The voice came from an old man, with a completely bald head, and a drooping, wrinkled face.  His ears appeared to be pointed, though it was hard to tell, they could have just been droopy. 

"Who are you?!" Pele growled, and Ekhi let out a roar. Shu shuddered and flinched at it, his eyes widening. Pele frowned at him, and looked back at the old man. He stared back with cold, beady eyes that seemed to stare into Pele's soul.  Pele shivered, her tan skin breaking out in goose bumps. She didn't like this man.

"I am the Game Master.  And you are all pawns."  The old man smiled wickedly, revealing crooked, yellow teeth, with several missing. The man chuckled, an then clasped his wrinkled hands together.

"W-what do you mean?" Shu cried, his blue eyes widening.  Glitch glared at the old man, while Crypt looked calm, as did Tapio.  Ezili looked curious, while all Pele felt was anger.

Pele's markings glowed a bright orange color, and she summoned fire. The old man grinned, as if she hadn't done anything. And then her fire disappeared, leaving Pele to gawk at the place it had once been. Never before had she felt so weak, so powerless. To have her fire disappear was like having a beloved pet attack with hatred, and the intent of murder. There were few worse feelings to exist.

"What's the matter, little girl?  Scared?  You should be."  The old man chuckled, then grew more serious.  "Now, let me explain.  You will all be tested to see how good your magic is.  Then, you will be forced to fight each other.  Not to the death, mind you, but enough to severely injure.  It will be a tournament, of sorts.  There will be a prize for the winner, each prize different depending on who wins."

His explanation was met with silence. All six were surprised, to put it lightly. Shu looked scared, his eyes wide and his face pale.  Crypt and Tapio looked neutral, while Ezili and Glitch looked annoyed.  Pele herself, as much as she loathed to admit it, was excited.  She could fight, and none of her opponents looked too tough, except maybe Glitch.

Then again, anyone could be hiding some serious magical talent. She could be up against creatures with god-like abilities, for all she knew. She could be beaten to a pulp, and that would definitely not be fun. More like excruciatingly painful.

"Shu, you will be tested first.  The rest of you may go to your rooms."  Without Pele's doing, her body started to walk towards her room.  Moving her eyes (she couldn't move her head), she saw that the same was for everyone but Shu.  They all entered their respective rooms, and made sure to lock the doors behind them. 

What was once a small, empty room, was now a much larger, nice looking bedroom.  Heat blasted from all sides, making the room nice and boiling.  The floor was completely tile, so she wouldn't be able to accidentally set anything on fire.  Her bed was large, with a red and yellow bedspread, and an orange pillow.  It looked so soft, like it would give her the best sleep she'd ever had.  A large, oak dresser sat in a corner, no doubt full of clothes.

In the exact middle of the room was a large, stone bowl.  Strong, orange flames burned bright in it, burning with a might.  The flames were beautiful, and they cast a lovely yellow glow across the room.  The crackling noise was soothing, as was the heat.  Fire had always been comforting to Pele, and this was no exception. 

Then, once again against her will, Pele felt herself walking towards the door.