Day Three: Afternoon

[Burter]

Day Three
Noon - 6:00 PM

"Hey hey everybody! I hope you're all ready for another announcement! We arn't even half-way through with the game time-wise. Today's deaths:

#15 Dodoria
#21 Tapion

And now, it's time to announce the new forbidden zones! These zones will be activated in six hours! If you're in one of these spots at noon...BOOM! Hehe!

B4

That's it! Good luck, all!

This is Karl, over and out!"


Notes:

-I'm going to sleep. Hence this up early. Don't post in here till midnight. Don't PM moves till midnight.

-I'd like a staff member to create the discussion thread and unsticky the last IC thread at midnight. Only a staffer.

-Good night.

[Bra]

Trudging through the forest, the cyan haired girl began muttering the words to a song she?d heard a long time ago. It was remarkably depressing, but she felt it set the mood quite well, all things considered.

?Watch the sun
As it crawls across a final time
And it feels like
Like it was a friend
If it?s watching us
And the world we set on fire
Do you wonder
If it feels the same?? she muttered through part of the first verse, forced to awkwardly wriggle her way through a patch of thick brush. Traveling through the jungle had become difficult since her arm had been broken, especially by the fact that her free hand was busy holding her 12-gauge insurance policy. She almost wished it shot actual ammunition, instead of ki.

?And the sky is filled with light
Can you see it?
All the black is really white
If you believe it
As the time is running out
Let me take away your doubt
We can find a better place
In this twilight.? Bra ducked beneath a low-hanging branch, and tripped, sliding down a steep, mushy slope, before crashing through a series of bamboo poles at the bottom. Still, she didn?t miss a beat, miserably continuing her song.

?Dust to dust
Ashes in your hair remind me
What it feels like
And I won?t feel again
Night descends
Could I have been a better person?
If I could only
Do it all again.? the princess began to cry, her own lullaby churning up her emotions. Climbing to her feet, she winced at the gash across her back; a gift from the broken bamboo.

?But the sky is filled with light
Can you see it?
All the black is really white
If you believe it
And the longing that you feel
You know none of this is real
We will find a better place In this twili-hiiiiiight.? Bra finished, before stumbling into a clearing, and staring down the barrel of somebody?s weapon.

?You shouldn?t wander about singing like that,? came the familiar voice. Reijin lowered his weapon. ?It can get you killed.? he warned, his tone growing cold. The hybrid swiftly wiped away her tears with the same hand that held her shotgun, and nearly cracked the weapon over the pure-blood?s head.

?Yeah, I... I know. I just needed to... it?s okay,? the girl stammered, before wincing as her dislocated arm brushed against Reijin?s. ?Fuck!? she gasped, dropping her weapon and cradling the useless appendage.

?Hm,? began the raven haired one. ?It doesn?t look broken... I could probably set it properly for you, but it needs medical attention to heal completely.?

?You?re not so hot yourself, Rei.? Bra managed a smirk, nodding to the brutal gash on the saiyan?s head. Reijin merely ran a hand over it in response.

?It?s fine. Now, do you want me to fix that arm?? he questioned once again. ?If we?re going to survive, we?d best do everything we can to keep being able to fight.?

?Who says I?m sticking with you?!? the cyan haired halfling retorted, her defiant sapphire eyes alight with a mix of apprehension and amusement at Reijin?s surprised expression. ?Nah, I?m kidding. I?ve got nowhere to go,? she finished with a sigh. ?Besides, you can be pretty funny. What do you need me to do? Just stand here??

?I?d suggest you sit. I?d also suggest you put something in your mouth.? the Gaean trainee replied, un-shouldering his pack and letting it crash onto the floor.

?Uh... what?!? the hybrid demanded. ?What the hell do you mean, ?put something in my mouth???

?Fine. Never mind I said anything. Just sit down.? Reijin sighed. The rebellious girl could make even the most simple tasks an endeavor. The heiress took a seat against a tree, and the older warrior took a knee at her side. Taking her arm up in his hands, he gently cradled her forearm in one hand, and softly placed his free hand over the crease of her elbow.

