03-22-2010, 12:35 PM
Orion's chance meeting with Victoria stirred up feelings that were normally displaced toward a human. She was a mercenary, sharing the saiyan's profession, albeit tied to a ridiculously restricted leash by The Company. Although socially inept, her combat proficiency was astounding; she was capable of going toe to toe with Orion, and although he knew he would eventually be the victor had the spar progressed, he foretold greatness about her. With the ability to command lightning and distribute it in various flavours, she possessed a powerful weapon in her arsenal that he had never seen a sentient life form wield before. If their paths should ever cross again, he would consider the naive bounty hunter a valuable ally.
Her naivety offered a wonderful safeguard too. Although somewhat blind to the darkness in the hearts of the selfish, that exact ignorance would allow Orion to function with her in tandem without concerning himself about a back-stabbing attempt. The saiyan understood the mind of sentients. Victoria harboured no ill thoughts towards him at all; on the contrary, her inquisitive questions never stopped coming. No doubt her curiosity was yet to be satiated when the swirling vortexes tore through the very fabric of space and time. With a respectful but brief pardon, she eagerly bounded through her portal, excited to learn of the Gamer's next puppet show.
Orion stood to his feet. One last glance of the carnival and he leapt into the hypnotic extravagance of the portal.
---
For a split second, Orion was puzzled by his location. A massive blue sky sprawled before him, coaxing sparse cumulus clouds to waft through it on a gentle breeze. All fake, of course. Locked inside another computer program, everything was simulated reality. He sensed the playful caress of the wind on his skin, the refreshing glow of the sun, but he knew it was all clouds of ones and zeros flooding his subconscious, tweaking his brain to believe the intricate lie set out before him.
Suddenly, Orion found himself free falling. He looked upwards, watching the churning wormhole collapse on itself as it shrunk from his view. Why he was deposited in the middle of the atmosphere he had no idea, but if he didn't want to be a handsome stain on the ground he needed to act -
Thud!
Everything halted. The one eyed saiyan scraped himself off the bitumen, staring at a lifelike indentation of his face in the asphalt. Dull throbbing occupied his face and chest, tunneling into his limbs before dissipating in his extremities. As much as Orion knew the pain radiating through his body was fake, it sure as hell felt real.
He took a glance skyward. The remaining traces of the portal fizzled out like the remnants of a firework explosion. He stood, brushing off the loose chips of asphalt clinging to his robe. The portal couldn't have been more than ten metres from the ground; just sufficient time to bewilder the saiyan before he could react while still maintaining a sickening collision with the bitumen. Gamer was a real prick.
Orion took stock of his surroundings. He stood in the middle of a road bordered by dilapidated flats and business. Most were missing windows, or where glass was absent, thick planks of wood were nailed criss-cross in their place. Aluminum garbage bins sat out front of each structure, filled to the brim with refuse to the point of overflowing. The wail of an emergency service siren buzzed in the distance, although its echoing volume indicated it was remote. Impurities clogged the air, causing the one eyed assassin to clear his throat on a regular basis. A shiftless hobo leaned against a nearby wall, intermittently scratching at the bloodthirsty fleas in his mangy, unkempt beard. It was a perfect replication of a human city, the slum section in particular.
The saiyan didn't know that, though. His first impression was that Gamer reconstructed a moderately well kept section of a saiyan city. It reminded him instantly of home, a memory that was most unwelcome. He hurriedly repressed it, maligning the saiyan home world in the process. The less time spent dwelling on the desert addled Vegeta-sei the better.
It didn't take long before another cosmic teleportation occurred to break his wandering mind. A trio of portals expanded from individual pin pricks of light until they were large enough to encompass a humanoid form. Orion expected the three new contenders to be allies, but never one to trust assumptions, prepared himself for the worst. He fell into a half fighting stance, straightening his left leg behind his body for a quick back step should the entourage have malicious intentions for the saiyan.
He immediately eased up when he found out the identities of his randomly assigned comrades. A shock of red hair hovered out of the portal with a large, misogynistic growth beneath it called Belle. Remembering him portraying the role as the yappy animal servant of Dorothy in the play, he was a fiery young man, almost as far removed from the concept of social graces as a hungry pig to table manners. He was uncouth and brash, but Orion recalled the whopper of a punch he landed on the actress donning the character of the evil witch. Another human like Victoria? The suspicion was obliterated when he spotted a furry tail protruding from Belle's back. A saiyan? He was the strangest saiyan Orion had ever seen. Unless he was one of those shameful half bloods.
