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Hey, name's Ares. I'm 160lbs and have the creepiest yellow eyes you can imagine. Oh, and I'm a wolf-human hybrid my fur is a blue that borders on black, save for my hands and "feet". My "feet" are more like paws like on a wolf but my hands are a different story. They're normal human hands in general shape and structure but, the tops are covered in fur and have pads on the heel, middle and top of my palm, and on each segment of my fingers. They're all about a centimeter thick except for the heel which is about 2 or 3 centimeters thick; pretty good for hitting stuff. I also have retractable claws and can run on 4 legs just as well as the respective owners of both of those traits. I'm faster on 4 legs but I prefer 2. I'm 3'4" on four legs and 6'1" on two. I have pointed, cropped ears that always stand straight up and a set of razor sharp teeth. I'm a blacksmith by trade. Some would say I'm average. But other than them, the rest say I'm the best in all of Gracemeria. I won't say one way or the other. However, I will say that I'm the greatest warrior this land has ever seen, only because I've been crowned and given the title: "Allkiller". So yeah my full name is Ares Allkiller. I fight with all custom weaponry that I have crafted over the years. What with my pads and other physical abnormalities, normal human weapons don't fit me as well as I needed. My pride and joy, and perhaps my signature to the people of Gracemeria, is my hand-and-a-half sword forged from the same brightsteel as Brisngr, the blade of the Rider Eragon Kingkiller. I must admit, I did copy the idea from him, but my blade is a deeper blue than Saphira's, Eragon's dragon, scales. Now, I bet you're wondering how I know all about Eragon and Saphira. Well, I just so happen to live in the area where Eragon has decided to revive the dragon population, but no more of that.

I can use magic as well as any Rider due to my previous training but I prefer to fight by honest means. Levels the playing field and gives the other contestants some hope of dethroning me some day haha. Elves can be about the closest match I can get in a fight, agile little bastards. Urgals on the other hand...they're just hard to kill. I can hit them, no doubt about it, but just about any wound that I can inflict on them is non-fatal. I use them more as an act more than anything else. The crowds love seeing Urgals die. Sometimes I'll even add a bit more danger to it; ill fight with no shield, sometimes just a knife, and one time, most regrettably, no armor. That particular incident was in my 3rdyear of reign as "Allkiller"; left me with a nasty scar that stretches from my collarbone diagonally to my hip when he gored me with one of his sharpened horns. I quit playing at that point and put my knife through his skull.

The women...damn haha. They all love me. I'm warm, fuzzy, muscular and have a big poofy tail, what's not to love? That, and I have a natural musk that surrounds me. I've been told it smells like wood smoke, honey, lemon, and....um...gingerbread. I can't smell it myself. They love to play with my ears and tail, much to my mixed annoyance and pleasure. They always flock to pester me when I visit Libreteria, the capital of Gracemeria and where The Tournament is held. My den and forge are located far, far away in the Spine. Yes, the same spine that is at the border of Alagaesia. No one bothers me there due to the sheer cliffs that lead to the top of my dormant volcano. That, and just to get to the 1,000ft sheer cliffs, you must hike 15,000ft from the base. Safe to say, I'm fit and I don't get many visitors. I said "My" volcano because, the people of Gracemeria decided to name it after me in my honor. It was Gerund, and I still refer to it as such, I'm too humble to say that I live on myself. My only regular visitors are my students. Some come for forging, others for fighting. They're all Urgals, elves or humans...except for one...one like me...her name is Dragonette. Just saying her name gives me a swelling of my chest and a wag of my tail. She's the same kind of wolf-hybrid as I (the official term is Vrenfang) She's smaller and has dark red fur and a white tipped tail. Her eyes resemble the very orange of the center of a fire. She is my best student, my closest friend and the closest to have ever beaten me. I'll explain each.

She's my best student in that she beats all of my other students with the same grace and skill as I. During my classes, she listens to me like a priest to their god. She also has the same ability that allows our race to dominate the battlefield. It has no name; the elders of our race were wise enough not to name it because it would be much, much more difficult to disable by magical means. It improves our eyesight to the point to the point where we no longer see blurs of motion, predict movements in battle and see the energy leave the person that they use up during a fight. Normally, a creature that is fully rested has an aura surrounding them, as energy is used up, the aura dims. We use this ability to strike at our enemies when they are tired and weak.

Dragonette is the closest living being to ever best me in combat due to our last duel. We went blow for blow, never landing a single touch for over an hour. We would've collapsed if it wasn't for a desperate lunge she made, trying to catch me off balance. However, she flew past her mark, her huge breasts throwing her weight too far forward haha. They're 32GG's...for her 150lb frame they're rather disproportionate. The hindrances that they bring are no longer a problem, however, due to a garment I have since made for her. She approached me asking if there was something I could do about them. It is made of a silk, velvet and steel fiber weave that binds them close to her body, as well as offers her mild protection when she doesn't want to wear her heavier armor but, still wants a bit of protection. After her first trial run with it, she fell in love with it, insisting that she pay me for my work. I refused, I was just glad to eliminate a weakness from a great student and warrior.

