Day Five: Afternoon

[Burter]

Day Five
Noon - 6:00 PM

"The game is coming to a close and I'm very proud of all of you! Excellent job so far and keep it up! Only nine of you are left, and that means four people are done!

#07 Bujin
#11 Burter
#18 King Cold
#38 Kakarot

There are no new danger zones, but don't take this as a sign to start slacking!

That's it! Good luck, all!

This is Karl, over and out!"


Notes:

-No, finale is not in 24 hours. Keep playing as normal.

[Orion]

Wha... what just happened?

Time slowed to a crawl in Koola's mind. The wind washed over the section of the island that had previously spawned into a frantic battlefield. The footprints of the two cowardly saiyans were dissolving, as the grains of dirt blew over them. Dark clouds gathered above him, forming a celestial mourning party that grieved along with the changeling prince. He merely sat there, his dead father strewn across his lap. His eyes moved randomly between Cold's lifeless countenance and the mortal hole blown through his chest. The blood had emptied from his body, surrounding Koola in a pool of crimson.

Wha... what just happened?

Although he didn't know it, time hadn't slowed in the slightest. Indeed, when the Icer realised himself, it was far later than he predicted. The morning sun had reached its pinnacle in the sky and started descending towards the opposite side of the horizon. However warm it was, Koola couldn't shake off an undecipherable sensation of frost.

He didn't even tell him the truth. After all they'd been through, after all the progress their relationship enjoyed, Cold didn't know the truth. He didn't know his son was falling for a human female. Koola just gazed, unphased by his father's internal organs and fluids hardening on his body, his mind incapable of jumping this hurdle. Why did he withhold his unusual feelings? What hadn't his father done to nuture and strengthen their relationship? The answer was nothing, and that was the deepest cut of all.

Wha... what just happened?

Staring at the dead emperor's corpse, he felt... something. It was intolerable, eating away at the forefront of his mind. It was a maelstrom, a ten foot tall wave, a supernova of unmitigated emotion just dying to burst forth. Yet, Koola couldn't help but stare; stare and blame.

It was his fault. Cold threw himself in front of that shotgun blast. It was his foolish movements that created the opportunity. It was his inefficiency to hit the saiyan before she hit them. It was his blood on his hands.

Koola tensed his knuckles. His face remained a blank slate, but his hands balled so tightly that they shook with the pressure. His eye twitched. His heart beat faster in his chest. Adrenaline coursed through his bloodstream. His breathing fastened. He grimaced angrily, baring his teeth.

The dam was about to break.

Koola released a blood curdling, hellish scream of angst that boiled from the pits of his own personal hell.

"DAMN IT!" he bellowed, flipping his father's motionless body from his lap. Ignoring the pain in his damaged leg, he stood up firmly, screaming at the sky for deliverance. "FUCKING SAIYANS!"

He didn't care if anyone heard him anymore. He didn't care if he fell to the ground, out of energy.

This stupid island was going to know - and remember, eternally - the fury of Koola.

A navy blue aura exploded around his body. The ground shook, coercing the loose pebbles on the ground to dance. Winds battered against the changeling's body, but under his convincing power, spiralled around him. The clouds mimicked the vortex of air, spinning high above the Icer as its focal point. Lightning spontaneously struck the earth, coming inches from connecting with its creator. The freak storm bombarded the atmosphere with sound; crackling, groaning, howling reverberation annouced the sorrow of the prince.

Koola's voice overrode all of them.

Then, just as quickly as they formed, the natural phenomenon faded. Koola fell to his back. Yet, not out of exhaustion. He rediscovered that invigorating, intoxicating emotion that he thought would be a hindrance in this competition. Now, it was the only - truly, the perfect - determination of undiluted, embraced rage that hummed within him. It was anger that replaced the consistent thudding of hunger, of fatigue, of mental dillusion. It was vehemence of the saiyan race that strengthened his zeal and bolstered his focus.

Sitting up, Koola snatched his shotgun. He cocked the weapon, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Before he started off for the saiyans who murdered his father, he spotted the king's weapon. The shock rifle.

Bending down, he picked it up and examined it. He balanced it in one hand as Cold had done, and he squoze the trigger. A violent stream of electricity shot forth. The weapon was still fully operational. It would make a nice crutch, as the shotgun did.

Koola dropped to his one good knee before Cold's corpse, holding the rifle in both hands before him. He then spoke the first heartfelt comment to his dad during their entire journey together.

"Father," Koola whispered, his eyes ablaze with austerity, "I promise you... whatever it takes... those saiyans will die... by the power of your very gun frying their insides."

The solemn changeling took up both weapons and, using them as supports, headed in the direction he believed the saiyan cowards were in.

