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+--- Thread: Day One: Morning (/showthread.php?tid=41806)
Day One: Morning - Talys - 06-02-2008
A light mist rolled from the vast ocean and across the beach, carried on the back of a cool, damp wind. The thin haze caressed still smoldering fire pit of the night before and its sleeping creator. Several of the smaller sections of wood snapped, crackled, and popped as the embers died off.
"No, there's no time for breakfast. . ." Talys muttered from his sleeping position beneath the tree he had claimed. "I don't care if it's Rice Krispies or not. . .the purple monkeys say that I have to fight now. I don't really want to and I don't think I'll do too well, but they say I have to. . .No they wouldn't take the bananas. . ."
One particularly forceful crack of the timber sent sparks flying from the site, several landing on the human's face.
"Wha-? Fuck!" The man shouted and jumped to his feet, wiping the hot embers from his face. "What the hell?"
The warrior peered through the combination of mist, sleepiness, and unadjusted light filters blocking his vision, momentarily forgetting where he was. His eyes then fell upon the fire pit and the Gameboy at his feet. The sight brought an uncontrolled fit of pathetic, hysterical laughter.
"I am so fucked," he muttered, starting up his Pokemon Red. The competitor then remembered the frustrating point of the game his was in last night and shut it off, opting to play Bomberman instead.
"Wait a second," he realized, thinking about what he had just thought. "Last night?! I let myself fall asleep?!"
There was a brief moment of panic in which the man unnecessarily checked his body for injuries that might have existed.
"What the hell was I thinking? I am quite probably the weakest competitor in this game and I fall asleep completely helpless for-," he looked at the sun's position in the sky and made a judge at the time, "-God knows how long. . .I could never really tell that that well. . .God am I stupid!"
Talys then allotted himself a short ADD moment to calm his nerves. The fighter started up the game of Bomberman and played a few rounds, blasting Wario into oblivion before even allowing his second worry to enter his mind. . .the fire pit. A blazing fire in the first night of this competition surely would not go unnoticed. Not to mention the smoke that it had been emitting for the past few hours.
"I really guess I should move," the black haired man slid back into reality, powering down the system.
With a sigh, Talys picked up his bag, kicked some dirt onto the smoldering wood, and began his march off across the plains. It did not take long for him to spot the next target for his camp.
"Is that-?" He began before shaking his head a few times. The image did not disappear so he assumed it to be true. "A village?"
The warrior tightened the combat wrapping around his body and the belt which help up his baggy gi pants before leaning into a bone breaking sprint to the town in sight. Little did he know what lay ahead, waiting.
"Hello?" The man shouted upon arrival, surprised by the silence that met his arrival. He looked from building to empty building before a thought reached his mind. "Oh, right. . .a tournament like Dante's Abyss can be rather violent. A town full of people would only get in the way. Of course it's deserted."
His last words held a tone of depression. It was only several hours into the game and the weight of it was already crushing in on him. There was no way the young fighter could continue much longer on his own.
"Well, not quite deserted. . ." A loud voice answered back.
Talys let out a squeal and leaped a good four feet into the air, dropping his bag and turning to face the speaker. A tall humanoid with a deep scar over one eye greeted his sight.
"Haha, Uno. This guy make the snake thing look like nothing," he shouted to someone over Talys' shoulder.
Turning again, the athletic youth saw a silver haired man standing on the far side of the street, chuckling.
"Listen," Talys said, setting his teeth. The man's light hearted disposition morphed into one of severe seriousness. "I didn't want to get into a battle this soon. . .'Specially not against two people who seem much more confident than I. . .But I understand what it takes to win, so if you insist. . ."
The raven haired fighter suddenly brought his hands together before snapping them out again, one directed to each of his opponents. There was a loud crackling noise and an odd, deep green energy began to form on either palm.
"No, no, you misjudge us," the collected, silver haired man explained, pumping his shotgun for emphasis. "We have no intention of fighting you, drop your assault and follow us if you're interested."
Talys froze, astonished for a moment as the figure walked away, the other quickly catching up.
"Dammit," he uttered, releasing the energy. "This feels like it may be a worse situation than a battle. . .but what the hell, I have no better option."
With that, the warrior jogged to catch up with the new-found "friends".
Day One: Morning - Ruhiel - 06-02-2008
He was alone.
Ruhiel was sitting cramped in the back corner of a ruined complex, the sunrise poking through the holes in the ceiling, producing an interesting artistic effect in the room. It was one of the few things he had noticed lately, considering he had just reactivated himself.
"Nngh."
That was his favorite word after just "waking up." Ruhiel just wasn't a morning person. He could go without ever sleeping, he knew that, but then again, who in their right mind would? Besides, it's not like anything interesting ever really happened that early in the morning.
"Rise and shine houseguests, it's 6 AM and the sun is starting to peek out! I'm sorry to report that we only had two encounters for the start of the game and nobody has died yet! But, on the plus side, ratings are at all time high!
I have some announcements. The first announcement is that I will be placing the very first Easter Egg weapon down. At exactly noon today, a sniper rifle will be teleported onto the largest rock on E-8. Until then, E-8 is a danger zone, effective immediately.
Now, for the danger zones set to active at noon:
C-7
E-10
F-2
F-10
G-9
H-2
That's it warriors! Do me proud, and happy killing!"
Ruhiel looked up groggily, looking around at the location he had spent the night at. In hindsight, it had been a poor decision on his part. Staying in one location was asking to be snuck up on, especially if you had decided to sleep away the first six hours. Ruhiel sighed, and pulled himself to his feet. He needed to move, to do something. He had his job to do now, and sleeping wasn't really getting him any closer to completion.
The assassin reached into his back pocket, finding the weapon that had been given to him upon the start of the competition. He pulled it out, flipping it around in his hand and looking at it. It wasn't his weapon of choice, but it would provide him with a little extra bit of versatility, something he knew was absolutely vital in combat situations.
Finally, the daze of sleepiness slipped off of the machine's mind.
"Sniper rifle?" Ruhiel spoke aloud, his eyes slightly wider.
His mind started racing. He wanted that weapon. It would provide him with that extra bit of capability and range he wouldn't have otherwise. He wanted that unfair advantage. Unfair advantages meant you usually won. Because if you ever find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan ahead properly.
But there was a nagging problem in the back of his mind. Everyone on the island must have heard the announcement. And he was sure that they would likely be heading for it as well. While he was confident in his capabilities, he knew that if there were simply too many enemies in one location, he wouldn't be able to deal with all of them. And he wasn't about to risk a pointless injury this early on. However, if he played his cards correctly, he had the chance of taking out several of his targets in one fell swoop, and making his job that much easier.
"I need to stop obsessively planning ahead so much." Ruhiel muttered to himself, breaking off his train of thought. "Right now the best thing I can do is stay vigilant, and play things by ear. Spending all my time thinking is going to get me shot."
A wave of dust kicked up across the dilapidated floor of the building, blasting out in all directions from the android. With a light jump, Ruhiel exploded through the ceiling of the building, and landing upon the roof. He stood still for a moment, trying to maintain the dramatic effect. He failed.
"Fuck... that hurt." Ruhiel groaned, rubbing his head furiously from having just blasted through the roof face-first.
After properly nursing his boo-boo with the necessary amount of rubbing and swearing, Ruhiel scanned his surroundings. Pulling out his map, he began to plan his next move. It was time to take action and truly enter the game. It was time for him to do his job. It was time to move.
Leaping off of the roof, Ruhiel began walking, quietly and calmly, towards his goal.
He was alone, and that was just the way he liked it.
Day One: Morning - Android 17 - 06-02-2008
With the three stolen duffel bags in hand, Seventeen skittered off into a nearby alleyway. Behind him, plumes of smoke rose from the scene that had once served as the resting place for the trio of warriors. Refusing to look back, the machine-hybrid dropped down to his knees and threw open the nearest manhole. Smiling smugly, he took a step forward and vanished into the murky depths of the derelict city’s sewage system.
