The skies rumble as the darkened clouds began to roll in. Thunder run amok as Zeus and the other gods took their seats in their special thrones. Standing beneath he ginormous seats stand the 7 champions. Odin's lone eye scans between them, as if searching for something within them. After a few minutes Odin finally spoke. "Now that the time has come the battlefield shall now be explained, along with the wars proceedings." Odin points the end of Gungnir to an area behind the seven people.
"Before you lies the fog of warfare. Although you can not see it yet, on the other side lays where you will fight to the end. There will be 3 skirmishes, with each having a more hazardous area than the last. Because their are seven of you, one of you will be withheld from the first match."
A runescreen flickers to life, as a rotation of names are rapidly displayed. It slows to a stop, landing on words 'Sova, champion of the Greeks'. A not so subtle smirk grows on Zeus' face, but says nothing. "Now, may the war begin. And remember: He with a short sword should seek peace." The bottom of Gungnir taps the floor, and the seven people are gone.
When Amar opened his eyes again, he found himself in his base again. The same store room, his troops, the fortress, and Big Cam. The difference however, was that not only does Big Cam seem to be more awake, but their is a transparent dome over his area. "Magic truly is a weird thing." Seeing that his base is now in a rocky area instead of the once rolling plains he was used to, Amar turned to his army. "All right, time is of the essence! Magnus, you, Hamso and Hamsa, along with 5 of the normal tortoises and 2 crop Kaes' will follow me to go on an expedition." The group named all chirp excitedly, happy to see what is beyond the tiny home they had resided in. "Arlo, you and willow will defend the base with the rest. Don't let Anyone in!" Arlo snaps to attention as willow imitates a salute with a vine.
Finished briefing his group Amar hops onto Magnus as he says "Let's move!" The tortoises lurch forward, heading off into the unknown. Amar and his group travel for about 2 hours, with the tortoises occasionally swapping on patrol duty. Amar's eyes suddenly pick up energy readings a head. Believing that an enemy is up ahead Amar warns his group of potential danger up ahead. The tortoise troops tense up, ready for action.
Yet instead of finding the expected war commander, a vast expanse of copper appears before Amar's eyes. "Perfect, with this, I can advance some of my other projects!" Amar leaps off of magnus and directs the group to the expanse. "Ok, what we have just found will be very useful to us! I need you guys to gather as much as you can carry! those that bring the most get extra treats for how hard they work!" The tortoises all have a shine in their eyes at the mention of extra snacks. Without further delay, they rush to get the task done. Like that, hours pass as the group travel back and forth from the new resource field to home base, with magnus, being bigger than the others, hauling back the most minerals in record time.
By the dawn of the second day, Amar's exploration group, now both well fed and well rested, head back to the field to gather more materials. "New day, new findings, let's get to it!" The tortoises disperse, ready to get more treats, er, materials. Watching them work, Amar begins to walk around to collect the fallen materials with the help of the Crop Kaes. Thanks to the sturdy vines made from their shells, Amar is able to weave together baskets strong enough to hold the minerals. For magnus, a large net was made so that he could drag it with him. "Maybe I should start working on wheels when I get back..." As Amar was planning his next projects, a loud hiss is heard coming from his right. Amar runs over, picking up Hamso and Hamsa who happened to be nearby.
The other tortoise troops stop what their doing to follow their commander. Amar runs past a large rock formation to see the scenario before him. One of the regular tortoise troops is taking cover in its shell as it is being besieged on all sides by 6 mammals. The creatures that are ganging up on the tortoise seem to resemble something Amar has read about before. Aren't those marmots? they look so...different." The now identified marmots have reddish brown fur, beady eyes and a bushy tail, very similar to a squirrel. Each individual has large claws, ideal for both digging and attacking, as seen with how they are scratching at one of Amar's tortoises.
Two stone like objects are thrown, hitting one marmot in it's side and another in the foot, startling the creatures. They look around to find the perpetrator, their eyes landing on Amar. As they were about to engage the lone human, The two pelted members suddenly scream in pain. As it turns out, Amar had thrown Hamso, and Hamsa as projectiles! The two tortoises clamp down on the leg of each individual, hindering their mobility.
Chaos ensues as the other marmots begin launching attacks to deal with the duo. Hamso and Hamsa release their captured foes as they retract into their shells. The claws and fangs that were originally meant for the annoying clamps on their family members ended up striking the incapacitated marmots, fatally injuring them. Enraged, the remaining 4 marmots surge forward, only to be forced back as Magnus barrels into their flank. The H duo head back into battle while Amar, Carrying a stone large enough to fit in his hand, approaches. Nearing the marmot that had ended up tramped during Magnus' charge, Amar says "Consider this as an act of mercy." He then proceeds to repeatedly slam the stone into the marmots head, somewhat contradictory to what mercy is from how brutal each impact was.
Hands now covered in blood, both figuratively and literally, Amar takes a breath as he watches the remaining troops swarm the last three. As the battle draws to a close, Amar picks up one of the Crop Kaes to begin the healing process. Contrary to belief, a tortoise's shell is a part of the tortoise, meaning that they can also feel pain in that area. With the Crop Kaes helping the injured, Amar feels a sense of pride wells up in his chest as he thought "These little guys have become something special under my care."