Yomi: The Blank Canvas

Story by Futariffic

Hello all. Sorry I've been M.I.A. I was actually working on stuff for the story contest but didn't get it in by the deadline. Anywho, I have a new tale to tell and it's actually based on a card game. A card game by the name of "Yomi", which is based on a franchise called "Fantasy Strike". I have a favorite character that I just kept thinking about and eventually this is what came of all my tinkering around with story ideas. Now as it is a card game with no real story of sorts I took a few liberties with the characters and plot to create this tale. I will post pics of the characters in the next post in order to let people use their imaginations before I go: "This is what they look like!" (Sorry no songs this time guys). As I always tell my audience feedback is much appreciated and the more I get, the more I write, so if you would like a follow-up story give thanks and let me know via post, message, or whatever. Without further ado here is:

Yomi: The Blank Canvas

Intro:

Yomi it is a word that means many things. But in a world torn by war it became a word of peace. The Yomi Tournament became the common ground for civilizations to wage private wars by the terms of one-on-one battles. This great tournament was founded nearly one-hundred years ago by a former king named Garus Rook. Rook, the cursed king who became a golem made of stone, remained the reigning champion and slowly acquired freedom from the oppressive government for his people of the Sanctuary. Rook’s best friend, the immortal Jefferson DeGrey, became a leader of the Yomi Council and enforced the rules that both his own people of the Morning Star Sanctuary and the power-hungry people of the Flagstone Republic must abide by.

As it stands the Morning Star Sanctuary and the Flagstone Republic control almost equal halves of the world with the Flagstone being slightly larger. The main difference is that the people of Morning Star Sanctuary are peacefully content but the Flagstone people want to control all the world, claiming only then can there be true peace. However, a few small, independent nations still exist and wish to see both superpower governments abolished in order to let the people truly be free.

A year ago a mysterious challenger by the name of Grave Stormborne from the independent nation of the Dragon Vale entered the Yomi Tournament. To everyone’s shock and amazement he made it all the way to the finals and faced the undefeated, invincible champion. The battle between the two would go down in history as an epic showdown that lead to the dethroning of the near one-hundred year champion Garus Rook.

Some cheered and some booed but the Morning Star Sanctuary, by rules of the game, got a portion of their nation reallocated to the independent nations. This made the nation now weak enough for Flagstone to set in-motion a plan of recruiting Grave and finally uniting the world. But as mysteriously as he appeared, he vanished. Now a year has passed and it is time for the next Yomi Tournament. Stories of the reappearance of Grave have reached far and wide, even into the Animallands. Rook, with the weight of his nation’s fate on his shoulders, prepares himself to again face Grave Stormborne and to destroy anyone who stands in his way.

Meanwhile, a girl named Valerie Rose, who is Rook’s Creative Consult stares at a blank canvas with her heterochromatic eyes, unable to think of what to paint. Everyone else rambles on about the Yomi Tournament, which she hopes will give her inspiration for yet another masterpiece…

Piece 1:

Primary Colors

Valerie watched from the arena-side stables with her head in clouds as it often was. Her long, blond hair, mostly bunched at the back of head, lofted in the breeze as she shut her green right eye and her blue left eye. She tried to imagine what life was like when her people still existed. She knew she was not quite human, but not quite so different either. She was much like a human girl but with uncharacteristic differences. She recalled how years ago the mighty King Rook protected her and took her into his sanctuary where she had lived in peace ever since. Valerie loved to paint and even became world-renowned for her work, but still every now-and-then she would hit a creativity wall. This was odd to her as she knew she put her heart and soul into each piece, but lately nothing truly inspired her.

She recalled her and Max’s conversation in the science lab, where he often was found tinkering with very dangerous experiments.

***

"So you’re entering the Yomi Tournament for the first time this year also, huh?" Geiger asked adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah… I need something to help me&#

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