I told you they were just targets. The rasping voice echoed as the android’s cybernetic eyes quickly adjusted to the ambient lighting (or lack thereof). Just like the majority of the infrastructure built above the ground, the sewer was falling to pieces—the walls collapsed in most places and showing extreme wear in the majority of the others. Seventeen didn’t really mind, because the point of the contest wasn’t to kick back and enjoy a lovely, blood-filled holiday. As he pondered that point, a frustrated laugh resounded through the android's head.
Then why didn’t you kill them! The harsh voice screamed, prompting the cyborg to wince slightly as he began to condense the duffel bags. You’re the nancy boy!
“Blow me,” Seventeen shout back as he discarded the empty duffel bags into the stream of sewage lazily flowing passed his location. “They weren’t worth my time and that’s a fact you are well aware of, friend.”
You mean our time. The formless voice replied, snickering ever so malevolently as the android slung the two stuffed bags over his shoulders and began his slow trek down the subterranean tunnels.
“Just be quiet,” the machine-hybrid groaned, rolling his eyes as he reached into his pocket for another cigarette. With a smug grin, Seventeen took a quick drag and blew out a puff of white smoke. “Much better,” he mumbled as he placed the cigarette back in his mouth and narrowed his eyes. Ahead of him, the walkway ended abruptly…apparently someone had been testing explosives and thought it funny to blow up the tunnel.
What now, hotshot? The inner voice replied, sounding just as cynical and malicious as ever. Shrugging his shoulders, Seventeen reached into one of the duffel bags and pulled out a small bottle of whiskey.
“I’m going to drown you, you pompous fuck,” the android said as he removed the cigarette from his mouth and took an extended moment to swig the small bottle. With a grunt, Seventeen tossed the empty container into the stream of sewage—watching faintly as it hit the wall of dirt and rock and ceased to move.
Captain Planet isn’t going to approve of this. Seventeen laughed at the remark, mainly because he was already starting to feel the welcoming numbness that the liquor provided.
“Let’s go find something to break,” Seventeen mumbled, turning his attention to a nearby latter built into the side of the sewer tunnel. With an inebriated grace, he scaled the crude, rusted set of rungs and smacked the manhole cover away, but despite his tenacity, the android had forgotten to take into effect that fact that it was still day up above the sewer tunnels. Screaming out loud as the rising sun burned his eyes, Seventeen scrambled onto the street and scuttled into a nearby alley.
Lovely moves there, bucko.
“I said blow me,” the android rasped, rubbing his eyes as he tried to get over the sudden shock of moving from the pitch black atmosphere of the tunnels to the lovely sunny weather of the island. Once he could see clearly, Seventeen took another drag on his cigarette and shuffled to his feet. Although he had become fatigued following the run-in with the saiya-jin girl and her two associates, the mixture of nicotine and alcohol was working wonders for the android’s mental disposition.
You know…after that last little tiff, there are going to be a lot of eyes on you, pal. The disembodied voice replied, punctuating its last word with a bit of smug laughter. Stealing your buddies’ things, pummeling them, and calling them pathetic isn’t going to be something that’s easily forgotten, y’know.
“Good,” Seventeen rasped, his tone of voice almost an exact replication of the one in his mind. “A little fear helps the heart, and someone needed to be made into an example,” the machine-hybrid added as he scaled a fire escape and vanished into an open window of an abandoned, rundown hotel.
An example of what? The voice inquired—conveying a genuine hint of intrigue as Seventeen slid the window shut and dipped out into the nearby hallway.
“My undying rage.”
Day One: Morning - Zangya - 06-02-2008
Zangya’s eyes fluttered open. She was dead—she had to be. Her tired eyes scanned the horizon, half expecting to see the room that all contestants were taken to following death. She was met with a familiar setting, though. The city buildings remained in her vision, as did the bus that Aero had crashed into—the jade woman watched as he climbed solemnly out of the wreckage, nearly unscathed but still shaken.
“That was Seventeen,” Celipa muttered nervously. Zangya lifted herself off the ground and turned to see Celipa struggling to get up. “I don’t understand why he would just let us be. Seventeen’s… I mean, I know I’m not too acquainted with him, but I know the guy. He’s not one to just leave a job unfinished. And he could’ve killed us all in one fell swoop.”
“Especially with that upgrade activated,” Aero interjected. He held up his broken scouter. “I caught the upgrade before he smashed my face; he wasn’t holding anything back.” The warrior looked solemn, and Zangya understood his reasoning as she slowly sat down on a pile of rubble, massaging her forehead. “You alright there, Zangya?” Aero asked, coming over and sitting next to her. Zangya looked at him with an evil glare. He thought he was going to flirt with her now?
Please.
A punch quickly made its way into Aero’s unscathed jaw, and the silver-maned warrior was sent tumbling backwards into the pile of rubble. “That’s what you get for being such a jerk,” Zangya scolded. The man shrugged it off, standing quickly and making his way out of the pile of rubble. Zangya’s eyes, for some reason, scanned the ground. What was she looking for… she knew something was missing. Then, she saw it. It was lying in plain sight on the ground. She scooped it up quickly, catching the attention of her comrades, and stuffed it into the rather spatial inside pocket of her coat.
“What’s wrong?” Celipa asked the jade-skinned woman. Zangya sighed from exhaustion, and turned to face the raven-haired woman. She looked at her solemnly, and then took her aside, whispering it in her ear what it was.
“It’s… uh… It’s my pregnancy test,” she told her, and then backed away. Celipa nodded in understanding, silently assuring Zangya they’d talk later so that she could tell her more about it. The two women looked over at Aero, and Zangya took the lead again, beckoning her two comrades to come up to a nearby office building with her. “We’ve got to hide out for right now,” Zangya told them, “That android may be anywhere. We’ve got to be able to see him coming. This is the best hideaway.”
The two others agreed, and they quickly entered, leaving the people outside of the city to live in fear of Android Seventeen’s RAGE upgrade. But the struggle wasn’t quite over—Zangya’s sickness was slowly growing in her body, slowly growing up into something that she couldn’t quite comprehend. She made her way towards one of the hotel’s bathrooms, and leaned over it, expunging all of the remains of the food she’d eaten out of her body. It felt horrible, and it felt like she wasn’t going to be okay… Aero looked inside the doorway, attempting to decipher what was wrong, but Celipa pushed him aside. “This isn’t your battle,” she said snidely to Aero, closing him out of the room.
It was as the sun neared its peak in the sky that the sounds of a crying Ader could be heard throughout the city, and the sounds of her friend, her new friend, comforting her would go on deaf ears, blocked out by the screams of pain.
Day One: Morning - Warako - 06-02-2008
The speakers that littered the island of Dante chimed on, signaling another announcement was about to begin. The broadcast was one that Warako was willing to welcome; after all, he was unaware as to what exactly was going on outside of his building complex. However, that didn’t stop the young Participant from believing that Karl Jak was doing this announcement out of spite to respond to the Namekians threat.
With the speakers buzzing, the words spoken from the proclaimed greatest Television Host rang out through Dante’s Abyss as if he was the God overlooking his children down below.
Karl Jak Wrote:"Rise and shine houseguests, it's 6 AM and the sun is starting to peek out! I'm sorry to report that we only had two encounters for the start of the game and nobody has died yet! But, on the plus side, ratings are at all time high!
“Nobody has died yet,” repeated the unhappy Contestant as he was slightly relieved that no one had died. Though deep down inside, so long as he was still alive, it didn’t matter what happened to the other people.
However when the announcement rang out about television ratings, it rubbed Warako the wrong way, a way he never thought was possible, “Tch, this really was just a game, but since when was killing a game?”
Karl Jak Wrote:I have some announcements. The first announcement is that I will be placing the very first Easter Egg weapon down. At exactly noon today, a sniper rifle will be teleported onto the largest rock on E-8. Until then, E-8 is a danger zone, effective immediately.
Now, for the danger zones set to active at noon:
C-7
E-10
F-2
F-10
G-9
H-2
That's it warriors! Do me proud, and happy killing!"
The Easter Egg concerning the weapon meant nothing to Warako as he had no plans leaving this building anytime soon. In fact, if the Easter Egg had been placed right beside him, he would have grabbed his belongings and ran away for fear of being killed was one he didn’t wish to test.