Cain was the next to exit from the swirling collaboration of lights and patterns. Orion held no particular grudge against him; he was human, but that coupled with his inane chattering during the play didn't bother him. He couldn't understand why, exactly. Maybe he just didn't care enough to warrant hatred towards him. Either way, there were far worse companions in a tournament like this than Cain.
The last member of the motley crew was a pink haired girl whom Orion initially mistook for Victoria. Once the dancing swirls of the portal no longer hindered his vision, he realised it was another person entirely. She was a stunning young woman; eyes glistening like expertly cut emeralds, slender physique, and a bizarre taste in clothing considering the life-or-death circumstances of these events. Ashe gingerly stepped forward, uncertain as to the identity of the men before her.
"Hello," Cain said with an almost Mr. Bean-like inflection. "Nice to see you guys again."
"Yeah. A real pleasure," Belle snapped, his eyes on Orion. Their previous encounter didn't occur without some unpleasant friction.
Orion shrugged off the malice in the halfling's words. "What's the deal? What's the objective here?"
Spontaneous to the conclusion of the saiyan's sentence, two blinding spotlights switched on above them, drenching the highway in harsh light. The building directly behind the group shivered as if it were reacting to a frosty winter's breeze. The sound of ropes snapping preceded the entire facade of the neglected structure cascading down. All eyes were on the strange sight; the "walls" of the building were rippling as they fell, and everyone understood the situation.
The front of the building was merely a masterfully designed curtain that crumpled into itself on the ground, revealing a brand new garage complex behind it. Constructed of brick, it displayed four galvanised steel doors, each with an individual contestant's name embossed onto it. A singular red button was positioned next to each door. No further instructions were given.
"So I guess we just ... open the doors?" Ashe proposed.
"Seems like a good idea as any," Orion replied listlessly.
"Oh, I wonder what's behind my door!" Cain wondered enthusiastically.
"Woof - uh, I mean yeah," Belle added superfluously, although ready for any nasty surprises.
Orion was the first to make it to his roller door. He tapped his thumb on the button and gave it a gentle push, activating the automatic motor inside. In a few moments, the door disappeared into the roof, allowing the lavish floodlights to expose the item concealed within.
The one eyed saiyan couldn't be prepared for what he saw waiting for him to pilot.
Her naivety offered a wonderful safeguard too. Although somewhat blind to the darkness in the hearts of the selfish, that exact ignorance would allow Orion to function with her in tandem without concerning himself about a back-stabbing attempt. The saiyan understood the mind of sentients. Victoria harboured no ill thoughts towards him at all; on the contrary, her inquisitive questions never stopped coming. No doubt her curiosity was yet to be satiated when the swirling vortexes tore through the very fabric of space and time. With a respectful but brief pardon, she eagerly bounded through her portal, excited to learn of the Gamer's next puppet show.
Orion stood to his feet. One last glance of the carnival and he leapt into the hypnotic extravagance of the portal.
---
For a split second, Orion was puzzled by his location. A massive blue sky sprawled before him, coaxing sparse cumulus clouds to waft through it on a gentle breeze. All fake, of course. Locked inside another computer program, everything was simulated reality. He sensed the playful caress of the wind on his skin, the refreshing glow of the sun, but he knew it was all clouds of ones and zeros flooding his subconscious, tweaking his brain to believe the intricate lie set out before him.
Suddenly, Orion found himself free falling. He looked upwards, watching the churning wormhole collapse on itself as it shrunk from his view. Why he was deposited in the middle of the atmosphere he had no idea, but if he didn't want to be a handsome stain on the ground he needed to act -
Thud!
Everything halted. The one eyed saiyan scraped himself off the bitumen, staring at a lifelike indentation of his face in the asphalt. Dull throbbing occupied his face and chest, tunneling into his limbs before dissipating in his extremities. As much as Orion knew the pain radiating through his body was fake, it sure as hell felt real.
He took a glance skyward. The remaining traces of the portal fizzled out like the remnants of a firework explosion. He stood, brushing off the loose chips of asphalt clinging to his robe. The portal couldn't have been more than ten metres from the ground; just sufficient time to bewilder the saiyan before he could react while still maintaining a sickening collision with the bitumen. Gamer was a real prick.
