Day One: Evening

[Burter]

Day One
6 PM - Midnight

"It's time for another edition of 'Which number bit the dust today?' That's right, warriors, that's all you are to some of us up here. Numbers. When the fans talk about who they like...it's your number. Just in case you had any thoughts about being worth anything.

The only time people care about you is if you kill. Only one death happened since last announcement:

#11 Ruhiel

Another easter egg will be placed, this time at the North Docks. It will be...drumroll please...an Extra Large Medical Kit! It's good to treat four injuries! It'll be placed on the docks at midnight! It's off limits until then!

Now, for the new danger zones:

B-1
B-5
E-4
I-2
I-9
J-9

Good luck warriors! Put on a good show!"

[Zangya]

“Jack?” Zangya questioned.

“Bojack, actually.” The man stepped forth into the light of the fire, his azure features lit by the dazzling embers. He looked around. “No western actors around, eh?” he asked absentmindedly, taking a seat on the log across from Zangya. The man puzzled the group quite a bit.

“And who do you think you are?” Celipa spouted, clutching her jaw. The blue man looked at the Saiyan woman.

“I think I said that I’m Bojack,” the cobalt alien responded sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at her, and then looked to Aero. “So I believe I’ve spoken with your lady friends. Now, why don’t you say something, my man?”

“Because I’m still trying to decide whether you’re worth my time or not,” Aero announced cockily. “You seem quite pathetic, no offense.” The alien looked at him with a glint in his eyes. Zangya, meanwhile, giggled under her breath. Aero’s antics, however, artificial they may have been, were actually entertaining her for once. It amazed her much. She just hoped he could back up his words.

“No offense?” Bojack questioned. “You call me pathetic, and then you say ‘no offense’?” The space pirate smirked. “I don’t believe you have the brain that your big words make you seem like you have.”

Aero leapt from his seat—he’d taken the brunt of insults, but an attack on his intelligence was just not going to fly. The silver-haired human was caught quickly by Zangya, who stepped over the fire quickly and grabbed his arm. She thought the exertion would have tired her, but the baby seemed quite calm and collected now.

No disturbances.

“Aero, calm down,” Zangya warned, “Like you said, he’s not worth your time.” Aero’s muscles loosened, and Zangya let go. The human stepped back and resumed his stance on the log. “More soup?” Zangya asked him, and he simply looked at her with a repulsed look. “I suppose I’ll give it to Bojack, then,” she said, and handed Bojack the soup.

It didn’t take long for him to express his feelings about the soup, as well—they mirrored Aero’s, except he wasn’t polite enough to finish it.

“This crap sucks,” he said, tossing the bowl into the fire, and the soup spilled over the blaze, putting it out. He looked around the dark circle, the other three eyeing him angrily. “Well, I guess this is a sign that we should move out…?”

The trio got up, letting Bojack tag along behind them.

[Minoshia]

Although his body remained in a state of rigamortis, as stiff and rigid as a cadaver, his mind remained free from the attack. Processing what had happened, he began to wonder if this transformation would become permanent over time, if he was doomed to lie he was a statue for the remainder of the competition. It was only a matter of time before a pack of vultures wandered into his venue and ripped into his defenseless body with the pleasure and giddy nature of a child playing with his favorite toy. I doubt many people enjoy killing as much as we do. He paused and let a chuckle escape his nonexistent lips, filling the cavities of the cranium with a maniacal cackle. Want to know what we enjoy most about this situation? The inability of a second body to state a rebuttal, it’s a fucking delight having the entire brain to myself. Although, much to my dismay, I believe we are changed my darling… I’m not exactly sure how it happened but it seems a part of you has imprinted onto me, and vice versa. I feel odd, I feel different… but most importantly, I feel free. The same freedom that rodent felt before you shattered his spine and flayed him.

Minoshia’s hand began to quiver as his mind lectured the class in a rambling monologue; the metaphorical cement began draining from his legs. His jaw relaxed and his mouth inadvertently fell open, his chin steady in its freefall. Was this the purpose of this attack?

What I have realized in my slumber is that the more we grow alike, the less we can disagree about our actions and the more united we become through our emotions, after all it is those emotions that bind us, that brought me to you to begin with. For this first time since they had encountered each other in the dark pits of hell, Minoshia could not disagree with himself, he simply nodded and pushed his body into a sitting position. Scooting himself backwards, he rested idly against a rock wall at the back of the overhang, leaving himself to his thoughts.

Are you finally ready?

[Orion]

It had been a solid time of travel. Sprawling beaches and crashing waves were left long behind the saiyan warrior. Golden grains of sand were warmed beneath the consistent radiating of the sun. A cool breeze whipped over the beaches, keeping Orion at a comfortable temperature during his constant sprinting. Yet finally, his trek across the vast stretch of sand was coming to an end. New horizons were steadily approaching, forming slight hazes of new terrain and landscapes in the near distance.

If Dante's Abyss was truly a battle royale, Orion wasn't convinced. There had been no signs of any life besides himself so far. Beautiful, picturesque nature surrounded him on all sides. There was no blood, no missing limbs or corpses or any sounds that the veteran fighter linked with aggressive, bloody battle. It seemed so far a let down as the blue of the day sky was engulfed by the velvet, star studded brilliance of night. His blood burned with the promises of the tournament, yet the fire dwindled when those promises seemed like lies.

Orion still wasn't taking any chances. After years of sabotage and anonymity, the pure blood saiyan kept to what he knew best. His movements were quiet, swift and precise. Any choice to change position was made with utmost care. A fast scuttle from behind a large boulder to a gnarled, leaveless tree, the warrior never let his guard down. Far too many instances had harshly taught him the value of awareness.

