Willing Combatant

This is not a ritual for the faint of heart, and death will come swiftly to those who are not prepared.

However, those that are prepared will gain great reward from this. If you succeed of course.

To summarize this ritual, you will be summoning a being to engage in single combat. You must defeat this creature in combat under the terms listed, and breaking any of the terms will result in a forfeit of the following; your life. The Combatant chosen will be at random, and there are many awaiting to destroy you.

The reward? Well, ask yourself what you truly desire from life and you will be granted it, should you suceed. Be it material, non-material, etc. Your desire will not impact the difficulty of combat, nor will it impact the Combatant. Choose wisely, for after you begin the ritual, you cannot turn back.

Still not deterred? Then proceed, and see if you truly can handle the heat.

You will need the following items to begin the ritual:

- A knife.

- A piece of paper.

- Something capable of starting a fire.

- An outdoor area near your home to begin ritual.

- Four sticks of roughly equal length.

- An item of sentimental value

- A melee weapon of sorts that you are comfortable or skilled using in combat. Bear in mind, your life will depend on how well you can use said weapon. Attempting to use any other type of weapon will result in forfeit. If you are not skilled with any particular style of melee combat, and for some reason are still persisting in this ritual, try a spear.

To begin the ritual, it must be night. After sundown, proceed to the site which you will be conducting the ritual and bring your materials. Do not worry, you will not enter combat until three nights after you finish the ritual.

- First, create a standing pyramid with the four sticks.

- Secondly, place the object of sentimental value underneath the sticks. If it is too large to fit, at least   ensure a portion of it is below the sticks.

- Thirdly, cut your finger with the knife and pick up the paper. Write what you desire with the blood and decide carefully, you will be unable to change your choice.

- Lastly, place the paper atop the stick, but do not skewer it. This will be interpreted as a taunt to the Combatant.

If you are having doubts, turn back now. This is the final chance to opt out. If not, ignite the paper atop the sticks. After it has completely burned and the ashes have collected on the object of sentimental value, take the object and store it where it was originally located. The sticks nor the object need to burn for the ritual to complete. After following the previous steps, rejoice. Now, you are going to prepare, and wait.

Two nights pass after burning the paper, on the third night the Combatant will approach. Your arena? Your very home. Presuming you have trained well, you should be prepared. On the third day, you are to return to the place where you ignited the paper, this is your only hint as to what awaits you.

You will see an item or several items on the ground, this is a message left by the Combatant. The item directly where the ashes were will signify the challenge, and the item slightly above it will signify the challenger.

In the ashes: Above the ashes: Depeding on the combination, that will be your enemy. That night, it will enter your home, and the combat will begin. Should you succeed, return to the spot where you ignited the paper and it will be there. If it is non-material then sleep, and you will awake with what you desired, or soon it will find you.
 * A pebble, this signifies basic strengths and weaknesses. Your opponent will be moderately prepared, and not particularly specialized.
 * A rose, this will signify an opponent who is seasoned, and is most likely going to outmatch you. Skill will be the deciding factor.
 * An apple, this signifies an opponent who is deceptive, and will most likely attempt to trick you. Whike they may not be as physically able as you are, they can quickly before it starts.
 * A rodent skull, you are severely outmatched and will most likely fail. There will be no deception, only brute force that will destroy you. Only luck will truly save you.
 * A knife, your opponent will be humanoid.
 * A blackened cross, your opponent will be demonic.
 * A tooth, your opponent will be an animal of sorts.
 * A shoe, your opponent will be a distorted version of a loved one.
 * A red string, your opponent will be a ghost or being of a different realm.

On a final note, DO NOT;

- Leave the house on the night of combat, it will simply track you down and kill you.

- Plead for mercy, this will only make death come quicker.

- Taunt the Combatant unnecessarily, this will only result in difficulty for you.

- Hide for an excessive amount of time, eventually it will find you.

- Drag out the fight, if possible, end it the minute the Combatant appears.

- Barricade yourself in a room, this will make escape impossible when needed.

- Break any mirrors, if you do, the creature can request reinforcements if it chooses.

Good luck.