Though when the danger zones were being announced, the Namekian grabbed his map and placed it on the desk before him to manage it. Grabbing a pen from the nearby coffee mug, he checked them off as the Emotionless Host read them off.
“Phew,” breathed a sigh of relief from the Dante Rookie who believed he was safe for now. He was never one to manage maps; in all honesty, he had no idea where he was. All he could do was hope it wasn’t an area he was on and wait to see if Noon would be his death call.
Day One: Morning - Aero - 06-02-2008
The bathroom door slammed shut in Aero’s face; he could feel the air swipe against his nose. “Hey, that’s not the nicest way to treat the guy that basically saved your asses!” he shouted, and even pounded against the door with a closed fist before trailing off back towards the bedroom. “Women and their emotional problems.” He could hear the sound of half-dissolved food splashing into the johnny.
The hotel bedroom had been fully decorated with two beds (he almost knew that he’d be sleeping on the beige carpet), each having his and hers night tables on each side with the typical lamp centering them. There was even a mini refrigerator located in a corner of the room next to the only window provided.
Slowly he sat down on one of the beds (it was Tempur-Pedic, he wagered, by the amazing softness and its willingness to be embedded by his bottom). “I’m not scared of that Seventeen guy,” he muttered, fondling his weapon in both hands. “I’m scared of nobody. Not no android, not no ‘RAGE’, and definitely not no gay host. Fucker made me move from my spot.”
Seventeen. The human effortlessly recalled the words that the android said to him. You’ll soon discover the nature of Dante’s Abyss, Aero . . . and it’s not a very captivating nature either. And he was right—the nature was not captivating. Though his journey still in its earlier stages, Aero had been ambushed and essentially excluded from the mysteries of the two females’ discussions. And they were supposed to be teamed.
Celipa and Zangya flushed the johnny, its swirling reverberation rumbled throughout the suite. Aero took a peek up at the door and then tilted his head down towards the floor, hunching over his knees.
Creeeeek
The bathroom door slowly opened and the two women walked out. Celipa seemed worried, Zangya appearing in a healthier condition than she did entering the restroom. She wiped away a small trickle of green and orange leftovers from her chin and ran her hand through her orange hair to cover the stain of blood left on her cranium by the blow dealt from the ambush.
“Ah dun thank wur in eny condtion to muv,” Celipa slurred. Her jaw had been cracked and it obviously affected her ability to speak articulately. She rubbed Zangya’s back with a hand, trying to ease the Ader’s troubles away.
Aero left the bout with only a slightly scuffed arm and an aching head. He was lucky compared to his female counterparts, though he didn’t eye it in that perspective. Seventeen did not leave empty-handed. He had stolen all three of their bags, taking their basic supplies for survival. That’s not what troubled Aero, however. He could care less about the supplies taken. Seventeen had left with something far more important—Aero’s pride. He would’ve rather been left dead, cratered in the bowls of the bus than castrated of his honor. He had defeated—aka, owned—Aero in battle and had the impudence to grumble smartass remarks as he made his leave. Just lingering over the reflection made his blood boil. He wanted to exact revenge—embarrass the synthetic man, like he was embarrassed.
“Aero,” Zangya called. “Did you hear Celipa?” She was finally speaking to him again. She must’ve remembered that like it or not, they needed each other.
“Yeah,” he replied, depressingly. “I heard her perfectly.” He looked up at them with fiery eyes. He was craving for another opportunity at the android, regardless if he'd leave alive. “I say we hunt that fucker down,” he remarked with a grimacing undertone. His muscles tensed up. “He stole our fucking supplies! We’re lost now because of him. I say we fucking track him down, ambush him like he did us, and fucking redeem our shit, along with his.”
Both of the females could read that Aero was not bluffing to impress them with over-masculinity. He was speaking from his heart—with veracity but also foolishness. The carefree side of Aero had coiled back into its shell and the determined one had reared its head. The game had officially commenced in Aero’s mind.
Day One: Morning - Bujin - 06-02-2008
Bujin spent an hour or two resting and drying his clothes, sending deadly glares at his weighted companion every once in a while. He could no longer call it a weapon with a straight face – after all, there’s nothing more intimidating than an oversized, glorified building block with frilly pink hearts painted on the sides. He considered trying to use it to club people to death, but he found it too difficult to grasp in such a way. Nevertheless, he was going to find as many ways to use it as possible, and that meant moving on once more. Wringing his turban again, he let a few last drops of water fall out before he turned to his item.
“It’s time to go,” he found himself telling it. The object merely sat, motionless…like Bujin should have expected. Shrugging, he attempted to carry on a conversation with the inanimate – it wasn’t like there was anything else to do.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he whined. “We’ve sat here long enough, and if we don’t start moving soon, I think I’m gonna freeze to death.
The object sat motionless. Of course.
“Fuck you,” he exhaled, crawling to his feet. “We’re going.”
Humoring himself by talking to the cube reminded him of his experience last year. At that time, no amount of lunacy was off-limits. Bujin chuckled – if this really was last year, the item would have talked back with hand gestures and everything. It amazing what twelve months and a few good blows to the back of the head did to the mind. Despite all of this, the cube really did sort of remind him of Rae – in a weird and indirect sort of way. His thoughts were broken as the awkward and feminine voice of Karl Jak sounded boisterously about the island.
Rise and shine houseguests, it's 6 AM and the sun is starting to peek out! I'm sorry to report that we only had two encounters for the start of the game and nobody has died yet! But, on the plus side, ratings are at all time high!
You say that every year, Bujin thought to himself, mildly amused at the comment. Do you even check these figures?
He sort of passively listened through the rest, perking up his ears slightly upon hearing the mention of both easter eggs and sniper rifles in the same sentence. He had a funny image of a gigantic white rabbit dancing around, blowing off the heads of random passer-bys, but sadly, that was not in the context. Instead, it turned out to be a contest that he had no intention or interest in participating. Sighing, he decided to stretch, awaiting the annoying voice to finally finish up what it had to say.
Now, for the danger zones set to active at noon...
Bujin blinked when the areas were spouted off. When the voice vanished, it was replaced by the various sounds of nature, which were annoying in their own right. Did he hear that right? Sighing, he put his pack down and opened it, searching around frantically for the map. Opening it, he followed the tiles with his fingers until he found his own position.
“Huh…” was all he managed to say initially, “That…sucks. Looks like we have to move after all, Rae.”
Bujin winced at the misstep. Fortunately, the weighted companion still sat motionless, being the cube that it is. Shrugging, he picked up his supplies once more and moved on.
Guess my weapon has a new name. I really oughta work on my creativity.
Day One: Morning - Android-18 - 06-02-2008
“What if I turned on you?” the question hung in the air, and stayed there for longer than she expected.
“What?” He looked at her, his mouth filled with bread. They had been walking for some time and decided a rest was in order. Their trek ceased at a small brook which bubbled with laugher beside them.
“Like, what if I decided to try to kill you while in a battle, and caught you off guard?” she looked at him curiously, honestly wanting an answer.
Little did the girl know; he had practically done that to her two years ago. He swallowed his bread in a gulp and thought about the possibility, because it could indeed happen. “I’d be surprised, but this is a game, and I wouldn’t blame you.” He began dealing out his cards, setting a pile off for her and one for himself before leaving the rest in between their bodies. “Are you?” he asked over his cards, looking at her questioningly.
“Well, no, I don’t think so. I just like to question the possibilities of the future.” She grabbed the cards before her and looked at them. “What are we playing?” she didn’t know many card games.
“Do you have any Eights?” he asked without replying to her question.
“No…” Eighteen stared at him confused.
“Fishin’ time!” he shouted and grabbed a card from the pile on the grassy ground. His companion was confused. “You don’t know how to play Go Fish?” he asked and froze as he was picking the card up.
“No, enlighten me.” She blinked at him. The wind took this chance to buffet her hair and cause sunlight to strike her golden strands.
“Babe, I’ll teach you anything you want, and Go Fish is something all people ought to learn.” He said and observed his cards before placing two faced down on the grass beside him. He began to explain the game, and the girl almost burst out laughing. This sounded like a child’s game, but she shook her hand for him to continue when he looked hurt at her almost outburst of laughter. Ah, the simple things.