However, in all his years, he never expected to be taken completely by surprise as he was in that moment.

Peeking around the tree's dead trunk, Orion spotted a sight that could only be explained as a distraction tactic. A black haired man dressed in an amazingly absurd outfit was about thirty metres from him. The first obstrusive article of clothing that caught his eye was the pink shirt with 'Real Men Wear Pink.' Its obscurity was complimented by the leg length underwear with a grass skirt over the top, sparkling thongs on his feet, and perhaps most damning of all, a two foot tall fruit hat. Orion was about to attack, but his perplexity held him back. What was this guy up to?

Shaking off his bewilderment, the saiyan warrior felt his heart beating faster. Finally, his first opportunity to embrace his long forgotten animalistic spirit almost broken beyond repair. Orion moved quietly. The audaciously dressed person had his back to him, which made his stealth all the more enhanced. Slow, methodical steps became faster, faster, until he was within striking distance.

The raven haired human turned his head sharply to face Orion, his black pupils phasing into red.

Swifter than the saiyan anticipated, the wacko in a fruit hat plunged his fist into his enemy's face. Orion took a startled step backwards, leaving another opening for the pink clad looney to race into his exposed stomach, knee protruding. The surprised saiyan doubled over as the focused warrior clasped his hands together and brought them down towards his foe's back. Orion pushed through the pain, launching off the pink torso of his target and throwing a quickly charged ball of ki into his face. A cloud of smoke ensued, of which both Orion and his enemy escaped from.

The excited saiyan, embellishing in the thrill of the fight, swatted his hand over the shroud, creating a swift buffet of wind that blew it away. Immediately he rocketed towards his adversary, adrenaline pouring through his body. Fist balled, he was prepared to beat his foe into submission.

Suddenly, the absurdly dressed warrior's face filled with confusion and fear. The flaring crimson pupils faded to black. Whatever semblence of steadfastness was gone from Orion's enemy's facade. The abrupt shift broke the saiyan's stride, prepared to stop his attack but travelling too fast to stop. The ensuing chaos resulted in the two fighters sprawled upon the ground, with Orion in an advantageous position to finish his opponent.

The energised warrior pulled back his fist to make the final blow, but staring into the enemy's face, he hesitated. After knocking the fruit stacked hat off his head, the foe reminded him of...

Of...

"TOLLASH!"

"Agh!" Orion groaned, getting to his feet and stepping backwards. What a time for his memories to plague his judgement.

"Wha-what's going on?" the downed raven haired man blurted. His voice was consumed with concern, as if anything that happened in the past several minutes were a mystery to him.

Orion approached him cautiously, staying on guard. "Wh-who are you?"

[Warako]

Warako lay motionless on the grass as he watched the clear blue sky turn dark as the sun set on the island of Dante. Now was the perfect time to move for the young Namekian. Darkness would prove to be his strongest ally on this island. Luckily for Warako, darkness was incapable of backstabbing; it was the perfect cover up for how the Dante Contestant truly felt.

However after a few steps, the speakers buzzed, it was that guy again…

"It's time for another edition of 'Which number bit the dust today?' That's right, warriors, that's all you are to some of us up here. Numbers. When the fans talk about who they like...it's your number. Just in case you had any thoughts about being worth anything.

The only time people care about you is if you kill. Only one death happened since last announcement:

#11 Ruhiel

Another easter egg will be placed, this time at the North Docks. It will be...drumroll please...an Extra Large Medical Kit! It's good to treat four injuries! It'll be placed on the docks at midnight! It's off limits until then!

Now, for the new danger zones:

B-1
B-5
E-4
I-2
I-9
J-9

Good luck warriors! Put on a good show!"

“Tch, he will truly pay,” said a frustrated Warako as he pulled out his map and looked it over. With a few quick marks, the map was updated once again. The young Namekian didn’t care about it before, but now that he’s on the hunt. It was in his best interest to make sure the map was in order.

Warako began moving as the darkness of the island grew thicker. He wasn’t sure yet where he’d go, after all, he was chasing an unpredictable man. A man that turned his back on the Namekian, there was no telling what could be going through his head at this time.

But with the danger zones dwindling down the hiding spots on the island, it was only a matter of time before he would run into them again. All Warako could do now was survive until that time and hope they survive as well until they meet.

“I need to fix this burning sensation before I square up with Paragus again,” said a determined Warako who changed his direction. “No sense in going at him and his two buddies when I’m already injured, only going to create excuses on why I lost. Once this wound is fixed, it’s on!”

[Android 17]

Although he had arrived at his present location a few hours ago, the android had done little of nothing in that span of time. For the duration of the trek across the scenic terrain, Seventeen had remained completely silent, and even within the swirling chaos of his mind, there was a strange, foreboding sense of calm. Upon crossing from one biome and into the next, the cyborg had taken a sentry position in the midst of the barren, desolate landscape.

“All of his is vaguely familiar,” the android spoke, shattering the silence that reigned over the warrior for the last few hours. “Reminds me of Kala or those plains from this show’s spin-off,” he added, kicking at the overcooked, fissured earth with the tip of his boot.

It took you three hours of staring to figure that out? The voice inquired—his tone strangely less confrontation than it had been in the earlier hours of the day. Despite the softened intonation, there was still a thick air of sarcasm that gave the android the impression that the voice was snickering beneath his breath. Someone give this man a medal.

“Silence,” hissed Seventeen, his left eye twitching as he scanned the darkened horizon for any signs of opposition. “I’ve been busy planning,” he added after realizing—much to his dismay—that he had wandered into a virtual no man’s land.

