[01] City Sector

[DA 2009]

CITY SECTOR

Time Of Day: Night

Bunker: Active

Starting Players: Orion, Sage, Tamsin, Kaden, Sophia

[Tamsin]

Further darkness. That is what Tamsin encountered as she finally opened her eyes again. As it was nighttime, everything around was pitchblack. The only thing Tamsin could make out other then the star-filled sky were the shadows of the nearby buildings that appeared like houses. Although her ears listened intently to catch any possible sound, there was nothing to be heard with the exception of the eery silence.

The adolescent was in a slight state of shock, having found herself in a completely unknown location. The last thing she recalled was being in the same room as the other contestants when some sort gas began to spray into it. Tamsin figured that Dukes must have intentionally knocked them unconscious. However, for what purpose, she could not say. The only explanation that came to mind was that he wanted to place the contestants on various locations on Dante.

The silver-haired girl swallowed hard as a slight panic started to set within her. So Dante`s Abyss had begun. She recalled how unpleasant she felt as she was reading the rules of the event prior to going to the meeting chamber with the other contestants. She realised that it was some sort of a fighting contest...a bloodsport. Although Suzaku was fairly-well trained in combat, she did not consider herself fit and ready enough to participate. Now that the whole thing had actually started and she found herself all alone in a unfamiliar place, the fear in her was increasingly compounded. She had no reason to be there...

Then, she remembered. Yes, there was a reason....Maleficus. Even though she did not want to be there, her master seemed quite eager to join. Regardless of her own feelings, she needed to be there for him and help him win the contest. "I have to find master Maleficus," she thought to herself and focused on that thought. The fear in her subsided as she found courage in her sense of duty. No matter what would happen, she was intent on fulfilling the task she was entrusted.

"Hello?" she spoke out loud and listened carefully. There was no response, as she expected. The houses nearby must have been emptied for the sake of the contest....or were even built for such a purpose. Realising she would get nowhere with just sound, she focused and tried to see anything around her. Since her eyes had had time to adapt to her dark surroundings, she was able to make out something that appeared like trees in the distance....a forest.

A slight tremble overcame her for a moment as she pondered about it. Forests tended to be even darker then settlements and she was not particularly outdoor-savvy. However, she was now completely focused on her goal. Giving herself a nod of encouragement, she broke into a run towards the woods, hoping to find the green rogue.

Tamsin moves from City Sector to Forest Sector

[Jesper]

Sophia watched Damon Dukes through slitted eyes, an ice cold glare that completely offset her previous attitude. She had met people like him before, whether it was a power-hungry monk in her temple or a megalomaniacal and slightly flamboyant game show host. Men and women all suffered from the same affliction, she concluded.

“YOU LIED,” she yelled. She always did have a flair for the dramatic.

Sophia’s eyes never left the man’s visage as he paced back and forth, answering the crowd’s reactions with a surprising amount of warmth, though she knew that it only shielded a cold demeanor from sight. Such a disguise was of no surprised to her--how could it be? Her death was a definite eye-opener towards that end. She let a smile crease her lips; this man would be judged in the same way she was. And he would be found wanting.

The thing that ate her up about the situation the most, perhaps, was that her death had been in vain. As the flesh melted off of her bones in that final split second of her life, after she fell into that volcano, she knew that the man she had tackled would survive. That shield of his did the trick. Even in an indirect fashion, her death did nothing. Such events were regularly televised, she came to find out, and the shocking horror of “reality television”—the fact that it was actually real—was lost on the audience. Nobody knew what they had gone through. Nobody knew what they had to do to survive. Nobody knew, nor did they care.

“May the best player win!” Damon threw his arms up in the air, and with that, he turned around to leave. Sophia’s anger began to boil over. There were so many similarities between this clown and Kai Demolic that she wanted to scream, or, at the very least, punch something very, very hard. Before she had the chance to, however, the vents shifted open. Kaden, who had been brooding next to her for the man’s entire speech, gasped and looked around before anything even happened. Sophia raised an eyebrow—what was so scary about the vents, exactly?