Closing his eyes, Reijin took a deep breath, and then savagely thrust his palm into Bra?s elbow, resulting in a stomach-turning crack!! The sound could have echoed for an eternity, but the girl?s shrill scream easily drowned it out.

She began to shake, and then toppled over, crying out more softly this time as she grasped her elbow in some vain attempt to squeeze away the agony. Tears flowed freely onto the dirt as Bra convulsed.

Finally, she fell still, before shifting her weight and sitting up onto her knees. A gloved fist found it?s way into Reijin?s gut. The raven-haired warrior couldn?t keep his balance in a sitting position, and so collapsed much as Bra had done.

?You never said it would hurt like that!!? she gasped.

?What did you expect?!? came the retort. Quickly, he calmed down and pulled himself to his feet. ?It had do be done.?

?...Yeah, I know,? she agreed. Reijin blinked. Strange, usually arguments with Bra could last for ages, no matter how insignificant - or absolutely wrong - the girl?s point might have been. ?But we have to fix that shit on your head. You?ll bleed to death.?

?I know,? the pure-breed frowned. ?And you need a sling to protect your arm.?

?We?re both just a couple of fuckin? cripples, huh?? Bra retorted with a laugh. Reijin allowed the slightest of smiles.

?I suppose,? he finally decided. ?But we?ve still got a lot to do.?

[Bardock]

Bardock, mighty saiyan warrior, had been felled, cut down in his amble. His slayer? A rock, which the fighter had tripped over. Head scrambled and feeling a little bit defeated by this worthy adversary, the black-haired brawler let himself flop loose. His eyelid woozily opened and closed as he contemplated sleeping off his splitting headache.

After some time, a curious little critter of a squirrel cautiously approached, sniffing the great hunk of flesh.

Bardock?s face screwed up in annoyance behind his sunglasses.

?Go away,? he managed lazily, his lips dragging over the ground. The squirrel retreated in shock for a bit, but boldly advanced once more. With the least effort possible, the saiyan flipped himself onto his back, away from the prying eyes of the woodland creature. But the animal would not be dissuaded from its trepidation. It hopped up onto Bardock?s chest-plate and sat on its haunches, wondering what manner of funny thing this saiya-jin was.

The warrior raised a finger and jabbed it at the squirrel.

?I?m not teaming up with you,? he slurred, and then pointed at himself. ?Because I?I?m gonna win this. Yep.? His finger turned around. ?You?you?re just going to die?or something??

Bored, the squirrel hopped away, in search of nuts?or something?

Bardock couldn?t really tell at what point he drifted off into slumber under the warm afternoon sun. He left himself greatly vulnerable to any who were on the prowl for weakened players, but it was possibly the kick in the ass he needed to get back on track.

Dream world again.

?HEY!?

Bardock stirred, feeling himself being lifted off the ground by invisible hands. His body straightened into a standing position, then hung limply, as if bound by chains.

?Wake up, dumb ass!?

OOF!

A fist struck him sharply across the jaw, sending his head rebounding. When the fighter could focus again, he saw all the bodies of the people he had shot. A finger beckoned his line of sight up until he came face to face with, surprise, himself.

?What the hell are you doing? You?re fucking up out there!? the clone Bardock growled angrily, motioning to some far off place.

?I?m going crazy,? he protested weakly. His double smacked him across the face again.

?Not really. I?m a manifestation of your survival instinct and latent determination,? the clone stated point blank. ?And I?m telling you that you?re not crazy. You?ve suffered minor brain trauma, but nothing a hardhead like you can?t ignore. You?ve taken worse knocks than that. Weak sauce!?

Bardock couldn?t figure out when he?d ever used the phrase ?weak sauce,? but he was definitely making sense.

?Shake it off, and go out there and do what you do best: kick some ass!?

With that final sentiment, the clone Bardock grabbed the real Bardock, and flung him high into the air, out of dream world.

Back on Dante, a coal black eye opened, burning with renewed strength.

