Following the signs (Open to Many)

[Taste of Treason]

The signs were everywhere.

Come one, Come all!
Searching for warriors and collectors of treasure alike.
Show your skill or your smarts.
Free food and drink and prizes await.

The bottom gave instructions to meet at a nearby pier. Sure it looked fishy, but I had learned long ago not to turn down any chance at a more sustainable existence. I grabbed my small pack and tossed it over my shoulder. With each step it bounced against my hip and brought to mind that it might weigh a bit more on the way home.

The city was alive with shoppers and workers heading off to do whatever it was they had planned. The bright blue sky above seemed to go unnoticed by all but me in the chaos. I liked it that way. Everyone hustled and bustled and I got to enjoy what was right in front of them like my own personal secret.

My feet hit the docks with a thump. I could see a group of strangers a bit ahead, standing in front of some wavy-looking mirror.

One of the men turned and sized me up. His expression was one of mockery, I was used to that. Most people assumed I could be blown over by the wind. I am slightly tougher than that though.

He seemed to finally accept my presence though, and gave a fake smile. "I guess your here for the game?"

I looked down at the worn wooden dock. "I suppose so. The signs sent me this way. I can always use a free meal."

"Yup, looks like you could." He laughed, more at me than with me, but I was used to that too. "Step right through this portal here!"

I eyed the mirror he pointed at. The strange waves were only clearer up front and the vague image of people who weren't on the dock seemed to shine through. "It won't...kill me or anything, right?"

A large man nearby laughed. "You can't get the free food if you won't even go through. Your choice!"

I gave him my best stern face. "I'll do it." I touched the mirror with the tip of my finger and felt it pulling me forward. I didn't fight it, and soon I was falling. I could see nothing for a moment and then suddenly I was somewhere else.

I hit the sandy ground with a thud and rubbed my backside to ease the pain in my tailbone. In front of me stood another set of strangers and behind them, the largest red and white striped tent I'd ever seen.

"Is that where the food is?" I shouted to draw attention to myself.

[Ioder]

“Turn it off!!” Ioder yelled as he held his ears tight and fell to his knees entering the big striped tent. The moment he pulled the curtain entrance of the tent he was greeted with music unlike any he has ever heard before. It sounded like someone had hired someone to write a symphony to narrate a manic nightmare. From outside the tent nothing could be heard but within it was chaos.

Ioder squinted fighting the sound only to see that there were no other people in the tent besides a busty hooded figure leaning against the central mast of the tent. The woman or at least Ioder thought it was a woman, was happily nodding her head to the music as if she enjoyed it.

Ioder rose and started to walk towards the woman then grabbed her wrist as he reached her. He yanked her to attention and she revealed her face. The woman was dressed underneath her cloak in full jester attire and wore face paint to match. She looked surprised to see him and immediately snapped her fingers.

The music stopped and she snapped her fingers again. Next thing Ioder knew was the woman was no longer in front of him rather walking atop the tight rope high above the ground.

“Who are you? What is this place?” Ioder yelled up to her but got no answer. But whatever the case it seemed like she controlled this tent in all its entirety.

[Steppenwolf Orlouge]

There are times when I feel like I’m the main attraction at a circus. Being half orc, I tower over most company I associate with and the giant pink puff of hair atop my head does not help matters all too much. That being said, this was one instance where I –was- the main attraction at a circus sideshow, but not for my physical appearance.

A group of spectators gathered around me to watch me put plate after plate of food away. Being an Orlouge, I already was genetically proven to have a huge appetite, but the fact that I also doubled as a super hero in my off time meant I needed as much caloric intake as I could ingest. My Breaker form could store energy and return it at a moment’s notice but not without a cost to myself and as a result I had to sort of regenerate any damaged tissue with as much food as I could shove in my face,

I cleaned at least five plates out by the time other people started to pile in. I had no right to question the generosity of the circus, nor did I feel compelled to. If someone offered me a free dinner, whether it be a circus, a stranger, or my own murderous brother (the pale one….the noble pale one….oh damn it, Ciato). I was on my eighth dish, a turkey leg half way in my massive mouth when I heard the newest person join our banquet and bring my attention to the lithe form.

