Chapter Sixty Eight: The Shameful Case of Commissioner Fry By James

It was the dark times. The appointed time for this controversial edition of the Prudence Wars came without a Seer's warning, and with the force of quite unnecessary haste. It was being hosted by the Potioneers, and a controversial question was also entered, ready to be decided by the constellation of the fates. During that time, the heavenly bodies are generally regarded as the infinite source of purified truths. It was held: Should the remaining Magicians of the land be allowed to seek freedom? The question selected by the Untarnished Cup seems to be plausible at the first instance when the infallible smoke finally emerges from its brim.

All of the important preliminary proceedings were presided by Commissioner Fry By James, one of the best Commissioner of Games to be ever elected in history, and this is his third Prudence Wars on the job. Nothing controversial was said during the initial phase of the Games, and this critical portion went smoothly and without any serious incident. The Heroes from both sides of the General Fellowship has been selected with care and the appropriate expertise, and the high rollers have placed their respective bets, all of them hoping for good luck.

One of the Heroes selected to participate in this Purple Junket is named Nicholas. Although there may be a significant number of persons within this universe who were named Nicholas, it can be confirmed that this individual Nicholas eventually became the person of Santa Claus, who, according to tradition, eventually went on to establish the entity of the Christmas Corporation. He was a very skillful Dark Master, and he commands the stars and constellations with grace and mastery expected from the best warriors of his contemporaries.

As anticipated, he breezed his way into the semi-final stage of the Games, along with three other Dark Masters and two Potioneers. While the surviving Potioneers were outnumbered two-to-four, the two remaining Potioneers were very skilled in the use of their poison bombs, as well as in their skirmish combat using their preferred tools of arrow and spear.

The semi-final round is about to begin with the intervention of the Arch-Sinisters by using the Sinister Agent created specifically for them, and subsequently paired with each of the semi-finalists. This portion of the Games was designed to test the inherent weaknesses of the chosen Heroes, and there is a strict rule governing its conduct. Once the semi-final participant submitted his waiver to proceed to the Flame of the Untarnished Cup, there is no turning back from this point moving forward. Even in death, those who must face their custom-made Sinister Agent will have to defeat the designated foe or face the prospect of death while trying, and anybody who will subsequently withdraw from the bounds of the Purple Demarcation Line without defeating the assigned Sinister Agent must face the consequences as prescribed by the Most Ancient Random Law of Untarnished Reputation.

In the Games participated by Nicholas, he was faced with a very daunting task of defeating a Sinister Agent who can shift from a skilled warrior into an animal and vice versa. Werebeings are one of his most dreaded characters within folklore and he was caught unprepared. But of course, there is no turning back. He must defeat this Sinister Agent at all costs or the consequences of fleeing will be severe. But if worse comes to worst, he cannot afford to simply let himself die.

But Nicholas would soon fail to comply to the point of defeat, and he became the first person in history who actually took the courage (or succumb to cowardice, depending on the individual's point of view) to escape from this stage of the Games, and also becoming the first person in history to be able to do so.

He managed to escape the unescapable. It was an utter impossibility, yet it happened for all of the General Fellowship to see. Not even the Brokerage Firm could believe what they are witnessing.

As soon as he left the arena and successfully pass through the purple demarcation line, the involuntary effect of the penal clause that enabled the curse of the Untarnished Cup into effect. Everybody was horrified as the imposed penalty of the Cup manifested immediately (as it was never seen before) when the tongues of the Flame captured Nicholas as he was fleeing down the main exit of the Stadium.

Soon, there was complete pandemonium, and the conduct of the Games was temporarily suspended for the next day. Even the Group of Seven was extremely surprised of this unprecedented event happening; all of them thought of the same thing, except for one. She knew all along (and she was secretly participating in the hidden plan) that this thing could eventually happen because there is someone plotting against them all.

Nicholas had a target on his back from the very beginning, and his Sinister Agent was made specifically to ensure his most painful death. Whilst the Games quickly became the Shameful Case of Commissioner Fry By James' career, Nicholas was able to save himself by running to the safety of retreat; at that moment, there is no other choice but to live. And as a result of the extreme penalty of the Untarnished Cup, it has been decided by the involuntary impetus that because of his circumstances crossing the purple line, he would have to become a despicable Werewolf himself as the final penalty to be meted out, a condition very similar to the dark substance of his appointed Sinister Agent.

It sounds very cliche already, but there is, indeed, a purpose for everything. But for now, it is comforting to know that the prophecy of the foundation of The North Pole polity has been preserved from sabotage and confusion.

x------------x

This Chapter is sponsored by Louis Vuitton.