[Yamu]

As much as Yamu fought against it, his lack of food and his good sense forced him to slow from his run. The sun had already passed its zenith and the veiny brute had found no sign of his red skinned friend. The hairless human continually checked his map as he trekked, he refused to let the same mistakes ruin him again, so he double and triple checked every movement he made, guessing at his distance the best he could. Most of the danger zone ringed the shore, but a few nasty ones had popped up in the center.

Yamu knew he could have run from shore to shore, but there could always be another fight and he was going to be ready for it. He had bounced back from his post-Kaioken crash, but if he wanted to continue dueling two enemies at once, he would need all of his strength.

Without warning the Arlian Guardian heard the slide of a gun cock behind him. Yamu stopped, his hands tightening around the base of Kari. ?Hey?let?s not do anything crazy?no reason for us to kill each other when there is so much we could kill together.? He bargained with the unseen shooter as his mind raced, plotting how he could turn and strike before he could be filled full of holes. ?What do ya say??

?Y-Yamu?? the gun bearer said in a weak voice.

The veiny titan spun and saw Jeice, one hand on his gun the other clutching the spike that ran him through. ?Holy shit!? As the white haired warrior tipped forward Yamu blurred and caught him before he could hit, softly lowering him to the ground on his side not wanting the spike to press against the ground. ?It?s gonna be fine man, were gonna be good?? the ebony eyed Earthling was a little in shock himself, he had seen death, he was fine with death, dying was still something that could shake him though. Jeice?s eyes began to roll into his head, ?Don?t do that Jeice?don?t do that. Talk to me?talk to me. I saw you kill that guy?ran him through with your mirror, gutted him like a fish. Tell me about it.?

?I did di-didn?t I? You saw that Yamu??

?Yeah..yeah I did.? The human had to clean the sweat off his forehead, he had run clear across the island and stayed relatively dry, but now rivers of salt water stung his eyes. ?You got him good. You had always complained about that mirror and look what it did for you.?

?I got?I got the gun now.? His slender red fingers clutched the weapon close to himself. ?S-someone is going to get killed with it. Bulma and Paragus would want that??

Yamu was used to killing, not healing. His hands were meant to make fists, not treat injuries. He already had the medkit out as his hands rested on both sides of the spike. ?I?m gonna tell you something Jeice?I think that gun might be cursed. You?re probably better off with the mirror.? Jeice laughed but when he did, a small trickled of blood coughed up with it. ?No, no, no. We?re gonna DO THIS, Jeice. Stick with me!? He patted Jeice heads, the fighter?s own blood staining his pristine alabaster hair.

?Yamu?Yamu?save the medkit. You?? a second trickle of blood mirrored the first down his cheek. ?You go win. Save it?? Another cough, ?You need it more??

?No, Jeice, no. I?m not gonna do this alone, not if I don?t have to. Now stick with me, just keep talking.?

?I-I f-feel cold??

?Fight it! Just a little more?? Yamu began to panic?he had no idea what came next. Killing people was what he did and he did it well. Treating the wounds he inflicted had never been his problem.

?Just save it?Yamu??

?Paragus would kill me. Now c?mon?we?re gonna do this n three, Jeice, on three, one-? Before the red alien could tense up, Yamu jerked the spike clean out and blood just started hemorrhaging from both sides of the prone fighter. ?FUCK! Jeice! JEICE!? With clumsy fingers Yamu used everything he could find in the medkit to stop the bleeding and close the wound.

Yamu stayed kneeling there doing whatever he could to keep his last living companion just that, living.

OOC: Last Medkit used to bring Jeice down from ?Insane?.

[Tobias]

A pair of slitted eyes glimmered in the morning gloom, looking out from among the many leaves of a wildberry bush. Two darker orbs joined them.

?Letis... kill.? A wild hiss marked the cats pounce from the protective shadow. The noise jerked a moles eyes up just in time to see the paws pin him to the ground. Garlic moved laughing out of the brush.