Day One: Morning - Kirano - 06-02-2008
Kirano’s awakening was unpleasant. The only exception to sleeping on concrete was inside a sleeping bag. He concluded that his aching body as a result of his uncomfortable sleeping zone, and his thumping head as a result of a hangover was justice for his overconsumption of alcohol the night earlier. He had consumed too many vodka martinis at Dante’s Abyss’s bar.
Dante’s Abyss, he remembered, which explained the unfamiliar environment, nothing but acres of concrete, surrounded by thick green bushes.
The events of yesterday were slowly returning to him; Phoebe and Paige requesting he find and talk some sense into Android Seventeen, make him realize that Dante’s Abyss was nothing but a place that promoted bloodshed, one big event, one giant island based solely for killing sprees. The android Seventeen he knew was not a heartless killer, killing for the sake of competition. That was not the attitude of his heroic sidekick. If this was true, then why had Seventeen disobeyed his girlfriend by coming here?
He had disrespected his own girlfriend by disobeying her. The realization caused the human to release a distasteful hiss. Something else bothered Kirano though. Not only had he disappointed Paige by failing to retrieve her android lover from this murderous game, but he had also disappointed his girlfriend Phoebe, who had expected him home along with Seventeen, yesterday. The consequences of his failed attempt caused a shiver to run down his spine. It was as if everything had turned upside down. He was on Dante’s famous island, the one place he dreaded, all thanks to his selfless attitude of doing favors for others, women especially. He needed to be firmer as a man, right now he was just a pushover.
Now what? he thought, wondering what to do next. He was not a cold blooded killer, so how was he going to survive, alone for that matter?
His bottom ached from sitting on the concrete for a long duration of time, therefore he slowly climbed to his feet, side stepping to the right, still not entirely sober.
The blonde haired man glanced at his wrist watch; 26 minutes past 11. A loud growl escaped his stomach. He had caught the munchies. It was a common occurrence for him after consuming vast units of alcohol. Around 11.30 was usually the time Phobe made him breakfast, his favorite, pancakes with maple syrup. He had to face up to the fact that he was not going to get that luxury, at least not today. It made the grown man realize how much he loved being pampered. What was he to do in order to eat on the island, eat plants? No, there had to be a shop on the island, but where?
My survival bag, he remembered, removing the blue DA string bag from his shoulders. Kirano grew suspicious of the bag, as it made a clonk sound while hitting the ground. If there was a bottle of wine in the bag, it was lucky not to shatter. The anxious human crouched down, releasing a low groan, due to his sore muscles. He had never been so happy to see a loaf of bread, immediately sinking his teeth into it like someone who had not eaten for days, even managing to bite his tongue, due to his uncontrollable chewing of the soft bread. While eating, he resumed exploring through his bag, pulling out a bottle of spring water. Surely a bottle of water had not made the clonk sound.
The pace of his heart quickened as his hand touched something solid, developing a bad feeling about what he was about to pull out, but gained the confidence to slowly pull a gun out of his bag. It was no ordinary gun. It resembled a laser gun.
Shit.
Loud thumps accompanying the quickened heart rate, while the heavy gun wobbled in his jelly like hands.
Get a grip; you’ve seen a gun before.
Yes, he had seen a gun before but he had never used one. Was this the weapon they had given him to carry out Dante’s Abyss dirty work?
Hell no, I’m not using this.
He was no caged animal made to entertain an audience; he was a human being who lived by good morals. Killing in order to please others had no association with good morals.
He gazed from left to right cautiously for intruders, while his trigger hand continued to tremble. His state of panic caused obliviousness to the fact that this was not good strategy. In order to think, he needed to pull himself together. Would he pull himself together?
Day One: Morning - Violet - 06-02-2008
Adrenaline was a wonderful thing. It surged through their veins like mercury in a thermometer, dulling the burning pain in their wounds. As they loped across the dense woodland, dodging trees, rocks and ravines with ease, they never once stopped to rest. Their entire beings were dancing to the beat of Nature’s drum, two wild creatures loosed upon her temperate flesh.
Fresh, warm rays of sunshine split through the trees, piercing the thick canopy of leaves like a hand dipping into a bowl of foggy water. It hit their lithe forms as they moved through the vegetation, their internal compasses pointed towards their predetermined destination. To Violet, the forest was alive, one gigantic being whose pulse beat was that of the creatures that roamed its emerald body. She felt the familiar call, the silent voice that spoke to her, beckoning her into its secure arms.
The forest wasn’t safe. Not now, not ever. This was Dante, and there were twenty six other souls out there bidding for the last struggling quiver of her heart. The forest couldn’t offer enough protection from that kind of threat.
A movement ahead of them stopped the pair dead in their tracks, each hunching down to avoid notice. The shape moved, lifting its great, shaggy head in their direction. For several long, silent moments, the beast stared at them, daring them to move. ”We do need to eat;” Violet ‘pathed. Bardock didn’t turn his head in response, he simply lowered his weapon to the ground, and set his gear down beside it.
“Wait.” Violet whispered, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Let me get this one.”
Bardock didn’t get a chance to object, he just watched the female lower herself to the ground, all four limbs splayed proportionately to keep her as flat to the ground as possible. Slithering through the thick brush without so much as a rustle from their fragile limbs, she advanced upon the morning meal.
The shaggy creature lowered its head to its own meal, oblivious to the black form sliding across the heavy flora, her eyes locked onto the prey. Bar watched on, praying she wouldn’t screw it up.
* * * * *
A primal hunger rose within her. As the bison steadily chomped on crisp, dew drenched blades of grass, Violet imagined chomping on a nice juicy steak from the creature. As one hand snaked out in front of her, the bison jerked its heavy mane upwards, its nostrils flaring as her scent brushed by him. A wild glint danced across its black eyes as the female froze in place, every muscle tensed, ready to spring.
The massive creature snorted angrily, warning the predator lurking in the bushes that it wouldn’t be an easy kill. It was two tons of pure, unforgiving, untamed muscle. They both shared a moment, a moment that only a predator and its prey have just before the kill. She sprung.
The buffalo reared its massive head as the woman latched onto its back. One hand gripped its matted fur, while the other lounged around for its neck, fingers sinking deeply into the hot, pulsing flesh. Bits of cartilage, muscle, and other goopy tissues were torn away in one swift motion, an arc of dark liquid trailing behind it as she tossed these to the side.
Blood spurted from its neck in thick, scalding sprays, painting the carpet of green below them a deep crimson. Its sweet, alkaline scent wafted to her nose, exciting her senses into a savage fury as the creature struggled beneath her, giving every ounce of its remaining force to fight its attacker. It only drew her lust for the carnage to a fever-pitch, and poising her clawed fist once more, it slammed through the vulnerable ribcage, sloshing through warm, quivering organs as her fingers searched for its heart. Just past the kidneys, through the diaphragm, right there beneath the lungs; she clenched the beating muscle, palm squelching against the slick organ. With a sharp jerk, her arm pulled out of the animal, its heart still pulsing as she freed it from the prison of bone and flesh.
Finally, the creature stilled its frantic movements, collapsing the ground with a dull thud. Dropping the gruesome bit of flesh, Violet leaned backwards, still straddling the massive girth of the beast. Eyes fluttering closed, she fell into a stillness as she prayed to the creature, thanking it for the sustenance it would give them in the journey ahead. She held deeply onto the values her father had taught her so long ago, small prayers she had practiced as recently as five years ago, when she lived within the forest outside of South City.
Coming back into herself, her head twisted around to her companion who had already begun to approach, a smirk of utter satisfaction plastered across his handsome face. His eyes mirrored her own, that of a predator as it gazed upon its kill. She wondered for a moment if he was envisioning her right now, was she that prey?
Shaking the grizzly thought, Violet returned his smile with one of her own, blood streaking across her pale face. “Breakfast is served, hot stuff.”
