"Dohon! Dohon! Dohon!" The thunderous chant of over a hundred thousand Yetis reverberated through the ice-made stadium, rising high into the blizzard-filled sky. The structure was packed to the brim, every seat occupied, all eyes fixed on the chained figures of Taharqa and Idris at the center. A magical dome enveloped them, illuminating their silhouettes for all to see.
They were imprisoned for execution, a spectacle that would trigger a Thunder Blizzard, a storm unleashed by a Maru Frost Giant enslaved by Dohon, casting winter across Arrithia and marking the onset of the Winter Solstice. Despite the existence of the Higher of Seasons, now in bodiless forms, their powers persisted, each with an Apostle hungry for power. Dohon, the Winter Apostle, was tasked with casting winter over The Wall and across the Great Beyond, or across the Outer Realms, depending on the time of year.
Idris and Taharqa briefly struggled against their chains before resigning to their fate. They exchanged words, reminiscing about past memories and recent events, finding solace in laughter amidst the looming execution. Abruptly, the chanting ceased, drawing their attention to King Dohon, standing imposingly in the distance to their left. His missing left arm had been replaced with an orange magic crystal resembling those behind Oiwa, emanating strength and power. Towering over them, Dohon exuded a fearsome aura, with scars crisscrossing his fur and a blind yet intense gaze.
Approaching them, Dohon dispelled the magical barrier surrounding them with a touch, allowing snowflakes to scatter. "Do you know who I am?" His voice boomed with authority. Both nodded in acknowledgment. "Do you know what today is?" Again, they nodded. "Good." Dohon surveyed the silent stadium before continuing, his words laden with purpose. "I seek to claim all that the Dark Elves and Frost Giants hold dear, not out of desire, but because they possess it. Ayce should be a realm of freedom, a beacon of wildness where true adventure thrives. There should be NO KINGDOMS!" With a sudden burst of energy, he lifted Taharqa, snapping his chains and hurling him across the stadium, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Idris watched in awe as Taharqa slid across the snow, propelled by Dohon’s force. Then, with a swift kick, Dohon broke Idris’s chains, sending him tumbling toward Taharqa.
Once more, the stadium resounded with cheers as Dohon declared the commencement of their battle in Iakinga. The word sparked a glimmer of recognition in Taharqa's eyes, prompting him to rouse Idris. Both men stood, instinctively reaching for their weapons before realizing their absence, eliciting defeated sighs.
Dohon pointed towards them. "I will defeat you in Iakinga combat and claim your ice spell as my own." With a sudden burst of speed, Dohon vanished, leaving behind swirling mounds of snow that betrayed his movement to the left. He swiftly closed the distance between them, Taharqa and Idris attempting to flee, their movements sluggish without magic.
In a blur of motion, Dohon appeared behind them, aiming to grab Taharqa. Reacting quickly, Taharqa used Dohon's hand as a foothold, vaulting over him in a graceful somersault. As Dohon's momentum waned, he shifted his focus to Idris, his fist clenched. With brute force, Dohon's blow sent Idris hurtling across the stadium and crashing into the icy wall.
Shaking off the impact, Idris regained his footing, only to find Dohon advancing towards him once more, intent on delivering a killing blow.
Dohon’s fist erupted in blue flames, reminiscent of Zero's power that Idris had witnessed on Sidra. As Dohon charged forward, the intensity of the glow intensified. Idris attempted to evade, but Dohon vanished once more, the snow remaining undisturbed until his reappearance right in front of Idris. With no time to dodge, Idris raised his arms in defense, bracing for impact. However, the blow never landed. When he cautiously lowered his arms, he was surprised to find Loki standing before him, holding Dohon at bay with a raised finger.
"Loki," Dohon thundered, his voice echoing through the stadium. "Do not interfere!"
Loki inclined his head to address Dohon directly. "Now, now, this was not part of our arrangement."