That was when the gas started flooding out. The healer still didn’t completely understand, but she quickly caught on when those who were standing closer to them than she was started coughing. The gas reached her own lungs, and she suddenly felt as though her stomach was about to burst. Her body screamed for oxygen, but it started to go limp as not nearly enough of it made it in time. Her eyes grew heavy, and she crashed to the ground in a lump. As her consciousness left her, she took note that nobody was having better luck.

It seemed as though her luck hadn’t changed. Not at all.

*

The darkness of sleep swirled in her eyes until the haze cleared up. Sophia’s dreary eyes slowly lifted, snapping open and shut as she tried to straighten her sight. The first things he noticed was that she was on a different kind of ground—not the polished surfaces of the massive complex in which she had been treated to, but a much colder, unforgiving pavement. Groaning, she pushed herself up, sitting on her knees as she took a brief glance around. Her head rushed with pain, pulsing so much that it made it difficult to focus. What she could focus on, however, seemed relatively familiar. It was a city, fairly modern by design though most of it was hidden by the shadows of night.

Standing to her feet, she cracked her neck as she tried to examine things closer. She was in the middle of a plaza; the entrance to what looked like a hospital stood behind her, while a fountain sat directly in front of her. The bustling of city life sounded in the background, but only the flow of the fountain water was immediately available to her. That, and the incessant snoring of the man that laid face down beside the landmark. She took one cautious step forward to see who it was, though it didn’t take her long to find out—the blonde hair and red jacket gave him away.

“Kaden,” the healer found herself whispering, suddenly worried that some creeper could pop out at any moment. She kneeled down and grabbed the courier by his shoulder and give him a little shake. “Kaden! Wake up!”

“Wha--?” he muttered, eyes still closed and body still limp. He wasn’t awake yet, though he was talking. “I don’t think I want to…”

“Want to what? Wake up?” Sophia sighed. She gave him another shake, the second attempt built in intensity. “Well, do it! Wake up! You have a delivery to make!”

“Leave me alone, Greg…” Kaden rolled over. Sophia shook her head, wincing—who the heck was Greg? She rapped the courier soundly in the back. His last snore was a loud one, and the next sound that came out of his mouth was a low scream. He rolled completely over and hopped up to his feet, clutching the area she had hit on his back.

Whipping his head around to see her, he rubbed his wound gently. “Ouch! What the hell? That hurt---whoa, where are we?”

The courier straightened up and scratched his head, looking around. The healer chuckled and did the same, though a second glance gave her no more answers than the first. “I really don’t know. That gas really knocked me out—do you remember anything after that Dukes guy talked to us?”

“No…after that heart-warming pep talk, he made sure we didn’t remember anything, I’m guessing,” Kaden shrugged. “Whatever the case was, he placed us in Central City…or is it? None of this really looks familiar.”

“Nor to me,” Sophia commented, though she knew that very few places would actually look familiar to her. The pair fell silent, both pondering their individual situations. Sophia smiled softly, though she wanted to cry—Kaden was probably citing Friend or Foe in relation to this in the same way she was. It was sadly funny how easily they had both been duped into participating. Rubbing her arm shyly, she was the first to pierce the silence. “So…I think we’re supposed to be doing things like this.”

“What?” Kaden raised an eyebrow, though he seemed to be using his “sight” to look for others.

“Um…yeah,” Sophia wasn’t quite sure what she meant, either. “Think about it. What is it that we’re always doing?”

“Knee-deep into half-baked plot for…world domination, or something,” the courier shrugged. “Or otherwise pitted against typically evil people.”

“Exactly,” Sophia nodded. “I’m not saying that we’re being called by a higher power, or anything. Not anymore. But still…you have to think that some things are beyond coincidence.”

“Yeah…” he let his eyes sit on the healer. “I think that, too.”

“Just something to ponder,” she giggled, suddenly sorry that she had brought it up. “So…uh…what do we do now?”

[Orion]

Coldness. It ran up and down his spine. He almost welcomed it; at least he was actually feeling something other than pain, no matter how unpleasant. Whatever the reason for the icy chill in his back was unknown. His entire body was paralysed and numb, save for moments of abrupt agony, applied to his skin without warning.