Day One: Morning - Paragus - 06-02-2008
The three men paced around the area surrounding the village. Para made sure to keep the corner of his eye on the new guy because no one can be trusted on the Abyss. An annoying buzzing sound circled his ear drum. Para quickly clapped his hand on his neck killing a rather large mosquito.
"Fucking bugs are killing me!" Para said in frustration
After walking around the perimeter there seemed to be no immediate threat in the near future, so the group walked back into the village in order to take a load off for a little while. This brought a sigh of relief over the aging warrior, who could use a break from the walking and fighting.
A cool wind passed through the epicenter of the small village where the three warriors were now sitting. Para played with the med kit that he took from the now deceased Gator-jin. The white box was stamped with a red cross and was filled to the brim with some useful trinkets. Some gauze here, bandages, stitching there, and some medicinal disinfectants. He had one just like it in last years event and it proved to be quite useful. He peered over at Rasp’s lifeless body. The gaping hole created by the shotgun still dripped with blood. Para used to be good friends with the young warrior, it was sad that it had to come to that.
Random beeping noises and irritating music suddenly brought the saiyan back into reality. He stared over at Talys who was pressing his thumbs against some sort of hand held machinery. Para couldn’t identify what the device was or what powers it was capable of.
“Whatcha got there kiddo?”
Talys paused the music and stared up at the inquisitive old man. “It’s a Gameboy. Jeez where did you dig up this fossil?” He laughed to Uno.
“What in the fuck is a Gameboy?”
Talys turned the switch on the side of the portable gaming system and tossed it over to the elderly saiyan. Para turned the switch which was followed by a beautiful little melody. Creatures began filling the screen, though they were animals that the saiyan had never seen before. His eye widened as he grazed further into game play. Drool began sliding down his unhinged jaw. His thumbs began rapidly mashing against the “A” button. Minutes flew by and Pewter City quickly became Viridian which then changed to Cerulean.
“This...is....awesome!” Para exclaimed as he continued his poke adventure. “Who did you take? I got Squirtle. Well he is a Wartortle now actually.”
Talys and Uno both sat on opposite sides of each other fast asleep. Para continued to speak even if no one else was listening.
OOC: Nothing special. I will have another one up later.
Day One: Morning - Celipa - 06-02-2008
"Hunting Seventeen do - ow, - down would be a bad idea," Celipa struggled through her cracked jaw, which sent shooting pains through her mouth with every movement. "He would - shit, ow, - kill us in a heartbeat."
"I don't care," Aero seethed. "He's left us for dead, what more do we have to lose? We can't survive without supplies. All we've got are our assigned weapons."
Zangya, looking rather sickly, leaned back in a chair and sighed painstakingly. "We'll be fine," she murmured. Her hand was resting on her stomach, probably trying to soothe the child. "Let's not do anything rash."
Cel's brow furrowed further with every motion she watched Zangya make. The Ader-jin had no place in the competition with a bun in the oven. What had she been thinking? But as long as they were here, she knew she was going to have to protect her friend, with her life as necessary. The Abyss wouldn't swallow a baby if she had anything to say about it.
"Zangya, maybe you should go lie down," Celipa offered, gritting her teeth through her own pain. "You took a pretty serious blow to the head."
It was true. Zangya's skull was cracked open pretty badly. A cracked jaw wasn't as bad as a split-open head.
The petite woman groaned, but didn't make any attempt to get up. "I'm fine."
Celipa turned her back on the other two, and stared out the window. It was amazing how quickly things had shifted from peaceful to utterly out of hand. Not only did Cel have no control of the situation, but now she had two people with her that she was accountable for. Three, if the baby was taken into account. She sighed and drummed her fingers on the windowsill in frustration.
And her weapon was a fork.
Luck was not on her side this year as it had been last year. Plus, there was another factor on her side last year; her best friend was with her. At this point, it was anyone's guess as to whether or not Bujin had even joined the competition this year.
"We need to get out of here soon, though," Celipa addressed the others, and then winced with the conclusion of the sentence as her jaw sent another violent dose of shock through her system. She had meant to say more, but found herself unwilling to, now. That was a first for her.
...and she was still surprised that Seventeen had launched such a sudden attack on them. But, it was anyone's game, and the cyborg was probably out for himself just as much as anyone else.
In the end, only one person could win.
So why was she wasting her time making allies?
Her brain put an instant stop to the questioning of her motives. All she had to do right now was stay alive until the competition narrowed itself down a bit. Treachery would not cross her thoughts again.
Day One: Morning - Ruhiel - 06-02-2008
"You do realize you're risking completely compromising this project, don't you?"
The room was dimly lit. The only source of light was the glowing holoscreen in the middle of the room. On the holoscreen was the projected image of the head of Navy BLUE, the man known as 'Two.' He was the one who was speaking at the time. Only one person occupied the small room, his back turned away from the holoscreen.
"E.U. 003 is one of the best operatives I have. Why did you insist on his joining Dante's Abyss?" Two spoke, his projected image showing a frustrated look on his face.
THe man in the room did not speak. He wore what appeared to be all black clothing. A black cloth mask was tied at the back of his mask, not entirely hiding the man's jet black hair.
"With all due respect sir, I don't see what you're looking for. The last operatives you took were all killed in action. Combat Oriented Unit 019 and Alternative Source Unit 004 were two of my best and brightest, and I lost them to this exact same mission."
No response.
"003 isn't in Dante's Abyss to exterminate all of his opponents to advance BLUE's mission, is he?" Two surmised after a moment's pause.
"No."
The voice was deep and powerful. Even that single syllable seemed to shake the room, and Two, despite being miles away, seemed to jump in fear for a moment.
"May I ask..." Two began to ask, but was cut off by the man raising his hand.
"There is a reason. You must learn to trust me, Two. 003 may or may not survive this ordeal. That is not the point. But do not underestimate him... he is an E.U." the man spoke again, each syllable reverberating with power.
"I only worry he may be too inexperienced..." Two bit his lip, looking worried.
"Then this experience should remedy that for him, should it not?"
The man in the room chuckled.
"Do not worry so much, Two. Ruhiel is capable...
The man turned. A pair of blood red eyes shone through the darkness.
"...he reminds me of myself."
Ruhiel shook his white hair out of his face. He had still not encountered any opponents as of yet. However, he knew his time would be coming soon. He could barely hear sounds of battle in the distance. Would he be ready? This was his first ever encounter with other people with powers similar to his own. True, he had worked with other androids in his assassination missions, but he was better. Here, he did not feel like the best anymore. He was good, but he worried if he was good enough.
"No, I have a job to complete. Even if I am at a disadvantage, I cannot let that deter me." Ruhiel thought to himself.
He leaned against the wall of a partially destroyed structure. His blood red eyes looked skyward, as he prepared a plan for his coming actions.
Day One: Morning - Violet - 06-02-2008
Strips of meat hung across a crude tripod above a small fire, its juices dripping into the flames, popping and sizzling as it cooked over the direct heat. These would be saved for later, when food was scarce during their trek. Pulling two thick steaks from the lower portion of the contraption, she placed them on the backs of two flat rocks, handing one off to the awaiting man and then took her place beside him.
The meat was tender, charred perfectly on the outside, a mash of available herbs she’d found while Bar butchered the carcass lending its pungency to the dark brown crust of their meal. They ate ravenously, savoring the sweet meat of her kill.
Laying her empty plate/rock aside, she wiped the grease from her lips with the bottom of her clean shirt. Bardock reached for the other two strips of meat hanging from the rack, quickly laying waste to them as well. “Jeez, Bar, you eat like a-“
“Saiyan?” He offered between mouthfuls. He dipped a piece of meat in a puddle of juice and popped it in his mouth. “That is what I am, or did you forget that in the last few hours?”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Bardock, shit.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“You misunderstood the joke, as always.” Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself from the rock and walked over to the tiny stream a few feet away from their resting place. Bathing the remnants of the buffalo’s blood and its subsequent juice from her arms and face, she turned back to the gruff Saiyan. “I simply meant that you’ve devoured almost half that bison by yourself. Even for a Saiyan, that’s quite a bit.”
“You don’t know much about my race, then.”