Dohon reluctantly lowered his hand, his expression darkening. "The agreement was—"
"THE AGREEMENT WAS…" Loki interjected, his tone laced with amusement. "The agreement was for me to manipulate their emotions with some trickery and get them separated. But not so you could kill them."
"Loki," Dohon muttered, irritation evident in his tone.
"Dohon," Loki retorted, his voice firm and unyielding.
Dohon and Loki locked eyes for a moment longer, neither breaking the intense gaze, each attempting to assert dominance. Eventually, Loki's expression shifted, a subtle tilt of his head indicating his victory. Dohon, unable to maintain his defiance, turned away in shame.
"Fucking Warlords," Dohon grumbled in frustration, the tension palpable in the air. With a final glance back at Loki, he addressed Idris, his tone tinged with bitterness. "Be seeing you." Then, with a sense of resignation, Dohon began to walk forward, his form gradually dissipating until he vanished into the swirling blizzard, the stadium and its inhabitants fading into nothingness along with him.
Loki turned back to Idris, his demeanor shifting to a more casual and relaxed one. "Hmm," he mused, examining Idris for a moment before addressing him. "Apologies for Dohon's behavior. He's rather fixated on ridding your people of Nazzaroth."
Idris pulled himself up, his expression a mix of defiance and resignation. "They aren't my people."
Loki's smirk widened slightly. "Right, of course. Of course," he replied, his tone tinged with amusement. "You're not mad I sold you, are you?"
Idris met Loki's gaze with a steely glare. "Not like I could do anything about it in my current state."
Loki chuckled at Idris' response, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "I knew I liked you. Come, follow me." He began to walk away, heading toward Taharqa, but Idris called out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Where are we going?" Idris demanded, his tone firm and resolute.
Loki glanced back at him, his attention divided but his voice carrying a hint of seriousness. "Dohon still owns you. Check your wrist." With that, he continued on his path, leaving Idris to examine the small metal ring encircling his wrist. Try as he might, Idris found himself unable to remove it, his frustration mounting as he realized the extent of Dohon's control. With a resigned sigh, he threw his wrist down and followed Loki.
"Dohon! Dohon! Dohon!" The thunderous chant of over a hundred thousand Yetis reverberated through the ice-made stadium, rising high into the blizzard-filled sky. The structure was packed to the brim, every seat occupied, all eyes fixed on the chained figures of Taharqa and Idris at the center. A magical dome enveloped them, illuminating their silhouettes for all to see.
They were imprisoned for execution, a spectacle that would trigger a Thunder Blizzard, a storm unleashed by a Maru Frost Giant enslaved by Dohon, casting winter across Arrithia and marking the onset of the Winter Solstice. Despite the existence of the Higher of Seasons, now in bodiless forms, their powers persisted, each with an Apostle hungry for power. Dohon, the Winter Apostle, was tasked with casting winter over The Wall and across the Great Beyond, or across the Outer Realms, depending on the time of year.
Idris and Taharqa briefly struggled against their chains before resigning to their fate. They exchanged words, reminiscing about past memories and recent events, finding solace in laughter amidst the looming execution. Abruptly, the chanting ceased, drawing their attention to King Dohon, standing imposingly in the distance to their left. His missing left arm had been replaced with an orange magic crystal resembling those behind Oiwa, emanating strength and power. Towering over them, Dohon exuded a fearsome aura, with scars crisscrossing his fur and a blind yet intense gaze.
Approaching them, Dohon dispelled the magical barrier surrounding them with a touch, allowing snowflakes to scatter. "Do you know who I am?" His voice boomed with authority. Both nodded in acknowledgment. "Do you know what today is?" Again, they nodded. "Good." Dohon surveyed the silent stadium before continuing, his words laden with purpose. "I seek to claim all that the Dark Elves and Frost Giants hold dear, not out of desire, but because they possess it. Ayce should be a realm of freedom, a beacon of wildness where true adventure thrives. There should be NO KINGDOMS!" With a sudden burst of energy, he lifted Taharqa, snapping his chains and hurling him across the stadium, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Idris watched in awe as Taharqa slid across the snow, propelled by Dohon’s force. Then, with a swift kick, Dohon broke Idris’s chains, sending him tumbling toward Taharqa.