My eyes widened as she spoke, a smile crept across my face, and some dribble specks of turkey fell out of my orifice. “FELLRAR!” I shouted as I leapt up from the table.

The chair I was sitting at crashed against the dirty ground with a crash on par with thunder itself. I made my way over to the small girl and picked her up in my almost tree trunk like arms to embrace her. I had not seen the girl known as Cellar Door since the Adventurer’s Crown, and there were rumors floating around that due to technicalities and filing errors, the small unassuming Mystic-hater won the whole tournament. I wasn’t too focused on that.

I swallowed what food I had left in my mouth before I spoke again. “Cellar! What are you doing here?! Come on, let’s go eat and catch up!”

[Taste of Treason]

I entered the tent at the instruction of the strange men. There were food spread among huge tables as far as I could see. A single circus performer walked a tightrope above the hungry diners. It was like nothing I've ever seen.

Then, I heard my name. Well, a sort of mumbled version of my name, but close enough. I very nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized it was Steppenwolf Orlouge. The first of many to take pity on me. He was the reason I survived the Adventurers Crown. He was the reason I had a bit of gold in my pocket to survive on until I met Astarelle. He was the reason I had faith in the world.

I hugged the colossal man with all of my might and let him lead me a mostly empty table. He quickly handed me several days worth of food, which I began to pick at while watching him fill his own mouth again and again.

"It's so good to see you!" I spoke in between bites. "What is this place?"

The half-orc smiled. "I have no idea. That's the fun of it isn't it though? Keeps ya on yer toes! It's good to have you around Cellar. I've missed ya."

"I've missed you too Steppenwolf." They were the truest words I've ever said. "Now we've got to win this game."

A booming voice filled the tent. I looked upward, searching for the source of the sound but found nothing. Other occupants of the tent seemed to be doing the same. "Attention competitors. You have a few more moments to enjoy the feast. An announcement will be made shortly with instructions on how to begin your adventure. Not all will succeed, but the rewards for those who do will be grand."

Silence filled the tent for a short moment. Then, murmurs began to turn to shouts. I kept quiet, tucking some of the bread in the pocket of my bag just in case I needed it later.

[Gold]

Timothy Gold has never been one to turn down a chance to prove himself. So when he found a poster that talked about prizes, he jumped right on it. First he had to get to the dock which was easy with his ability to teleport. He just created a portal that took him straight to the port. He then had to walk through a fun mirror to enter this circus. The big top ten was a sight Timothy hadn't expected. It looked just like the circus back on earth. Timothy shook that thought away as he entered the tent and saw the food. The However just as he was about to continue further into the tent he was bowled over by a giant man he didn't recognise.

[Opposites]

Once Abrinano read the word food, he packed up and set out for the dock mentioned. Once he set foot on the dock and was directed towards the funny mirror, Abrinano he charged through the mirror. Once through his nose picked up on the delectable scent of food. Within minutes he was on a sprint towards the food, anyone in his path was knocked over like a bowling pin. As soon as he was inside, Abrinano bowled his way to the table and started to gulp down every single item on the table.

First to go was the chicken and rice, oh how they tasted so nice. Then were the greens; the lettuce, peas, and the beans. Then came the pies, The blueberry, apple, and cherry oh what a delight. Then came the fruits; The apples, pears, and the grapefruit. The last to go was the wine, and man was it fine. The plates were licked clean, not a crumb to be seen.

With the food all gone, Abrinano sat in his chair with a huff, before let out a cry none expected. "MORE!"

[LycorisX]

Vindlyn entered the strange tent. She had come for the promise of challenge but the food served as they waited were rather pleasant. The tea was excellent, flavoured with lemon and no sugar just as she preferred it. The music was loud and… interesting. Rather headache inducing actually but not more so than listening to inane chatter all around her would have been she was sure.
She sipped her lovely tea and ate as she waited for what would happen.

[Taste of Treason]

As Steppenwolf took another massive bite of his steak, the voice returned. Once again people looked around, searching earnestly for the source. Once again, none was found. Eventually everyone gave up and just kept eating as the voice explained the plan.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," I very nearly covered my ears as the deep, accented voice boomed through the tent. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

At this a few people stilled. I sat with my hands fidgeting in my lap. Steppenwolf kept eating.