“Hey, hey, I spent almost a year on that planet, damn it;” she defended, fists thrusting into her shapely hips, glaring down at him as he continued to stuff morsels into his gaping maw. She’d removed the bloodstained armor, which now hung over a tree limb above the water, drying from its fresh washing. Her jean shorts had seen better days, but it was a hell of a lot better than walking around smelling like death. “I’ve seen the massacres you call ‘dinner’.”
Shrugging, Bardock polished off the remaining meat and set his plate down beside hers. Rising to his full height, he stretched his limbs, a long, audible yawn rumbling from his grease stained lips. “Well, at least you can cook;” he commented, ignoring her callous barb. “If you stick around, maybe you can teach Smitty how to cook a decent steak, for a change.”
A giggle burbled from her throat, the tension that had laid between them lightened its cumbersome load from their shoulders. Too soon, they’d be off once more, heading towards their destination for the day. It wasn’t too much further, according to the map. The only hindrance had been the meal that had suddenly popped into their path. “Come on, Bar, don’t crack on Smitty. He tries.”
“This reminds me, thanks for those fried wontons the other night. I really enjoyed them;” he snickered. It wasn’t that he was sore over her not sharing one of his favorite snacks, he just enjoyed the rise he got from the female on those rare occasions that he could get away with it.
“Wontons?” She paused, confused for a moment. “I didn’t give you any…oh. Those.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Those.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s get this stuff together and be on our way. The longer we sit here, the better chance that someone we don’t want will sneak up on us.”
The streaks of grease were really starting to irk her, so, before she started packing up her things, she ambled up to him, a smug grin on her face. "If I hadn't witnessed the carnage myself, I'd say you missed your target."
"What?"
She lifted the hem of her shirt to his face and wiped away the traces of his dinner. "Can't have that pretty face of yours all fucked up for the audience, right?"
Rebuffed by her display, Bardock pushed her lightly out of the way and pulled the cooked food from the tripod, wrapping each piece and laying it to the side.
The pair cleaned up camp, stuffing their supplies back into their respective bags, along with 30 pounds of freshly roasted meat wrapped in broad leaves to sate their hunger during the trek. Most of Violet’s was backup for her gluttonous companion, as she knew his meager portion would barely sustain him for long. “Let’s move.” He directed, and once again, they were off.
Day One: Morning - Bujin - 06-02-2008
"You know..." Bujin started to talk for the first time in a while, "This is getting to be a bit tiring."
The midget was carrying the relatively large cube around like a person would carry around a baby. This made him feel a bit awkward, but he couldn't really think of a better way. However, after carrying it around for hours, his arms were starting to get tired. Besides, it was a pain having to peer around the edges to see where the hell he was going. Setting Rae down momentarily, he paced around in wonder as to what way he should have been doing it in the first place. He sat down on top of the cube – eating usually helped him think, and he hadn’t done so in the duration of the contest so far.
“It’d help if you had legs,” he mentioned to the side, sort of bouncing ideas off of himself as he consumed a portion of his bread rather quickly. “But, then again, even if I gave you legs, there’s not much you could do with them. No offense…”
He looked down at Rae as he finished saying that. It did nothing.
“Oh yeah. Right,” he conceded before continuing to ramble on. “Anyway, I could just kick you around, but…nah, I guess not. Besides, you’re made out of metal. Damn, there’s really no other way…”
He continued to eat as he continued to rant. Sadly, he had garnered the reputation over the years as being a person who can’t stop talking. Before he noticed, he had eaten much more bread than he wanted to. Groaning at the prospect of having to ration…well, rations, he packed it away and placed the duffle bag on the ground next to Rae. After a while, he began to look at it longingly again. It took every last bit of willpower he had left to get up again.
I really have to learn how to hunt, he thought to himself despairingly. Or materialize food. Whichever is more realistic.
Then there was still the issue of carrying Rae around, too. The duffle bag was out of the question because the bag was about to burst open already – it was inherently too small, and at the rate he was eating food compared to what food he gained, he would need to conserve energy at any cost. It was frustrating, in a way. Rae was more like a pet than a weapon, and yet normal pets could actually move. That’s when it hit him.
***
The makeshift leach was working fairly well – better than Bujin expected, considering it was made out of a branch and seaweed he found on the shore and it was dragging around a gigantic block. Bujin looked back every once in a while at it to see how it was doing – it was a bit dirty and scratched up as it was being dragged through a variety of terrain, but it was doing fine. He snickered darkly at his own genius – nobody would have thought of this.
Off in the distance, a shadow loomed on the horizon. He gripped the leach, preparing to do…whatever he was going to do if he met another competitor. The shadow grew closer, its advance menacing. However, the new sunlight divided the shadow, revealing a harmless deer. Bujin breathed a sigh of relief – possible death was going to have to wait.
“Aww, it’s a deer,” he laughed. However, he let his eyes slowly roll over to the side when he realized what that meant. “Kill it!”
Lacking any sort of discernable plan, he gripped the leach once more. Flexing his biceps, he swung the block as hard as he could. The metallic object cracked the animal over the head, dropping it in an instant. The midget chuckled to himself as he watched the blood seep out of his victory. As he crouched over it in preparation to gather some food, something struck him.
“Why was it so far out here?” he asked himself as he looked around. The forest was a normal place for an animal such as a deer to be, and this was no forest. Something must have scared it away. Bujin made a mental note to save the food he gathered, as the area ahead would surely be lacking. It was an area that was much more…bleak than the one he had just exited, and a place that he was used to from last year…
Day One: Morning - Talys - 06-02-2008
The empty square in the center of the village was quiet, almost too quiet. The resident moved quickly onward, fearing the worse for his town. He scurried into the clearing and his worries were justified.
Intruders! He thought, frightened to make a sound. They look kind of tough. . .did they clear out my home? What am I supposed to do now. . .I know. . .I'll have to fight back!
The brave avenger gnawed on his lip for a moment before setting his jaw and moving towards his sleeping victims, all three laying near each other, resting in the noon-time sun. The predator silently approached his first bit of prey, a sleeping figure in simple combat wrappings and dark pants.
Die villain! He slowly raised his dark fist into the air before-
"Teddy?" Talys murmured, eyes half opened in his unconscious state yet not really perceiving anything. "Wha're you doin' here? Team Rocket might get you. . .C'mere you!"
The warrior's hand suddenly shout out and grabbed the intruding raccoon by the scruff of his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Ahhh! Let go of me you fool! I will not stand to be treated like such an inferior!
"Teddy, why're you being an ass hole?" The warrior fought against the struggling rodent. The creature sank his teeth furiously into his arm. Talys immediately let go. "Fuck you Teddy!"
Haha! My people have been avenged! Ricky the Raccoon ran back into the woods from which he emerged.
The black haired man sat up from his laying position and massaged the wound on his arm. It took a few more moments for the sound sleeper to actually wake up and take in his surroundings. His two companions lay in the same spots they had been when he passed out a few hours back and in only slightly different positions. The one eyed saiyan known as Paragus was sprawled out and snoring loudly, the Gameboy left in his possession several feet from his right hand. The human(oid) Uno, meanwhile, rested across the way stirring slightly, but otherwise calm.
"Fuck. . .we need to stop leaving ourselves unguarded. . .we'll be in deep shit soon enough. . ." the now attentive warrior said to himself.
He strutted over to the hand held system laying on the ground and snatched it up along with its case and extra games.
"What're you doing?" Talys turned his attention to Uno who now had his upper body propped on his elbows and was speaking to him. "You're not leaving are you? Or going to try and back stab us in our sleep, hmm? We sleep pretty light-"
An exceedingly loud snore erupted from his companion at that point.
"-Well, most of the time."
"No, I'm not leaving. . .I'm simply going to train," Talys chuckled and responded before turning to walk towards a deserted building.
"With a Gameboy?" Uno spoke with slight disbelief and jumped up to follow the rapidly disappearing man.
The lean, silver haired man jogged to the building his comrade had just entered and looked inside. The interior was bleak. Merely a a dusty room with several pictures of a long evacuated family hung lazily upon the walls and an old wooden staircase in the corner.