Orion took stock of his surroundings. He stood in the middle of a road bordered by dilapidated flats and business. Most were missing windows, or where glass was absent, thick planks of wood were nailed criss-cross in their place. Aluminum garbage bins sat out front of each structure, filled to the brim with refuse to the point of overflowing. The wail of an emergency service siren buzzed in the distance, although its echoing volume indicated it was remote. Impurities clogged the air, causing the one eyed assassin to clear his throat on a regular basis. A shiftless hobo leaned against a nearby wall, intermittently scratching at the bloodthirsty fleas in his mangy, unkempt beard. It was a perfect replication of a human city, the slum section in particular.
The saiyan didn't know that, though. His first impression was that Gamer reconstructed a moderately well kept section of a saiyan city. It reminded him instantly of home, a memory that was most unwelcome. He hurriedly repressed it, maligning the saiyan home world in the process. The less time spent dwelling on the desert addled Vegeta-sei the better.
It didn't take long before another cosmic teleportation occurred to break his wandering mind. A trio of portals expanded from individual pin pricks of light until they were large enough to encompass a humanoid form. Orion expected the three new contenders to be allies, but never one to trust assumptions, prepared himself for the worst. He fell into a half fighting stance, straightening his left leg behind his body for a quick back step should the entourage have malicious intentions for the saiyan.
He immediately eased up when he found out the identities of his randomly assigned comrades. A shock of red hair hovered out of the portal with a large, misogynistic growth beneath it called Belle. Remembering him portraying the role as the yappy animal servant of Dorothy in the play, he was a fiery young man, almost as far removed from the concept of social graces as a hungry pig to table manners. He was uncouth and brash, but Orion recalled the whopper of a punch he landed on the actress donning the character of the evil witch. Another human like Victoria? The suspicion was obliterated when he spotted a furry tail protruding from Belle's back. A saiyan? He was the strangest saiyan Orion had ever seen. Unless he was one of those shameful half bloods.
Cain was the next to exit from the swirling collaboration of lights and patterns. Orion held no particular grudge against him; he was human, but that coupled with his inane chattering during the play didn't bother him. He couldn't understand why, exactly. Maybe he just didn't care enough to warrant hatred towards him. Either way, there were far worse companions in a tournament like this than Cain.
The last member of the motley crew was a pink haired girl whom Orion initially mistook for Victoria. Once the dancing swirls of the portal no longer hindered his vision, he realised it was another person entirely. She was a stunning young woman; eyes glistening like expertly cut emeralds, slender physique, and a bizarre taste in clothing considering the life-or-death circumstances of these events. Ashe gingerly stepped forward, uncertain as to the identity of the men before her.
"Hello," Cain said with an almost Mr. Bean-like inflection. "Nice to see you guys again."
"Yeah. A real pleasure," Belle snapped, his eyes on Orion. Their previous encounter didn't occur without some unpleasant friction.
Orion shrugged off the malice in the halfling's words. "What's the deal? What's the objective here?"
Spontaneous to the conclusion of the saiyan's sentence, two blinding spotlights switched on above them, drenching the highway in harsh light. The building directly behind the group shivered as if it were reacting to a frosty winter's breeze. The sound of ropes snapping preceded the entire facade of the neglected structure cascading down. All eyes were on the strange sight; the "walls" of the building were rippling as they fell, and everyone understood the situation.
The front of the building was merely a masterfully designed curtain that crumpled into itself on the ground, revealing a brand new garage complex behind it. Constructed of brick, it displayed four galvanised steel doors, each with an individual contestant's name embossed onto it. A singular red button was positioned next to each door. No further instructions were given.
"So I guess we just ... open the doors?" Ashe proposed.
"Seems like a good idea as any," Orion replied listlessly.
"Oh, I wonder what's behind my door!" Cain wondered enthusiastically.
"Woof - uh, I mean yeah," Belle added superfluously, although ready for any nasty surprises.
Orion was the first to make it to his roller door. He tapped his thumb on the button and gave it a gentle push, activating the automatic motor inside. In a few moments, the door disappeared into the roof, allowing the lavish floodlights to expose the item concealed within.
The one eyed saiyan couldn't be prepared for what he saw waiting for him to pilot.
![[Image: OrionAug11.jpg]](http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b187/captain_civic/OrionAug11.jpg)