Golden Gate Empire: Dreams of Grandeur [IC | PG-16]

[Dad]

OOC can be found here.

Stronger

 

Inside of the large, rounded stadium seating more than one hundred thousand, spotlights bounced around.  The crowd buzzed with excitement and anticipation, as the finalists were about to be revealed.  The overhead lights went out with a thud, and the people who had gathered went into a frenzy.  The atmosphere was electric, as only two spotlights aimed at the large stage in the center of the stadium.  There was a hissing, as fog now billowed out of the center stage, as the music played.  The crowd cheered, as the center of the stage split apart, and a large platinum platform began to rise.  On the platform, eight finalists peered through the black cloaks on their heads.  Until now, they had never met their opponents, nor seen their faces.  But that was about to change.

 

As the preliminary rounds had gone off without a hitch, and many battles took place far and wide across the world, these eight contestants were about to meet for the first time as finalists.

 

The platform came to a stop, and the roar of the crowd continued to grow.  With some slight feedback, the announcer's voice boomed into the stadium.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen!  Please welcome--from this world and beyond--your Secret Cup Finalists!"

 

One by one they removed their cloaks, the tension in the air growing, and making them stiff.  They looked to one another, some smiling, some jeering, some paying no attention at all.  They looked around the stadium, seeing just how far they had come.  From the bottom of more than five thousands contestants, the eight that stood on this stage today were the strongest among them all.  And the crowd knew it.  Their very applause rocked the stadium to its core, a reverberating, deafening joy that sent chills down their collective spines.  They had made it to the top of the food chain.

 

There were still a number of surprises in store for the remaining contestants, and the first of them was about to be revealed.  Throughout the tournament, the host had never met the contestants in person, yet he knew everything about them.  Entering on a much smaller platform from below the stage, Sergei Nikolaev spread his arms wide, as the crowd continued to cheer.  He encouraged them, clapping his hands as he looked to the crowd.  Slowly he turned around, raising his hands up and down to encourage the stadium's occupants to keep going.  He was as excited as they were.

 

He turned back around once more, tapping into a small microphone in his ear. and extending the mouth piece to his face.  "Are you excited!?" he asked with a heavy Russian accent.

 

The crowd cheered back at Sergei, who couldn't help but be pleased.  Turning to the contestants, he repeated the question.  "Are you excited!?"  But the contestants answers would be drowned out by the crowd still.  He faced his people once more, raising a hand to ask for silence.

 

"Thank you, thank you all.  Clearly, you are ready to see an incredible battle.  But--"

 

The crowd exploded again, and Sergei quickly soothed them, with a smile and a wave.  

 

"But, we must do these things properly.  In order to have good, clean, and safe fun, we will lay down a few rules.  We'll discuss the rules once, and no more throughout the tournament.  Everyone okay with that?"  The crowd cheered, though not as loudly as before, confirming Sergei's inquiry.  "Very good.  First and foremost, no business will take place on hotel grounds.  This is a safety measure for all of us.  This means no contestant or guest may engage in any form of combat while on hotel property.  Second," Sergei said turning to the contestants.  "Contestants, this only applies to you.  Stepping outside of the designated barrier of an arena is an immediate disqualification.  You will know the boundaries of the arena by the large red electric netting that stretches around the arena's chosen borders.  And finally, contestants, this is a rule you should be aware of already.  That is, you are not  required to spare the lives of your opponents.  This means, during a battle, you may execute your opponent.  Of course, You may render your opponent unconscious, or your opponent may also choose to kneel before you in surrender.  These are the winning conditions of any and all bouts."

 

Sergei turned back to the crowd, pacing back and forth across the stage.  "Those are the only rules, ladies and gentlemen.  And keeping them in mind, I will hold you no longer.  But before you go, let us give our contestants another round of applause."

 

The crowd erupted one last time, as the stage was once more engulfed in fog, as the platforms sank below.  The lights above disappeared, and the contestants were once again covered in darkness.  The urge not to attack their opponents now was like a bad itch, but they maintained their composure as a light behind them caused the contestants to turn their heads and journey back down a long, damp, concrete tunnel.

 

A cool breeze washed over them, as a rather large entrance to a quaint and cozy conference room.  Inside, a giant, a child, a pretty boy, and a security guard waited for them.

 

The contestants entered one by one, cautiously walking around the elongated, wooden conference table.  There were enough seats to go around, and even a few extras; they were all cushy and luxurious, as per the wealth of the world's richest man.  The contestants took their seats (for those able), as Sergei walked in behind them, and closed the twelve foot doors behind him.  

 

He stood at the head of the table, an excited smile on his face.  "Thank you all so much for your patience with me.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Sergei Nikolaev, owner and host of the tournament."

 

He was an older man, standing about six feet and two inches tall, balding except for the pony tail at the back of his head.  He sported a nearly trimmed goatee, that complimented his chiseled chin.  His eyes were wide with excitement, their silver color shining in the light of the conference room.  He wore a black vest, white oxford shirt and black tie.  His sleeves were rolled up, and a visible tattoo in red script reading "Margaret" was upon his right forearm.  He was a fairly well built gentleman, in his early forties and living the prime of his life.  He also wore black slacks, with a pocket watch attached to his belt loop, beside a mobile phone casing attached to his waist.  He completed the ensemble with square toed black dress shoes with golden buckles and black socks.

 

"I can imagine you are all fatigued after such a long day.  And of course, meeting your competition for the first time can only make you more anxious."  His accent was heavily Russian, but his English was more than fair.  "So, I'll try not to keep you for too long.  I thought it best that I introduce you to my staff as soon as possible, so that you have answers whenever you may need them."

 

Sergei walked over to the giant and the pretty boy, and stood between them.  The child took a seat at the foot of the table, and the security guard remained silent and still.

 

"Let me start with my head of research and development, monster specialist, coordinator, and controller, and senior scientist and engineer, Miss Rachel Charles.  You may better know her as RC."

 

The younger girl looked up from an electronic tablet in her hand, and waved to the contestants.  "Hi," she said with a squeaky but cheery voice.

 

"Don't let her age fool you.  Miss Charles may only be thirteen, but I can assure you there is no person this side of the planet who is as intelligent as she.  Why, the very technology advancements and the design of the barrier was her doing."

 

Rachel gave a cheeky smile.  "I do alright for myself."  She went back to her tablet right away, swiping away at the screen.

 

"The man behind her is my head of security and personnel, Mr. Geno Olsen.  You may refer to him as Ghost."

 

He was busy tossing a ball up and down in his hands, and it seemed to be alive with electricity dancing inside of it.  He caught the ball, and politely stuffed it into his breast pocket on his uniform, as he bid the contestants with a wave.  Geno was tall, about six feet and three inches.  Brown hair was barely visible beneath his old Navy Seal's helmet.  He wore a solid blue metal visor over his eyes, and a gruff voice spoke through the mask hiding his face.  "Pleasure to meet you all."

 

"Geno's work is the reason the tournament has been so well contained.  We've not had an incident on hotel property since he was hired.  It's been ten years!" Sergei said excitedly.  "And now, to introduce you to the man I'm sure you're most curious about.  This man, despite his size, is indeed human.  This, is Theodore Astrange.  You may know him as Tiny.  My architect and designer.  And of course, you know now why all of the entrances are so large.  Tiny is a large fellow."

 

Tiny sat his enormous hammer on the floor at his feet, and slowly bowed.  He was a monster of a man, standing at just over ten feet tall.  "I apologize for my appearance.  There was a convention today, and my daughter asked me to partake.  I would normally be wearing my business attire," he said with a hearty chuckle.

 

Sergei patted Tiny on the back.  "His daughter is the cutest thing.  I hope you can meet her soon.  Ah, yes!  But last and not least, the man standing to my right--my right hand man--is Bradley Austin.  He goes by Ace.  He has many titles!  But the reason I chose him to be a part of my staff is because of his past as a counselor.  Ace is a great humanist, with a big heart.  Coupled with his medical practice and his Ace in the Hole, Children's Foundation, he's also my best friend.  Ace is the reason the tournament is still going. In times when I have been unsure or doubtful, his voice has been one of security,  Because if there is a problem none of my other staff can solve, he can without a doubt bring the case to a close."

 

Bradley nodded politely, flashing a smile to the contestants.  "I'm only human.  I can only do so much.  But it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

 

Sergei clapped his hands once, gesturing to the contestants.  "And there you have it.  These are my heads of staff, and can always, always reach them.  In fact, RC is working on a new communication device that conveniently attaches to your wrist like a bracelet.  I haven't heard much about it, but she should have it nearing completion."

 

Rachel nodded.  "It's almost done!  It's got a map, a two way comm system, an mp5 player, and all kinds of stuff!  I could tell you all about it now, but it would take a while," she said with a shy smile.

 

"Now then, contestants, I must attend to some important matters regarding the tournament bracket and the arenas.  However, I will be available all night for any and all questions you may have for me.  The same goes for my staff.  There is no question off limits.  In addition, I've had some VIP passes created for you all, giving you access to each facility and room on hotel property."

 

Ghost folded his arms.  "I'm still not sure about that, boss."

 

Sergei waved an arm at Geno.  "Nonsense.  There are no secrets here.  Other than the name of the tournament, everything is available to our contestants.  I want the to be assured that we are all here to have a good time.  This was put together for the entertainment factor after all.  And contestants, all of your--"

 

"Dad!" came a calling outside of the conference room.

 

"Miss Nikolaev!  There's a very important meeting going--" a male voice began outside of the conference room doors behind Tiny.

 

"I know that!  And I'm friggin' missing it!  DAD!" she screamed, snatching back the doors.  

 

"Matilda!  I thought you were away," Sergei said, spreading his arms for the girl who entered the room.

 

Matilda Nikolaev  hugged her father, then proceeded to bop him over the head with the butt of her palm.  "That was yesterday.  Why didn't you tell me this was the meet day for the finalists?"

 

Sergei shrugged, letting Matilda go.  "So sorry my dear.  Oh, let me introduce you.  These are our contestants.  Everyone, this is my daughter, Matilda."

 

She politely waved to the contestants.  "Sorry I'm late.  I didn't know you guys had gathered until one of RC's bots came zooming down the hall cheering for someone named Angelica.  And now, I've got to get moving.  Dad, you too.  We have to schedule their rides for tomorrow."  Her voice was American, unlike her father's.  She was possibly from the Midwest, as she did have a very slight accent.

 

Sergei sighed, nodding to Matilda.  "Well, we have to prepare your travel for tomorrow.  However, I've left identification cards for each of you with RC.  This will cover your food, fun, and any amenities on hotel property.  Please use them at your discretion, and enjoy your stay."

 

"Nice meeting you all!" Matilda called back, tugging Sergei by the arm. 

 

"Tiny, Ace, will you be joining us?" Sergei asked, turning around to the large doors that towered even above Tiny.

 

"Are we going to get dinner?" Theodore asked, picking up his hammer and exiting the room first.

 

"You have some ideas?" Sergei asked, following behind Tiny.

 

Bradley piped up.  "I know a great Mongolian place."

 

Sergei turned to him excitedly.  "Mongolian!  That sounds wonderful!" Their voices began to trail off as the doors behind them were shut.  Ghost was leaning on the wall beside RC, but stood up straight.  He took the ball from his pockets, as he prepared to bid the contestants good night.

 

"It was good to meet you all.  I'll be up for a while longer, but if you have any questions for me, I'll be on the rooftops of the North Tower.  Those badges you'll get should get you through security.  But if any of my men give you sheet, just let me know.  I'll handle it."