"The delicious food you've been eating was graciously provided by a local farmer. He and his team prepared it to perfection. Unfortunately, someone else seems to have helped. And by helped, I mean poisoned."

The voice fell silent as the sound of a dozen or so people trying uselessly to spit out the last bits of their meal filled the air. The pause was just for effect though, he soon spoke again. "The person responsible is the only one who knows the cure. I can only tell you that they were the first one here. Somewhere in this room, perhaps right next to you, is the answer. The game has begun ladies and gentlemen. Find the person quickly. By my best guess, you have forty-eight hours until the strongest succomb. THose of you with lesser mass...Well, let's just move quickly huh?"

With that the voice was gone and chaos erupted.

Women broke down into tears. Men began pointing their fingers at each other, "You were here first! I saw you when I came in!"

"No! I came in behind the guy with the stupid hat! I swear it wasn't me!"

I looked at Steppenwolf. "Well this is fun. Any ideas?"

[Tobias Stalt]

"Poison." Tobias rolled the foul word over in his mouth. Ironically, it tasted far more bitter than the food that had acted as the true carrier. "Of course it was poisoned." His perpetually grim mood was born of constant running and glances spared back over shoulders; the irony of a free, cooked meal being laced with a murderous substance was not lost on him. Tobi let out a dry laugh. "I hope the ale's not touched," he grumbled darkly as the glass moved toward his mouth once more.

"You're not seriously going to drink from that again," came a woman's skeptical voice. Tobias glanced up to Cellar's eyes assessing him incredulously. He felt a host of eyes move over him, and he let out a helpless sigh. Drinking it would probably not exacerbate the speed of the poison, but it would also not help to assuage the rising belief that he was the poisoner. "The meal was poisoned."

"Aye," Tobias replied plainly, "so finishing my drink won't change the fact that I've got a gut full of death." He drained the contents of the glass and tossed it to the floor, where it burst into shrapnel. With a harsh gulp, the golden liquid was gone. A rude burp rippled from his throat. "Cheers."

"Disgusting," the woman groaned, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Now, then," he muttered, mostly to himself. With a quick shove, Tobias stood from the table and glanced over the crowd. Fear was a fast moving toxin on its own, and it had clearly infected this crowd. Panicked cries and accusatory stares riddled the tent, and the canvas felt like it was getting smaller with every second that ticked past. "They're not going to shut up."

Tobias swept past Cellar, who watched him in silence. He gripped a wine bottle by the neck, stepped toward a large, half orc who still seemed dazed about the entire ordeal. "I'm sorry for this," he murmured to the man, and Tobias cracked Steppenwolf over the head. The man's skull was more than resilient, and as Merlot cascaded over his hair and down his body, the entire room grew silent.

"Now that I have your attention," his voice rose and Tobias brandished the broken bottle, punctuating his words with jabbing motions. "Poison moves through your blood stream. Fear causes your heart rate to elevate. Stay calm, or you're just going to die faster."

Tobias tossed the fragmented bottle aside, then tucked his hands into his pockets. He glanced between Cellar and Steppenwolf, then piped up. "Now that we can hear ourselves think..."

[LycorisX]

"The delicious food you've been eating was graciously provided by a local farmer. He and his team prepared it to perfection. Unfortunately, someone else seems to have helped. And by helped, I mean poisoned."
At the mysterious voices words everyone in the pavilion promptly panicked the hell out. Vindlyn nearly choked on her tea.
Calm down, she silently chided herself, panicking are going to make it spread in your blood faster.
She briefly wondered if perhaps this was the mysterious voice ide of a joke as she really hadn’t tasted anything amiss about the delicious tea. It would be impossible to tell however and she really wasn’t in favor of dying of poisoning to test out a theory.
She was just wondering if she should tell anyone else about the panicking spread poison faster thing, it seemed something one should naturally work out for themselves but they were being annoyingly loud about their panic, when someone beat her to it and got the crowd’s attention by waving a broken bottle around. Overdramatic to be sure but she approved of getting everyone to shut up.
"Now that we can hear ourselves think..." the young man began.