<strong>"The first event will be... a grand hunt!"</strong><br/><br/>Elsewhere, members of the guard and gaming commission stood by in vigil besides large cages. When they heard the mayor's voice resonating through the air, they started to unlatch the containers and open them up.<br/><br/><strong>"As we speak, hundreds of animals are being released into Old Town! Each is wearing a collar with a gold piece amount inscribed upon it."<br/></strong><br/>One cage opened, and in the darkness, something<em>writhed.</em><br/><br/><strong>"At the conclusion of the event, each group in possession of a <em>live</em> animal will be rewarded, and special prizes will go to the Third, Second, and First Place winners! Team Adventurers will have their gold amount divided between their members, so as to allow single and duet adventurers a fair deal."</strong><br/><br/>A guard threw a thunderstone into the cage, and out came dozens upon dozens of collared chipmunks scrambling away from the frightening noise in a hurry. Elsewhere, a commission member dumped out a bag full of bunnies, who casually hopped out and around upon the empty street. "Wyriff's Mass Haste!" Shouted a wizard across the street as at least a score of magically enhanced weasels bolted away like furry lightning.<br/><br/><strong>"Rule number one! An Adventurer may contest another adventurer for possession of a bounty but <em>no</em> deaths may result from these battles. Killing a fellow adventurer or allowing another to die is strictly forbidden, and that competitor's team will be disqualified from this and all future events in this year's Mass Games!"</strong><br/><br/>The mayor clapped his hands together,<strong> "Rule Number Two... Obey all commands from the commission! Things could change at a drop of a hat... and who knows what twists and turns might be ahead of us today? And with that... There<em> are</em> no other rules!"</strong><br/><br/>The stage went alight and fireworks rose up into the air. They crackled and smoked up above them as a small airship descended towards the stage,<strong> "BEGIN!"</strong><br/><br/>A ladder dropped down from the balcony of the airship as it drifted close enough to kick up dust, but most of the crowd of adventurers was already furiously heading out, sprinting away in every other direction. From above, the audience in the airships watched with glee. Commission airships cast scryings all over the enclosed area, routed to a single junction elsewhere in the city. From there, people all over the world could see the action from the comfort of their local arenas or homes. The eyes of the world were upon them, and Old Town awaited. The first event of the Mass Games was on!<br/><br/>