 

Turning to face the wall, Geno threw up a hand, and began tossing the ball up and down once more.  He proceeded to become completely intangible, until he was no longer visible, and walked through the wall.  His voice could still be heard, as he tossed the electric orange ball up and down in his hands.  Just outside the conference room, he called for someone, with a rhythmic whistle.  "Here boy.  Where are ya?"  His voice too trailed off in the distance.

 

RC sat with a grin, but shot right up and began passing out the ID cards that had been made for the contestants.  "These were made with you in mind.  All access passes man!  That even includes the theme park after dark.  Even I can't go to the park after dark."  Rachel was obviously very happy about being apart of Sergei's team, and even more so to be meeting the contestants.  "I'm actually going to go back to my room for the night.  I should go to bed, but some friends are planning a raid in about an hour, and I wanna get in on some sweet loot.  But just in case," RC said, picking up her tablet and pressing a button.  "I've got Hugo and Roy available to reach me.  Just call for one of them, and those bots will be around faster than you can say 'Mad King Pol with no healers'!"

 

RC waved good night to the contestants, and exited through the large oak doors that Tiny, Sergei, and Ace had used earlier.  The contestants were left to their vices, free to explore the hotel in all of its aspects from underground to rooftops.  Their rooms and room numbers were printed on their badges so they had an idea of where they would be staying. Four contestants in the East Tower.  Four contestants in the West Tower.  of course they could not engage in combat now, lest they be immediately disqualified.  However, the hotel, as large as it was, was their oyster.  And the night was young.

 

7:15 PM, First Night's Stay

[Tesability Black]

A quick OOC note about Rawal's and Talis-Eye's speech patterns. Since Rawal only knows how to speak in his original tongue, I'm using italics to indicate when they are and are not understood.

"Italics" = Spoken without translation, if a word is not in italics during this, the word in question can be understood without translation.

Italics = Thought out

Regular = Talis-Eye are projecting/using illusions to make Rawal understood OR Talis-Eye are speaking for themselves

 

"Ladies and gentlemen!  Please welcome--from this world and beyond--your Secret Cup Finalists!"

"I don't know who's more grandiose, this person or Shema."

Couldn't tell you that, never met the former High Councilor ourselves.

Underneath the darkened robes, an elder man peered from underneath the hood of the ensemble, watching as the crowd cheered as he heard the thudding of cloth nearby.

Just you now.

Nodding to himself, the black robes were dropped from around him, revealing the elder as he wore another black set of robes underneath, the hood and upperchest area the color of red instead with metal plating on the shoulders. He stood at roughly 5'10", and the outfit he wore made it appear like he had some bulk to him. Lowering the hood of his own outfit, he revealed greying hair, some of it peppered with white, that was held back in a ponytail near the base of his neck and held down further under the robes. His face held a well-maintained beard with the same peppering of grey and white and his face miraculously did not have all the wrinkles a person his age would normally have on Earth.

Though he understood not one spoken word said, he understood what was said moments later as his mind was made to find the words said in his own native tongue by an unseen hand. This caused a tiny delay to his reactions, which were still what he thought to be appropriate, such as the nods of confirmations in regards to the rules repeated.

We are relieved by the last rule, an additional chorus of voices said, though only in his mind, as the scene around him suddenly went black. Some entities are too annoying to allow to continue breathing.

"You just enjoy killing in general," the elder spoke in a similar muted voice from earlier, trying to keep himself from being heard just yet as a new light came into view, guiding everyone towards it. He purposely allowed himself to be the last into the light, so that none would bump into the invisible entity behind him.

Only when the breeze hit him and he fully entered the room did something appear from behind the elder, however. Floating into his view was an orb of flesh in a dark-pink shade emerged, eleven eyes with differing colored irises blinking at varying times upon stalks that moves around to get a better view of everything, though he knew of the largest eye on the front of the creature that looked around with the dark-green iris.

"Oh, Rawal, why did you insist on us hiding our glorious presence," the creature complained in a way that all could understand. "The screams of the mortals would have been music to our ears..."

"Because this isn't home, Talis-Eye," Rawal spoke firmly, though he knew the others wouldn't understand him. "I'm trying not to push my luck here and neither should you."

An annoyed 'hmph!' made itself heard from the floating creature before it floated away, allowing itself to land upon one of the spare chairs nearby, crossing some of the stalks over itself as the eyes maintain their gazes upon all.

"I can imagine you are all fatigued after such a long day," was the phrase that recaptured his attention once translated in his mind, turning himself back towards the very reason he was able to be here. "So, I'll try not to keep you for too long.  I thought it best that I introduce you to my staff as soon as possible, so that you have answers whenever you may need them."

As he listened to the best of his ability, the telepathic translations he was getting occasionally tripping over itself on some of the more unusual words, the elder revealed to be named Rawal turned his gaze towards the child of the group in thought.

She would have made a good Shaper, he thought to himself.

Rawal had a mental double-take upon the giant of a person that had the nickname of 'Tiny', though he managed to keep it off his face. He's the size of a Battle Beta, he exclaimed in his head in shock.

We would say more the size of a Rotdhizon, honestly.

...stay out of my head, Talis-Eye.

The beholder-like being nearby gave a slight grin at this thought. But Rawal, I'm in everyone's head, I have to be in order to do my 'job', remember?

"Now then, contestants, I must attend to some important matters regarding the tournament bracket and the arenas.  However, I will be available all night for any and all questions you may have for me.  The same goes for my staff.  There is no question off limits.  In addition, I've had some VIP passes created for you all, giving you access to each facility and room on hotel property."

The words of the host cut off the chance for a retort from Rawal, though he did not show his annoyance as he tried to continue listening with Talis-Eye's aid...

...though the addition of another made it very-clear that this 'meeting' was now over. And he held back a wince as his stomach decided to hurt from the lack of food. Upon receiving a strange card which he slid under his robes from underneath the hood, he could tell that Talis-Eye had to take a moment to figure out how to translate the explanation of the card before giving it to him.

Soon, he found himself without any sort of direction on this foreign world...

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Don't. Throw. Up."

Bethany Cunningham. One of the supposed elite eight who made it through this most incredible of tournaments. One of the, apparently, strongest people in this entire place...was currently battling one monster case of stage fright.

"Why are there so many people. And these lights. And the fanfare. Geez Louise this was much too much." And that's not even to speak of the other contestants that were next to her on the stage. She was actively trying to avoid looking at them after she caught a glimpse of what she could only assume was a Trash Monster from Planet Barf.
 

Unfortunately this meant that she only had one place to look. At the crowd. They were one huge blur of hype and almost terrifying fervor. They were so very excited to watch them kill each other.

Bethany cursed at herself. "No don't judge them. You're no better, nah, you're worse. They just want to watch. You're actually going to be out there doing it." Of course up until now she had avoided actually killing anyone. But she knew it happened. She could only hope her, well not hers but practically at this point, kids didn't see her do the deed.

 

She tried to give the crowd a shy wave, with a smile, and she mostly succeeded. To her the smile felt lopsided, ugly, though to the crowd it might have passed for a cocky smirk.

Sergei, their host, asked if they were excited. Yeah, sure, super excited, stoked, radical, wait no that wasn't a synonym.

She barely even heard the rules but it's not like they were complicated. She understood how this worked. Don't die, don't run away, don't be an overly aggressive jerkface when not in a match.

 

"Oh thank God it's over." She let out a breath of relief as they were taken away from that crowd. Briefly she wondered if anyone here felt like fighting right then and there. She just felt like getting a bag to throw up in...especially now that she noticed that smell, what in God's name...Right, Planet Barf. From that point on Bethany decided she was just going to try and take things one step at a time. No need focusing on...whatever these people around her were just yet.

 

They entered a room with...quite the assortment. Some guard, some kid, some holyshititsavikinggiant...and... "Oh, he's...kinda hot."

Actually now that Bethany allowed herself to glance around at the room....Besides the obvious exception everyone here seemed fairly good looking. Bethany, already feeling inadequate, suddenly started to feel even more plain.

 

Sergei finally introduced himself. "Not that it wasn't obvious." She muttered, not realizing she said it out loud. Why was even this old dude built?

 

He rattled off the names of the staff, wait isn't child labor illegal, and Bethany tried to keep them all in mind. The only one that really stuck, though, was Tiny. For quite obvious reasons. She smiled at him as the man mentioned a daughter. She could totally get along with someone who'd do that for his kid.

 

Bethany frowned at mention of a communication device. Something about it. Something about the idea of being made to wear some fancy electronic doohickey was just strange to her. Granted this could be because she was unused to having anything that high tech anywhere near her.

 

Seemed that everything was going..."Oh she's hot too." Bethany said under her breath, once more not realizing she was talking, looking towards the new girl, Sergei's daughter, who had come in. Seriously was there something in the water here?

 

As RC gave her the ID, Bethany couldn't let her go without saying "That's really cool." In the most genuine way anyone had ever said anything. She knew from experience kids that age, and she was certainly a kid just like any other no matter her position, needed reassurances and compliments to encourage them. And Bethany naturally slipped into that roll whenever a kid was around.

 

As the staff left, Bethany was now alone with the contestant....wait did that guy just phase through the wall? Just like that? Anyway, room, people, stuff, focus.

 

The first thing she noticed, of course, were the kids. Blonde and blue haired. Two girls who looked way too young for this sort of thing. How was she supposed to fight kids? That was bologna of the highest caliber. Way beyond Oscar Mayer. Of course there was the giant trash monster but let's just pretend that doesn't exist, shall we? It seemed most of the others were, outwardly, fairly unremarkable. Though they all had something...unnerving about them.

Bethany shuddered. From both the cold she constantly felt and the strange, explainable, feeling of wrongness. She knew this was no normal tournament, but, several of these people just seemed...wrong.

 

Shaking her head, she stood from the chair. Upon doing so she realized momentarily that she had been sitting on something that was likely the most expensive thing her butt had touched ever. "Holy mackerel." She said, speaking louder, intentionally, for the first time. "I bet these chairs could feed me for a month. Er, not that I eat chairs..." She glanced, though she had been avoiding it, at the monster. "...not that there's anything wrong with that if you do."

 

Trying to find something else to focus on she settled on...Oh for Pete's sake is that a Dungeons and Dragons monster? Some of her kids were super into that game and she recognized it from some, rather distressing, art she found one 8 year old making. Whatever, you know what, sure, why not?
She tore her gaze from it to look at the older gentleman near it.

"...You a Wizard then?" She asked him. "Gonna go...uh, dungeon crawling after this or something?"

[Mr. Hyde]

 

As the stage raised into the air, and the finalists removed their cloaks, Louis grew a confident grin.  The rest of the competition looked like mincemeat...stepping stones on the way to that fortune.  Only one in particular caught his eye...that muck monster.  Out of all the contestants, that thing was the one that Louis wasn't able to keep his mind off of.  Sure, he had faced off against supernatural things in this competition...and hell he might've killed a couple of aliens...but that thing was just weird.  But he wouldn't dwell on the blob...no...he had much bigger things he needed to attend to. 

 

The charade began now.  

 

Louis waved to the crowd, an enormous and wide open smile tracing his face.  He laughed as they cheered.  To be honest, he had to admit, it was nice to be in the limelight for once instead of dwelling in the shadows.  Although...what was the point of having the admiration of worthless humans anyway?  