"May the gods watch over you, scum. For Wrath itself comes to claim your very souls."

OOC: I'm taking the shock rifle and shotgun.

[Burter]

Face to Face

Bardock

Android 17, Cargo

Beep beep ... beep beep ... beep beep

Bardock turned off the GPS as the two dots nearest his own came closer and closer. He set it into his bag and prepared himself. He could already hear the two sets of footsteps coming near him. He carefully squattered from his position high in the trees as the figures headed south towards the cliff. Where they would die.

Down below, Cargo and Android Seventeen remained oblivious to anyone else. According to the latest announcement, there were seven other people out there so they were confident no one would be able to find them without there being some notice.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Seventeen asked Cargo as they reached the cliff. He looked over and saw not a namekian, but his beautiful lover, Paige. "What a view."

"Yea," Cargo responded, trying his best to go along with it. "Sure is."

It was very soothing to Seventeen, who not very long ago was such an emotionless killer. Now he was here, reunited with his lover. Corpses littered the island but here she was. Alive and well.

At least until Bardock shot her in the back.

"Hrk!" Cargo's eyes lit up as he felt a jolt in his body. Fortunetly, the ki pistol hadn't got him in any vital organs, but the damage was done. It was all he could do to just fall to one knee, instead of all the way off the cliff. "Urg..."

Seventeen looked in shock from Cargo to the newcomer. Bardock stood there, pistol in hand, aimed at the cyborg. But Seventeen's eyes didn't see a saiyan warrior. No, it saw a pink monster that he knew all too well. "...Buu?"

The saiyan opened fire. Seventeen grunted as the ki pistol shot him in the hand. He barely rolled to the side, unsheating his own pistol and raising it up.

"Fuck!" He shouted, shooting back at the opponent. "Buu, why'd you shoot her!? How are you...!?"

Bardock didn't respond, instead moving behind trees as he kept running, using all of the plants as cover. Ki shots fired as the two kept locked in on the gunfight. Bardock was focussed, but Seventeen was confused above all else. How could things end up like this?

The saiyan came out from his cover without warning. The android tensed, preparing to face his friend head on. "Don't do this, Buu!"

Bardock opened fire with the flamethrower in his other hand. Android Seventeen had no choice but to duck and turn. The saiyan moved to give chase, but a sting knocked him in the back of his ankle.

The elder fell forward as the flail cut into his ankle. He rolled up to his feet. Cargo held his wound, swinging the flail again and giving Seventeen time to run (who was under the assumption Cargo/Paige was dead). Bardock easily ducked it from the injured namekian.

"Damn you!" Cargo hissed. He lept forward, but Bardock turned sideways and avoided it.

Cargo landed on the ground and turned around to come face to face with the ki pistol. It exploded with a loud bang, blasting the green head open.

#37 Cargo DEAD

08 Remain

Android 17 has been shot in the hand and lost a couple fingers. Minor injury

Bardock has been hit with the spikey flail in the ankle. Minor injury.

Bardock can take the cardboard box and flail

[Android 17]

Seventeen stumbled and tripped across the uneven ground as he tried to distance himself from his attacker?his best friend. His ruined left hand was clenched safely within the grip of its surviving twin. Huffing and puffing, the android let out a grunt and collapsed onto the ground. An incoherent groan escaped his weary maw as he tried desperately to catch his breath, knowing very well that failure to cover a lot of ground would result in his demise.

?Why?? The machine-hybrid mumbled, climbing back onto his feet after only a few seconds of rest. ?Why!? He suddenly screamed as an ensanguined aura shot to life around his battered body. Throwing his right hand forward, the android punched through a nearby tree?his hate-filled expression unyielding even as wooden splinters cut into his visage. Panting like an overworked dog, the machine-hybrid pulled his hand through the gaping hole in the tree and threw his survival bag onto the floor.

After a few minutes of rooting through the duffel bag, Seventeen produced the small metallic box that Super Buu had bestowed upon him a day and a half ago. With a flick of his good wrist, the android opened up the medkit and began rooting through it. Even if it was a long shot, there was always the chance that he may have overlooked any usable materials.

Once he came to the conclusion that he was wasting his time, Seventeen let out an infuriated scream and hurled all the waste papers and bare rolls of cardboard to the wayside. Unable to deal with the negative emotions coursing their way through his confused, erratic mind, the cyborg descended into full tantrum mode and began blasting everything he could lay his eyes upon.

?Fucking hate this!? He finally screamed as he vanished into a cloud comprised of fragments of dirt, rocks, and the surrounding plant life. As the fallout settled, the android found himself convulsing uncontrollably as he stared down the earth beneath his pathetic, useless form. He was vermin?it was pure and simple. When push came to shove, he had fallen down like a little bitch and been unable to so much as stand and avenge his woman.