?Good, good. Don't play with him. Never toy with your prey.? The cat extended its claws, and Garlic nodded his approval. ?You never know when it'll get lucky and escape. Escaped prey can come to bite you in your ass.? Garlic's eyes flashed a bright red as the thought of Bardock slipped through his mind. ?Or maybe tear out your kami forsaken throat.? The cat tilted its head in question. ?You're right. We'll pass that bridge when it comes. For now lets move.? Letis hopped onto the goblin's smooth head and hitched a ride.

Many foot prints were left in the islands mud before Garlic paused, and he didn't want to either. Letis had bugun squirming and hissing.

?Goddammit cat, your claws are pinching.? Removing the cat just caused it to dig deeper. ?What the hell is wro-? Then he saw it too. Camouflaged in leaves and paint he would have never noticed it on the move, but it seemed so obvious now that he had seen it. A dart trap. He quickly found the trip wire, though that was harder. He had to shift to get that ever so slight glint of the thin cord in the sun. A green light flashed and the cord fell limp. A thank you and a pat was awarded to the sentinel on his head. Their journey could continue. But not two steps later something tugged on his leg. Branches cracked and snapped, giving more than enough warning for the speedy Garlic to side set the huge balled up bundle of wines and sharpened spikes that swung from the tree tops. Of course, having thought the danger passed even his reflexes could save him with he stepped on the trigger of a mine. The detonation sent the light weight tumbling through the air. Letis gripped desperately onto the cape of his cloak, perhaps saving his non-titan like body from a fiery death.

?Well now,? Garlic crawled to his feet and coughed up some ash. ?That was- uh, a learning experience. Must be left over from an old DA.? Letis tried walking but instead stumbled into a tree. ?Hop on cat. Lets... lets continue.?

[Retane]

He marched on, his comrade in his arms. Everything seemed silent, as if mourning the loss of dear Tapion. Or perhaps the Island itself was scared to interupt Retane, fearing what might happen if they did so. There clearly was no telling as to what the namekian would do if he thought someone or something attempted to hinder his final journey with Tapion.

Retane looked down at the serene visage of the elvish warrior. Tap's eyes were closed and he had a faint smile upon his lips. The same lips that were no longer red, but turning a faint purple. As a matter of a fact, the cacajaun flesh was turning whiter with every passing second. A scowl crossed his visage and a pinge of sadness shot throughout his body. He watched on , and it was almost as if he could watch the remains of his life force fading, and fading fast.

The mercenary began to pick up his pace, only to watch Tapion's arm slip loose and watched the Konats backpack fall to the ground. The namekian nearly tripped over the sack, but caught himself, and turned on foot to look down. The Ki Shield layed there, along with two canteens of water and a few grenades. Retane looked from the items back to Tapion, and could almost swear the smile on his face had gotten bigger.

Laying his freind on the ground, he stood back up, observing the sprawled-out items. He was confused as to what he should do.

His thoughts were inturrupted by the sounds of the intercom. Karl was back to announce that it was Noon and the deaths. The moment was at hand, he would now have to face the facts. It was as if everything stopped, his heart, his breath, even life itself, as the host got to the deaths.

"Number fifteen, Dodoria." The fat bastard that had charged Retane, thinking his Nail Guns contents were food. And it was technically. The perfect food for vengance, the perfect appetizer right before the entree of death. Desert surely wouldn't be anything that the gluton would enjoy.

"Number twenty-one, Tapion." The Dark hunter looked back, at his comrade. He ignored the words and pretended that the Konat gave him a wink, as if to let him know it was a ploy and that he was setting up their next trap.

'Well, it happened you got to watch Tapion die!' Enroshia! The fucking swordsmen was somehow using his teletpathic influences to communicate with the namekian again.

'Now what will you do? Do you know?' There was a slight pause before Enro continued. 'Perhaps you should go on. Fight for your freind, or simply fight for yourself? Which one will our cold assassin do? I wonder? Tough choice huh? Live with the regret that you failed your freind, or turn your back on your memories of him?'

'Perhaps...perhaps you should join Tapion. Grab a grenade and pull the pin. Maybe that's what he would want his faithful companion to do?'

Retane looked to the grenades, resting on the ground and noticed one of the Konats hands seemed to be gesturing to it as it was pointed near it.
'How about it, Retane the Devious?'