 

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan....when can I stretch?  I'm totally feeling cramped right about now."  A familiar voice rang in his head.  Basabth, the whiner, proving his namesake.  

 

"I told you....you have to stay in there until the first fight.  The element of surprise will be on our side."  An all too familiar groan was let loose, but Louis kept smiling on.  "Listen, once this is all over, and we get away from these losers, you can come out and play."

 

After the ceremonies concluded, the group was led into a conference room of sorts.  A large wooden table awaited with it's chairs ready to seat them.  Louis took his, and leaned forward onto the table, his elbows resting upon the fine lumber.  The important members of the hotel staff were introduced, and Louis made sure to keep mental notes of all their names, mannerisms, and the like.  If he were to get more information on this damn tournament, he would have to dig a little deeper than what they would allow them to see.  With the guise of the all access passes, and the open invitation to ask as many questions, they led Louis to believe that they too were hiding behind a charade.  If there was one thing Louis knew, it was never to bullshit a bullshitter.  And he was the biggest bullshitter of al-

 

"SACRE BLEU!"  Louis contained the thought in his head, but his eyes could barely be contained within his skull.  The hosts daughter was certainly the dime piece.  Louis wasn't expecting much from the Americans, but now he was biting his tongue.  She was one of the seraphim.  

 

"Snap out of it weirdo..."  Basabth cried from the shadows.  "Focus on the task at hand...play time later, remember!  If I can't have fun, you can't neither!"  

 

"That's a double negati-"

 

"I'm a shadow demon...I didn't take English okay?"  

 

"Fair enough."

 

With the staff leaving the room, and some of them foolishly revealing that they themselves had powers, the finalists were left to their own devices.  Of course, Louis didn't expect this place to not be guarded by people like himself, but it was foolish of them to even let him have a glimpse of their abilities.  The phaser especially annoyed him...although he could make himself intangible, he wondered if his shadow shared the same fate...only time would tell.  For now, it was time to put his mind at ease.  He stood up from his seat and strolled over to the pile of puke that called itself a contestant in this whole thing.  He gave her a weird look, before raising an eyebrow.  He knelt down to eye level and asked,

 

"Uhm...what the hell are you?"  

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

 

As her hood was pulled down from her cloak so that the audience could see her face, Kai Alvarado rolled her eyes as they made their cheers and their boos. She didn't really care that some of the spectators missed out on seeing an initially promising candidate in the cut, or how ecstatic some were when their favorites were revealed to have made it all the way to the finals. What she cared about was that almost no-one was giving her specifically the time of day. Truth be told, Kai could only really see one person out in the crowd that had paid any attention to her alone. A cloaked man, out in the far corner of her eye, gazed intently upon the young nephilim, presumably having watched her grow as a contestant, and having seemingly expected her to make it this far without trouble. Although how many contestants would Kai had to have triumphed over? Four thousand, nine hundred and ninety-two? Five thousand and ninety-two? Five thousand, one hundred and ninety-two? And further more, how much more blood was she expected to shed just so she could take it all? To think any nephilim at all, even one with Kai's mindset, would have no problem maiming or even killing whoever got in her way...

 

It would be unsettling, that was for sure, but it would be incorrect to say that that was not what the crowd had wanted from the finalists. As such, Kai would be expected to bring her A-Game even more than ever. As the ceremony concluded and the platform where the finalists had stood began to sink, the nephilim took a breath of what she thought would be the sweet smell of victory... only to immediately regret inhaling a vile musk that permeated from a certain someone.

 

"Oh god. Something reeks. Something actually ree-..." Kai plastered both hands over her nose as she said this, but then she turned towards the source; if she had to guess, this... thing was supposed to be a sentient blob of sludge and bile in a giant waste drum, "Oh, it's you. Guess that explains everything..."

 

Evidently, she was not amused that she'd have to endure the stench of this being, if she could even call if that, for the rest of the day. But it droned on nonetheless, with more introductions and more boring meeting stuff. Growing all the more disinterested, Kai simply lulled backwards on the chair that she seated herself on, with one leg over the other and her hands behind her head. She continued to lean on the chair until a commotion could be heard outside. Apparently, the daughter of Sergei, the guy who'd been hosting this Secret Tournament cup, was trying to get into the meeting too but was held up by one of the guards. But eventually the daughter was let through, and Sergei continued the meeting from where it was. Though the daughter's arrival did trigger a couple of reactions, mostly because of her beauty.

 

The one coming from the younger of the two guys, Kai could understand. However...

 

"Oh, she's hot too," ...did Kai just hear that right? A woman, saying another girl was hot? She didn't exactly trust that tone the woman was using either. In any case, it peaked Kai's desire to say something about it, however harsh it may have come across. After all, Kai was never known to have a filter.

 

"The hell's wrong with you?!" she asked the woman in a condensing manner, "Ya can't go round saying sheet like that towards the host's daughter, you boob! Even I know that!"

 

...

 

Eventually, the meeting drew to a close, and the young kid, RC, had given everyone ID's that would apparently allow access to anywhere at any time. She even claimed that they could go to the theme park after dark if they wanted to, which wasn't normally possible by the sounds of it. As RC left, Kai mulled over the idea of checking out that theme park. Hopefully no-one else wanted to go so she could have some alone time to contemplate on things, but that was unlikely.

 

'Eh, I guess I'll go,' Kai decided, 'What's another few hours of fun gonna do?'

 

With that, she headed towards the entrance to the park.

[Yui]

---

"Ladies and gentlemen!  Please welcome--from this world and beyond--your Secret Cup Finalists!"

 

Upon the announcement, Mango removed the black cloak from her body, revealing the experiment beneath. Considering the formality of today's events, she'd even gone to the trouble of outfitting herself with the hazmat suit today. She wouldn't have been surprised if any of the spectators thought Mango was part of the "and beyond" bit, but she knew better. She was just as much of this earth as the other humans assembled here today, even if she wasn't quite as naturally of this earth. Ears filled with the roar of the crowd, Mango couldn't help but get hyped up for the end of the tournament as well. She'd come this far out of so many contestants, and even managed to do it without killing anybody! Needless to say, she was proud of herself.

 

"Are you excited!?" asked the host of the tournament.

 

Yes!

 

"Are you excited!?" he asked again, pointing at the contestants this time.

 

"Yes, I'm excited!" Mango answered aloud. Not that many would be able to hear her answer over the booming crowd. Nor that she cared. Sometimes you just have to say out loud how excited you are. The host - Mr. Nikolaev - then went over the rules of this tournament one last time. Contestants could win by ring-out, incapacitating their opponent, or otherwise just having them surrender. However, it also wasn't necessary to spare one's opponent. That made Mango a bit nervous. She was definitely going to spare anybody she defeated - they had so much more to live for, after all - but who was to say it was guaranteed they'd do the same for her? There was a chance, no matter how small, that somebody who defeated her would kill her; that she wouldn't go home after this tournament. The thought hung heavy in her stomach as the platform the contestants stood upon descended and the eight remaining fighters traversed down a long tunnel.

 

Once gathered in a lovely not-so-little conference room, Mr. Nikolaev began to go over the identities and roles of four important staff members assembled here. The child - RC - was very into science and stuff apparently, since she was in charge of the technology around here. Definitely somebody to stay on good terms with. Geno - or Ghost - was a security guard. The head of them, no less! Something about him was giving Mango the creeps, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Then there was Tiny, who was anything but. He was apparently just as human as most of these contestants, yet he made even Mango look small, and she was otherwise the tallest person here! He seemed nice though, and he was an architect. Mango had a good feeling about that guy. Then there was Ace. Mango...wasn't sure about that guy. Mr. Nikolaev then explained that RC was working on communication devices to be worn on the wrists, and he even had VIP passes ready for everyone! They would provide access to everything, and--

 

"Dad!"

 

"Miss Nikolaev! There's a very important meeting going--"

 

"I know that! And I'm friggin' missing it! DAD!"

 

"Matilda! I thought you were away."

 

"That was yesterday. Why didn't you tell me this was the meet day for the finalists?"

 

"So sorry my dear. Oh, let me introduce you. These are our contestants. Everyone, this is my daughter, Matilda."

 

She's pretty, Mango thought to herself. It seemed she wasn't the only one who thought so either; she could hear one of the other contestants - a young woman - say the same thing with a different choice of words. The Golden Gate staff then began to disperse. Seemed like Mr. Nikolaev, Ace, and Tiny were thinking Mongolian food for dinner, and Ghost had his own business to deal with. RC handed out the VIP passes to the contestants before leaving, and Mango skillfully took hers gently between two of her fingersabres, before tucking it away in a pocket on the thigh of her hazmat suit. The room had been narrowed down to just the few remaining contestants.

 

"I bet these chairs could feed me for a month. Er, not that I eat chairs..." The same girl who had called Mr. Nikolaev daughter's "hot". She then glanced in Mango's direction before continuing. "...not that there's anything wrong with that if you do."

 

Mango was about to ask - rather surprised - if there were people in the world who ate chairs, before being presented with a question in her direction instead.

 

"Uhm...what the hell are you?"

 

That was...pretty blunt, honestly. Not that Mango was surprised or anything. It was far from the first time a human had no idea just what the hell Mango was; experiments weren't usually creatures allowed outside the lab. "I'm, uh..." Mango tapped lightly on the surface of the table before her - very lightly, so as not to scratch it - trying to think of the best way to describe herself to the child. The process became much easier when she remembered just why he was here. "I was made in a lab. The doctors were trying to make a living weapon, and after a few failed tries they came up with me. I don't really like the whole fighting thing though. I'd like to get through the rest of this without killing anybody." However, his question had piqued her curiosity. Now that she got a look around, a lot of the people here looked pretty normal. Minus that one guy in the robe with the eyeball monster sitting next to him. And was that a robot over there in another seat? Then there was this boy; very normal-looking and pretty young.

 

"I guess you could say I was born for this? How about you? You don't look like you've got acid spit or anything weird like that...how did a normal kid get to the final rounds of this big tournament?"

[VCR_CAT]

Jack

 

"Ladies and gentlemen!  Please welcome--from this world and beyond--your Secret Cup Finalists!"

 

The cloaks were removed and the crowd exploded into a wave of noise. Jack threw the cloak into the air, her arms outstretched as she greeted the cheers with a loud laugh and two middle-fingers raised. Jack was eating up every moment of glory she could; Hack and Slash floating out beside her and projecting her calling card above her; her name, spelled as if crudely spray-painted in hot pink letters, and the tail of the "J" coiling back around and ending in the male end of a headphone jack. The crowd's cheers seemed to only get louder. Sergei's voice began to calm the excitement down, and as if on queue the projection vanished and both of Jack's robots retreated to a messenger bag slung on her shoulder.

 

The ceremony went on; introductions were made and rules explained. Jack stood with her hands hanging loosely in her coat pockets; a wide grin plastered across her face that she clearly put no effort into hiding. To most, it would look like she wasn't paying attention, but in reality every word was being soaked in. Jack knew what it meant to make a good first impression, and in this case she knew exactly the kind of impression she wanted to make: the reckless punk who put action before thought.

