Cold Steel - Grace & JaK training session.

Grace shot Sage a look of pure hatred. How dare he make such a claim! Sure, it would be better to marry him than the Victor, but not by much. Grace wasn't even sure if she would allow Sage to participate in the challenge.

Argo, however, did not notice Grace's hate-filled eyes. He smiled and held out a hand. "I'm glad to hear it. I've been worried about my sister. It's good to know that someone's taking care of her. Well, it would be awkward for me to explain the rules of your upcoming trials, so I will leave that to Grace. Speaking of..." He turned to Grace. "The time of the Challenge comes soon. Unless you can find a suitable replacement, you know what must happen. I will not hold back, and I will not change my mind. The family line and our traditions must continue. Do you hate me for it?"

Grace's face turned very serious. She had originally thought Lance would make an excellent challenger, but had recently changed her mind. Really, she wasn't sure who would be capable of defeating her brother in the necessary fight ceremony. Now Dan was gone, and that lowered her number of potential suitors by one. "No, I don't hate you, Argo. I understand the importance of all of this. In three weeks, I will be there, with my suitors standing ready."

Argo smiled. "Good. I must go now, I'm afraid. After the Challenge, I will be able to tell you all about my ventures, including my battles with the Justice League. Until then, farewell beloved sister." Argo turned to leave the room.

Argo continued to leave the building. "I'll leave the details to you, Grace." Argo walked down the hallways until he had left the building. After crossing the threshold, he held out a hand to his side and snapped a finger. All the ice that had covered the tower peeled itself off of the walls, ceiling, and floor. The ice turned into snow and dispersed into the air with a flurry, surrounding the tower with a few snow drifts.

In the blink of an eye, Argo Koori vanished. He was flying back to the Northern Lands, to prepare for the ceremonies to come.

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Grace wiped a few tears out of her eyes. She had so many mixed emotions from seeing her brother, both good and bad. Turning to Sage, she held held out a hand in a calming gesture. "Calm down, Sage. I'll tell you. But this isn't the place for it. If I'm going to tell you, then I'm going to tell everybody."

She headed for the door. "Come on, we have a meeting to start."

Continued at: https://ttrpg.forumotion.com/t1109-the-challenge-issued-open-to-all-titans#20682