"Fuck you." That's the only words he could offer Enro, and then there was silence again.

He moved over and picked up a grenade. Turning it around with one hand, he gave a confused sigh. Looking to the peaceful Konat, he pondered the elfs words. FInding resolve from the kind face of the elvish warrior, the mercenary placed the grenade on his belt. He looked back to the others and began to do so as well.

He made a promise to the Konat, and he was going to keep. Anyone that got in his way, would feel the wrath of the dangerous duo. Grenades, Nail Gun, Ki Sheild, And vengence.

[Android 17]

?Ridiculous schemes,? Seventeen sighed as he turned his attention away from Buu. Letting out another wail, he dragged his battered body across the floor of the forest once again. Even though all his fingernails had snapped off down to their points of origin, the machine-hybrid failed to relent as his blind determination kept him numb to the agony. As Super Buu tried to tinker with the supposed ore deposits he had detected under the earth, the android continued toward a nearby tree and a more realistic goal.

If all else failed, the cybernetic warrior at least wanted to die on his own two feet, and not in a puddle of his own fluids on the floor of some random forest. Tears streamed down the dirtied countenance of the android as he zeroed in on the closest tree. A weary smile spread across the cyborg?s face as he wrapped his greedy arm around the trunk of relatively small plant.

Cursing beneath his shallow, labored breaths, Seventeen?clenching his teeth together so hard that it felt as if they might buckle and shatter under the pressure?pulled his body up to the tree and shifted onto his knees. Closing his tear-stained eyes, the cybernetic warrior continued to whimper softly as he placed his other hand on the other side of the plant.

Realizing that it was time to put up or shut up, the cyborg let out a final, pathetic scream and pushed off his knees. Fresh pain exploded through the android?s minute frame as he inched his way up toward standing fully upright. As he crept closer and closer toward his goal, a faint smile spread across the android?s visage.

?I can do this,? Seventeen whispered between hoarse gasps. Despite the android?s growing confidence, there was always some grossly horrible happenstance waiting in line to put him in place.

Crack.

It was a simple enough noise that was common for one to hear in their daily life. Most of the time, it really didn?t mean a thing at all, but for Seventeen, it and doom were equals. Just a moment after the loud sound resonated through the minute clearing, the relatively small tree upon which the android was leaning snapped off at the base. Seventeen let out a soft whimper as what had happened to him. It was the cartoon moment where gravity waits for the coyote to realize the error of his way right before the plunge.

Unfortunately for the android, his wait wasn?t that long at all, and with a liquid-sounding thud, the battered form of the raven-haired warrior struck the earth once more. Another scream erupted from the confines of the android?s body?liberating more blood and tissue from his throat in the process. Even still, it was only a matter of seconds before Seventeen managed to roll the piece of the broken landscape off his body.

?Quit your faggotry, fleshbag,? Super Buu grunted from a few feet away. Turning his bloodshot eyes in the direction of the voice, the android was surprised to see that his bubblegum-colored ally had somehow succeeded in liberating enough raw materials from the earth to craft a pair of crude canes. Leaning heavily on one of them to compensate for his lost leg, the puttalin golem tossed the other at the ground next to his former leader.

?You?re never going to let me live this down?are you?? Seventeen gasped as he struggled to get off the ground using the cane. Once he had made it too a somewhat stable standing position, the android brushed his tangled locks out of his eyes. A frown spread across his face as he finally realized he had lost his horn-rimmed glasses following the tussle with Raditzu.

?Of course not,? Super Buu said with a weary grin, motioning toward a nearby walkway with a bloodied arm. We have to keep the pace up if we intend to stay alive in the latter portion of this competition. With that said, the puttalin golem began limping off toward the destination he had pointed to.

?Can you at least wait a second?? Seventeen inquired weakly?the remark causing Super Buu to glance over his shoulder.

?For what?? The magical construct snorted, shifting and pivoting his torso as he tried to turn around to face his cybernetic friend.

?So I can tend to this,? the android muttered, pointing with his mangled right hand toward the wound in his abdomen.