 

Once the show was over, the platform descended and they were lead into their own hall where three individuals were introduced to them: A tall man, a girl too young for her own good, and a security guard. Jack sat down and immediately kicked her feet up onto the table; leaning back in the leather chair as far as it went. While Sergei droned on, Jack's visor remained fixed on the guard the entire time. Jack's lips mouthed the words "We are going to be very good friends" in the guard's direction, ah excuse me, in Ghost's direction. Without a doubt the guard knew exactly who Jack was, and this was a reason behind one of her many goals to accomplish over the course of this tournament. Sergei and his staff knew an impossible amount of Jack; information she had painstakingly erased from every system on the planet. She never existed, and any work she does for clients is on a strict "don't call us; we'll call you" basis. Yet, here she was; invited by people that knew exactly how to get a hold of her. Really, part of the thrill was knowing exactly what Ghost had in store for keeping Jack out of trouble, and she had every intention of pushing those boundaries to see what she could get away with.

 

Eventually Sergei's daughter showed up and one of the contestants let slip their own inner Freud. Jack chuckled to herself as others noticed as well. The formalities were finally over, and Jack watched intently as Ghost up and walked through the wall

 

"whatever kit he's got, I need to get my hands on it," Jack muttered to herself with a sly grin.

 

They were all given all-access passes and left to their own devices, and Jack's grin quickly vanished.

 

"Hey, what's the point of pushing the limits if you're just going to let me go anywhere anyways?!" Jack called after at the wall that Ghost disappeared through. "Fuckin' hospitality; takes all the fun out of it." There was a faint hint of modulation to Jack's voice; an unnatural twinge to the way she spoke. It was subtle, but anyone who was listening close enough would be able to tell. Between the make-up, the visor, and the bright blue hair, anyone might guess that Jack was someone that didn't want to be found unless she wanted it.

 

There was minimal interaction with the contestants that remained; the scientific mistake obviously gathering the most attention. Yet out of everyone that was there; between the cosplayers and the piles of goo, possibly the one that stuck out the most was the one that was dressed possibly the most... normal. Yet, by normal, Jack meant normal for the month of December. Outdoors. This was the girl that had made the embarrassing slip-of-the-tongue during Sergei's orientation, and everything about her seemed to scream "easy target". Of course, there was no fighting allowed outside of the designated matches, but that didn't mean Jack couldn't get some of these idiots already tilted before the fighting even began.

 

"Hey Scarlet," Jack called out at the red-head's direction. "don't know if you let your helicopter mom dress you or if you're just too stupid to check the calendar, but it's a lil' too warm out lately to be dressin' up like your big sis is Elsa, don'tya think?"

[Hälō]

Lace XIII

 

"Ladies and gentlemen!  Please welcome--from this world and beyond--your Secret Cup Finalists!"

 

With that, the cloaks were removed and the crowd's cheers reached new highs. Casually casting her cloak to the side, Lace payed no attention to the audience. They were all just bloodthirsty spectators to this death game; each probably horrified at the prospect of their own deaths, but still more than willing to shell out a small fortune to watch her and her fellow contestants murder each other. No matter how well it was dressed up, at the end of the day this entire event was just a step up from glorified gladiator matches. Though was she really much better than anyone present? 

 

"Definitely not..." She silently answered her own question as the rules were explained. Lace had killed at least half of the opponents that she was pitted against in the earlier rounds, and though she tried to spare all those who seemed like the deserved to keep their lives, she was slightly ashamed to say that she enjoyed the fights that ended in death far more than the ones that hadn't... 

 

After completing the ceremony, the group was led into a concrete tunnel. Carefully observing the other fighters as they approached the light at the end of the tunnel, Lace noted that the older looking man in the robes seemed to be purposely lingering behind the rest of the group. Slowing her own advance just enough so that she could observe him without arising suspicion, she soon realized that he did so to avoid any contact between the creature that he had been with him and the other contestants. Lace allowed her gaze to sweep over the creature once, before sliding in her chair. She wouldn't forget about the beasts cloaking abilities.

 

Sergei introduced his staff, she found her focus planted sharply on Bradley Austin. Despite his friendly demeanor and the praise Sergei and showered him with, something about the man made her feel extremely uneasy. Just looking at him reminded her of the doctors that scurried around the S.E.E.D compound, and though she didn't realize it, the girl was staring daggers at Mr. Ace as memories of her past lives began flashing around her mind. As Sergei's daughter entered the room, Lace remained unnaturally still she did her best to clear head of all the static images.

 

 

Only stirring from her trance upon being handed her ID card, Lace turned her attention to the contestants that remained in room. Placing her right leg on her lap, she rested her cheek on her knuckle whilst placing her other hand on the broadsword that rested against the large conference table.

 

"Hey Scarlet, don't know if you let your helicopter mom dress you or if you're just too stupid to check the calendar, but it's a lil' too warm out lately to be dressin' up like your big sis is Elsa, don'tya think?"

 

Her intention was to not utter a word, and reserve herself to listening and watching the other fighters. Though after hearing the loud mouthed girl with cyan hair's blatant attempt to provoke the red headed girl that had already suffered an embarrassing outburst, XIII couldn't help but speak up. 

 

"As if you were in any position to comment on anyone's wardrobe..." Lace's melancholic voice held a rare semblance of cattiness as she gave the other girl a sideways glance. "Your outfit and mannerisms speak volumes about your relationship with your mom, my dear." She didn't see any weapons on the girl other than the two robots that were hovering around, and Lace was sure that she wasn't stupid enough to attack her for a remark. Even so, her grip on Beowulf tightened slightly as her lavender gaze settled on the red screens of the girl's vizor. "So are you just jealous that she has a mother that cares? Or are you that eager to make yourself look weak by trying to provoke her?"  

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"...?"

 

Booting up her primary consciousness program, the first thing that passed through Angelica's mind was that of confusion. She was currently in a room alongside the other contestants, and there were none of the staffs that she could see. Five other people were there, and someone also brought a pile of...living? goop for some reasons. Angelica made a mental note to review the events she recorded when she was in her low-energy sleepwalking mode earlier. Festivities never suited her, and while she really appreciated it if people praise her, the opening ceremony in general was something she was not terribly fond of with its pile of fluffs that didn't interest her.
She decided that now would be a good time to review the tapes and information that her consciousness missed while she observed the other participants.

 

They didn't look...promising. Of course, Angelica saying that would be hypocritical since she looked just like a normal 15 years-old kid. And everyone here were worthy enough to be in the top eight, although...why were two of them missing? Ah, shouldn't matter. She'd see them sooner or later. The redhead that wore winter outfit in this heat looked silly. The sword girl felt off, and Angelica also felt a tinge of inexplicable familiarity about her. Perhaps a bug on her memory storage. Ah, there's the cyanhead over there with the visor. Cyan was a good color. The three seemingly was busy arguing for the time being.

 

Oh right, there was this person that phases through things. From the bunch he looked the most threatening but for the time being, Angelica had not much opinions on him, as much as she had on the others to be fair. And lastly, there was this normal-but-shifty-looking guy that tried to talk to the pile of goop. Maybe the goop was his pet or something? It's sentient after all, apparently. Somehow.

 

And, that's probably it for now. Angelica had to wait for the other two to appear. Not that they're aware of each of their abilities anyway. But more importantly, she had finished her review on the memory records. Several figures were announced, and that explained the bots that cheered for her back then. She felt that they'd be important later. The rules were also explained, as well as the fact that she could go anywhere on the hotel. That could be neat. But that still didn't explain the fact why someone could bring a pile of goop here. Why was this pile of goop triggering her so hard in the first place?

 

"Uh...pardon me intruding your arguments and chitchat...but who brought a pile of goop here?"

 

---

[Dad]

North Tower, 7:25 PM 

 

Sergei, Theo, Bradley, and Matilda exited the elevator onto the lobby floor of the North Tower, discussing dinner.  ". . . and it's called HuHat.  Neat little place.  I discovered it on my last anniversary with the Mrs.  We wanted to try something new without pestering the chefs.  Great experience, great atmosphere.  And the prices weren't too bad either," Bradley said, stepping off the elevator first.

 

"Well, it sounds pleasant.  I trust your sense of taste.  Now then, who's driving?" Sergei spoke up.

 

"Perhaps I should.  I won't fit into any of your vehicles," Theo said with a shy smile.

 

"Forgive me Theo.  An insensitive question.  We'll take your car.  Just a moment, I'd like to make the bar keep aware of our guests."  They waited patiently for Sergei, talking among themselves as he approached the North Tower bar on the south side of the lobby.  A salt and pepper hair colored man with a grey mustache in a tuxedo and tie greeted Sergei.  "Paul, you're on the night shift?  I thought Xavier was working tonight," Sergei said, extending a hand to Paul.

 

He nodded.  "Called out sick.  His wife is in labor."

 

Sergei smiled.  "I'll have to arrange something for them.  I'll find someone to back-up his shifts and we'll put him on sick leave for a while.  Family is important."

 

Paul nodded.  "Yes sir.  It's what keeps me going."

 

Sergei leaned on the bar.  "Listen, Paul.  I've had Rachel give the contestants passes to the hotel.  All of the amenities.  So, I do expect perhaps one or two of them to approach you.  But an all access pass doesn't mean we'll break the law.  Don't forget those ids."

 

Paul nodded.  "You got it."

 

"Have a good night, Paul," Sergei said as he turned to walk away.  

 

"See ya boss."

 

Before Sergei could exit the bar, his sleeve was tugged by a rather strong grip.  Turning around, Sergei stopped, slightly in shock.  "Jackson?  Jackson, I didn't know you were in town, you crazy bastard!  Get up.  Embrace me!"

 

Reluctantly the older gentleman stood up from the round wooden table, his trench coat rustling as he stood up.  They hugged, and shook hands.  "Good to see you too, Sergei."

 

"And I see you brought company," Sergei joked, turning to the red haired young man embroidered with tattoos on the other side of the table.  The four scars on his head were the same.  He hadn't died recently, which was remarkable considering their line of work.  "How are you, Tyson?"

 

The younger man took a sip from the glass in his hand, swirling the brown liquid around as he looked up to Sergei.  "Well I ain't dead, so there's that."

 

Sergei chuckled.  "Where are my manners?  Let me comp your room and board.  How long will you be staying?"

 

Jackson sighed.  "Not long, I'm afraid.  Once we heard about the games, I figure' it'd be best if we scope the place.  Yer contestants seem clean though, from what Tyson could tell."

 

"Yeah.  Mephisto couldn't get a bite.  They're all clean."

 

"And I didn't catch anything in the audience.  Rachel let me run a full scan.  I think you're good here."

 

Sergei shook Jackson's hand again.  "At least let me properly thank you.  We're on our way to dinner.  Won't you join us?"

 

Jackson shook his head.  "Can't.  We gotta hit the road.  Big mess in Oklahoma we got wind of."

 

"Damn.  And I was hopin' to catch round one, too," Tyson said, shrugging.  He pulled a black jacket over his arms, then finished his drink as he stood to his feet.  "You ready?"

 

Jackson nodded.  "Sergei, it was good seein' ya again."

 

Sergei happily received Jackson.  "As always, Jack.  Tyson, it is a pleasure to have you as well."

 

Tyson nodded, stepping past Sergei and patting him on the back.  "Thanks old man.  Nice place you got.  We'll have to come back when we get a break."

 

"I'll walk you out," Sergei said, walking beside Jackson as they approached the exit.  "And you said everyone was clean, yes?"

 

"Mhm.  Nothin' to worry about.  It's like a heaven's chorus in there.  You can hear their souls singing, even if their minds are corrupt," Jackson joked, laughing to himself.

 

"Oh, Jackson," Sergei asked, as they stepped outside past the large sliding glass doors.  "How's King these days?"