What?s glittering? The thought interrupted the machine-hybrid?s self-aimed tirade. Cocking his head in confusion, Seventeen leaned in closer to the medkit and squinted at what was seemingly a piece of discarded jewelry. Earring. The android?s internal voice corrected as his plucked the golden trinket out from the corner of the steel box and lifted it up to his eyes. It took only a brief moment, but the machine-hybrid quickly deduced the owner of the earring.

Paige.

?But?? Seventeen began, dropping the trinket into the confines of his palm as his mind wandered back a few days. After all, Super Buu had been the one who had given him the medical kit in the first place. Why was one of Paige?s earrings inside a container his friend had attested to owning? The android?s thoughts drifted to the ki sword clipped to his belt?Buu had told him that he had gotten the sword along with the shotgun from other competitors.

?Lies,? a voice uttered from behind the android. Glancing over his shoulder, Seventeen turned around and saw that his girlfriend was once again standing behind him.

?I don?t understand any of this,? Seventeen pleaded, clenching down on the earring as maddening, confusing thoughts began to bombard his weary mind.

?What?s not to understand?? A third voice uttered before stepping into the scene. With a grin, Super Buu powered up his ki sword and punched it through Paige?s abdomen?effectively skewering her heart and forcing what remained of it out through her ruined ribcage. The resulting outward burst of blood from the woman?s chest caught the android directly in the face, staining his countenance with the vital fluids of the only thing left for him to hold dear in the world.

?Seventeen?? the woman gasped helplessly as her gaze fell upon her beleaguered boyfriend. Twisting the sword in order to cause his victim more pain, Super Buu leaned over one of Paige?s shoulders and smiled at his former comrade. ?I don?t know why, but I can?t enough when it comes to killing this bitch of yours, Shevs,? the puttalin golem said, planting a kiss on one of Paige?s cheeks.

?I hate you,? Seventeen muttered, his aura growing more intense in order to complement the hate swelling through the broken man.

?What was that?? Super Buu asked, tilting his head so that his ?ear? was facing the crouching android. ?I can?t hear you, fleshbag.?

?I said I fucking hate you!? The onyx-haired warrior screamed, lunging off the ground and drawing the magical construct?s own weapon. Seventeen?s rage-infused aura exploded in a vibrant, scintillating display of the android?s blood red fury. Moving faster than his foe could react, the cyborg shaved Buu?s sneering face off at the neck. The monstrosity?s body immediately fell limp, and with it, Paige?s deceased form collapsed to the ground.

?No!? Seventeen shouted, dropping to his knees once again and catching his girlfriend?s corpse before it hit the ground. It didn?t matter?there was nothing that he could have done to save her. Paige had been dead the moment the sword had ripped through her body. A familiar laugh caught the machine-hybrid?s attention. Even as tears began down his cheeks, he managed to turn his gaze away from the corpse long enough to see the puttalin monster waving at him from the bushes.

He lives. Super Buu had once again shattered the symbol of the android?s entire life, and for yet another time, he had tricked death.

For the third time.

Never again. There was no feasible way that Seventeen was going to allow the traitor another lease on life. No way was he going to let Super Buu keep on murdering his loved ones and living to tell the tale. With a gentle motion of his trembling hand, the android closed Paige?s eyes and folded her arms across her chest. As he stood up, the cyborg clenched his bloodshot eyes shut and tightened his mangled hands into fists.

?Buu!? He screamed, arching his back and opening his distraught, crazed eyes as he unloaded the primeval war cry into the afternoon sky. When at last the android ran out breath, he fell silent?the only sound left in the clearing was the rampant churning of his surging aura. Not a single soul who remained upon the battleground was going to depart without knowing the fury of an android scorned. Fuck breadcrumbs. The raven-haired warrior would leave a trail of bodies behind him on his hunt for the cretin who had wronged him.

The man was dying once more?unable to deal with the emotional baggage that accompanied the disease of humanity. The machine would soon inherit the problems of his organic coherent, and with a cold, emotionless fury, it would exact the vendetta its lesser half could not accomplish. A tear made its way down stained, bloodied cheeks, but the eye from whence it had fallen no longer conveyed the sorrow it once had. All that remained was a blank, vacated stare.

Nothing would stand in Android Seventeen?s way. His vengeance would be fulfilled, or he would drag a world in flames with him into oblivion.

Apocalyptic vision, bleed into my brain?

[Yamu]

?Number Eleven?Burter.? The giant voice boomed over the entire island, but it was the words not the sound that brought Yamu to his knees.

