Champion of Tumulto

The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished.' The sign reads as Cipher walks into the coliseum. The crowd roared with excitement as the warriors from different worlds came to fight for the honor to be named champion of Tumulto. Only 14 warriors were picked to come and compete from the neighboring planets. Originally there were over 50 entries but assassins began to dispatch the contestants that the red order did not have interest in. This was not any championship of greatness, the warrior who was victorious in battle would have the honor of naming the next queen. The red order couldn’t risk losing any power and they were not going to gamble on some off world wild card. As Cipher walks onto a platform in one of the scanning areas,he starts replaying all of the events that put him into this fight for his life.

Cipher came from a small world called skellram. It was a small planet that was powered and ran off of steam. Their technology was limited but the people there were fair and kind. Skellram had no military presence and they worshiped the God of love. They believed that the biggest achievement in life was the gift of genuine love and kindness. After the queen's disappearance her army, the red order were dispatched to skellram and other planets to find her. The war maiden Imelda observed cipher using his abilities during a scuffle with her soldiers and went to subdue him with force. Cipher was a small and handsome young man that had green eyes.They Removed his cloak and revealed a battle worn body with scars that extended across his ripped and athletic physique. Cipher emitted a green aura around him that put fear into the red orders soldiers. As he balled up his fists and locked eyes with the soldiers, the energy from his strength slowly pushed the troops back causing them to brace themselves.

Imelda steps forward and towers over him with her skin tight red armor. Her hair was long and black, with a pale face that was angelic. She had long legs and arms that complemented her model-like frame. She gracefully stepped past his aura grabbing Cipher and raising up in the air by his throat. Cipher squirmed and fought as Imelda smiled and threw him across the courtyard, with his body slamming into a church. Cipher explodes out of the rubble and dashing forward towards Imelda trying to punch her. Imelda noticed his movements and quickly uses her psychic abilities to pull three of her men in front of her to take the damaging blow. Their bodies explode instantly with blood spraying everyone in the area while Imelda holds her hand up stopping the blood from reaching her. Cipher covered in blood wipes his face and advances forward before noticing a group of townspeople hovering over the courtyard.

“Put them down, now!” Cipher yells flexing his muscles and emitting god like power.

“You have the ability to save this young one. You alone hold their fate in your powerful hands. Stand down or they will die now!” Imelda yells holding the townspeople in the air with her physic powers.

“They are innocent, let them go!” Cipher yells stomping into the ground making a two feet indent into the ground.

“Not before I get what I want, peasant.”Imelda says laughing.

Cipher looks around analyzing how fast he could kill her and all of her soldiers before they were able to get a shot off. As he contemplates his next move, dozens of men file in around him pointing plasma rifles. He crouches down into a leaping stance and stops as he locks eyes with a little girl that was crying out for her mother that was being held above them. Time slows down as he tries to conquer the hectic situation.

“How about this, I put them down, put the power collar on and we can have a civilized conversation. Is that ok for you peasant?” Imelda says lowering the people to the ground.

Cipher looks at the little girl and then fixates on Imelda before nodding and kneeling in compliance. Imelda smiles while letting the townspeople down slowly before they all scatter and run into their houses. Imelda walks towards Cipher and her soldiers put a seat in front of her as she sits down and they kneel next to her. She folds her leg over the other and her men put the power collar on, reducing his power to human level while shackling his legs to his arms. He sits there chained with blood running down his face and torso as Imelda stares at him reclining in entitlement.

“If you're going to kill me then do it. What are we waiting for?” Cipher asks spitting by the feet of Imelda

“No, no that wouldn’t be fun or furthering our cause.” Imelda says sitting up in her chair.

“Well what is in then?” Cipher says

“I've never seen a power quite like yours. I want you to work for the red order.” Imelda says

“What exactly is the offer and before you tell me please use small words.” Cipher says sarcastically

“A sense of humor and power, I love it! The queen is gone cipher and until she returns we will need a new queen to rule. The tournament on Tumolto will be our chance to secure our alignment to power. Either you fight for us and be our champion under the banner of your home world or you and everyone on this planet will parish. What is your decision?” Imelda said while petting her soldiers that kneeled next to her.

Knowing cipher couldn’t fight her small force of soldiers he reluctantly agreed to the terms and began his journey off world to Tumolto. He realized that day that not only his life but the life of his planet was in his hands and he looked onto the red order with contempt while he continued through the scanning area.

“Are you ready for the battle for power! Are you on the edge of your seat to see who will be the next champion of Tumolto? Give it up for your warriors!” The announcer says soaring through the air on his hovering podium as the crowd roars with applause.

The announcer's origin was from the planet of Enoch, the world of water. All of the inhabitants of Enoch could both breathe underwater and on land because of their intricate respiratory system. The announcer was from the cichlids race, humanoid fish that had gills with an almost leopard print skin tone. This race was royalty and they had an armada of warrior wales that would fight their wars. The announcer was elected to be master of art giving him power over all entertainment throughout the galaxy. He had multicolored skin and wore royal garb with gold draped over his neck and wrists. A being of small stature that controlled power over the masses.