 

Jackson looked around, then let out a whistle.  "Ask him yourself."

 

From the shadows of the east side of the parking lot, a burst of flame appeared, and an early eighties black muscle car whipped around the corner, pulling up now directly in front of the hotel.  It roared, with some kind of in-explainable, impressive power under its hood.  

 

"Well.  He looks well," Sergei said with a smile.

 

Jackson shook Sergei's hand one last time, bidding him goodnight.  "Take care old friend."

 

"Same to you Jackson.  Tyson.  Safe travels."

 

"See ya Sergei!"

 

Tyson and Jackson slid into their vehicle, and peeled away into the night.  Theo, Bradley, and Matilda joined Sergei at the hotel entrance, watching the car speed away.

 

"Friends of yours, dad?" Matilda inquired.

 

"Yes.  Some very good friends," he said acknowledging Matilda.  "Now then.  Who's hungry?"

[Tesability Black]

~Talis-Eye's POV~

"...You a Wizard then?" Talis-Eye was the first to turn towards the girl speaking towards Rawal, trying to figure out how to translate the word that had no clean translation before hearing her continue. "Gonna go...uh, dungeon crawling after this or something?"

"I'm afraid that, unless I translate that for him, Lord Rawal wouldn't understand a word you just uttered," they remarked before floating towards her. "The term you are looking for would be 'Shaper'." Rawal finally turned towards the girl, the translations finally done and leaving the elder man with a confused look on his face.

"Dungeoneering? There are always more than enough people willing to risk themselves for treasure that I can always send them into such places instead," he responded to the question, the telepathic translation provided quickly enough.

Talis-Eye turned in the air to better face the old man while keeping at least one of their eyes on Bethany. Technically, they had an eye on almost everyone in the room at once, but that comes with being a creature that have multiple movable eyes. "Sadly for you, this isn't Terrestria. Even I'm still learning the apparent 'rules' of this world," they said towards Rawal in his tongue, though they already had a translation ready to project to Bethany.

Shaking his head, Rawal scanned the room, immediately realizing that most of them were turning towards one particular contestant, one that oozed out much like a... "...is that a Rotghroth? It looks...odd." Talis-Eye turned towards what Rawal was looking at, a few eyes shaking in place as if they were a separate head being shook before the main eye turned back towards Bethany.

 

"Well then, Bethany. Since you were willing to speak to us, how about showing Lord Rawal more about this planet of Earth, yes?" A grumble became heard before Rawal was seen crossing his arms over his stomach, a wince flashing across his face. "...and help him find something to eat that doesn't taste 'fake' to him."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Bethany decided not to react to the young girl who had responded to her little slip up. Mostly because it took her several long moments to realize that she had ACTUALLY said it out loud and that the girl was not telepathic. The other part was knowing that kids that age wanted reactions, and attention, and it'd be best not to give that to them when it was for something negative. Bethany could only hope the host's daughter did not hear her. "Nice one Bethany. Really good idea. Giving them the first impression that I'm a perv should definitely help." Then again, she wasn't really supposed to get along with them, right? She was to get in, fight, get out, and hopefully get bank.

 

Of course she knew that it wouldn't work out that way. She couldn't help, already, but think of ways to talk to these people. Those friggin kids got her into the habit of actively seeking conversations. So many of them were so afraid and quiet...But that wasn't here nor there right now. At the moment the fantasy monster was talking to her. Because of course it was.

"I'm afraid that, unless I translate that for him, Lord Rawal wouldn't understand a word you just uttered. The term you are looking for would be 'Shaper'."

Bethany subtly backed up a bit as the...thingy came towards her. Really, why was this thingy talking and not in some book or game instead? Was she about to have to roll a D20 for a Diplomacy check?

"Okay so he shapes things. Like, clay?" Bethany wasn't quite getting the terminology here.

"Dungeoneering? There are always more than enough people willing to risk themselves for treasure that I can always send them into such places instead,"

"Oh thank god you can talk. I wasn't really looking forward to communicating via T-Eyebeast." Even if that answer didn't really make much sense to her either.

"Well then, Bethany. Since you were willing to speak to us, how about showing Lord Rawal more about this planet of Earth, yes?...and help him find something to eat that doesn't taste 'fake' to him."

Great the thingy knows my name. Perfect. Joyous day. "Honestly I'm more used to taking care of kids, not, uh, middle-aged men. Different line of work, that." Bethany cringed at her own gutter humor. Giving a new face time to step in and give the greatest first impression one could give. Mocking her fashion sense.

 

"Hey Scarlet, don't know if you let your helicopter mom dress you or if you're just too stupid to check the calendar, but it's a lil' too warm out lately to be dressin' up like your big sis is Elsa, don'tya think?"

 

"Ha, Scarlet, never heard that one before." Bethany muttered. She turned towards the girl and cocked her head. The irony in the girl's statement was not lost on Bethany. If she remembered that old movie right she would be a lot closer to Elsa than the other one. She most certainly did not feel like building a snowman. She almost wanted to take off her glove and touch this stranger's face to see how she reacted to just how cold her skin was to the touch but...she wasn't stupid. She's not gonna reveal anything about herself if she can help it. That being said she had to respond. Er. Apparently not.

 

"As if you were in any position to comment on anyone's wardrobe...Your outfit and mannerisms speak volumes about your relationship with your mom, my dear. So are you just jealous that she has a mother that cares? Or are you that eager to make yourself look weak by trying to provoke her?" 

 

"My god this is so high school drama." Bethany thought. Though she was, in a way, thankful that this strange, doll-like, girl had jumped in on...her side? Well at least one of the people who might try to kill her was nice?

 

Given she really didn't want a confrontation, and it seemed that was the way this could go, she smiled kindly, in a way that was startlingly sincere, at the girl who had insulted her. "Yeah, it's a bit chilly in here for me I guess." Shrugging she gestured over at Rawal. "Me and the wiza...Shaper are gonna get some munchies, wanna come?"

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"I'm, uh...I was made in a lab. The doctors were trying to make a living weapon, and after a few failed tries they came up with me. I don't really like the whole fighting thing though. I'd like to get through the rest of this without killing anybody.  I guess you could say I was born for this? How about you? You don't look like you've got acid spit or anything weird like that...how did a normal kid get to the final rounds of this big tournament?"

 

Louis winced at her explanation.  She was repulsive in every way...a monstrosity in every other.  She disgusted him.  Her strengths were artificial, and not her own...same went for that over saturated windup toy in the room.  But now wasn't the time to tell her all this...no...he still had to keep up the facade.  

 

He smiled.

 

"Why...isn't that the strangest thing I've heard today?!"  His eyebrow twitched a little bit when he remembered that the pile of sludge had called him a 'normal kid'.  "And, for your information, I'm an adult!  An adult who probably just got too lucky in the ring."  He shrugged and laughed.  These fools...they had let on what they were capable of...well most of them anyway.  The way they dressed, what they had brought to the table...what they were made of.  How foolish.

 

This was going to be a cake walk.

 

"Don't get cocky kid..." a voice rung in his head.

 

"Well...it was nice meeting you...uhhhhhhh...goop thingy."  Louis hadn't asked her name.  Frankly, he didn't even care.  However, to keep up appearances, it would seem rude to the others if he hadn't.  "I'm Louis by the way!  What should I call you?  goop thingy seems a tad...insensitive?"  ]

[VCR_CAT]

Jack

 

"As if you were in any position to comment on anyone's wardrobe... Your outfit and mannerisms speak volumes about your relationship with your mom, my dear."

 

Jack turned to face who decided to jump to the redhead's defense so quickly. This girl had features that looked very... doll-like in a sense; and for someone talking about fashion, her own outfit was far gaudier than what Jack was wearing. Did she just walk out of some high-class fashion show or something? Who wore outfits like that?

 

Jack just burst out laughing at this; loud and exaggerated.

 

"So are you just jealous that she has a mother that cares? Or are you that eager to make yourself look weak by trying to provoke her?"

 

The girl stared intently into Jack's visor without a speck of humor on her flawless complexion.

 

"Oh I'm sorry, did I touch a nerve there, Barbie-Doll? Or are you just that eager to white-knight harder than your skin implies?"

 

The redhead hardly reacted to Jack's jabbings, which was more disappointing than anything. Yet, either way, someone was getting provoked, and that was all Jack wanted. She felt no need to defend herself, but regardless had this other girl hook, line, and sinker. Jack let her feet fall to the floor and stood up, stretching as she slung her messenger bag on her shoulder. She then placed both her palms on the table and leaned over, looking this girl right in the eye with a large, sheet-eating grin.

 

"But just a future tip, toots, next time you wanna really roast someone for their clothes, maybe don't do it while you look like a fuckin' Shakespeare actor, huh?

 

"Yeah, it's a bit chilly in here for me I guess." The redhead responded, gesturing to the odd gentlemen in the cloak beside her. "Me and the wiza...Shaper are gonna get some munchies, wanna come?"

 

Jack paused for a moment, almost stunned, before pushing herself off the table and bursting out laughing.

 

"See, now I like this chick! She ain't gonna take any sheet from nobody! Yeah, y'know what, I'll join ya! Let's make it a party" Jack walked over to their side, but still made sure to look the stupid doll-girl in the face before they left. "By the way, the name's Jack, and buddy; you're gonna wanna hope you don't see that sheet next to your name tomorrow morning."

[Hälō]

Lace XIII

"Oh I'm sorry, did I touch a nerve there, Barbie-Doll? Or are you just that eager to white-knight harder than your skin implies?"

Lace looked on with her default expression as the cyan haired girl leaned towards her whilst placing both hands on the table. More theatrics, huh? Who did she think she was fooling with all this? It was obvious that this girl was trying to rile the competition up...

"But just a future tip, toots, next time you wanna really roast someone for their clothes, maybe don't do it while you look like a f***in' Shakespeare actor, huh?"

Lace's perfect lips parted slightly to retort, but she silenced herself upon hearing the girl in the jacket's response.


"Yeah, it's a bit chilly in here for me I guess." The red haired girl gestured to the man in the cloak beside her. "Me and the wiza...Shaper are gonna get some munchies, wanna come?" Lace wasn't expecting a 'thank you'. She had stepped in because she hated bullies, and the fact that the girl hadn't allowed the cyan haired brat to get to her was just a pleasant surprise.

"See, now I like this chick! She ain't gonna take any s*** from nobody! Yeah, y'know what, I'll join ya! Let's make it a party" The loudmouth seemed to fancy this idea, and promptly got up and prepared to leave with the pair. Though it seemed her ego couldn't let her leave without addressing Lace a final time. "By the way, the name's Jack, and buddy; you're gonna wanna hope you don't see that s*** next to your name tomorrow morning."

"Lace." She responded quickly, projecting her gloomy voice across the room so that Jack could hear it just before she made her exit.

"Jack, huh?" Watching as the three figures vanished into hallway Lace couldn't help but be reminded of her first life. Jack's behavior greatly resembled that of the troublemakers who used to act out in front of the class for attention, and though memories from that time were grainy and unfocused; she suddenly felt a tendril of nostalgia worm it's way into her mind. "A rose by any other name would be just as satisfying to cut down..." She mused at Jack's comment on her appearance. She never really got Shakespeare...

Rising from her seat without making a sound, Lace grabbed the the hilt of Beowulf and effortlessly swung the heavy blade on to her back before slipping out of the room. The memories of her childhood were always far gentler than those from the more recent lives, and though they didn't cause pain, she felt them subtly drive her actions just the same.