Plans usually require players. The voice retorted, lightly laughing as the machine-hybrid’s shoulders sagged forward. All you’ve done since your run-in with that threesome is prattle on to me about how angry and hateful you are, but all you’ve done is wander around aimlessly. Now you’re here, in the middle of bumblefuck, and you’re doing that irritating thing where you get all spacey-eyed and start reflecting on your past.

“Lay off,” Seventeen snarled. With a sigh, the android moved for the first time since 8 o’clock. Shifting the straps that clutched to his shoulders, he began to move deeper into the crag-laden ecosystem—his eyes narrow and his hands sweaty. “I’ll do as much reflection as I want…it’s my life.”

Your life? The voice replied, punctuating the remark with a manic fit of laughter that caused the machine-hybrid to cringe. This hasn’t been ‘your life’ for years now. You’re still just as big a tool as you were when you woke up during that invasion.

“How would you know?” The cybernetic warrior snapped as a frown spread across his pallid countenance. “You’ve only been pestering the shit out of me for a few days,” he replied, grinning suavely as if he had scored the winning touchdown of the game.

Oh please. The disembodied voice shot back, sounding obviously amused at the cyborg’s response. We have always been as one. You can’t imagine how many times I was the only reason why we got out of some asinine situation that you’re bratty friends or inane sense of justice got us into. We’ve been working together all along, you pounce…you just haven’t been as accepting of me until recently.

“Meh,” Seventeen replied, rolling his eyes as he drew the boomerang from his initial duffel bag. With a frown, the machine-hybrid sent it zipping across the desolate landscape. As it began to arch back around, the android lifted a hand up and caught the archaic wooden plaything a few feet behind his head. “I don’t need you,” he added, his eyes radiating a faint red hue as he stared into the smooth, slightly reflective surface of the boomerang.

Such arrogance. The voice replied with a mock gasp. I’m glad to see that I’ve taught you something amidst all of this.

For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Seventeen found himself struggling to garner a reply. Despite the insidious nature of the disembodied speaker, it had pointed out a blisteringly evident point, and from the haunting laughter booming in the twisted catacombs of the android’s mind, it knew all too well of its victory. Frowning heavily, the cyborg came to pause in front of large boulder.

“Leave me,” the raven-haired warrior replied, his hair wafting softly in the breeze as he fought to suppress his sudden desire to sunder the landmark in front of him. Seventeen’s eyes took on an ensanguined hue as his body tried to force him to act against his will. It was a bizarre and uncomfortable sensation, but with a small amount of concentration, it eventually subsided. The android’s hair fell limp onto his neck and his eyes returned to their normal shade of black. “Go,” Seventeen reiterated, his voice conveying a greater sense of malice than it had seconds earlier.

Heh…I’ll be waitin', bucko.

[Burter]

Face to Face

Hellfighter 17, Orion, Retane

There was no noise coming from the two in front of Retane. As the namekian lurked from underneath the small cliff, he was hoping to hear some words of strategy from his potential victims before he struck. He crouched down, holding a molotov cocktail in one hand and keeping his claws in from the other.

The two he was stalking was a veteran Hellfighter 17, known to the DA Fanbase as the Cyborg Sniper. His partner in crime was a newcomer to the series, known as Orion. They remained silent. There was a batch of introductions but outside of that, they just sat down in the silent night of the badlands.

Retane winced a little bit as the pain from his previous fights began to set in. He set the molotov cocktail down and stood up, slicing both of his claws out of the gloves. The two figures looked over, almost too late.

"Boo," Retane said.

The namekian lept forward, slicing his claws down towards the one-eyed saiyan. Orion raised his pack, causing it to rip instead of his face spilling out the contents of the bag. Thinking quick, Orion rolled backwards and stood up, ready for a fight. It had seemed like ages since he began this game and now, finally, he was in a real fight! A real hunter vs prey situation.

The cyborg, Hellfighter 17, looked up and watched. That was it.

Meanwhile, Orion flung three ki blasts from both hands, though all six were deflected by the namekian's claws. "Nice try," the wounded namek complimented. "But the Abyss is mine to win."

Retane ran forward, though Orion caught his swinging arm and spun him around, slamming his green body into a boulder. Catching his feet on the rock, Retane slashed his blades down, barely missing removing the ear of the saiyan. Orion shoved Retane backwards, bucking him off of the tiny cliff where he began.

A small fwooshing noise came as Retane again appeared, this time holding his molotov cocktail. Orion paused, looking at the bottle as it flamed up from the rag. "What...the hell is that?"

Retane grinned and held it back, ready to throw. His beaten, battered body put every ounce of energy it could into this one single toss...

Suddenly a short burst of ki erupted from the barrel of a gun. Hellfighter 17 was still sitting, but now he held up the small box-like sub-machine gun, having blasted Retane in the ki. The namekian dropped down to the injured limb, screaming in pain as his kneecap shattered and he barely managed to keep the bottle in check.

"The bottle!" Orion shouted, "Shoot it!"

It all happened in slow motion. Orion turned to run from the inevitable eruption of flames. Hellfighter aimed his gun at the round object, not really sure what was happening or why he was shooting. Retane, for his part, watched in anguish as the ki gun launched an assault, threatening to end his run for the title. He had come to battle with the best, but in the end it was his bad decision making that cost him everything. The namekian was one of the best competitors in the Abyss, but lacked the gameplay to back up his brawn.

The gun from Hellfighter 17 shot the bottle, causing it to explode inside the namekian's hand, engulfing his entire body and setting off the charges in his collar, ripping his neck apart.

The namek everybody loved to hate had died before the second day even dawned.

#14 Retane DEAD

25 Remain

The clawed gloves and the cocktails are gone. The Ki-Proof Vest is salvageable. Decide who, if anyone, gets it.

