Lend me your ear, and I will share a story of might and magic, and how it coalesced in the most unusual way.

I, Bellicina, was a sight to see back in the day. A true Valkyrie with a Nord Armor-clad body that gleamed like the morning sun. And by my side, lo and behold, there stood my faithful companion: my obsidian raptor that had the most mysterious air.

Picture me standing in the cut where the old ruins of The Black Sand existed, like ancient lichen across millennia-aged stone. In front of me, the old city sprawled in every direction. Reborn out of a tragic history, The Black Sand has since risen like a phoenix. The new city had become an extravagant destination where avid racers from all over the realm came to compete. It was the racing off-season then. Many racers trained together amongst the old city ruins to find distance from the commotion the luxurious new side of the city brought.

At that time, The Black Sand Tournament faced a grave threat that put its very existence at risk. Unity, like the stitching on a torn garment, was required to weave a tapestry of peace. You see, the races of The Black Sand, a source of pride and entertainment, were on the verge of fading away under certain shadowy forces. Factions of racers, fans, and other participants grew angrier and angrier amongst themselves. Their arguments seemed to have no real reason; they were enchanted by a mysterious frustration that brought the city much conflict. And so, unrest was had, and blood was shed.

So, I stood with hot desert air stirring quietly across the stone around me, pondering why there was so much disagreement here. How would I stop further bloodshed so that the training may resume in peace? My obsidian raptor suddenly grew mad at that moment. Struggling to control him, I soon realized what his hostile gaze fell upon: It was, in fact, Hostilian. It was the famed velociraptor of Raptor Caye with two magnificent thermal eyes sparkling towards us!

Carnal rage was palpable in the beasts. The two raptors were spewing spit, teeth chomping, talons rending the sand. I had never seen my raptor act like this ever. I knew there had to be some type of dark magic involved. With all my might, before the two touched, I hauled my raptor by the tail out of sight. In a dilapidated ruin, I wondered what the hell was going on here. My obsidian raptor was still in a rabid state. I lost control, and before I knew it, his tail whipped around my head, and I was out cold.

I awoke in the dark hours of the morning to soft humming and diabolical chanting. Through a crevice in the stone, I saw what appeared to be a dark ritual taking place. Shadowy figures murmured unspeakable things in a circle of hatred. I was raised never to embrace terror, but for a moment, perhaps I did.

Snapping out of it, I threw my lavender double blade so high in the air that it crashed through the roof of the ruins and fell vertically upon them. It pierced the circle and the artifact in the center of it. I cleared my throat and announced in an ear-shattering cry, "Begone, evil-doers, or face my Armageddon upon you." The shadowy figures screeched. They were fatigued though, from the disruption of their spell channeling. I saw them collapse and scurry away into the shadowy ruins like cockroaches.

I approached the shattered artifact and grabbed it. It had demonic shadow runes visibly engraved on the surface. An evil rage emitted from it that took all my focus to ignore. With my blade, I shattered it again and again until it was just sand amongst more sand.

As I returned to the training encampment, I saw a brawl taking place. Animals, warriors, and wizards fought in the most meaningless way. Again, I cleared my throat. "Stop, you fools!" and clapped the lavender blade against my shield. The twanging echo stunned all those beings in the encampment. They were immobilized by the sound but not deafened.

I continued, "Dark magic has clouded all your judgment. I have discovered a dark ritual of hatred amongst the ruins beside us. Let us turn our hate not on each other but on those evil practitioners hiding there."

I noticed my raptor and the great Hostilian in the crowd. I was afraid they would continue fighting as the stun wore off, but instead, the pureness of my words changed their intention. It was only by way of collaboration and teamwork that we were able to band together to find every last evil worshipper hiding in the old city. Every trainer in the encampment joined together in the search in the name of fighting hate.

Once the hateful cultists were eliminated, the evil spell wore off. Training continued slowly. Competition was fierce, but in no way did the participants seek harm on one another any longer. The trainers looked back at that time of hate with much dismay. The original spirit of the tournament was now rekindled. May The Black Sand be a beacon of good sportsmanship and peace throughout the land for all its future!

Entered by: 0xa278…3Cb0