Making her way to the entrance of the theme park, Lace ignored the looks she got from the other guests as her gaze fell on the ferris wheel. She couldn't recall ever being on such a thing, yet still found herself overtaken by yet another massive wave of nostalgia. "Do I..." Confused by her own emotions, Lace mumbled to herself whilst placing her hand on her heart; it was beating faster than usual. "Like rides or something?"

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Ah, everyone was a bit too busy with their own business to care about Angelica's question, all while her gaze was still locked at the object that caused her much stress. Although, looking at it more, the unnecessarily gigantic bucket of living goop definitely was sentient. Maybe it's actually a participant. That felt odd to think about. Would something like that even possess its own thoughts and free will? Without it there wouldn't be any way they'd just accept the goop to participate, right? It was a bit hard to process for Angelica, who felt that sapience was something far too special to be possessed by random things. What's next, living keychain or double-scoop ice cream? A trashbag that could think? An iron bell or sword or set of gears or balloons that could float around and do things on their own? Maybe next they'd allow a haunted chandelier to join this tournament just because it could form a funny face.

 

Calm down, calm down. This is just unnecessary distraction, remember that.

 

If Angelica was a human, she would have taken a deep breath to calm herself now. But that wasn't applicable to her, so she settled with an attempt to give some of her logic into this situation. Perhaps she was quite annoyed by the living industrial waste because in some ways, it made her feel less special. The moment Angelica gained her own free will and the ability to decide her own direction in her life was the most important moment in her life. Finally being able to deny the years of indoctrination and programming done to her, being able to reject her original purpose felt like the biggest thing she had ever achieved, yet right now, she was staring at something her recognition sensors identified as a lesser organism, yet it seemed to manage to achieve the same thing as her, and from the look of it, it didn't even seem like it thought that achieving it was a big deal either. 

 

That couldn't do. Being able to decide where she would take herself next was her pride, the proof that Angelica was special. Her sisters needed outside help to go rogue, but she could pull it off on her own. Humans and humanoids in general, who were born with it from the very beginning. Animals, beings that lacked it from the start and would never achieve it in their lifetime. An artificial entity like her had surpassed both, and developed her own free will. Such an important achievement, yet why did this thing managed to have it too?!

 

Her attempt to reason with herself backfired, she grew more and more agitated. In the end as a last resort, she forced herself to go with the assumption that the goop's sapience was a lot more limited than hers. It was a crude resort, but Angelica managed to rein herself in for the time being to observe the rest of the people on the room more. The overly dressed woman and the dangerous-looking anomaly were apparently planning to eat out. Masked girl followed the two, and the three disappeared from the hallway. Strange doll-like girl with the sword decided to leave too. That would leave Angelica with only the boy and the goop, but with the realization that the goop's presence would continue to torment her, Angelica decided to scram and follow the lead of the strange girl.

 

Angelica kept some distance between herself and the girl, though the girl's mind seemed to be occupied by something right now for her to not seemingly notice Angelica following her. She followed her into the theme park, and the crowd there helped her to blend in more to avoid suspicion. Since she looked just like a normal young teenager on top of that, Angelica smiled at whoever looked at her so that she could avoid being seen as a stalker by those passerby.  The girl stopped before a ferris wheel, and she stared at it as she clutched her chest. A sense of nostalgia? Truthfully, Angelica at times wished that she could remember more about her sisters and her father, but with what those ended up representing in her life, perhaps it's best if she didn't remember them much. A new life should be filled with new memories, after all.

 

"Do I...Like rides or something?"

 

"Well, you wouldn't really know until you try it yourself, right?" Warm words were necessary here. It wasn't even faked - Angelica did feel like something about the girl resonated with her. And while Angelica did aim to win, she didn't have any ill wills to most of the contestants. And after the deluge of thoughts surrounding the previous situation Angelica found herself stuck with, this could be a nice distraction. "I'm Angelica by the way. Why don't we take a ride on this together, Lace?"

 

---

[Tesability Black]

~Rawal's POV~

Rawal did not need to understand the words to understand the tone of mocking, having heard it plenty in the last couple of years before his arrival here. He turned towards the person wielding the viscous tone, his mind momentarily overlapping the figure he saw with another image.

The reason that his world had collapsed around him,  the accursed Lifecrafter his underlings found and that he had tried making into a useful servant. Apparently, even the use of a Control Tool wasn't enough to keep that foul entity in line.

Rawal blinked once, seeing the eyesore of an appearance in its place and leaned back slightly away from her. "What kind of horrific ensemble is that mess," he asked, an eyebrow raised as dark-brown eyes scanned the psychedelic sight and disbelief clear in his voice.

"See, now I like this chick! She ain't gonna take any sh!t from nobody! Yeah, y'know what, I'll join ya! Let's make it a party."

He shook his head before looking towards his apparent guide upon this strange world after hearing Talis-Eye's translation in his mind. "Let's get out of this restrictive place," he remarked, the psychic translation immediately following for both Bethany and Jack. Taking a deep breath while trying to shake off old memories from where he came from. This isn't Terrestria...

Lord Rawal?

His face twisted into a concerned look soon after lifting his red hood back over his head, metaphorically hearing the tone of concern as well as flagging on the fact that the Eyebeast willingly referred to him by title after they disappeared from view using their illusions. Yes?

There was one mind I couldn't sense...I'm not sure it was even organic at all.

Rawal almost stopped to think on that, instead continuing forward to follow the others. Which among them is a golem?

The other entity that Yu was speaking to.

Wait a second, he didn't know a Yu.

Yes, you do. She's following you alongside Bethany.

From under the hood, Rawal shifted his gaze to the eyesore with them, narrowing his eyes at her. "Yu, huh," he muttered under his breath, still speaking only his native tongue while Talis-Eye purposely did not translate the last statement. The Shaper began to wonder why a person here would use a name other than their birth name...unless they had something to hide.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

 

Kai stopped momentarily as she passed the entrance to the theme park. She looked to be deciding which ride to go on, but in truth, she was deep in though about that one cloaked man that had been watching her right until the platform descended. Could that have been her half-brother? And come to think about it, she never even gotten a name from him, either. She probably should've asked last time the two encountered each other, but it was too late for that now.

 

Just as she was about to move on, Kai looked around her surroundings a little bit more, only to find one of the other contestants gawking mindlessly at the ferris wheel that was there. Kai could've sworn no-one else would be interested in the park, and as such, it was meant to be a perfect opportunity for her to have some alone time to try and reflect on her performance thus far and how she came to be. But apparently that wasn't the case.

 

"Do I... like rides or something?" the girl finally asked, causing Kai to raise an eyebrow at her.

 

"I dunno. Do you?" she replied in her usual less-than-warm tone of voice, not caring whether or not the girl's question was a rhetorical one. And then another girl, that... doll-faced one, came up towards the two of them, suggesting that the girl should go on a ride with her.

 

"God damn it! Why the hell does everyone care about this place all of a sudden?! It's just a dumb theme pa-...!" Kai was about to jabroni about the two's presence but, realizing either one could easily ask her what she was doing at a theme park of all things, breathed a heavy sigh, "Alright, fine. For your information, I was hoping to have some privacy so I could reflect on sheet in peace. But apparently I'm gonna have to give that a miss. The name's Kai, by the way."

 

And then she thought of something. Kai knew full well that no-one was meant to fight anyone until the tournament commenced, lest they be immediately disqualified. But no-one said anything about learning a few important combat features from any of the contestants. With that, Kai smirked slyly.

 

"I've an idea; let's race to that roller-coaster all the way over there," Kai pointed to the furthest roller-coaster she could find that was away from the three of them, and sprouted her ethereal wings as she said this, "First one there gets to decide who rides on what. Aaaaannnnnnnnnnnd go!"

 

Kai took off, soaring in the air straight after the roller-coaster that she'd pointed to earlier. This may have sounded like an innocent race, but it would let Kai at least gauge how quickly the other could move in combat. This in turn could potentially help her strategize for the event that she'd be bracketed against either of them.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"See, now I like this chick! She ain't gonna take any s*** from nobody! Yeah, y'know what, I'll join ya! Let's make it a party"

Alright, it worked! Go, social interactions! She was honestly surprised by the girl's reaction. If it meant surviving another day she probably would take a lot of sheet. Bethany just didn't want a fight here, that was all, right? Great, she was questioning her own motives now.

It seemed the girl's name was Jack. Bethany wasn't one to judge but it certainly sounded like a weird name-choice. "Your parents must be bastards." she muttered in the girl's direction.

 

She had a lot of confidence. Though, looking around, Bethany couldn't be sure where it stemmed from. They had no idea what any of these people could do after all. They could be complete monsters. One of them literally WAS a monster.

"A rose by any other name would be just as satisfying to cut down..."

"Oh, honey, no...." Bethany said, unable to suppress voicing her pity of the girl's absolutely horrible line.

 

She looked between Jack and Rawal, and shrugged, realizing it was up to her to find them some food. Now, where would they find...."Alright team let's go." she said, clapping her hands together once and heading out the door. It wasn't until a few minutes later she realized she was instinctively doing what she did when she had to get the kids to go with her for some task. Oh well, kids, old magic men and punk techno chicks, same thing really. Without a map she wasn't sure exactly where to go and so Bethany grabbed hold of the nearest employee looking person she could find and asked them where they could get a good pizza. "Erm, just as long as it's got some food a grandpa wouldn't get sick from." She added.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"God damn it! Why the hell does everyone care about this place all of a sudden?! It's just a dumb theme pa-...! Alright, fine. For your information, I was hoping to have some privacy so I could reflect on sheet in peace. But apparently I'm gonna have to give that a miss. The name's Kai, by the way."

 

"Excuse me but did you miss the note about this park not belonging to your grandmother...?"

 

Angelica was sufficiently dumbfounded by the notion of someone wanting to find some privacy in the middle of a crowded area. She eyed the short girl, turning her own head sideways in confusion. Her name was apparently Kai, but that wasn't what Angelica focused on. Her presence and appearance...despite looking perfectly human, the girl was quite suspicious. Suspicious in a way that irked Angelica somehow. Though perhaps that's just the girl's attitude rather than what she actually was.

 

"I've an idea; let's race to that roller-coaster all the way over there, first one there gets to decide who rides on what."

 

"Wait, that's not something you can decide-"

 

"Aaaaannnnnnnnnnnd go!"

 

Oh. In a mix of annoyance, confusion, and interest, Angelica saw as the girl decided on her own that they should have a race for some reasons Angelica's mind could not comprehend. Perhaps Kai's wings and train of logic pointed out about how she's a creature from another world. No way someone from this world could think in such a nonsensical way. Why would she show her power off before she actually got either her or Lace to agree on racing with her? Why did she assume both of them agree to race with her in the first place? Why did she ask for them to race anyway?

 

Angelica had to stop at that moment - she was this close of short-circuiting herself.

 

She didn't know whether Lace ended up agreeing to race with Kai or not, but to calm herself, Angelica looked up to the sky, and smiled to herself. If Lace was still nearby, she would hear what she said, but otherwise, Angelica was fine with talking to herself.

 

"You know, there are a lot of odd people in this tournament. As much as at times they dumbfounded me with their eccentricities or unpromising appearance, this would still be pretty fun, wouldn't it?

 

I'll still be going to the ferris wheel. If you want to ride it with me, be my guest."