The name rung out over the island and echoed back over Yamu a hundred times. Burter was dead, gone from the island for good. The strait and wide path the Arlian Guardian had been walking was ripped from under his feet, tossing him into a mental wilderness of sharp rocks and endless sands.

?NOOO!? Yamu shouted, his voice drowning out the rest of the loudspeaker?s message. ?YOU don?t kill Burter! I kill BURTER!? The game had been set, the pieces moved, and the ending clear.

And it was all over now.

The destiny of Dante Yamu sought was a shadow now, even his dreams of closure were now eaten by the Abyss. He had lost his azure friend what seemed like a lifetime ago, and this was to be their destined reunion on the field of battle. Two warriors like they would not have it any other way. A beer and a slap on the back was not the way they operated, it was with their fists. It was to be a glorious battle, that fight alone would have paid his debt to the Arlians.

And it had been robbed from him.

Yamu dropped to his knees, setting the Ki Machine Gun down in front of him so that his hands could brace against the ground, his legs no longer had enough strength to keep him up. His eyes bulged and his lips curled back past his teeth. ?I-kill-Burter. THAT was the deal?? He would slay his friend, take something away form himself to make up for everything he had taken from Arlia. Now?he had nothing to repay them with.

The dead coals of his black in black eyes ignited in rage. Someone had stolen his achievement, his destiny from him. Big Blue had been his personal goal and now it was gone. Someone would pay.

The Arlian Guardian delved into the generations upon generations of shamanic traditions that now resided within his brain. The Cloud People were one with nature, they derived their mystic powers from the earth and sky around them and Yamu now had the Ki Sand to act as a conduit to perform their rituals.

He lifted his sand covered arm high above his head, the black gauntleted limb began to glow white as Yamu channeled his ki into the grains, ghostly white swirls of energy peeled off of from his fist as it shook in the air. ?Earth! Your Brother comes to you as a supplicant! Grant me the honor of feeling what you feel, let your Brother take some of your pain for the death?s you have felt these past days.? The Arlian Guardian drove the glowing black arm into the ground all they up to his elbow and in so doing tapped into the lifelines of the soil.

The hairless human was still an apprentice without a master in the mystic arts, but he could still feel the pain of the previous day, the memories still fresh for the Island. He could sense Burter, the reptiles energies were unmistakable to him?he could also make out what the ground felt as the unmistakable aura of a Super Saiya-Jin. Other deaths and fights clouded in but Yamu focused on that one battle, the way his friend?s aura grew and then winked out without warning.

At the hands of a Super Saiya-Jin.

The veiny juggernaut pulled his hand out of the soil, his eyes flashing as if an orange corona surrounded his ebony irises. ?Burter was mine?? He stared at the ground seething until a high pitched tone caught his attention and jerked his head up, the Ki Machine Gun in his hands and aimed instinctively.

Yamu looked up to see a purple and white changeling with the unmistakable curve of the shock rifle aimed right for him. A Ki shotgun occupied his other hand as well. Despite a leg that seemed to be attached at just the bone, the man?s twin weapons made him look like a living tank and dangerous as hell. Their eyes met and rage recognized rage. Warriors of their caliber did not cry for those they lost, they avenged them. The son of King Cold and the human recognized the mutual pain they shared on Dante, and it stalled their fire.

?Who.? Yamu spoke flatly, his lit coals not leaving Koola?s eyes. The word did not need a question mark or an explanation. They both knew they wanted the know the cause of the other?s passion.

?My father. You.? The purple changeling?s voice was just as flat. No questioning in his voice, just the statement of fact, he knew a reply would be given.

?My fiend. My destiny.? The second word came out like a hiss from Yamu.

The Shock rifle still hummed with a charge just on the brink of firing, ?No Saiya-Jin is going to make it off this island?especially those two.?

?Funny you should mention that?? Yamu voice took on a little inflection once again, but was still has hard as tempered steel. ?I?m Saiya-Jin hunting myself. One of the four left took my moment of Atonement away from me. They?ll pay in blood.? The stand off continued and a sharp breeze passed between the two without either moving from their position. ?Do we kill each other now?or turn around and let the each other go about our vengeance?? Yamu asked, ready for it to be over either way.

?Or we take that vengeance together?? Koola could not believe he was trusting a human, but the rage that burned within Yamu mirrored his own. That mutual hatred of the other fighters left on the island was a bond close to blood. ?My name is Koola. What about you, human?? an order more then a question.

?Yamu. You really think you can trust me, Koola?? The shocked human asked. He had already planned six different strategies for avoiding the twin weapons the changeling had to bare.

?Your words ring true, human. This is a hard game to rust within?but I think I?m above that. I?d rather they feel my wrath then you. I?m sure you can think of a token to ease my mind about trusting you.?