Anxiety squeezed his lungs like a tightening vice. He was fully aware of his surroundings, but any instruction to his arms or legs died before it reached them. First, his hearing came in. Dull at first, there were muffled voices, the clanging of metal against metal, and a steady, droning beep like a heart monitor. He tried opening his eyes, but the right lid was heavier than a tonne of bricks, and he couldn't even feel his left.

He had to stifle his fretfulness. Calming his mind as best he could, he took controlled breaths until he felt some strength return. He attempted to move his arms again ... no luck. Could he open his eyes now? ... Yes. At least his right eye responded, slowly slitting open. A wave of light poured into his sore eye, forcing it shut immediately. He steeled himself, baring himself to the harshness once more.

Everything was blurry. A brilliant lamp, or possibly the sun, sat overhead. Focusing on anything but that blinding object, he looked about the room. Hazy white blobs scurried back and forth. In a few moments, his vision aligned, revealing lab coated employees moving back and forth to the instructions of a very ... short man by his bedside.

"Oh, you're awake?" the vertically challenged scientist remarked, speaking as if Orion was a child. "That's no good is it?" He plucked a syringe filled with emerald fluid from a nearby tray, flicking the case to remove any air bubbles. "Well, let's just put you back to sleep, shall we?"

Orion had no idea how he managed it, but sensation returned to his left arm. It shot off the table, grasping the diminutive doctor by the throat. With all his strength he pressed his fingers into his oppressor's larynx, hoping to suffocate the miserable bastard before he lost access to himself again.

Several of the assistants rushed over, prying at the saiyan's curled fingers. Another took the syringe in the doctor's hand and thrust the needle point directly into Orion's forearm, forcing the fluid into his bloodstream. Orion tried to groan as he felt his grip loosening.

The doctor composed himself, brushing off his lab coat. Orion looked straight up in his sedated state.

"Well then," the short scientist remarked, his voice croaky from the strangulation, "I see someone's in a bad mood today." He rose a scalpel to Orion's eyeline. "I guess we won't be using anesthetic today, will we?!"

Orion cried uselessly as torment filled his mind.

"What the hell?!"

The one eyed saiyan shot upright in a panicked daze. Those dreams, those nightmares ... it had been so long since the last one. He truly thought he was rid of them. Alas, they still haunted him. Orion sucked in a deep breath, placating his nerves.

He stood to his feet, examining the landscape. The last thing he remembered was listening to a lecture by that Damon Dukes fellow who was kind enough to host Dante's Abyss this year. Then the room filled with gas ... oh.

"That was pretty damn rude, Dukes," Orion said out loud. "You didn't need to gas me. I wanted to be here, for crying out loud.

In any case, he was on the island now. A metallic necklace was fastened to his neck. Orion shrugged, assuming it to be a tracking device, until he recalled that if they were identical to the previous years, they had the potential to vaporise his body.

Keeping that pertinent fact in mind, he noticed his new surroundings. He stood in the middle of a quiet intersection. Buildings, mostly housing businesses, lined up and down the diverging streets. Orion presumed he was in the central business district of a city, but everything was so silent. No people, moving cars ... not even parked cars. It was night however, indicated by the softly glowing street lights and the blanket of stars in the coal black sky. That could've explained the deserted city. It was just as likely that it was purged of any living being for the competition.

What a crappy place to start, he thought to himself. It was up to him to hunt down his combatants, but without any scanning technology or an ally who knew how to track, he was going blind.

Orion picked a random of the four roads and started down it. There was no way to tell if this was the correct direction or not, but for now it didn't matter. Besides, if he felt hungry, there seemed to be a butchery further down the street, its display window crammed with delectable meats. Even just the thought of those spiced animal products hurried his pace. Was there a better way to start a death tournament than sitting down to a huge banquet of -

<Hellllooooooooooo!>

Orion stopped mid-step. Dread removed any trace of anticipation for food. He knew that voice. He hoped the knockout gas was still lingering in his respiratory system, continuing to unearth bad memories of his past, but -

<Ooooriiiiiiiiion! Are you there?>

No. No no no no no. It was him. He knew he was watching, but did the platinum haired god have to actually speak to him?