[Android-18]

She could see down for miles, and it was exhilarating. She imagined what it would be like to free fall down the ravine, falling with the wind driving her hair upward and ruffling her clothing. The fall would result in a sickening crunch and splatter on the rocky floor, however, she wasn’t intending on jumping anytime soon. She simply took in the view with wide eyes and little ’ohh’s’ and ’ahh’s’. She kicked a small rock into the depths to see it drop without obstruction. It was definitely a long drop.

“Night is fast approaching, we should keep going for a bit and then find somewhere to rest again. Hopefully we can catch a bit of sleep.” The long haired fighter spoke, and his voice gave a slight echo. The android giggled and nodded, it was definitely a good idea. Her feet were aching and she was growing thirsty.

Small wilting shrubs spotted the chasm and the girl plucked at the ones she passed. A cool wind drifted upwards from the scar in the ground, and it sent chills down her spine. “Good thing we refilled out water at that stream a while back there, I don’t think we’ll find any water here.” She commented, making conversation. How good the water from the river was, she was unsure, but it was better than nothing.

A hilly ledge began to rise up beside them as they traversed the rocky terrain. It formed a sort of mountain, although a rather small one. As they continued along the wall it stopped as a hole was gouged into its surface. An overhanging ledge hung overlapping like an overbite, and the ‘cave’ bubbled inward like a little cubby. The rock showed eroded marks from the wind, and the floor was as smooth as marble. “It’s cold, but it’ll do.” Raditzu said and flung his pack to the ground. “I’m beat, I don’t think I’ve been this tired in a while.” He slumped to the ground and leaned on the rocky wall. It was cold, but refreshingly so.

“Well, you rest, I’m gonna look around and keep watch. We’ll take turns.” She started to leave, and before leaving his view she looked back at him. He looked as if he was already fast asleep, she couldn’t help but find him rather cute like that. She smiled and continued outward into the lowering sun. The night would be upon them, and their second day on Dante’s Abyss would begin.

[Uno]

The white-haired weapon master sat on a stone bench with his pet rabbit, feeding it some small pieces of his bread. Grenade happily munched on its rations as Uno mumbled to himself. “Damn, I miscalculated. Who knew that Warako had some fucking grenades.” The small bunny looked up. “Oh, I didn’t mean you.” he said, scratching behind the rabbit’s tiny ears. It closed its eyes and began kicking its hind leg in joy. Then Uno continued. “Anyway, we have got to be more careful in picking our opponents. That last encounter could have ended badly. I won’t my teammates die on me so easily.”

Standing up, Uno left Grenade to finish its meal while he inspected the area. It was late; the sun had said goodnight while the moon began to take over. The young weapon specialist figured that his group would need some flashlights, and that the abandoned city would probably have some.

Wandering around the empty streets, Uno looked for an electronics store. He found nothing. “In hindsight, I should have looked for flashlights while we were downtown.” Quickly giving up on his endeavor, Uno turned back and walked toward the group’s campsite. “Guess we’ll just have to fight blind.”

When he returned, he found that Grenade wasn’t on the bench anymore. “Huh, wonder where that little critter scampered off t-” Before finishing his sentence, Uno heard a noise behind him. He turned around, seeing his pet rabbit scurrying past him, followed closely by a ravenous raccoon. Grenade jumped onto the bench, continuing upwards to the roof of the nearest building. The raccoon crawled up a tree and proceeded onto the same building. “Uh oh, this isn’t good.” Uno said, quickly giving chase, not wanting his furry friend to be harmed.

While Uno searched for the shotgun in the dark, Grenade was fending off the attack from Ricky the raccoon, who followed the gang after they left the village. Unable to cope with the loss of the villagers, he plotted to attack the group at their weakest link, which was the small bunny that stood before him.

Now, my fellow villagers will be avenged! Fear the wrath of Ricky!

The raccoon lunged forward, bearing his tiny claws his furry foe. Grenade jumped up, landing on Ricky’s head. It then pushed off the masked avenger with its mighty legs. Ricky’s head hit the roof, who made a wining noise when it struck. He quickly sprang to his feet, spinning back around to face his enemy. The raccoon attacked again, ramming into the small bunny with his full force. Grenade stumbled backwards from the attack, nearly rolling off the side of the building. Then, Ricky began making a noise that could only be explained as a raccoon’s laughter.

Is this all you’ve got? Grandma Rickelda has more fight than you do!

Not liking being made a fool, Grenade sprang back up to its feet. Its fur was disorientated and it could hardly stand, but it wouldn’t die to a jerk like Ricky.

Oh, you want some more? Fine, you’ll get some!

He sprang forward again, jumping higher to avoid the same result as last time. But Grenade didn’t jump or dodge. Instead, it rolled over to its back. When Ricky closed in, the fighting bunny kicked its legs forward, thrusting them into the raccoons face. He flew backward, with Grenade hopping closely behind. Then the rabbit rammed into Ricky, throwing them both off the side of the roof.

ARG!!!

The fighting animals landed in a nearby bush, breaking their fall. Grenade was the first to jump out, with an injured Ricky following. The raccoon had broke his leg, leaving him with a limp. Frustrated, it began limping away toward the brush. Uno looked onward, still searching for his weapon.

You win this round! But you haven’t seen the last of Ricky the Racco-

Just then, a small game cartridge plunged into Ricky’s skull, killing him instantly. Then Talys emerged from the shadows, pulling out his Pokémon game from the raccoons face. Uno picked up his pet bunny, seeing if it was hurt. He then looked over at Talys as he was wiping off the blood from his game.

“It was super effective, bitch!”

[Bardock]

Bardock gestured with a wave of his arm. “Ladies first.”

Needing no second bidding, Violet grabbed her duffel and headed off, calling behind her shoulder, “No peeking.”