Yamu lifted the machine gun, making Koola involuntarily tense until he saw the human advanced it butt forward. ?Three people I have trusted have carried this weapon. I even engraved their initials on the stock in tribute to their sacrifices on my behalf.? The human displayed the ki made etching alone the left side. ?That shot gun takes two hands to fire, this only one. The machine gun will make you more deadly, and you will possess something very precious to me.?

The purple shaded warrior did not smile but the sentiment did amuse him. ?I can not argue with that logic, human.? The pair exchanged weapons and each took a moment to admire their new acquisition.

The Ki Shotgun.

Yamu felt like a twelve year old with a red rider b-b gun. It had always seemed appropriate for him to have this weapon?a destiny.

Destiny.

Suddenly Yamu felt like maybe the game was not over. One destiny had slipped thorugh his fingers?but maybe a new one had presented itself. There were other ways to repay his debt to Arlia. He was sure winning the entire thing would go pretty far. The enigmatic changeling had opened Yamu to entire new avenues of paying back his debt.

?Human?you know the best revenge we can take, don?t you?? The changeling?s voice was cold, a serial killer?s glint to his words.

?No??

?We kill them before they can even see the Finals.? They both looked out over the island, eyes flashing with mutual murderous thoughts.

?Koola?when it comes time. Shoot me in the face, will ya? We settle it like men, you and me.? Yamu?s hand gingerly stroked the handle of the shotgun.

?No promises, human.?

And woe to the beasts of the field and sky when the leopard and the lion hunt as one. When the competitors become allies, no prey is to great.
-Arlian Apocrypha of the Cloud People. Chapter 2, Verse 13.

OOC: I'll ask Koola to confirm the weapon trade.

[Raditzu]

Far off in the distance, Raditzu could see a lighthouse. It stood tall, silent, and alone. At its base, sea water crashed against the rocky shore of the island, as though desperately trying to join the lighthouse atop its almost majestic perch. It was surprising, what emotions this scene envoked in the long-haired competitor.

The sea was vast and wide, and carried a mysterious strength that only fools would underestimate. Yet there it was. clamouring towards something it would never be able to reach. The sea, however, didn't see to care. Or rather... it didn't know. It continued to surge up the shore of the island. It continued to rage against a force it could never overcome, but that fact didn't seem to mean anything.

It was an uncharacteristic moment of clarity for Raditzu. He looked down to the hole in his chest: the bandages he had fashioned were stained a deep red. They clung to his body only by the will of the blood that had dried between them. It felt as though, at any second, his insides would spill forth. Yet he continued to fight. Through shotgun wounds, machine gun woulds, cuts, bruises, burns, and anything else that could be thrown at him, he would continue to fight. Its what he did and, more importantly, who he was.

With a long sigh, the saiya-jin pulled himself up from the rock he had been using for a rather uncomfortable seat. The lighthouse scene seemed to waver for a moment as the saiyan started down the road in front of him. His pace had slowly dramatically, as it had suddenly become crucial that he save his strength for the fights that still waited for him. The fights that he had sworn he would see out until the end. They wouldn't be easy, and they wouldn't be fun, but Raditzu was beyond that.

The physical wounds Raditzu had endured were nothing agaisnt the pain he had suffered within. This tournament... this damned abyss had torn through the proverbial web of lies and deceit that he had created for himself. No longer was he hiding behind the excuses and the backwards rationale that had taken him year to forge. He was staring at the blatant truth of himself, and it was something he had hoped he would never have to deal with.

"Well..." Rad stopped in the middle of the road for a minute, and leaved heavily on the staff he had taken from Burter. "Looks like I can't say ya never did anything for me, Blue."

[Reijin]

"For someone that can control fire, its a bit lame that you managed to burn yourself."

Bra was standing near the Gaean trained Saiyan as he was holding his arm under a rushing stream. Using his other arm, he splashed water back at her in response. "That fight was not really worth the trouble. Not that it was any trouble, but I didn't even get any satisfaction from it."

Kicking a rock into the water from boredom, the heiress shrugged. "You are the one that pulled me away from the damn fight. I'm not the one that chickened out."

Reijin looked up at her and shook his head. "That is not at all what we did. We didn't retreat; we strategically withdrew."

She looked at him through icy blue eyes and smirked. "Is that what you prefer to call it?"

He rose to his feet and shook the water from his arm, using some of the bandages they'd attained to begin wrapping around his burn. He knew they weren't medically strong enough to heal the wounds, but at the least they could prevent further infection and stop bleeding. "I figured out during the fight that we killed that Changelings father. I think that was Koola, for that matter, although Changelings tend to look the same. I've fought with him before on both sides, and he's a very capable fighter."

