Are the Gods real? No, I'm not joking. Perhaps you are thinking "of course they exist! Haven't you ever seen divine magic?" Obviously I have, but what proof do we have that such things are granted by a God? Some readers may be ignorant of the methods used for casting divine magic, so I will briefly explain them. To cast divine magic, or "miracle", one must first visualize the God from which they are drawing strength. Most practitioners utilize a holy symbol or statue of their God to assist in this visualization process. Next, the natural soul emanations, or "mana" of the caster is corrupted with the vision of the divine. Finally, some specific aspect of the God is embued into the corrupted mana, forming the miracle.

Shockingly similar to the art of standard magical casting, isn't it? If one were to consider a vision of God as a specific kind of Ideal, then it is exactly the same as standard magic. What need is there in this process for the interference of any God?

Some time ago, an eccentric scholar performed an experiment on his own son. From birth, the scholar taught the child about a specific God, and trained him to cast miracles using the vision of that God. This God, of course, was completely fictional, having been invented entirely by the scholar. The result? His son was successfully able to cast miracles using this fake God.

As you may expect, the Church was not happy when he published his results. At the time many justifications were made. The child was using an Ideal of a fake God, but the Chruch uses real Gods! The scholar didn't make up a new God but received a divine revelation of a previously unknown minor God! The scholar is a liar and made up all his results! Countless such arguments appeared to try to invalidate his research. Ultimately, the Church buried his findings and hoped people would just forget. Some say the scholar and his son were also assassinated, although I have yet to see proof of that claim.

So what do you think? Personally, I prefer to believe my eyes. I've never seen a God, and I've never met someone who has. If the Gods are out there, they're doing a good job of hiding.

- Excerpt from Against the Gods: A Collection of Essays Banned by the Church of the Venerable Gnostics

All eyes in the stadium turned towards the box containing Thagi Ghul and the city council, along with several other visiting dignitaries. High-quality royal court finery was worn by all within, with the exception of Thagi Ghul, who wore his massive suit of black armor, and a few robed mages. Two slightly smaller boxes connected to each side, within which sat the seeded contestants and still more of the wealthy elite. Jabrax seemed to be enjoying herself, gorging on pastries and drinks. The prince and his black armored subordinate Shin sat stoically still, even as politicians and merchants tried to court them.

"This tournament..." Thagi Ghul's eyes flowed over the masses of spectators before landing on Guy Fallow. After receiving a sharp look from the unhealthy looking mayor, Ghul continued his speech. "And the arena you now sit in are both a gift to the people of this city from His Majesty the King. Long may he reign." Despite the Association Leader's lack of enthusiasm when speaking the line, the entire crowd burst into ecstatic cheering.

After nearly a minute of wild applause and shouts, the crowd finally quieted enough for Leader Ghul to continue. "The rules for the tournament are simple. Single elimination, one round. The fighting continues until one side surrenders or is incapacitated. Due to a certain person that has been made available to us by His Majesty, contestants are free to fight without restraint. The Great Magician, Magnus!"

Lifting his arm to his left, he indicated an orange robed man to stand. Taking the cue, the old man stood and bowed slightly towards the crowd before returning to his seat. Cheering erupted once more, although noticeably more subdued.

"That's all that needs to be said, without further delay, let's begin the tournament. Judges, start your fights now!" At that, Thagi Ghul abruptly returned to his seat. Mayor Fallow appeared to be arguing with him a moment later, and confused mumbling could be heard from the crowd. The judges simply did as instructed.

Walking towards the center of the ring, the judge for the fight did not appear to be a civilian. While his hair was curly black and his skin tanned like most natives, his bulging muscles and sharp movements betrayed his strength. His voice was crisp and clear. "Mud, Novus, are you both ready?"

"I am ready," sent Mud. If the judge was surprised by the mental transmission, he did not show it.

"Y-yes, I'm ready."

The judge held one hand between the two competitors. In the adjacent ring, the battle had already begun.

Mud considered its opening move. Thagi Ghul had mentioned the option of surrender. Trying to convince the opponent to surrender was worth attempting. If it failed, Mud would simply fight normally with no loss. The question, then, was how to make her surrender.

Turning it around, Mud considered what would make itself surrender. A direct order would work, but it was unlikely a human would capitulate that easily. Threatening to do things it disliked would be the second most effective strategy. That could work.

But what would this human, which Mud knew nearly nothing about, dislike? Again, Mud turned it around. What do I dislike? I dislike messes. I dislike failing tasks. I dislike having The Master's home damaged or belongings taken. I dislike being damaged. The worst things possible would be having my mind reprogrammed or death.

In the short time in which the judge looked between the two combatants, all these thoughts flashed through the golem's mind.

Swiftly raising his arm and stepping back, the judge yelled out in a booming voice. "Begin!"

Immediately, Mud sent a wave of Mind mana at Novus, imbued with the concept of controlling loyalty. Although she didn't react, the spell felt like it worked. With that, her mind should be more susceptible to influence.

Next, Mud imbued corrupted mana with the concept of controlling perception. Sending the Paracusia towards Novus, Mud began its tactic.