The saiya-jin rolled his eyes. “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he muttered.

As soon as she was gone from sight, he let himself collapse completely on his rear end, knocking his head against the tree that supported his back. Things were going smoothly, if he didn’t say so himself. Bardock buried his face in his hands. He should have died back there for that idiotic screw-up. The fact that she had saved him was not surprising, but somewhat disturbing. There he was, bearing his axe, ready to end her life, and knowing this, the human had still willingly pulled him from what very well may have been his tomb. One that he had dug and buried himself in, through no act of will, but plain and simple error. The saiyan still couldn’t understand why she was so adamant on throwing her own chances away. This was Dante’s Abyss, after all—every man for himself. The lines between life and game were blurred, and he could not get her to see the separation. Everything here should have been meaningless, and yet, they were quickly becoming the opposite.

Throughout the last several hours, Violet had demonstrated a marked resilience, one that he had not even fathomed she had. No matter what was thrown her way, she bounced back sooner or later. It was that quality that was forcing him see her in a different light.

Bardock had much to think about.

When she was finished, she traipsed back into their resting spot, the hours of daylight dwindling into twilight. The sun was finally setting on the events of the first day. Bardock nodded to her, grabbed his own stuff, and headed down to the creek, calling back for good measure, “Give me my space.”

Snickering, Violet replied humorously, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Once out of eyesight, Bardock knelt along the banks of the stream and splashed the cool water in his face. There was no time for a full-on swim, and he doubted there was a good enough depth anyway. Instead, he sufficed with a quick rinse, soaking his shirt and bandana and wringing them out as well. The chill of night was rapidly approaching, but he had brought something along to combat the evening freeze. For the moment, the cold numbed his aching muscles. His legs had tired from the dead sprint, and every inch of him was throbbing from being buried under the rubble. The fighter stayed as long as he dared, getting done only what needed to be done and then returned. He swiftly and silently made a temporary fire pit, and resumed his post against the tree.

The air was thick with unspoken uncertainty, a shaky truce from an unlikely end all that held them together.

Bardock couldn’t finish what he’d started now. It was no longer the time, nor place, nor circumstance. His dark eyes fell upon her hands and shoulder. The wound she had painfully endured had reopened, and her once soft hands were rubbed raw from the stone she’d so despairingly torn away. He still hadn’t been able to make her understand. The brawler certainly hadn’t done it by his own terms of combat, and so he was going to have to try another way. There could be no distractions, and any lingering doubts would be just that. Those doubts had to be settled.

“Hey,” he said suddenly, getting her attention. “I wanna say something.”

He cleared his throat, and stared deeply into the small spires of flame that bent and swayed before him. “I’m not sorry for what I did. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d do it exactly the same. I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”

“Look, if this is your idea of…” she quickly interjected.

“No, just shut up and listen,” Bardock insisted, raising his stony glare to her face. He swallowed, his mind racing trying to put all of his thoughts into coherent sentences. “I don’t need you because I’ve never needed anyone. I succeed by my own strength…and I fail by my own strength. That’s what I know. It’s the same with everybody, they just don’t see it. And…and you shouldn’t have pulled me out. You should have just let me die.”

Violet’s mouth opened to say something, her eyes once more becoming expressive, but she closed it, and waited for him to finish.

“I was ready to die. I would have accepted the consequences of my mistake. If I can’t be strong, then I deserve it. And I’ll kill anyone else who can’t take me down. That’s what this whole fuckin’ game is about. It’s killing. And that’s what I do best. More than anything I just wanna find the next guy and tear him up, and the next guy after that, and the one after that. There’s no better feeling. But it’s…it’s just a game. It starts and it ends, and you leave everything here. If we weren’t here, I wouldn’t…I…I wouldn’t,” he continued, fumbling over the words. “So just…just fight. Until you can’t anymore. Even if it’s me. And when it’s over, it’s over.”

His lips moved soundlessly a few more times, but there was nothing left. Bardock just clenched his jaw and let things be.

[Minoshia]

Are you finally ready?

He could feel the warm blood trickle down his cheeks as his fingernails carved a firmer foothold onto the side of his head. The rest had been short lived, questions echoed inside his head as they bounced around the walls of his brain cavity. With each syllable a man inside his skull fired cannon shells at the walls of his cranium, ripping a terrible pain through his entire body. It ran through him like electricity through water, shooting down his spine and branching out through into his limbs. The numbing shock fizzled at his fingertips, leaving them aching before they became altogether numb. It was the worst pain he could remember feeling, which was something since the Konat had a high tolerance for pain.

Now, now… don’t make me do that again. I promise you it will hurt more next time. A stirred concoction of anger and aggravation seized over the alien warrior, shooting down his throat and lighting a fire in his stomach. Rage lit through him like flames through brush, igniting his blackened eyes with the fiery hatred his enemies had become accustomed to.

“What do you want from me!? Have I not done everything you’ve asked!?” Aggression gripped him in a vice, his hands shot back to his head and he screamed into the night sky. He was the lone wolf crying out his pain, sending a warning signal to the world.

We don’t want to feel this pain anymore. The division between us causes the pain; just like the rift in the sand separates the desert, the rift in our mind and our body separates us and tears us apart. We know what we need to do… it is the darkness that fills the void, that binds us. Are we finally ready to embrace that? To become who we were destined to be?

“And who are we destined to become.” Minoshia shot back, finally realized he had left the overhang in the desert and was wandering aimlessly towards nothingness. The sand beneath his feet and the wind at his face felt as if they were a million miles away, he was watching his world through a painting – everything was surreal. Everything was euphoric, he was living in the poetic chaos he found so beautiful.

That I will leave for you to decide...

