"dont focking tell me how to fucking storm mage and create a blizzard, i been casting category 3 weather magic before you even had pubic hair boi"

- Graffity on the walls of a male bathroom inside the Hightower Mage College by Annonimus

They reached the shores of a great lake, if they where not told that it was a lake the brothers would have assumed it was the ocean. As far as their eye sight allowed them they saw water, big waves that reminded Jack of how Lake Michigan sometimes looked hit the shore and foamed.

as they wondered around observing the shore the quick and sharp sound of the impact of a Trident that landed only a half inch shy away from Jacks big toe.

Jack immediately ducked and covered with his shield, making it face the water of the lake, somehow he turned to shadow and appeared next to Surthnel, whispered something quickly to use Shadow Step once more and cover Siegfried from a projectile. the Trident lodged to the shield and dug deep inside the wood, the sharp tips peeked trough the back side of the shield at the eye level of Jack as they created a crack that traveled vertically

"dammit" Jack tried to focus and use his wood symbiosis skill to seal the weak point in his shield, but it was useless. as soon as another trident launched from under the water level and Jack brushed the projectile away with his shield bash the wooden shield collapsed and broke in half

"we surrender" Sourthnel spoke while raising his hands. soon after mermaid folk started to emerge from the lake water surface, most of them had annoyed looks, as if the company of humans and the Elven elder had disturbed them in some sort of way.

"what business an elf and three humans have with the mermaid tribe?" a male raised and advanced towards them.

from waist up he looked like a fish and arms protruded From It's sides. as he reached the shore and kept walking his body morphed and the top side of his body started to look more and more like a human before a brown haired man stood in front of them.

"its going to be a long conversation, might you call for your tribe's head" Sorthnel said while waving his hand left and right dismissing the young triton's aggression.

"she is already here" a female Redheaded mermaid that looked like a mix of Charlize Theron with some victoria secret model swam next to the shore, her tail spliced in half and morphed transforming in to feet, her naked frame got covered by a thin transparent dress that only covered enough but somehow was dry and waved with the wind

"speak before i gut you and eat your intestines as a sausage" Said the female while resting her left hand on her hip with an attitude.

"My queen i have to report my transgression" a mermaid Jack recognized from their river encounter swam next to the Queen. as her tail became legs she knell and put her right hand over her hearth.

"I am deeply sorry" the female who distracted his brother with her front rack when he was getting Ready to play a few days back spoke.

"aahh you gotta be fucking kidding me" The Mermaid queen said while sighting loudly

"so Almodan is back, he is the first to return to this world as we know it" The queen said while making exaggerated body gestures while walking back and forth on the Lake shore

"now some idiot is telling me that he is here to claim my daughter's hand, and what is worst is that my most trusted Lieutenant somehow has kept this event secret from me. Not only the second wave of the God War but also my daughter's marriage cluster fuck" the queen said while spreading her arms wide to her sides as showing some kind of prize.

"what's next? maybe you will strike me with a lightning" she reiterated while looking up

"we don't mean to disres...." Sourthnel could not finish his apologies as the queen's hand raised shouting him up

"the Lake tribe appreciates your notice and the two day travel here to notify us of the undead appearing on your village" the queen Said in a monotone, in a rehearsed way

"But I got to admit your companions have guts" she paused only for a second to let the statement sink in "not only stealing my daughters hand but to show up here before even reaching their coming of age tribulation, you look old enough to have doubled the landmark for the tribulation. yet i don't see the stain of any god on top of you" her eyes locked on the three earthlings "what do you think you are doing?"

"About that... I think it would be better if i joined the conversation about their Status" Siegfried said while raising his hand

"they might not look like it, and be fairly new to this world, but its all part of a bigger picture..." the Blonde man spoke slowly while staring at the Queen "might we find a quiet place to talk"

"we may" the queen snapped her fingers and from thin air walls started to form around them. at first it looked almost like glass walls, transparent and only reflecting light on the edges where the walls meet but sooner than later the walls became opaque and light stopped peeking though them

"welcome to the ever moving castle" the Queen sat at a Throne that formed right behind her "who might the challenger be?"