?Oh,? Super Buu quipped, a frown spreading across his pink countenance. Whether he felt bad for overlooking the condition of his friend or if he was annoyed at Seventeen?s mortality was a mystery to the android. ?Of course,? he finally uttered after a short pause.

[Jinpo]

The sun. The marvelous star that brought light to the universe. The golden star crept downwards through the sky, casting a reddish-orange shroud over the jungle battlefield. Each second tiptoes towards the next as the time was growing closer to where the massive ball of energy could rest and trade places with its tag team partner. However, Cargo had no one to tag. He would go the distance or die trying. The child was all alone in this fight, just how he liked it.

Cargo slowly made his way out of the storage facility after grabbing any food that remained on the shelves and shoving it into his survival bag. He didn?t even bother checking Dodoria for any weapons, figuring he was too stupid to hang out to it for three days.

?Wouldn?t surprise me if he ate it.? he muttered to himself, as he took one last look at the pink tub of lard before staggering back into the forest to continue the game.

Solitude

Cargo had spent the majority of his time on this island by himself. Dodo had blown that to hell. While traveling with him, the green-skinned adolescent hadn?t had time to think. Dodoria?s incessant ranting about food killed about half of Cargo?s brain cells. Now, once again separated from the rest of the fighters, the Namekian boy had a chance to reengage in his favorite form of entertainment during Dante?s Abyss: inner thought.

. . .

. . .

"Shit." Cargo exclaimed. "All I can think about is that idiot. I didn?t know that idiocy was contagious.? Try as he might to eradicate all traces of Dodoria from his mind, the meathead intrigued the kid.

How did he get as far as he did?

It was clear to Cargo that Dodo wasn?t the most competent fighter. Reliving some the memories of his time spent with the pink blob brought on a uncontrollable fit of laughter, followed by a instant wave of regret. Even the harmless forum of expressing amusement sent the Namekian into a pit of agony. The chortles soon evolved into rough coughs which spewed blood from Cargo?s throat to the uncaring ground below.

?He probably won most of his fights by utilizing Newton?s First Law.? Cargo cogitated, mentally unaffected by his multiple lacerations and injuries. ?Nothing could stop that fatass once he had inertia on his side . . . nothing, that is, except a nail gun.? But that still left Cargo?s previous question unanswered.

How did Dodoria survive that long?

Nothing about Dodoria?s placing made sense to Cargo. It didn?t seem to fit Charles Darwin?s legendary principle.

?Everyone who died before him must have been dumber than him. Heh. Imagine that . . . ? the youngling thought, oblivious to the rest of his surroundings. This time, he snickered internally as to avoid a return trip to Pain City.

Swooping in from seemingly out of nowhere, a bird landed gracefully on the ground in front of the kid and warily tracked a circular path before him. It subsequently thrust its beak into the ground and pulled a writhing worm from its natural habitat. Its life had come to an end.

"Survival of the Fittest."

Suddenly, Cargo fired a single ki blast, incinerating both the bird and the worm. As Cargo obliterated the defenseless creatures, the messages of anguish from his brain suddenly got softer. His body had found the remote to the cries of suffering and finally turned down the volume. Cargo was still far from 100%, but at least, he could continue to fight. The adrenaline began to pump intensely through the veins of the teenager as he was ready to face any challenger.

"Let?s prove Darwin right."

[Burter]

Face to Face

Cargo

Sazuaa

The teal figure known to the DA betting world as Contestant #22 made his way, limping along in the sunny afternoon. The beautiful plants in the forest greeted him, but he paid no heed. Instead, he just held his busted arm and limped onwards with the hole oozing blood from his stomach.

Even still, he carried his flail in his hand and guitar on his back, ready in case someone showed up. There would be no mercy from the warrior. He had learned his lesson in mercy. From now on, everyone died.

Someone else shared that same opinion. When he first felt the spray of liquid on his back, Sazuaa's first reaction was to roll forward and then spin, which he did. Once he was up, he finally saw who was in front of him.

