’t afraid to get hurt but the armor had some dangerous edges that he didn’t want to injure the people around him. The armor was also incredibly hot and - oh boy - he was really looking forward to getting to the hotel and changing into a casual attire. Preferably