"So you decided to run," she dripped sourly.

"No!" he snapped, growing impatient. "Let's put it this way," he decided, knowing this was likely to piss her off. "Put yourself in that fight. You already know your father was killed. Now what would have happened if you were actually there while the fight that caused his death was going on?"

Throwing him a glare, she clenched her fists. "I'd have let nothing prevent me from skinning them alive," she announced, her eyes flashing angrily.

Nodding, he pulled his gloves back onto his hands, adjusting the spiked knuckles till they were in place. He leaned down to grab his gun before responding. "Yes, exactly. So you see my point? In his anger, he'd not have thought a thing for his own safety. He'd have completely given up the struggle to win this event and in a state of beserker rage he'd have given his life to see ours end. Now this is ok, when you are going to die regardless. But when you have a goal in mind and not just a slight chance, but a damn good chance, at living, then you take a step back and think things through." He slid the gun into his belt.

"So we now let him stay pissed off and hunting us, and hope he doesn't find us."

"No, we now lure him into a trap if he decides to follow us. That was a fight we would have won, no doubt. But given that he cared nothing for his safety at that point, we'd have sustained far more damaging injuries in his attempt to take us down with him. Which means that someone else down the road will have an easier time taking us out."

"I guess," she finally sighed. "I don't tend to get so overly complicated on thinking things through," she admitted. "But that doesn't stop me from kicking their asses on a daily basis."

Acknowledging this, he approached her. "Yeah, I know. But that's why we are going to win. We are a great team. I don't see anyone standing in our way at this point, if we keep our heads strong enough. The two of us will straight out dismantle any of the other competition. Especially given the lack of injuries we've attained. I'm sure that unless people have been crouching in small holes the entire tournament that they are in a lot worse condition."

"How do you know?" she questioned. "Just taking a guess?"

He rolled his eyes. "Mostly. But you can't deny that we've both been bitching about the lack of fights on our ends the entire tournament. And listening to the list of the dead every morning tells me that out of those left, a large majority of them have had to have been involved heavily with the fighting."

She seemed to not really be listening to him at the moment, and was more focused on something inside of her head. "I understand," she said after a moment, though she didn't seem to be responding to her.

Just what was going on inside of the girl's head, Reijin had no idea. But he had to wonder.

[Android 17]

Time was cruel to the raven-haired warrior. With each passing moment, more and more of it slipped through his greedy fingers, leaving with nothing to prove for his wasted time. The aggravations of the day?s sluggish progression paled in comparison to the terrors associated with the android?s frail mental condition. With every grain of sand that slipped through the hourglass, Seventeen?s mind grew increasingly taxed.

Thoughts churned in his mind, egging him on despite the infirmity of his body, soul, and mind. Within the span of a few hours, the man that was Seventeen had descended deeper and deeper into the grave he had been digging for himself over the course of the last five days. He had been filled with vigor upon the fall of Paige, but now his thoughts were once again topsy-turvy.

The man in Seventeen wanted nothing more than to escape from the abyss and return to his home. He desired nothing more than to escape the madness and forget about everything that had happened over the last week, but the machine in him was not so fickle. It craved the blood of those who had wrong it, and it would not back down in the face of pain and perdition. It was these conflicting viewpoints that were turning Seventeen into a wreck. It was only a matter of time before oblivion would engulf the weary machine-hybrid in his embrace.

?I have to hold on,? Seventeen muttered, unwilling to fold to his ailments. Despite the tenacity of his tone, the sickly look he wore across his battered visage was indication enough that he was, at best, lying to himself. As he dragged his feet across the terrain, the android paused to draw a fresh supply of breath into his beleaguered lungs. ?I am strong.?

?You?re a fraud,? a voice suddenly whispered from the darkness?triggering the android to immediately draw his pistol from his belt. As he wearily scanned his surroundings, he watched a squirrel scurry across the floor of the forest. After a few feet, it went to jump and simply stopped moving in midair.

?What?s going on?? Seventeen asked upon noting that the little critter was completely stiff, with his furry features frozen in an expression of terror and panic.

?What isn?t going on?? The same voice replied as the forest around the android washed away like wet paint struck with a hose. As the colors faded to white, Seventeen pivoted once more and narrowed his eyes at what he same.

?You,? the raven-haired warrior hissed, drawing Buu?s ki sword from his back and readying it as well.

?Yes, me,? the man snickered, cracking his knuckles and then his neck as he advanced toward the cyborg. ?Or more correctly?us,? he uttered, throwing his long, ebony locks behind his neck with a flick of his bony wrist.

?What do you want?? Seventeen hissed, flicking the activation switch of the ki sword as he prepared for a tussle.