The namekian he had encountered earlier. A child of only about four or five feet. Cargo was holding his super soaker, having just sprayed blood all over Saz, who now stood in it. Not even caring, the teal warrior growled and moved forward. "This time, I'll get you!"

Cargo was pretty injured as well, but not nearly as bad as Sazuaa. The namek ducked a swing from the flail and twisted to smack Saz with the super soaker. The guitar dropped off his back as his flail hit the ground.

Using the momentum, Cargo kicked Saz again as he was down, stealing the guitar. As Sazuaa stood, the namekian crashed the instrument over his head, causing it to shatter in peices. The force sent Saz down onto the ground.

The namek grinned at the ease in which he dispatched him. "I thought I'd at least get a challenge," he noted. "That was nothing."

Without warning, Sazuaa's wrist flicked forward, sending the flail against the namek's thighs. Cargo managed to jump up to avoid losing his ankles, but they still cracked in and cut him in that area, causing him to fall flat on his back.

It was now a race for who could make the killing blow first. Sazuaa lept up, raising the flail and dropping it down. Cargo used his super soaker to block it. The toy gun cracked apart as he shoved forward.

The spikes cut into one head, causing immense pain for the two seconds it took to shut off the brain.

#22 Sazuaa DEAD

23 Remain

The Super Soaker and Guitar are broken, but the flail is there

Cargo's ankles are cut up something awful. Major injury

[Yamu]

Jeice sat propped up against a tree, gauze wrapped from his pecs all the way to his waist. He was eating from a can of some unknown vegetable, as both warriors took their first real rest since the chaotic maelstrom of death they had fought in that morning. Yamu walked over with one of the empty cans they had already finished off filled with a strong smelling alcohol. The veiny giant mused, ?Look what I also found in Paragus?s bag?? He held up the bottle of liquor they had toasted their second day on the island with. The ebony eyed Earthling lifted his own can containing a shot. ?We haven?t had a chance today, here?s to Day Three, Jeice.?

?Here?s to Paragus.? The white haired warrior replied and they both downed their drinks. ?You shouldn?t have used the medkit on me?I would have been fine??

Yamu laughed as he took a seat next to him, poking through what food was left in their bags. ?Jeice, I?m all for bravado, but you had a fucking train spike running through you. Boasting can only get you so far.?

The red skinned warrior spun the stringy vegetables in his can with great attention, refusing to look up. ?You have a better chance of winning then I do. You should have saved it, used on yourself later when you needed it. I?m still beat up as hell and can?t do as near as much as you can. You had better chances saving it for yourself.?

The acid burns had subsided from puss filled pockets into a criss-crossed of pinkish scars that made his face near impossible to form expressions, but anyone could tell he was dead serious at that moment. ?I have a better chance of winning with a fighter of your tenacity guarding my back. BUT, if you do die?I?m leaving that haunted gun where it lies! No one can hit a barn with it so far.?

They both chuckled, ?You and Kari make quite a team as it is?I don?t think you?ll need the machine gun. But, you?ll take it with you anyways.?

Yamu leaned back against his own tree, amused, ?Why would you think a thing like that? Maybe I?ll just smash it where it lays so no one else can use it.?

Jeice chortled keeping his attention locked on the contents of his can, ?Nah, you?ll take it with you. You get your strength form your friends?I saw it in you when you saw that guy on the hill?the one you called ?Burter?. It ignited something in you, something that helped you single handedly drop two Super Saiya-Jins. Same thing with Kari?you get a sense of resolve with her in your hands. The memories she kindles in you gives you drive. If I fall?you?ll keep the gun. Even if you don?t shoot it, it will make you stronger.?

The sun?s rays were slowly changing colors, evening would be upon them soon. Yamu watched the bright yellow slowly shifting to orange as he spoke, ?That?s pretty deep, Jeice.? The white haired warrior just nodded in reply. ?Thank you?for having my back. It is hard to trust people in this game that you?ve known for years and I just met you before we came in.?

Jeice smiled, ?Just remember that you have to trust somebody, there really isn?t a point to winning if you have no one to celebrate with.? The gloved fighter stood, groaning as his injured muscles stretched. ?C?mon, we have a whole night to find someone?I?m not leaving without at least ONE kill to my name??