"Talys, where-" he began and was preemptively answered by an odd scraping noise from above. He quickly ran up the stairs still confused. "Talys what the-"
"Shit! Look out!" Uno heard Talys' shouted warning at the last second and ducked as a projectile rocketed over his head.
"Dude, what?!" The silver haired warrior turned to see a Gameboy cartridge embedded in the wall behind him. . .directly into the head of a figure carved into the wall and labeled 'Rival Douche'.
"I'm practicing," Talys shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
"What, launching Gameboy cartridges at a video game character?"
"Okay, listen," the child-like warrior got defensive, "Douche is my arch nemesis, my 'Rival' if you will. Besides he doesn't matter. . .it's just an entertaining target to have. And yes, I am practicing with Gameboy cartridges, so what? I've spent my whole life training with energies and my body. Why bother repeating that? Right now I have been blessed with a weapon and need to learn to use it correctly if I want to succeed."
"Your 'blessed weapon' is a Gameboy and several games?"
"Look, Uno, this is Dante's Abyss. When Karl Jak gives you lemons, you find a way to get that juice in someone's fucking eyes." Talys delivered the line with such a cool, collected air that Uno simply turned and walked back down the stairs.
"Well," Talys shrugged and continued to himself, returning to his practice, "if you wanted the adage to be more accurate I guess he'd have to give you lemons, water, sugar, and a pitcher. . .and if that's the case. . .well find some way to lace the damn drink."
Several moments passed in silence with only the dull thump of hard plastic digging into old wood.
"I'm not crazy, am I?" Talys found himself asking the Rival Douche he had carved into the wall. He imagined the figure shrugging. "I mean. . .I'm a little odd, socially awkward, a bit imaginative, and I don't handle stress well. . .but crazy?"
He let go of any thought process then, sending his mind on into a spiraling day dream. The dream was full of shrugging wooden figures and a giant Venisaur fighting his trio and screaming at them in Karl Jak's flaming voice, demanding that they feed him lemonade.
"Well, maybe a little bit. . ."
Day One: Morning - Minoshia - 06-03-2008
Confirming his dogged vow, the dark overlord of the night sky had relinquished his dominance over the heavens as Apollo guided his chariot over the morning horizon – the infinite strength of his winged horses carrying the weight of the sovereign regent of burning light. The rise of the daytime power brought forth a new empire onto the world, one much different than its predecessor. Streaking colors bled together above the rolling hills, a beautiful disaster on God’s canvas. Enjoying a rare moment of peace, the dark prince sat with his back against a titanic oak and drank water, a lackadaisical glaze filtering over his charcoaled eyes.
Ignorant to the scheduled change of the guard in the sky, the Konat warrior had become more interested in his surroundings. An array of plant life adorned the ground around him, different sized bushes and small trees wrapping around a small clearing. One thing he knew all too well was that environment played an important role in survival. The wind was holding a steady breeze, washing over the vegetation the wind had become Mozart – welding together a legion of random sound into a beautiful harmony. A single leaf moved against the rhythm, it had moved one second too early or one second too late, either way the sweeping poetry of nature had been interrupted. The sensitive ears of the warrior had sensed the movement and perked immediately in the direction of the disturbance.
Minoshia popped onto his feet, his legs folded like spring loaded cannons. Foliage at the bottom of the bush ruffled with suspense, the heat of his stare could have burned the bush in an instant. Bursting forth from his hallowed home, a young rabbit parted the wall of leaves and exploded forward, landing softly in the clearing. In an instant he had become prey, and his expression noted the obvious – his eyes mutated into windows of fear. Padded feet skidded to a halt as the lagomorph attempted to change direction. In observing his reaction time, it could not be determined he had been removed from the hunt for so long, the Konat’s legs straightened and he launched forth as does a bullet from a gun. The coney gave one last courageous, albeit fruitless, effort towards extending his mortality, catapulting forth with a combination of pure strength and adrenaline he made the greatest leap of his life and for a single moment he could taste the palpable scent of freedom fill his nostrils.
Fingers tightened quickly around his neck and brought the cottontail crashing into the ground, compressing his lungs and forcing out any breath of liberty he had obtained. With a flick of his wrist, Minoshia snapped the neck of the carrot loving fiend, allowing the limp corpse to rest idly in his bony claw. He pulled his legs underneath him and returned to a squatting position, rotating the expressionless animal in his hands. His eyes pierced the fur of the creature, searching for the most viable point of entry.
“Ah, there we are…” Minoshia plunged his teeth into the exposed neck of his prey, ripping open the fur and giving way to an ejaculation of blood from the wound. “You were foolish to come near me, my furry friend,” He gripped the open wound with his fingers and began peeling back the fur from the muscle and fat – effectively skinning the rabbit.
Soon there was nothing left of the rabbit except a limp bulk of meat resting before the alien warrior, stripping some leaves from a nearby bush he wrapped the agglomerate of tasty muscle and slid the package neatly into his bag. Eyeing the bread, he decided that for lunch he would create a rabbit sandwich – and it would be delicious. Slinging the pack over his shoulder he decided his rest had come to an end and it was time to resume his hike. He opted to carry the bat over his shoulder now, growing ever more paranoid with each progressive step.
With every incident there seems to be a lesson learned. We have laid out our goals; we have even declared them to the moon. What we need to do now is formulate a plan, a direction, in which these goals can be achieved. Survival is the key to success, the path to the Holy Grail, and it must be achieved at all cost. Wouldn’t we agree?
“Of course we agree you fool, that might as well have been rhetorical.” Minoshia whispered aloud, a menacing grin crossing his face.
Day One: Morning - Kirano - 06-03-2008
“Be a fucking man, you pushover!” yelled an angry, familiar voice from within, causing the human to flinch, his index finger accidently slipping onto the trigger. Luckily, the pistol was on safety.
“Nokira…” the human answered.
“Do you realize how ridiculous you look?”
“I'm not meant to be here. This…” he said, struggling to maintain a steady grip on the weapon provided for him, while he gazed at it with uncertainty. “...Isn’t me.”
“It’s too late for repentance. Pick up your water, put it in your bag along with your bread and run towards the bushes. Conceal your damn self!”
Instead of taking advice from to the sinister version, the stubborn human remained in his current position, nerves calmed due to communication.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. Dying would suck but at least it wouldn’t be a real death.”
“You’re many things I hate, but I didn’t know a coward was one of them.”
“Does doing the right thing make me a coward?“
“No, running away from your problems makes you a coward. …Since I’m certain you’re set on taking the cowardly approach, I’ve come up with a simple solution that will benefit us both."
“Solution?”
Using his newest, powerful technique, which he had learnt from encountering the constructs giant eye, through Kirano, he enclosed the humans mind into an illusionary shroud of darkness. It was no place specific, just a common location used for both entities to physically confront one another. As usual, the dark orchestrator Nokira emerged from within the darkness. “A permanent fusion,” he answered, not happy with the words that had just exited him mouth, while travelling towards the force of good, who shook his head in denial. “I’m not keen about it myself, but it would satisfy us both. You want freedom, you’ll get it. Fused together, you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. I will be the one who slays every competitor.” Nokira’s words were spoken with no remorse, neither did Kirano have reason to believe there was any doubt in the dark entities speech. Nokira was truly a cold hearted being.
“This isn't my idea of escaping,” said the heroic figure, ironically. Since when did heroes run away from problems? Either it was a new thing, or he was no hero.
“We ARE meant to be as one. Thanks to your father’s discussion with you two weeks ago, we were able to discover the truth about your darklighter heritage. We probably won’t ever know how the darklighter gene within you, being me, was split from your human gene, but that’s the reason for us being two separate entities. We must join together to create the Kirano that was meant to be from the moment your mother conceived you."
“You know what, you’re right,” agreed Kirano, who also reflected upon the discussion his father had with he and his sister Prew, concerning their darklighter heritage. “This is who I am. I can’t change that as much as I want to. I can’t change the fact that the darklighter’s are hateful and manipulative, selfish, cold blooded killers. I’m a man now, not no snotty nosed kid, and as a man I’ve got to face facts. I am part darklighter, even if it is a small percentage. I am what I am.”