?The same thing that we both want,? the facsimile replied. ?Answers. Answers to our existence. Answers to why we are the way we are.?

?Leave me the hell alone,? Seventeen growled, lifting up the ki pistol and firing off a round at the duplication; however, when the android pressed the button, all he was gifted with was the lovable sound of an empty clip. With a snicker, the cyborg?s replication snapped his fingers and made the gun vanish from the grip of the actual Seventeen. A moment later, it appeared in the hands of the insidious clone.

?You are so far from understanding,? the facsimile uttered, tossing the gun into the white abyss that surrounded the two free-floating individuals. Vehemently opposed to dealing with the cruel copy, the raven-haired warrior drew his ki sword and prepared for combat. ?That?s good, Seventeen. Embrace your long forgotten heritage of blood and rage! You?ve been avoiding it for far too long.?

?No?? the android uttered?deactivating the weapon and dropping it to the ground. Sighing faintly, the facsimile merely shook his head and walked across the void toward Seventeen.

?Time is running out for you,? the android whispered. ?While you were parading around in ignorant bliss of the real world, your internal systems have been dying,? the remark triggered the true Seventeen to let out a gasp, his pupils shrinking as the realization befell him.

?Liar,? the cybernetic warrior shot back. It was a lame and feeble comeback, but it was all that he could muster in the face of such a potentially devastating portent. Shaking his head solemnly, the replication took another step forward and placed one of his hands on the android?s left shoulder. Initially reeling away, Seventeen soon relaxed when he realized there was no ill intent on the part of the clone.

?All good things must come to an end, Seventeen,? the facsimile whispered. ?For you, this means your life. You are running out of time, and it is time you embrace yourself before all is lost,? with a sigh, the replication stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the man that he mirrored. ??I love you, but your time is running short. Please do not die for naught. Embrace all that you are or everything will be list. Time is running short.?

?I don?t understand,? Seventeen uttered, in a voice that was nothing more than a pathetic, ignorant whimper.

?You will,? the facsimile said, pulling away from the android. ?Head my warning,? with that, the clone leaned forward and kissed Seventeen. Feeling completely comfortable for reasons he couldn?t explain, the machine-hybrid simply closed his eyes and parted his lips in response to the foreign pressure he felt put on them. Tears began to stream down his face as the two android?s stood there in a silent embrace. When Seventeen finally opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground of the forest?once again alone and once again in tears.

?I feel?cold,? muttered, his eyes puffy as he slid the pistol into its holster on his belt. For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, the cyborg felt truly, wholly miserable: The ecstasy of the last day, fueled by his lovely unawareness to the situation at hand, had at last crumbled entirely to reveal a soured core. The revelation was a final blow to something that had been wilting for hours. It was as if an atom bomb had gone off in the android?s imaginary world?obliterating everything and leaving nothing in the wake of its destruction except a scared, disheartened man.

Events were going to transpire soon that would test what remained of Seventeen?s resilience and sanity. The android could sense this, but preparation for such an affair was impossible. He knew in his heart there was no way to avoid the encroaching reality. He was a complete and utter mess and given enough time, it would cost him everything. Seventeen only hoped he would run out of time before he lost himself into the cold, mechanical abyss that churned and whirled within his own body.

Time was of the essence.

And Seventeen?s time was running out.

[Yamu]

The longer machine gun made a better crutch for Koola as he and Yamu advanced faster then expected around a low hill. The ingenious changeling was using his tail in combination with the machine gun to compensate for his useless leg and could actually move quite rapidly. Despite the purple warrior?s best efforts the lifeless limb still continued to swing into his way or bump into rocks or limbs forcing grunts from the frustrated warrior.

The newly formed pair had been traveling in relative silence, so it startled the amethyst prince when Yamu finally spoke, ?Hey?would you mind if I took a look at your leg there?? The tattered limb did appear to be visibly bothering the changeling.

The unlikely duo had just happened between rocky outcropping that gave Koola a convenient place to sit, ?I guess so?I don?t know what you plan to do, human.?

Yamu crouched down and examined the deep red scars, ?Who cauterized this for you? Must have hurt worse then the wound itself.?

?My father.? Koola?s voice always fell flat when he talked about King Cold and those two words were no different.

Yamu undid his cloak, already ragged from the multiple times he had torn bandages from it before. The Arlian Guardian wished he could think of another topic to talk about, but there was really only the one he knew of. ?So?you obviously care about your father a great deal. What was it like to be the son of King Cold??

The changeling grew somber, almost statuesque, every word was laden with loss, regret, and a hint of guilt. ?My da-father?? he corrected himself ?-is an amazing man and warrior. It is an honor to have his blood in my veins.? The somberness took on an edge of heat as he finished. ?I will avenge him.?