She is my closest friend in that she confides in me. I'm not as open or talkative as she but, I truly enjoy talking with her. Perhaps that is merely that she is female...we are the last two of our kind for many miles. There are others like us but, due to a number of factors, they have moved off to distant lands. She has no knowledge of this, however. We Vrenfang are nearly immortal. We don't die from old age or disease like most other races, save for the elves. Outside of being poisoned or dealt massive amounts of physical trauma, we will endure. She is just a pup...only 42 years old...middle-aged by human standards maybe but, barely out of puberty for a Vrenfang. I'm 159 years old and I have held my champion title over The Tournament for 59 years...she wasn't even alive when I first competed. There is something that I dread as the years go on. As Dragonette becomes a better fighter...she will eventually want to compete in The Tournament...which means that, unless I do not compete, we will have to fight eachother...

Let's get to the real story now, shall we?

I was outside and sat cross-legged on my little stump, playing my violin. The stump I had obviously brought up when I moved here; trees don't grow at the top of volcanic craters. The violin has always been my favorite instrument. It was morning and I was watching the sun rise over the edge of my domain. As it crested, it revealed the silhouettes of my student one by one as they climbed up and over the lip of the cliff. First came Cent. He was an elf, fantastic with a bow but, lacked prowess with a sword, a skill vital to a true warrior. He was, with the exception of Dragonette and myself on all fours, the fastest runner of the bunch and could almost climb as quickly as I can. He was an outstanding athlete but, his arrogance and attitude are his biggest flaws. He is constantly irritating someone, whether intentionally or not, and generally making an ass out of himself.

Next came Grrsh. You could probably guess what race he is based upon the distinct lack of vowels in his name. He was the largest Urgal I have ever seen that was not Kull-born. He's as strong as any Urgal and possesses the stereotypical personality of his kind: crazy, hot-tempered and glory-hungry. He'll do anything that gains him fame and recognition among his pack which, surprisingly, hasn't gotten him killed yet. He wields a 25lb club in combat as easily as if it were a twig with a pebble affixed to the tip. It is hard to teach a defense against it; if you try to block it with a shield, you shield, and your arm behind it, will be completely pulverized. If you decide to try to parry the blow, you will be hard-pressed to find a way to deflect a 20lb rock at the end of a 5lb solid oak shaft being swung at you with the strength of 15 men. It is a truly terrifying sight to see someone like Grrsh in pitched battle, he and his club sending every kind of soldier, and even a few horses, flying through the air like a child's playthings.

Teera was next to come over the lip. She was a human, the only reason she came was just that she was a major fan of mine. She just goes through the motions in practice and just gawks at me during lectures. I'm not being conceited when I say this; one time while I was giving a talk about parrying techniques, she was just staring at me. She continued to stare even when I nonchalantly shifted to talking about her staring at me at that very moment. She never noticed, not even as Cent doubled over laughing and Grrsh started stamping his hooves on the ground. I just wound up throwing a hot coal at her from my forge nearby.

After her was Dragonette. I had to consciously keep myself from wagging my tail. The morning sunlight shone on her fur beautifully as she approached. She always groomed herself before lessons. I insist otherwise but, she refuses and continues to do so. I tell her that she is just going to get dirty anyway. She usually just looks away and growls after that.

The last person to arrive was Aren. He is a great fighter with a no-frills style that I can't help but admire. He never fools around, shows off, or wastes any effort. He defeats you when you make a mistake. If you don't make a mistake, he'll make you make one. Not much of a crowd pleaser but, watching him is like watching a master bow-maker craft a fine tool of archery from a single length of unshaped wood. He also never speaks and covers up his entire body, except for his creepy-ass violet eyes. To this day, I still have no idea what race he is, the only reason I know he is in fact a "he" is that he relieves himself standing up.

I finished my song and set down my violin, resting it up against the side of my stump. Still sitting cross-legged, I called, "Aren! Will there ever be a day when you will not be last? I'd love to see Cent's face if you beat him!" Cent glared at me for a second and sat down. Grrsh chortled and dropped into his usual crouch. Dragonette smirked and whipped her tail to the side in amusement, then sat down as well. Teera, who'd normally laugh at anything I said, was stone-faced as she took her place in front of me. Aren just shrugged.

"Alright students, today is Friday, and you all know what that means, sparring day!"

The whole pack lit up and began bouncing on their heels, rolling their shoulders, or stretching their limbs.