“You ready?” asked Nokira, who had not given a damn about the humans revelation. They had conversed long enough.
Kirano glared at Nokira for a moment. Despite his racial discovery, he still hated the darker version opposite him for many reasons. “Let’s just get this over and done with."
A glow of light discharged from the life force of Nokira, setting the fusion into motion. Rays of light emerged, blinding rays, which caused Kirano to shut his eyes tightly. His mouth opened widely to release an agonizing screech, as the rays pierced through his body like sharp blades. Immediately, his body began to glow just as Nokira’s had. The shaft emitted from the two entities was enough to overlap the darkness.
Kirano’s screams faded once the light dimmed, revealing a former location. The figure stood firmly in the same exact spot he had been before the confrontation, the place on the island Dante’s Abyss had dumped him on.
There was no change in Kirano’s physical appearance, but there was a change in the man’s attitude. The Ki pistol he had feared was now his associate, a necessity to his path of destruction. He lifted his weapon towards the side of his face, smiling sadistically while drawing it towards his widely spread lips. A pink tongue made its way between his dry lips, licking the precious weapon that would slaughter every last fucking one of them, except a selected few because he needed allies.
The young man gazed down towards his bottle of water, which lay on the ground. Once he picked up his belongings, he made a move.
Day One: Morning - Retane - 06-03-2008
Betrayed.
It was a feeling that he had never felt before. He had been betraed many timed before, but until now, he had never actually been 'betrayed. He had never let someone so close before, and now he knew why. It flooded his mind and body with numbness as he gazed into the lifeless eyes of the recently deceased. The glow within the Konat's pupils slowly waned, giving way to an empty shell.
"Et tu, Tapion?" His coice was shallow and empty as he spoke in a tone that he could only hear. Down below the fires danced about the srea, their light dancing across the inanimate body, but yet wasn't close to engulfe him.
"To attempt the arts of a master upon the master..such follishness... yet such intelligence. You tried and you failed."
Retane looked up towards the sky, his eyes straining as he glared upon the only witness around, wondering iff this was a gift of the sun itself.
It shone proudly upon the scene, as if mocking him and all Retane could do is let is do so, as he basked in the confusion and irony of it all.
It was impossible for the namekian to fathom that Tapion could have, so carelessly, signed his own Warrant of Death. The mercenary could do nothing more then look back down upon his old comrad, or perhaps newest victim.
"Perhaps in the Abyss the impossible is very well possible', muttered the grim feind. "But why, Tapion? Why this? What drove you to do this? Was it me? The Abyss? Did you have this all planned since we had met earlier? Or was it a spur of the moment?"
Retane sighed and leapt down from the clift, landing in a kneeled fashion as he looked down at the peaceful Horsemen. That what Tapion was, though, through and through. A true Horsemen saw oppurtunity and took what they desired. And Tapion had desired to make it to the top, and Retane was one obstical that had stood in his way. But with failure of a great risk, comes great sacrafice. A life for a life. Retane had just returned the favor to a freind in the end.
But now it was time for punishment.
Retane unsheathed his claws and let out a snarl of rage. He placed both sets of claws, right above the diced chest,and sliced downward, in an arrow head fashion. Then belowthe dicings, he did the same thing, in revese order, going updwards this time, connecting the slash marks, making a diamonds shape around the gaping hole. The dark feind, finished with a trifecta 'X' slash across the symbol.
Retane knelt down close the the Konats ear, "May your soul now bare the brand of the Mark of the Abyss." Retane's voice was nearly satanic as he whispered to the deceased body.
"Now", his voice had returned to semi- normal, "Allow me to usher you on, and let us hope that where you end up,is not as bad as the Abyss." As he spoke, he retracted the claws, and scooped up the body known as Tapion's, and strode forth, the wind whippingaroundhim, averting the flames from his path.
Ahead was the water and with every footstep, the mecenary remembered the last time he had made a similiar journey. Just like now, Tapion lied dead in his arms. At that time, Retane was in pain and in tears. Now he was solemn and numb. The simliarities and defences seemed uncanny, it was as if he was in an alternative reality at the moment, as flashes of him rowing the boat to the Hermit Island jutted through his mind. He was making their final journey then, just as they were now.
"Again you chose our destination, old freind", he murmured as his boots hit the current flowing water.
His body seemed undeterred and his mind blank as he moved on unwavering to the waves that spashed his body. The rogue only looked down at the limb body as it hit the water, and its limbs started to float. Tightening his grip on the body the namek moved on, going deeper.
The mercenary haulted at chest deep and took one long look into the lifeless eye's, only now recognizing the look of shock and sadness upon the Konat's face. But it was a bit to late for retrive now.
"Rest in Peace my freind." His words sounded almost heart felt as he spoke them. He freed one of his hands and moved to close the dead warriors eyes. As he did he forced the body down, in a baptism-like manor, but didnt let up or say a word. Bloody air bubbles rushed up from the salty water only to be ushered away by a wave to allow for more to come as the body took on water in replace of blood. Retane should hold his stance, as he remembered that Tapions last grave, was done in the sand on their final destination together.
He stood up releasing the boody and turned around allowing the undertoe to take his betraying comrad away, to perhaps clense him of his failure. The moved out of the water, noticing the salt water was taking the ache out of his burns. As he reached the beach again he looked back, "May you one day find me again, at a better time."
He strode forward, his boot hitting the boot of the dead pirate. Retane looked down at Jack, and lowered himself to stare at the carcass. He looked back at the water and grabbed a handfull of the pirates shirt.
"Here, maybe he can help you find your way!" As he shouted, the namekian lungded the lifelss body over his head,catapulting the body far out in the water. With a snarl he turned back and eyed the cliff.
With a surge of power he lept to the cliff, and found Tapion's bag. He took the first Molatov Bomb, and observed it. It wasn't grenades, but it would do he guessed. He stored the water and weapons casting the other items into the still burning fires. He stood up and looked over his shoulder one last time.
"Thank you Tapion, for helping me to understand more about the Abyss."
Retane walked off, not knowing what else the Abyss had instore for him, or what he had in store for the Abyss.
Day One: Morning - Paragus - 06-03-2008
The sun was approaching its peak height in the clear blue sky. Noon was vastly approaching, which was another major step towards darkness. If there was one place you didn’t want to be at night it was Dante. Every sound sends shivers down your spine. Images of your own demise race through your head as you stare off in every direction only to find pitch black. An eerie shadow that prevents you from seeing your own hand in front of your face. Your heart beats nearly out of your chest and you swear up and down that there are footsteps and voices lurking just a few feet away from you.
But before you know someone was there, you’re already dead.
Para stared into the eyes of the rotting corpse of Raspberry. Maggots and flies picked off pieces of his decaying flesh. The dead body of one of his former allies was the epitome of what this game was all about. Kill or be killed. The time for games was over. The saiyan stood up from the dirt mound he was perched upon and walked over to his fallen comrade. Unfazed by the fact that he was dead, Para place a hand on his blood stained shoulder blade.
“Hey man.”
Talking with Rasp was a way of coping. To hold a conversation with him made it as if he wasn’t dead. By no means was Para uncomfortable with death, he lived around it all his life, but there could be other former friends sprinting throughout the island and Para wasn’t sure if he could stand around and watch another one get blasted with a shotgun. There was something inside the saiyan that just wouldn’t let him do that, some switch that needed to be turned off.
Uno walked up to the saiyan and extended his hand. Para extended his own and pulled himself up using the white haired youngster’s arm. He brushed himself off and walked out to the entrance of the village. Talys was already standing there with Game boy in hand.
“Every body has there things?” Para asked.
“Yup were all ready to move.” Uno replied stepping out from behind the saiyan.
“Lets move then!” Talys excitedly exclaimed.
The three men stepped out from the safety of the small village and into the unknown of the wilderness. In the heart of the jungle lied the most dangerous of the animal. The blood thirsty killing machine who needed to win no matter what the cost. Para cracked his knuckles and gave a nod to his two group members. Leaves and plants cracked under the swift footsteps of the traveling group as they entered the wilderness.
Para had never considered himself a mindless killing machine, until now of course.