?One of our comrades has died in every battle we?ve been in and you still are chomping at the bit for a fight.?

Jeice shrugged, ?It?s why we?re here, isn?t it??

[Retane]

The renegade looked off into the ocean, it's waves churning and splashing hard against the land. The pain within him was flaring up to it's peak. The sun had set and his mind now raced as the tears ran down his face. He was clueless of how to continue, of what to do next. He looked behind him, his mind flashing back to his most recent actions.

------
The mercenary dragged the raft made of logs to the shore of the island. His clothes were soaked and his breath was heavy, yet the namekian was unyeilded. He turned to body that rested on the make shift boat and moved to scoop him up in his arms. He looked back, inland of the small peice of land and a hint of saddened satisfaction warmed him.

He had made it, he had kept his promise. They both now occupied Hermit Island.

Moving inland, the namek eyed a particular spot. It was a few feet from the woodland and in no point special from any other spot on the island, but his eyes were fixated upon that spot. As he got closer, a few hisses followed by explosions of dirt flying everywhere errupted from that particular spot. Some of it hit his face, but he was unhindered and uneffected by the debri. As he reached the spot he had stared at, he peered down into a hole. A hole he had just made using a move he had been working on, this combo had been called Pressurize.

The burial ground seemed deep enough and with a simple bend of his knees and a lean forward, the namek slid in. He paused one last time to look at the calm face of dear Tapion. He was cold now, his life was gone. There wasn't anything else Retane could do. Laying the elvish body down, legs first, head last, The green warrior stood up and turned pulling himself out of the grave.

"This is where we part, my freind. Forgive me for failing you"

He didn't turn around then, but instead, he grabbed a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin, but not releasing the trigger. Tapping into his Ki once again he concentrated on setting Pressurizeagain, this time next to grave to bury his comrade. As they were set, the mercenary began to walk away, tossing a grenade over his shoulder. More hissing and erruptions of dirt came, only to be followed by a dulled explosion that threw dirt up, only to come back down upon the grave.

Looking to the shadow that only covered the sky, he sighed, "They don't deserve to get your body."

-----

The assassin looked down to his forearm and activated his shield. He loooked back out to the main land. They were still out there. They were all still out there and it was their fault that Tapion died. They would soon follow his path, he would be sure of it. Retane was the Reaper, and the tolls of the bell were ringing wildly.

[King Cold444]

Truth be told, Cold was tired. His body shivered at the slightest wind and ached under the dawning sunlight. His head hurt something awful and he felt like he was on the brink of death, just that Hell needed some sort of complete verification before they accepted him again.

"How was it?" Koola asked, managing to get a shrug out of KC. "When you died? How was it?"

"I'll assume you mean Hell. Y'know..." Cold stopped to consider the brightly colored demons in the purgatory. He thought about the agency that had enlisted him through agents located in Hell. He even drifted to the inner circles of Hell what he'd been, where he'd barely managed to squeeze past the demonic lust. "Well, its cool... if you mention my name you'll get a good seat."

Tendons ached and he'd lost count of how many times he'd heard the hosts voice crackling over the sound system. That meant he'd have to wait til high noon to check and make sure he was back on point with the time. Or had he not noticed the sun finishing its contributions to daylight. Nightfall was upon them and the changeling seemed to be getting time mixed up. Plus his head was starting to pound something terrible. He hadn't mentioned this to Koola, of course.

"Where are we?" Cold asked, pondering where he'd be if he hadn't signed up for the Abyss. Probably in a smoking section somewhere, barking commands at Koola through a television set or something of that nature.

Koola uprooted his map from wherever he hid the thing, slammed the compass down next to it and charted out their position, direction, possible arrival time and other statistically relevant variables before Colds scouter could give him the answer he asked it.

"Wow Koola, you're really getting good at this." Cold was honestly amused. He thought about making a scouts honor joke, but Koola took his boy scouting seriously. "Lets get a move on, I'm tired of the scenery."