After going through the scanning area where the medical team were checking them for explosives, parasites and diseases, the warriors are lined up facing the stage of the arena. Cipher examines all of the contestants trying to see a weakness and he notices one of them kneeling, praying to his God. Even kneeling the man was vastly bigger than all of the other contestants. The brutish man stands to his feet and turns his head making intense eye contact with Cipher. His skin was black but as the sun glazed over his body it shined in the heart of jade. His legs looked to be carved out of tree trunks and his arms resembled pillars that held up the arena. Cipher walks over to the man and sticks his hand out in peace.

“Never see a warrior as massive as you, it is an honor to meet you big guy.” Cipher says in a friendly voice

“The honor is mine little one. I am Rocta from the Tree planet Joro.” Rocta says gently, grabbing ciphers hand with his massive paw of a hand.

“I’m cipher.” He says before being softly cut off by Rocta

“You’re cipher from skellram and it is said that you are the child of war. I’ve heard many a story from you, it is said that you are touched by the gods. I’m honored to be your first opponent.” Rocta says Bowing to cipher.

“How do you know that?” Cipher says shocked at the words he just heard.

“Alright let’s get this tournament on the way. Our first match will be…..Cipher the child of war and Rocta the giant of trees. Are you ready?” The announcer says as the crowd goes into a frenzy.

Cipher looks at Rocta in disbelief as both of them are escorted onto the stage. With each step Rocta takes, the platform shakes heavily while cipher contemplates on how to handle this fight. They get to the top of the stage and they both bow to the announcer. As Cipher looks up, Rocta walks over to him and hands him something before walking to the opposing side. He stops being handed a huge halbert, it took four four arena workers to carry it onto the stage.He starts swinging it side to side giving the crowd a show.Cipher crouches giving him the appearance of stretching before taking out the crumpled up paper to read. “They have my family and are threatening to kill them if I don’t lose this fight. Please kill me quickly so my family will be safe.” Cipher reads as he looks upon Rocta with his eyes widened. He shakes his head back and forth sideways before sitting on the ground.

“Let the match begin!” The announcer yells.

As the crowd begins to cheer, Rocta dashes forward towards Cipher swinging his halbert through the air and stopping at the tip of his nose. Cipher looks up at him from his knees and shakes his head being non compliant towards Roctas request from his note.Rocta becomes furious and slames his halbert into the fighting stage causing a wave that shakes the arena knocking fans out of their seats. Rocta grabs Cipher slinging him across the arena floor, causing his body to skip across the ground several times until impacting into the arena walls like a missle.

“Rocta looks to be angry from that exchange folks this is it, I think this is the end of the Child of war!” The announcer says hovering over the fight, while the crowd chants Roctas name.

Rocta leaps 100 yards over to Cipher and digs him out of the ruble. As he gets past all of the destruction he finds Cipher with small cuts but to his surprise no broken bones and Cipher was still breathing. Cipher locks eyes with Rocta and they share a warrior's silence as the announcer flies over to them narrating what just happened.

“You have to kill me you fool, all I have is my family. What kind of leader would I be if I let them down?” Rocta yells into Ciphers face as tears roll down from his smoky gray eyes.

“Kill you….then what? Huh? You think your the only warrior here that got this same suicide mission? You think you're the only one that was threatened by the red order? Look around, look in the faces of all the other contestants and tell me you don’t see in them what I see in you?” Cipher says coughing from the debri.

Rocta looks around while his hearing is drowned out as his vision is isolated on all the warriors one at a time. He looks into their souls and their hearts discovering their true nature. This ability was unique to his race called the tree of judgment. It allows the judge to use the ability to read the energy of a person at any distance and examine the true intentions of the soul in question. Rocta averts his eyes back to Cipher as he lifts him up bringing him back to the arena stage. As Cipher is out down in the middle of the arena he starts to speak.

“We are all slaves to the tyranny of the red order. All these warriors were threatened to be here to perform for you today. We are not your entertainment and we are not here to further your pursuits of monetary gain. I stand before you as the one they call Cipher the child of war and I vow to bring the red order down. I ask you to fight with me and take back what is yours! Warriors, will you fight with me?” Cipher says as the warrior and all the fans in the crowd look around at each other in confusion.

“Fight for us, not for them my brothers and sisters. If we die today, let it be for something bigger than ourselves and our own worlds!” Rocta says picking up his halbert and thrusting it in the air.

All the warriors cheer followed by the crowd as the fans start to fight the workers of the arena and the red order guards. Suddenly Rocta falls to the ground and Cipher turns around to see Roctas head with a hole through it made by a plasma rifle. Imelda stands at the top of the royal suite smiling, holding the rifle before yelling.

“ If it’s a war they want, then let’s give it to them. We will kill or enslave any one that helps in their cause. On second thought let’s kill everyone, let’s make this a day of days for all the peasants!” Imelda says, leaping down onto the stage followed by hundreds of her red order soldiers.

The other warriors jump onto the stage and form up around Cipher and the fallen warrior Rocta.Cipher closes the eyes of Rocta and sheds tears for him before wiping his face. Cipher begins charging his body and abilities causing cracks and breaks in the structure of the arena stage. The warriors around him start manipulating their powers of fire, water, lava, metal and brute strength as the other warriors grab weapons. Cipher finds Imelda in the sea of the red order Soldiers causing more rage for his spirit.

“The tall bitch is mine!” Cipher yells as both the red order and the warriors clash causing a typhoon of destruction.