 

Saying those words calmed her somewhat. Without being too burdened by the thought of the goop and Kai's bizarre behavior anymore, Angelica went ahead towards the ferris wheel without looking around her much. She didn't have much time left to relax, better use what little she had now as best as she could.

 

---

[Dad]

HuHat, 8:47 p.m.

 

Sergei wiped his lips with the napkin he had tucked into his shirt, then set down his knife and fork and took a sip of his water.  "That was quite a meal," he said with a smile.  "A great recommendation Bradley."

 

Theodore nodded in agreement.  "I'll have to bring Catherine here some time.  This was delicious."

 

Matilda sat back in her chair and gave a satisfied sigh.  "Definitely."

 

Bradley grinned.  "I like to think I have excellent taste."

 

Sergei sat up straight, and neatly folded his napkin and placed it back on the table.  "Well, I don't mean to cut the evening short, but we should of course get right down to business." Sergei looked to Bradley.  "Bradley, after our first meeting with the contestants, I'd like your thoughts.  What do you gather from the contestants?"

 

Bradley leaned back, folding his hands over stomach as he thought carefully.  "They're very strong.  I don't sense much malice, though it is most certainly present.  But I am looking forward to the events.  With this being the finals, I think we have some powerful contenders on our hands who are sure to present excellent entertainment."

 

Sergei nodded.  "A very broad description, but I think I understand what you mean.  Even after seeing their battles recorded, meeting them in person is a much more intimate confrontation.  We don't know much about them yet.  But, what of you, Theodore?  How do you feel about the contestants?"

 

Theo took a toothpick from his lips, and quietly sat it on his plate.  "I'm in agreement with Bradley.  They are very strong.  And I'm sure the battles will be a sight to see.  Though some lives may be lost, I don't expect too many casualties.  This bunch doesn't seem very blood thirsty."

 

Sergei rubbed his chin.  "That's not something I had considered.  They do feel rather calm, don't they?" he asked.  "Matilda, do you have any thoughts?"

 

She sat up, placing her hands in her lap.  She smiled, but it wasn't out of joy.  She seemed cautious, and concerned, like a mother.  "They're dangerous, dad," she said flatly.

 

Bradley and Theodore looked to Sergei, then back to Matilda.

 

"Please, continue Matilda," Sergei replied.

 

Matilda straightened her glass on her face, and cleared her throat.  "While I'm sure most of them are only in it for the money, they still pose a threat."

 

"Yes, yes, of course.  They are the strongest fighters in the world after all," Sergei said as a waiter beside him began to take the dinner plates from the table.  "Thank you," he said softly to the waiter, who nodded silently.

 

"What I mean is, they're going to be naturally curious.  Especially now that you've had Rachel give them all access passes.  They'll begin asking questions, dad.  And when they do--"

 

Sergei finally held up a hand.  "And when they do, Matilda.  They will get answers.  Everyone deserves an answer, even if the response is not what they wish," he said softly.

 

Matilda sighed again.  "Don't you think it looks strange?  Giving them immediate access to literally everything?  They probably have it out for you already.  And can you imagine what poor Rachel would go through if they attacked her?"

 

Sergei smiled, shaking his head.  "I don't see any reason for any of the contestants to attack Rachel, or any of my staff.  Or even me.  We have nothing to hide."

 

Matilda smiled finally as well.  "You did tell me this is what you wanted, but I guess you're serious.  And round one is tomorrow.  Has everything been prepared?"

 

Sergei straightened the tie on his suit.  "Now that you mention it, I must reach out to the pilots and security for tomorrow.  You all go on to the car.  I will meet you outside."  Sergei raised a hand to collect the check, as Matilda, Theodore, and Bradley got up from the table.  A waiter rushed over to Sergei's side, and greeted him.

 

"Mr. Nikolaev, how was the food this evening?" asked a strapping young waiter in a black vest.

 

Sergei waved a hand.  "Simply scrumptious.  You know, all the money in the world, and I've never had Mongolian food.  It was wonderful.  Please do give the cooks my regards."

 

"Thank you so much Mr. Nikolaev, I will.  Can I get you anything else this evening?  Perhaps a desert?"

 

Sergei shook his head with a smile.  "No, no, thank you.  I'll go ahead and take the check.  Oh, and here is a little something for you too.  You were very attentive to us, and you work very hard.  Thank you for your service," he said, roughly pronouncing 'service' with his heavy accent.  Sergei took a brand new one-hundred dollar bill from his wallet out of his coat pocket, and tucked it into the waiter's breast pocket on his vest.

 

"Mr. Nikolaev, this is too much.  I--"

 

Sergei held up a hand again.  "Think nothing of it."

 

The waiter politely shook Sergei's hand, and hurried to gather the check for him.  "Have a wonderful evening, Mr. Nikolaev."

 

Sergei stood to his feet after paying the bill, and straightened his jacket.  "And you as well."  He walked outside to the large four door black SUV that Theodore had personally made for him.  Theodore honked, and Sergei ran around to the passenger's side, opening the door and hopping in.  The drive back to the hotel was about forty minutes, and Sergei was already making phone calls for preparations for tomorrow's opening round of the finale.

 

---

 

The H.U.B., 9:15 p.m.

 

"Ugh, why can't my dps ever do anything right!?" Rachel said as her fingers rattled away on a keyboard.  Her mouse bounced between twenty-seven inch monitors and lots of flashing lights, numbers both positive and negative, and a flurry of what appeared to be nearly five dozen player characters.  "Move away from the strike zone, noob!  It's an instant kill!  And why the heck are you taking agro!?"

 

Before she knew it, her team had been wiped, and the dungeon had been failed.  Rachel sighed, rolling away from her desk, and then flopping into her bed.  She rolled over her blanket of shooting stars and put herself into a sort of human burrito, then slipped out one arm and snatched a comic book from her bedside table.  "The Chancellor Corrupt Volume One.  How did he manage to find this?" she whispered excitedly to herself.  But before she could slide the comic out of its plastic wrapping, there was a knock at her metal door.

 

"Hm?  Come in!" she said in a sing-song voice.  The metal door slid open like something from a space voyage movie, and hissed when it closed back.  It was Geno who was at her door, and he gave Rachel a nod.  "What's up kid?  You got a minute?' his gruff voice sort of scratchy beneath his mask.  Rachel nodded, unrolling herself and sitting on the edge of her bed.

 

"Sure.  What's up?"

 

Geno rolled Rachel's chair over beside her bed, and sat in it backwards with his hands over the backrest.  "I'm gonna need a few upgrades.  These guys are a new kind of threat, and I wanna be ready for them."

 

Rachel frowned slightly, though she had felt this was coming.  She understood that Geno was only being cautious, but she still didn't like the idea of bigger, better guns and weapons.  She sighed, finally raising her head to Geno.  "Is that gonna be for both of you, or. . .?"

 

Geno shook his head.  "Just me.  The boys is fine.  He's the dangerous one, not me," Geno said, chuckling at his own humor.

 

Rachel nodded, swinging her feet back and forth over the edge of her bed.  "I guess I can help you out.  Leave your gear with Mars and I'll have something for you by tomorrow evening.  What did you have in mind?" Rachel asked.

 

"Mostly the weapons.  A lot of these guys are fast.  If something goes down, I'm gonna need to be able to catch them.  And putting the boy in danger isn't something I want to resort to."

 

Rachel nodded, now digging through a cluttered drawer in her bedside table, then picking up a pen as she found a clean notepad.  "What else ya got?" she said, suddenly excited.  Rachel loved working on new projects.

 

"A non-lethal option.  Something that packs a punch but won't blow their God damn heads off."

 

She nodded twice, writing quickly.  "Anything else?" she asked, looking up.  

 

Geno thought silently for a moment, his hand under his chin.  "A portapotty would be cool."

 

Rachel raised an eyebrow, but took down the request anyway.  "Okey-dokey.  I'm gonna have Mars and Brock draw up some plans and we'll hop to it early tomorrow morning.  I'm gonna get a good night's sleep to see what I can come up with."

 

Geno stood up from Rachel's chair, and spun it around to face her desk, then patted her on the head.  "Thanks kid.  You always come through for me."

 

Becoming invisible, Geno walked off out of Rachel's room, through her walls.  As he left, he heard her cry out.

 

"Hey!  I said no cloaking in my room!" she screamed.  

 

He laughed, shaking his head.  "But I knocked first!" he called back, still walking away.

 

"I meant coming or going!" she screamed again.  But Geno had already walked out of earshot.

 

---

 

North Tower Lobby, 9:22 p.m.

 

"That was a delight, my friends.  We must do it again sometime," Sergei said happily.  Matilda embraced her father, and bid him goodnight.

 

"Everything is in order.  Get some sleep, okay?  No more late nights," Matilda insisted.

 

Sergei held Matilda closely, then pecked her on the forehead.  "I won't be up much longer, I promise.  I'm going to send the schedule down to the broadcasting station, and have envelopes prepared for the morning.  Then it's off to bed!"

 

Matilda walked over to the employee elevator, then slid her I.D. card through the reader.  After a short delay, a small green light lit up on the card reader, and the elevator doors opened.  "See you in the morning, Dad," Matilda said, now being joined by Theodore and Bradley now.  The lights inside the elevator blinked, as Matilda selected the lower tenth floor.

 

Sergei waved to them as the elevator doors closed, then proceeded to the lobby elevator, where he would make his way up to the fifth floor and the production room.  There was a blue stained glass windows with large white print reading 'Production and Casting', and Sergei tapped lightly on it twice.  Then, he slid his I.D. card through the card reader beside the door, and went inside.  It was empty, but the lights were still on.  Sergei shrugged, making his way over to the casting desk where he then sat behind a computer, and went to work.

 

After about an hour, he had completed the schedule for tomorrow's match-ups, assigned the appropriate helicopters and pilots, and had print-ups for contestants for the day's events.  "There.  All done," he said, standing to his feet and stretching.  He left duplicates on the production desk, and took the copies to be distributed with him as he exited the production room.

 

Heading downstairs to the lower tenth floor, Sergei passed RC's room, and sat the copies in a metallic mailbox that read 'Magistrate Outgoing'.  He loosened the cuffs on his wrists, then made his way to his room.  "It's going to be an exciting day," he said softly to himself.

 

---

 

Day Two, 9:01 a.m.

 

Behind the hotel, fireworks erupted and lit up the sky with an array of beautiful colors.  The beautiful medley of trumpets over the hotel's intercom system awoke it's residents just a minute after the hour.  The televisions in the hotel automatically flickered to life, as 'Golden Gate News Morning Hour' began to roll live.

 

"Good morning Golden Gate Residents, and welcome to the Golden Gate News Morning Hour.  I'm your host Victor Skye, and with me as always is my co-host Yasmine Janine."  Victor was a younger guy.  Bald headed with steel framed glasses and a goatee in a brown suit with a blue tie and  white oxford shirt.

 

"Thank you, Victor, and good morning residents."  Yasmine was about Victor's age.  She had green eyes, jet black hair tied neatly into a bun on her head, and she was wearing a blue powersuit with a white oxford shirt as well.  "Today, as you all know, is the first day of a lengthy series of battles.  Today is day one of the Secret Cup finals.  And our contestants look promising."

 

As the contestants rested the previous night, a vanilla envelope was placed under their doors.  In the envelope was an image of their opponent, and detailed information about the arena that they would be doing combat in.

 

"And this morning, we've already received the official match-ups for each contestant, along with the arena's they'll be fighting in.  And boy, Yasmine, I have to say, these arena's are going to be a big point of focus in these fights," Victor said excitedly.