“What? That’s it? No answer, nothing?” Minoshia grunted with equal amounts of frustration and confusion. His world a dark pit of confusion, just when he thought he’d reached the brim in the cup of evil – preparing to ascend the final step towards normalcy – a clawed hand had gripped his ankle and dragged him back down behind veils of hell and brimstone. He stopped abruptly, something was wrong. He could feel a being in front of him, though he could no sense his energy or his power. Leveling his eyes in an instant, he dropped down into a combative stance. He wasn’t about to take any chances with a strangler.

“Minoshia.” A voice sounded from a body in front of him, it was familiar in so many ways. Memories flooded back from many years past, memories of glory and triumph, death and deceit. The figure stepped into the light, his ebony hair glistening in the moonlit sky. His face had become darker than he remember, the shadows lined his cheekbones with precision and grace. The Konat snarled and took a step backwards, letting his body straighten to match the raven haired wanderer.

“Seventeen.” Minoshia grunted from behind rigid teeth. “I had a feeling I’d be seeing the likes of you…”

[Talys]

Darkness slowly crept into the surroundings of the odd trio. Shadows elongated themselves, stretching endless towards the east until the sun dipped the last of its rays beyond the distant horizon. The deep, blue velvet sky soon became littered with pin pricks of light.

"Fuck," Talys muttered under his breath, more to alleviate the impending silence than anything else.

The warrior massaged his chest as he walked. The green man (what was he, Namekian?) from earlier was the perfect example of the stress bearing down on him from this tournament. Another competitor, clearly with more brute strength than himself, appearing from nowhere and assaulting their team. This creature facing the power of all three of them combined and escaping, simply by the luck of the weapons draw. The youth looked up from his thought with an odd gleam in his eye.

He loved it.

This is what I live for! Talys thought to himself, a sickening grin twisting onto his face. I've been acting like a child this whole time, ignoring the shear thrill that lay before me! These weeks away from the Academy have weakened me. . .I've forgotten the joy of fighting. . .the sick delight of killing. . .

The suddenly violent man looked up at the two figures walking in front of him, the blood thirst beating in his mind.

That is what Dante's Abyss is about! Death, the fight, the hunt, slaughter, back stabbing, entertainment all around. Right now, millions are watching us. Mere characters to them, clusters of pixels waiting to have the life plucked from us. They do not know our pain, our suffering, our life. How can they sit comfortable on their asses and see us starving with broken ribs and blood dripping down our face, constantly moving to avoid the impending death that awaits us around every tree and not wish to be here?

His eyes narrowed as his glare burned into the back of those before him.

I bet these bastards don't appreciate this nearly as much as I. If I were to mess with these guys right now they'd get nothing from it. . .simply panic and rage most likely. What good have they done me, though? They foolishly threw me their trust and walk before me, defenseless right now. . .I could attack right now. . .I may die, but I'd at least be satiated. . .and if I didn't, the real games would begin. . .

Talys set his jaw and a small orb of energy appeared on each of his palms.

It would be so easy. . .

The ki flashed once and took on a deep emerald hue, the level of energy throbbing higher.

Just a blast or two while they're looking away. . .

The green burned brighter and brighter until it suddenly dissipated into nothingness. Talys let out a chuckle at his own weakness.

No. . .I have to learn to understand other people. . .they have done nothing to deserve my wrath. . .save exist. . .but if I really want to succeed, they'll need to stay alive for a while. . .

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath again. Best to keep his manic child facade up for now.

OOC: Just note, at this point I have no intentions of leaving the group or anything, just wanted to clear up Talys' personality. . .should it come to it later, the group may want to split up, but for now I'm sticking along.

[Android 17]

With a thud, the android’s two bags of supplies slid from his right shoulder and smacked onto the ground, liberating tiny clouds of dirt and dust from the surface of the barren wasteland. As the duffel bags settled onto the ground, the android’s eyes met the gaze of someone who was all too familiar. A gust of wind blew across the flat surface, kicking up sand and tiny particles of dirt as it whooshed between the two silent men.

Minoshia. The voice remarked, sounding relatively calm even in face of such a violent, deceitful creature. Seems like an eternity since we’ve had the delightful pleasure to run across this little guy, eh? Although he listened to the words echoing in his mind, Seventeen could not focus on them the least bit. His eyes began to burn as he stared at the vile, mohawked warrior standing just a few yards out of his reach.

“Long time,” Minoshia remarked, his voice a poisonous whisper that caused the corner of the android’s lip to twitch ever so slightly. With a faint snicker, the konat tilted to the side and dropped his own bag of supplies onto the fissured floor of the wastelands. As the smaller warrior moved, the machine-hybrid noticed the baseball bat sheathed on Minoshia’s back. Like the cyborg, he had been depraved of his faithful blade by the pompous executives who ran the contest.

Say something! The disembodied voice shouted, inducing a series of muscles spasms that caused the machine-hybrid’s right eye to twitch erratically. The mohawked warrior picked up on the bizarre behavior and simply cocked his eye. Where was the witty banter and fanciful, jolly grin that he recalled?

“Well if it isn’t the Prince of Darkness,” Seventeen rasped, his voice more guttural and confrontational than the konat had recalled. A smile—a sick, malicious grin—spread across the android’s ghost white countenance, and without little warning, the machine-hybrid took a casual step forward. Frowning at the android, Minoshia took a step toward the raven-haired warrior, and when he paused after a taking his stride, the konat’s right hand twitched…just a little.

He’s antsy. The formless voice warned. From the tone that it seemed to convey, the android started to wonder if it was trying to actually prevent an altercation from transpiring—a fact that caused the cyborg to furrow his brow. Although the facial expression was aimed at an inward audience, the konat took it as if it was directed at him, and with a hiss, Minoshia reached back and drew his baseball bat in a quick, fluid motion.

