The clock is ticking faster, as we live

Not long after Artorias had taken a seat to observe the challenge, he noticed Venom approaching the crowd of alphas and greeted the Empress with a lopsided smile and a tip of his head. "Empress Venom," he greeted her in return. As this was an official and formal gathering, it only felt fitting to use her title. At some point, Haydée began to greet the others in attendance before firmly planting herself on the challenger's side. Someone she knew, perhaps? But more interestingly was the merle-colored stranger who introduced himself as Gilgamesh. Artorias raised a curious brow. He had smelled the man's scent around the southern end of Boreas, marking lands near the lands that Ashen had once owned. So he had taken over the wayward pirates after they abandoned their cave, eh? Good stuff to know.

When no other challengers stepped forward, the stranger declared his victory and establishment of the kingdom of Norad. Artorias quirked a brow. A curious name, especially deigning it a kingdom in its infancy, but the man was within his rights to do so. The stranger introduced himself as Beauregard Ravenwood and declared himself a divergent of Ethne. Aha! That explained how Haydée knew him and why she supported his claim. The Hallows and Ethne had good relations, so perhaps this Norad would also be a friend in the making. In an unexpected twist of affairs, Beauregard decided to cap off his victory celebration with an open invitation to brawl the other alphas, starting by singling out Gilgamesh. Artorias glanced over at the Raider alpha with a raised brow, intrigued to see how this played out. He hadn't decided if he'd get involved or not yet, but he did want to see this interaction.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"