 

"And you can't stress that enough, Victor.  Thanks to some very clever decision making by the Research and Development team, along with Mr. Nikolaev himself, these arena's will provide an array of opportunities for contestants and viewers alike.  And now, your official match-ups for the day."  Rolling from the top of their television screens, a large display over the broadcast listed the first round battles.

 

[spoiler=Round 1]

 

 

 

"And we've got quite a few interesting fights coming," Victor began again.  "From the top down, it looks like Kai Alvarado and Rowal Torai will be taking each other on in 'the Fallen Church of Jubilee'."

 

"And following them, Bethany Cunningham and Lace XIII will be having a heated ladies bout in the Sahill Cathedral," Yasmine confirmed.

 

"Up next, Louis Ebon will be dueling Mango.  Their selected arena looks to be the Cursed Battleground of the Xiang War.  In the mountains of Japan.  Interesting!"

 

"And finally," Yasmine continued.  "T-EN4 Seraph, or Angelica, will be facing Jack.  Another 'ladies' match.  This battle will take place in the A-W Underground Network."

 

The contestants now had a good look at their opponents, and they had been given as much information about their respective arenas as possible.  The screen faded away, and the casters were back in view.  "Contestants, your battles are about to begin.  Are you ready?  Please report to the rooftops of any of the three towers of the hotel and you will be escorted to a helicopter where you will be flown to your arena.  The finals are about to begin!" Victor said, just as the news began to roll credits.

 

And now, their journeys await them.  As of 9:10 a.m., the contestants were to report to their battlegrounds, where they would face off in a battle to the death.

[VCR_CAT]

Jack

 

After spending the evening hanging out with Bethany and that... old weirdo, Jack had spent a good amount of time sweeping her room for bugs. Thankfully, the room had come up clean. This Sergei either trusted them too much or maybe they trusted him too much. With how many people that wanted her dead, Jack figured that Sergei would pounce at the opportunity to get a shot at her naked face, but regardless the room was clean. Well, this made her time at the hotel easier.

 

Jack had woken up earlier that morning. Normally she was late to rise, but getting the suit on took some time, and punctuality was going to be important in an event such as this. Without her wig, make-up and mask on, Jack looked like a much different person. Her skin was a darker tone, something the plastic surgeons couldn't easily take care of without it looking very unnatural. She also retained the thinness of her eyes, something that also hinted at her nationality. Everything else, however, was completely different than what she born with. Her hair now was a brighter brunette colour and cut short in a punk style. However, not too short. On the back and sides of her head were metal ports; tech drilled into her skull so that her suit could work with her. These ports were a dead give-away, however, and a simple hat wasn't enough to cover the one on the back of her neck entirely. While a shaved scalp would make putting her suit on and taking it off much easier, Jack still valued being able to go out into town without drawing any attention. So, to compensate, she let her hair grow long enough to cover the ports, but it meant more preparation for getting ready.

 

The morning broadcast came on just as Jack was doing that; applying a strong gel to her to keep it plastered close to her head and away from her I/O ports.

 

"And finally," the girl continued on.  "T-EN4 Seraph, or Angelica, will be facing Jack.  Another 'ladies' match.  This battle will take place in the A-W Underground Network."

 

"T-EN4, eh?" Jack said with a wide smirk, looking over the information given to her about the A-W Underground Network, letting out a soft chuckle that grew to a louder laugh.

 

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Jack mused as she slipped her helmet on, and left her room to her designated helipad.

[Tesability Black]

~Rawal's POV~

 

Rawal had been up since the sun rose, being one of the few that kept the curtains pulled back so he could rise with the sun. The taste of 'cheese-stuffed crust chicken pizza' was still on his tongue, which wasn't bad and didn't have as much of the 'fake' taste that he noticed in other foods after landing on Earth. With his door open so that Talis-Eye could sneak out invisibly to gather information as needed, the pair had been slowly fiddling with the odd boxlike device in the room that was designated as his sleeping area...the 'computer', a few minds referred to it as.

Thankfully, the point and click way of using it, which Rawal saw plenty of on the way to Earth, was easy to mimic. While trying to make use of it did make him nervous, since he still had no real idea what he was doing with it, so far things didn't seem like it would result in an early end for him.

You're straining your thoughts on this when you need to relax, whom knows when we will have to---

Another nearby box soon came to life on its own, a moving image appearing on one side as a voice left it as well. "Good morning Golden Gate Residents, and welcome to the Golden Gate News Morning Hour."

Rawal did not need to understand to recognize two of the words, "Golden Gate" being repeated twice and so close to each other. Taking advantage of the fact that he could turn in his chair with ease, he turned to the illuminated moving images, admittedly focused on more of the visual instead of the audial.

He, however, immediately stood up in shock upon the showing of the contestants. How was a image of that moment visible?! He would have known if something had been spying on him while he was punishing his...extremely-disobedient servant, and yet, there was a shot of him, standing in front of his glimmering white-stone throne with his hand raised towards a partially-unseen image of the familiar sliver of purple that was part of the painful outfit that his treacherous servant insisted on wearing.

He almost missed the image flashed afterwards due to his moment of rage, and the location shown afterwards...which made him think of home despite the decrepit appearance.

Shaking his head, the elder looked towards the Eyebeast, whom was resting upon the bed with gazes upon the odd box, a few eyes narrowed in disgust. "The girl shown, whom was that?"

...her name is Kai Alvarado...and I prefer to stay out of her mind when possible. Rawal raised an eyebrow, prompting the dark-pink entity to continue. Something I've noticed is that she seemed to have no verbal filter...and it turns out she doesn't have such a thing with her mind, either.

"Filter," repeated Rawal with a question on his voice after realizing that Talis-Eye didn't translate the word. "That's...care to elaborate on the meaning of that word?"

One of the eyestalks looked out towards the rising sun outside of the windows, the rest gathered closer to the central eye in thought. I mean she appears to have no sense at all in regards to what she should and should not be saying or thinking. It should be easy to find her weakpoints...if it wasn't so painful to stay in her mind.

Rawal scowled at that moment, thought he thought about it a bit longer. It sounded to him as if this girl didn't bother hiding her thoughts or shielding her mind...or maybe the overwhelming of thoughts is how they are shielded. Rather clever, he admittedly thought before looking at the clock.

One of the things he did manage to pick up quick was the system of time used upon the planet, though he found himself preferring analog clocks over the 'digital' variants. And he saw that it was slowly approaching 9:10am on the clock. "We need to go to where they mentioned...the rooftops?"

Talis-Eye began to float up slightly, a couple of eyestalks appearing to be looking through the wall. We have to go up, where we need to go is at the top.

The Eyebeast rendering themselves invisible before leaving into the hallways to avoid spooking the jumpier workers, the pair of Shaper and creation climbed up the stairway to the helicopter to get himself warmed up for another potentially deadly match. Talis-Eye would trail behind the helicopter to stay close enough for translation purposes as well as to 'exercise' their own ability to move quickly. Once within the helicopter, Rawal was visibly nervous over how such a device even existed, fearful of suddenly falling out onto the ground far below...

[Mr. Hyde]

 

Yesterday had been such a blur...meeting all of those freaks and geeks.  After talking with that walking pile of puke, he had returned to his room, where Basabth and him talked about the opposition.  They talked into the wee hours of the night as well, and not just about the competition...they both knew it was in the bag for the both of them.  No...it was a rather different conversation, one that had diverged from the norm.  

 

 

Last Night

 

"Do we have to kill all those guys in that room?"

 

"Whoah whoah whoah...where's the Basabth I know and love!  Who's shadow is this?"  Louis laughed, but Basabth looked at him as serious as death itself.

 

"Most of them...from how I saw through your eyes...don't seem that bad.  Do they deserve to die?"

 

Louis sighed.

 

"Did we look as nice as we actually are?  Of course we did.  These people....and things, are some of the most deadly characters from around the world...universe in fact."  And perhaps even multiverse.  "The fact of the matter is that they are too dangerous to let live.  The operation was clear wasn't it?  Flush them out...no matter who they are."  Louis put his hand on Basabth's inky black head.  

 

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't having any doubts!  Something looked like it was bothering you...It ain't like you Louis!"  A devilish grin painted Basabth's face.

 

 

The morning sun peaked through the curtains, alerting Louis that it was time to wake up.  The timezone here had really messed with his sleep schedule, but he made sure to get a couple hours of good shuteye.  Just enough to make sure he could operate at one-hundred percent.  He looked towards the door, a manila envelope tucked underneath it.  He yawned and stretched out, moseying over to it to check it's contents.  He made sure to study the content to his heart's content.  

 

Meanwhile, Basabth turned the t.v. on, where the announcements were taking place.   

 

"Up next, Louis Ebon will be dueling Mango.  Their selected arena looks to be the Cursed Battleground of the Xiang War.  In the mountains of Japan.  Interesting!"

 

"Japan huh?  Last time we were there I think we were fighting ninjas...and now we're fighting that rotted mango."  Louis rubbed the back of his head.  Time sure did fly.  After getting dressed, and Basabth taking a dip back into his Louis' shadow, they left the room.  They headed towards the elevator that was at the end of the hallway.  At the same time, a thought drilled in the back of his mind.  

 

"Did it really have to be her first..." 

[Yui]

---

Yesterday's events after the ceremony had been quiet for Mango. Everyone else grouped up and headed off in their own directions. She'd wanted to join the wizard and his little group for food, but that wasn't the best of ideas. Although she'd grown immune to it herself, Mango was perfectly aware of the...less than pleasant smell the sludge coating her body gave off. Of all the things to cool her body with, why did it have to be hazardous goop? After getting some directions, Mango had found her way to her room with no trouble, and had set up shop with her newfound solitude. Everything here was either covered in a thick rubber similar to her clothes or otherwise wouldn't get shredded by her fingersabres; Mr. Nikolaev had truly thought of everything! There was even a small hot tub, though Mango unfortunately wasn't able to use it for its intended purpose. She'd instead plugged any drains to be found then filled said hot tub with the sludge she brought for her stay.

 

In fact, she was in that very sludge-bath this morning, reclining in her spot and looking at the Golden Gate News Morning Hour as she prepared for the battle ahead in her own way. By making sure the coat of sludge she brought with her was fresh, and mentally reviewing combat scenarios in her head. Like it or not, she was bred for battle. May as well use the genetic advantage to settle things quickly, she figured.

 

"Up next, Louis Ebon will be dueling Mango. Their selected arena looks to be the Cursed Battleground of the Xiang War. In the mountains of Japan. Interesting!"

 

An envelope was then slipped under the door of Mango's room. The experiment climbed out of her sludge-bath to retrieve it before easily opening the envelope and not-so-easily pulling out the contents. Information all about her battlefield was in the envelope. Wet ground? Mango confirmed mentally. "I'll probably need my boots," she vocally answered, making for the closet where she'd stored her small wardrobe. Very small. Formal though a battle may have been - let alone one of this prestige - wearing her only hazmat suit to a fight just didn't sound like a good idea. Likewise, she only had the one poncho and didn't want to have it get torn in the fight. This was a boots & swimsuit occasion.

 

When Mango had arrived on the roof, she was wearing precisely that. Simply by virtue of "they matched", Mango opted for the black swimsuit. The child is my first opponent. How about that!? Guess I'll get to learn how he got here sooner than I thought. Mango kept the positive thoughts going as her helicopter took off, bound for Japan.