With remarkable speed for someone dressed in such seemingly weighty closes, the mohawked combatant darted forward—vying to quickly close the remaining gap between the two opponents. A smile spread across the sadistic visage of the Dark Prince as he swung the bat toward the android’s temple. Leaning back, Seventeen reached behind his back as the bat came arching in for a hit.

Acting quickly, the raven-haired warrior ducked under the swing and popped up right in front of his adversary. Although he moved to strike once more, Minoshia’s eyes went wide when he felt the wood brush against his throat. Looking down, the konat let out a frustrated growl when he saw the inside of the boomerang straddling his throat.

“Is that the best you can offer me, android?” Minoshia asked, lifting his gaze to meet the uncharacteristically cold eyes of his foe. “A boomerang? Ha!”

“You’d be surprised,” Seventeen muttered as he pulled the boomerang away from the warrior’s next and flashed him a view of the part that had been pressed up against his neck. To the konat’s surprise (and partially to his amusement), the interior side of the boomerang had been sharpened into a crude knife-edge. After a beat, the machine-hybrid let the impromptu weapon fall down to his side. With a faint snicker, Minoshia took a step away from the cyborg and lowered his bat.

“There’s something different in those eyes,” the Prince of Darkness remarked, his attention focused on the faint streaks of red that seemed interwoven amidst the rest of the android’s black eyes. “…Interesting,” the konat added after a short pause. Chuckling grimly, Seventeen slid the boomerang back between his belt and jeans. Once the weapon was secure, he turned away from Minoshia and moved to collect his things. As he crouched down to collect his things, he glanced back over his shoulder at the mohawked murder.

Do it. The voice snickered as the android stared at Minoshia. We wouldn’t want to pass up this gem.

“Fuck it. Let’s go,” he spoke, gesturing with his head toward the direction of the moon. “There’s a lot of ground to cover before sunrise,” the remark caused the konat to frown, and with a chortling laugh, he collected his things and began in the opposing direction.

“I don’t know who you are, but I listen to no one but myself,” Minoshia snarled, sliding his baseball bat into the scabbard tethered to his back.

“Hah,” Seventeen laughed back, pushing off his haunches and turning to face the departing konat. “This should be amusing,” with that, the android jogged forward until he was walking next to the Dark Prince. Frowning, the mohawked warrior flashed a glare at the cyborg that would cause any lesser man to flee, but to the bemusement of Minoshia, his stare was met by one of equal fury. Upon realizing that fact, the konat simply snickered under his breath and turned his attention back to the empty expanse of earth that lie ahead of them.

[Hellfighter 17]

With a snort and sniffle, Seventeen replied back, ‘Name’s Seventeen. Now, why,’ he started, but paused to pick up his hat, ‘would you knock off my hat? Not cool, dude, not cool.’ The android began inspecting each of the fruit that donned the presumptuous hat. The apples were still ample, the grapes continued being great, pears were perfect, the oranges were ...orangetastic, the melons maintained magnificence, and, the fruit that took home at the top, the pump pineapple was still the pinnacle.

The saiyan merely winced at the question and stared in incredulity as Seventeen checked over every piece of fake fruit, dusting a piece when need be. ‘My name is Orion,’ he said, trying to avoid looking at the android. ‘Can you tell me why you looked at me so stupid all of a sudden? And can you give me a good reason why I should not kill you?’

Looking at Orion with a face of intense consternation, which made the saiyan want to kill himself, he started, ‘Well- ’

‘Boo!’

Out of the darkness crept even more darkness, clad in crimson clothing. Like a whir of blood, he launched himself at Orion, who quickly raised his bag to stop the Namekian’s claws from causing more damage to his head. The bag ripped apart, causing a mess of items to fall down on the ground. Seventeen looked at the items with much curiosity, and thought about what was in his bag. He was determined to remember the contents off of his memory but, for the life of him, he just could not remember. The fighting between Retane and Orion continued, but all Seventeen could do was concentrate on the duffel bag that adorned his back.

Eventually, it got to him: Just what is in there?! he thought to himself. Popping a squat on the ground, he opened the black bag, and the first item that he pulled out was the barrel that knocked him unconscious earlier. He started to fiddle with it for a bit. At first, it was aiming at his crotch, and he nearly pulled the trigger, but a fwoosh-ha from the fight made him fumble with it for a bit. After a couple of seconds, he started to pull the trigger again, and this time a barrage of ki darted out, heading straight for the Namekian.

Next thing he knew, the saiyan was yelling at him to shoot the bottle. Seventeen was trying to figure out what the hell he meant when his pupils turned red. Pulling the trigger close to his face, the android squinted one eyes and lined up Retane’s hand with the other. Pulling the trigger for a brief moment, a single ki blast shot out, erupting soon enough with the Molotov cocktail. A chain reaction ensued, with the Namekian’s neck being the end of the chain.

Seventeen stood up, placing his weapon in his bag as he did so, and started walking towards the charred body. The head was ruined from the mouth down, having been obliterated by the collar, but one could still make out the remnant of a brain stem within the head. The body was still burning a bit, so the android rolled it around on the ground with a kick of his foot. After the flames died down, Seventeen grabbed at a piece of cloth that was on the Namek’s torso. Sliding it over the arms and sizzling neck, he examined it for a moment.

Orion stepped forward and took a look. ‘Looks like some kind of armour,’ the saiyan said. The android threw it at him, not paying attention whether he caught it or not and began to examine the body some more. He held out his hand, which resulted in a rod appearing there, long and bright with gold. He started shoving the staff into the dead body, which was quite resistant at first. After a couple of minutes, he had taken off several large chunks, all of them charred black.