Once more, the stadium resounded with cheers as Dohon declared the commencement of their battle in Iakinga. The word sparked a glimmer of recognition in Taharqa's eyes, prompting him to rouse Idris. Both men stood, instinctively reaching for their weapons before realizing their absence, eliciting defeated sighs.
Dohon pointed towards them. "I will defeat you in Iakinga combat and claim your ice spell as my own." With a sudden burst of speed, Dohon vanished, leaving behind swirling mounds of snow that betrayed his movement to the left. He swiftly closed the distance between them, Taharqa and Idris attempting to flee, their movements sluggish without magic.
In a blur of motion, Dohon appeared behind them, aiming to grab Taharqa. Reacting quickly, Taharqa used Dohon's hand as a foothold, vaulting over him in a graceful somersault. As Dohon's momentum waned, he shifted his focus to Idris, his fist clenched. With brute force, Dohon's blow sent Idris hurtling across the stadium and crashing into the icy wall.
Shaking off the impact, Idris regained his footing, only to find Dohon advancing towards him once more, intent on delivering a killing blow.
Dohon’s fist erupted in blue flames, reminiscent of Zero's power that Idris had witnessed on Sidra. As Dohon charged forward, the intensity of the glow intensified. Idris attempted to evade, but Dohon vanished once more, the snow remaining undisturbed until his reappearance right in front of Idris. With no time to dodge, Idris raised his arms in defense, bracing for impact. However, the blow never landed. When he cautiously lowered his arms, he was surprised to find Loki standing before him, holding Dohon at bay with a raised finger.
"Loki," Dohon thundered, his voice echoing through the stadium. "Do not interfere!"
Loki inclined his head to address Dohon directly. "Now, now, this was not part of our arrangement."
Dohon reluctantly lowered his hand, his expression darkening. "The agreement was—"
"THE AGREEMENT WAS…" Loki interjected, his tone laced with amusement. "The agreement was for me to manipulate their emotions with some trickery and get them separated. But not so you could kill them."
"Loki," Dohon muttered, irritation evident in his tone.
"Dohon," Loki retorted, his voice firm and unyielding.
Dohon and Loki locked eyes for a moment longer, neither breaking the intense gaze, each attempting to assert dominance. Eventually, Loki's expression shifted, a subtle tilt of his head indicating his victory. Dohon, unable to maintain his defiance, turned away in shame.
"Fucking Warlords," Dohon grumbled in frustration, the tension palpable in the air. With a final glance back at Loki, he addressed Idris, his tone tinged with bitterness. "Be seeing you." Then, with a sense of resignation, Dohon began to walk forward, his form gradually dissipating until he vanished into the swirling blizzard, the stadium and its inhabitants fading into nothingness along with him.
Loki turned back to Idris, his demeanor shifting to a more casual and relaxed one. "Hmm," he mused, examining Idris for a moment before addressing him. "Apologies for Dohon's behavior. He's rather fixated on ridding your people of Nazzaroth."
Idris pulled himself up, his expression a mix of defiance and resignation. "They aren't my people."
Loki's smirk widened slightly. "Right, of course. Of course," he replied, his tone tinged with amusement. "You're not mad I sold you, are you?"
Idris met Loki's gaze with a steely glare. "Not like I could do anything about it in my current state."
Loki chuckled at Idris' response, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "I knew I liked you. Come, follow me." He began to walk away, heading toward Taharqa, but Idris called out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Where are we going?" Idris demanded, his tone firm and resolute.
Loki glanced back at him, his attention divided but his voice carrying a hint of seriousness. "Dohon still owns you. Check your wrist." With that, he continued on his path, leaving Idris to examine the small metal ring encircling his wrist. Try as he might, Idris found himself unable to remove it, his frustration mounting as he realized the extent of Dohon's control. With a resigned sigh, he threw his wrist down and followed Loki.