The Tribulation is a coming of age ceremony that happens every 20 levels, its called this way because some Gods are more special than others and individuals might die every now and then. the first one usually marks one's coming in to adulthood. A God of your Magic affiliation chooses you and you make a pact, sharing power and destiny, most of the time its a minor race changing experience. Over all you might earn one or two titles.

Usually this Tribulation happens when teens turn 15 or 16, after that you "belong" to a God and people with the all seeing eye like the mermaid queen can appraise you.

Jack Brandon and Bosco have yet to reach this milestone.

Jack Thought about this while biting on a Chicken thigh, they where seated in the guests seats of the Ever Moving Castle Hall, To his left the queen was on a raised throne having a drinking bout with Siegfried, Her daughter who sat across as far away from Jack as manners allowed grinned at him.

"ughhh" Siegfried exhaled "Another one!" he and the queen exclaimed at the same time while waving their arms in an exaggerated manner. two servants rushed with two newly unsealed pots full of some alcoholic beverage. Siegfried had a twisted half smile while the queen had a full confidence demeanor.

The whole Marriage ordeal was related to her daughter coming of age and rebellious attitude.

The Makeshift camp on the river was 2 days away from the Mermaid lake. even at their swimming speed it takes them roughly 2 h to reach their spot, the princess and the other mermaids where on a forward patrol when they heard his brother's magically imbued music traveling down the stream.

For some reason they where not killed on sight, probably because of the mermaid's curiosity. and fin ally he was chose as the princess champion to defend and claim her hand against the claimer, who was an adult triton, her 6th cousin or some thing like that. Jack knew that mixing blood was not really good from a genetic point of way but a far relative like that would not matter much.

he laid back and exhaled as he peeked trough his peripheral vision looking at Siegfried finishing his drink and exclaiming happily

"this is the best mission i accepted so far" his screams resonated in the walls of the dining hall of the castle "The deserters where killed for me by this guys, then i get drunk on elvish wine, if you knew how much it would cost me that in the capital" Siegfried said while looking at a female Servant who looked at him with a confused look not understanding what he is talking about and just trying to do her job "the undead where a pain" Siegfried said as he frowned slightly "but now i found a woman that can beat me at drinking!" he exclaimed cheerfully before a slight hiccup took over him

"to the Queen!" he raised his cup and others followed his toast.

the queen who Also started to show signs that the 4 empty ceramic pots in front of her where not full of water cheered as her face was starting to turn the same color as her hair

"so who is this fool i gotta walk to the other side" she said with a laugh as she waved and looked at Jack

"the other side?" Jack asked 100% sober, he had been on edge since the tridents flew towards him at the lake shore

"yes, you will fight to the death with the Triton that reclaimed my daughters hand" she said with a slight smile "and you will most likely die in the process" she concluded her statement and rose her hands quieting down the hall.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed and finally a deadly silence took over the room

"Adoras!" she pointed at a young male triton who rose from his seat a few rows away from the the queen, an long brown hair tide in a pony tail, his muscles almost seemed to pop out from his clothes "do you wish to hold the claim for my daughters hand?" she asked and the male node

"Freya what do you respond to his request?" the queen asked her daughter

"I refuse. I name a champion" The Princess said out loud

"who ever bares my pendant he shall fight for my hand" she reiterated

"That will be me " jack massaged his nose bridge as he rose. at this point 4 people where standing. almost 1000 eyes fixed on Jack's frame. some laughed, some gossiped, others gasped. it was all the same for the human.

"maybe we could avoid the whole death fight from the beginning" Jack's comment rose even more murmurs in the crowd.

"since i did not knew what it meant..." He said while talking out the pendant on his neck as more people where heard gossiping.

"you dare suggest your life is worth more than my daughter's hand?" for a second Jack stopped and chose his words carefully. Brandon rose from his seat and whispered Jack in his ear

"do you trust me?"

"with my life"

"agree to the bout" Jack nodded to his brother

"I ACCEPT!" Jack did not hesitated for a second, after he exclaimed out loud immediately cheers of drunk people took over the hall. the Queen and princess where half sliming and the Triton nodded accordingly.