‘Already cooked meat—it’ll spoil soon, but we should be able to venture a bit further before we set up camp,’ Seventeen said, placing the chunks of meat in his back with the gun of ki. His eyes then turned back to black, his brow unfurrowed, and his arms went limp. ‘Where’s that green guy- oh.’

Orion was starting to get an idea of what was going on here, but decided to continue observing more, rather than ask questions.

[Paragus]

The sun had disappeared under the shadow of the night. The temperature had cooled as well bringing a chill to the trio. The saiyan warrior dropped a bundle of wooden logs in the center of the warriors. His two comrades were each sitting on their own stone waiting for the warm fire to be built. The island vegetation swayed in the gusts that blew by. Para used neanderthal-like tactics to get the camp fire blazing. The dry leaves and grass quickly grew into a roaring flame once the sparks from the clashing rocks fell upon them.

“That should due for a while.” Para said holding his hands out to the flame.

Uno nodded in approval as he stroked his hand along the white back of his furry companion. Talys basked in the warmth of the conflagration while placing another cartridge into his gaming device. Para leaned back and stared up at the darkened sky. The stars began poking out one by one in a light show of constellations. It wouldn’t be long before every bush rustle and twig snap would make Para writhe in fear.

“So I guess we will rotate who stands guard?” Uno asked lifted his shotgun with the hand not pleasing his rabbit. “I already have the gun so I will go first.”

“Sounds good to me.” Talys groggily responded while mashing the buttons of his game.

The last thing Para wanted to do was to stare out into the dark forest and make sure nothing crept out of them. The night was the home to worst kind of hunters.

The saiyan’s mind began to wander, as it normally did when nothing else was going on. Millions of people around the world were tuning in to watch this show. Show was a funny word to use when talking about the Abyss because if you ever stepped two feet on its soil you knew that it was the farthest thing from your mind. To the inhabitants this place was a war zone, a secluded battlefield where only one would walk away with complete dominance of the opposition. Families with children all over the universe were sitting on their comfortable sofa’s eating popcorn begging for the next gruesome death. When those civilians beg for violence, the warriors on Dante pray not to live another day.

Cracking sounds from the burning logs interrupted Para’s train of thought. He rolled over and stared at his teammates. One of them would eventually die and then another till there was only one. The saiyan could only hope that that moment was later than sooner. His eye slowly closed to the soothing sounds of a warm camp fire. Tomorrow would soon arrive to the sound of Karl Jak’s extravagant eulogy and the elderly saiyan would have a lot more opportunities to make the viewers at home happy.

[Violet]

“Just like that, huh?” Vi grabbed her heavy pack and swung it over her shoulder. He’d opened himself up, but it just made her even more confused now than she was before. “You really think I would have left you back there?”

“You should have;” he affirmed, the frown slicing through the day old stubble shadowing the lower half of his face. Damn it if he had the best mean guy face she’d ever seen. “What good will it do you to have me around? I could have just killed you and went along my way, so feel fortunate I haven’t slipped up yet.”

“I do, trust me, I do;” she chuckled nervously, fingers playing along the canvas strap as she tried to remember what she was going to say. He had that effect on her, and it was disconcerting that he could. “But you’re going to need me sooner or later. I don’t care about winning this fucking game, Bardock. I care about you, and me, and us making it as far as we can. It’s not all about killing, it’s about surviving. I think we’ve proved that quite a few times so far.”

“We haven’t even gotten a kill yet, Violet.”

“No, we haven’t. But as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Karl will announce the quarter’s eliminations. We won’t be making his list, but there will be others.” A sudden seriousness crossed the woman’s features, knowing that even though they won’t be killed off now, it will happen eventually. The question was, were they stronger just as a pair, or were they weaker? If she had to keep checking her back to make sure he wasn’t ready to drop the blade of his axe into her back, then perhaps they weren’t strong, after all.

It wasn’t like this two years ago when her, Supes and Kibbles made their way to the finale. Sure, they had their problems, but the trust was there. That was one thing her and her new partner lacked: although she trusted her rough and tough Saiyan with her life outside of the game, she wasn’t so sure she could inside of it. This was all blind faith.

“I want to fight, Violet. I want to kill;” he growled. She just wasn’t getting it.

“Then let’s kill,” she said. “Let’s get our shit and hunt these people down. If we die, we die, right?” he opened his mouth for rebuttal, but she held her hand up to silence him. “No, don’t say a damned thing. I know how you feel. Forgive me if I just enjoy being here with you. I really hoped we could have made some kind of friendship out of the time alone, but it looks to me as if you’re in this for yourself. You don’t even consider how I fucking feel about things. I’m supposed to be your partner, damn it!” her power spiked as her anger rose. Maybe it was just the lack of stimulation that brought on this new rage, because she tried so hard to keep her emotions in check lately. Just wasn’t working today, was it?

“That’s the thing!” he broke in, his own rage as evident as her own. “I don’t give two shits about how you ‘feel’ about this fucking situation. I’m in this to kill, with or without you.”

Seething, both hurt and pissed almost to tears, Violet snorted angrily. “You know what? I’m past the point of caring right now. Get your shit, and let’s get the fuck out of here. If you want to go play with the big kids, then quit being such a stuck up asshole and put a little trust in me. I wouldn’t have pulled you out from that rubble if I didn’t trust you, Bardock. For fucks sake, man, do you not have a clue about how much you mean to me?”

Silence fell over them, a dark, gauzy veil, heavy with the shared tension. “Nevermind. There isn’t time to sit here and argue. We’ll discuss this later.” With that, Violet turned away and began walking, this time, a new purpose taking precedence over the ever conflicting Bardock. He wanted a fight? Then he’ll get one.

Whoever was out there waiting for them were in for a treat.