Yamu spoke through a full mouth as he tore the black material with his teeth, ?So, have you ever heard of a warrior name ?Metal? Koola??

Koola leaned back amused, ?I have not heard that name in a long, long time.? His voice then became tinged with an emotion Yamu could not quite place, ?He is definitely his own person. Now.?

The Arlian Guardian pulled back, ?Stand up and see what you think.?

The purple warrior looked down to see two slings interlocking his battered leg, he could now lean his weight through his hip and it had much more clearance off the ground without having to constantly lift it. ?Surprisingly good, human.?

?Think we?ll succeed in catching someone tonight?? Yamu asked as he shoved what was left of his cloak into Paragus?s survival bag.

Koola smiled, hefting a gun in each arm instead of using one as a crutch, ?The question you should ask, human, is will anyone succeed in running away from us tonight??

OOC: A huge thanks to Koola for helping me with the dialog.

[Kami]

Another day rolled on, another update came from the goons running the tournament. The body count rised, and Kami still felt like he hadn't accomplished anything. Sure, he had gunned down one wounded competetor as he crawled around in the dirt. It was a very unsatisfying kill, there was no battle, no struggle. Simply a sigh and a squeeze was all it took and there was one less fighter milling about on the island. His crippling injury still nagged at him physically and mentally. Had he been in better shape, maybe he and Raditzu could have duked it out in the middle of the island, give the pillars of heaven a good shake and call it a day regardless of the results.

Instead he dragged a survival bag behind him, a ki pistol tucked into his belt and a ki machine gun being brought along in another hand. He was glad he had it, for it made up for some of the inadaquacies of being a broken man. The sun was starting to hang low in the sky, meaning another day was nearing a close. He hoped things would soon move to a different format to try and speed up the tournament's results. He wasn't sure if that would really work to his advantage but at this point he didn't really care. If he had to fight everyone against his crippled, yet super powered ass, then so be it.

He'd give them the best cripple fight they'd ever seen.

Because he was one of the best warriors they had ever seen, and he needed to prove that to himself once again.

[Bardock]

Leave yourself open for one second, and look what happens.

Bardock pulled off his boot, which hadn?t done a spectacular job of stopping the flail?s spikes. The fighter?s foot was bleeding freely, and he would have to keep pressure on to prevent poor circulation. None of the tendons had torn, so his leg would still be very useful.

Oh well. The battle was still an adrenaline rush, the best high in the world. He?d been cool, calm, and methodical. You see somebody, you go straight for the throat.

Another bottle of alcohol down?

He was running out, too. Only a couple left. Bardock popped the top and poured some over his ankle, sucking up the pain, and then wrapped it generously in bandages. He stood up and gingerly tested out his mobility. It wasn?t great, but it wasn?t bad. The wound opened further, and the bandages quickly became soaked in blood. Just keeping pressure on wasn?t going to be enough. He hunkered back down and removed the gauze, finally focusing ki into the palm of his hand. With the delicacy of a surgeon, he traced his blazing hot fingers along the wound, being careful not to cause more damage. His face twitched and he ground his teeth together, the smell of cooked flesh pervading his nostrils.

Whatever it took to survive.

He stood again and tested it out. Much better. He wasn?t at full mobility, but it was better than none at all. He?d managed to keep light on his feet after he was injured in the battle. Slipping his boot back on, the saiyan took stock of the aftermath.

The android?whom he?d seen before?was long since gone.

?Crazy bastard,? Bardock scoffed. Something wasn?t quite right with his head.

Bar knelt by Cargo?s body, retrieving the flail. Nice little melee weapon to add to his collection. He belted it on the opposite side of his now holstered pistol. Then he noticed something else. ?Hey, I know that box.?

His former group had picked it up off of some stupid little midget, and then Prince Vegeta had claimed it for himself. Guess it was these two rag-tag clowns that had offed him. It was like the box itself had a will for survival, all the while bringing bad luck to its owners.

?Not for me,? the fighter smirked. He ignited his hand and set it on fire, watching as the cardboard peeled and withered into a smoldering pile of ash. The deed was done. He killed the box.

The box was dead.

All that was left was the ritual. Bardock removed his bandana, wiped away some green namekian blood (careful not to get any brains on it), and then wrapped it around his forehead. He touched a finger to his temple and signed off to Cargo.

?At least you died with some pride,? he said to the headless green fighter.

The saiya-jin retrieved his GPS and turned it back on. The android was long since gone.

?Tch. Coward.?

His brow furrowed. Aside from one dot apart from himself, everyone else was paired up. That might prove difficult.

At an even slower pace than before, Bardock set off, still in search of food.


OOC: Taking the flail, torched the box.