<Stop ignoring me, Orion! It's your buddy, Anitan!>

[Kaden]

"Pull!"

A small rock was went soaring into the air, drifting higher and higher. Without warning, a cerulean bolt blazed into the sky, reducing the rock to nothing more than vapor. The arrow of energy streaked almost out of sight before shattering into a cloud of lights and drifting away. From the city streets below, Kaden and Sophia watched the show.

"I'm not sure this is the best use of our time," Sophia said. Though she voiced a concern, it didn't stop her from bending down and scooping up another rock.

"Not like we have anything better to do," Kaden said with a dismissive shrug. When silence greeted him, he sighed and turned towards the priestess. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm not exactly walking on sunshine over here."

"I understand," Sophia replied in a compassionate tone. "Sometimes it's hard to see the silver lining."

"Amen to that." Though Kaden was joking, he immediately regretted having said that. He very distinctly caught her reference to a higher power... or rather, a lack of one. It was an odd choice of words for a priestess, without question. Hoping Sophia hadn't though twice about the courier's choice of phrase, he moved on. "Pull."

As Sophia hurled another rock into the air, the two of them continued down the sidewalk. Stopping as they approached a crosswalk, Kaden raised an arm and took aim. More than anything else, the courier was interested in making sure his aim and his ki were both functioning as they should be.

Upon walking up in front of a random hospital, one of the first things the duo noticed was the collars around each others necks. Sage had mentioned them in the bar, but that didn't make Kaden feel any better about wearing it. Sage had also mentioned something about ridiculously powerful fighters wearing such collars, which lead Kaden to wonder whether or not they were designed to interrupt a person's flow of ki. As far as he could tell, everything was in working order. A second cloud of cerulean light erupted above their heads.

"Aren't you worried about... giving away our position? Or something?" Sophia asked as she watched Kaden's display.

"Not really," Kaden replied. "I think I'd notice someone before they'd be able to see my little light show."

"You think you'd notice someone?"

"Well..." Kaden cleared his throat. "Yeah. I can feel other people on the island. I'd even go so far as to say there are other people in this... city, but I don't feel anyone particularly close by."

"All my fears are put to rest," Sophia replied with faux relief.

With nothing left to say, and still no clear direction, Kaden frowned, turned in a random direction, and continued walking. As his eyes roved from building to building, Kaden noticed something off. He hadn't noticed it at first, because there had been no reason to think about it. As they continued walking, though, it became increasingly apparent.

"There's no one around," Kaden said as he came to a halt.

"Yeah." Sophia stopped next to Kaden and tried to follow the direction of his glowing eyes. "You already mentioned that."

"No. I mean... there's no one around."

Confused, Sophia's head immediately snapped towards the nearest building, then the next, then the next. Confusion quickly spread across her features as she turned her attention back to the courier. Her confusion slowly gave way to the same feeling of uneasiness that was worming its way into Kaden's mind.

While there wasn't a single person within sight -- or Sight -- the two contestants were surrounded by the sounds and smells of city night life. Traffic off in the distance, animals barking, howling and hissing at one another, even the occasional unintelligible yell reached their ears. It was creepy.

"Why...?" Sophia let her voice drift off.

Really, the priestess could have asked any number of questions. Why would Damon Dukes set things up like that? Why were they hearing things that weren't really there? Why was it so completely unnerving? Why did they have to be stuck in a creepy-ass ghost town in the middle of the night? Kaden answered all of them at once.

"I have no idea."

There was no telling how longer Kaden would have simply stood, listening to the empty city, letting his mind turn over, endlessly, what such a setting might have in store for the least lucky courier/priestess combo ever. Fortunately, an immediate biological urge tore Kaden from his stupor.

"I need to find... a restaurant. Or something."

"Are you hungry?" Sophia asked, turning to her Kaden. "It looks like there's one across the street."

"No, not hungry. I just... having a seal in need of breaking."

"What? A seal... ?"

Having sprinted across the street, Kaden hadn't heard the priestess' confused question, not that he would have really elaborated. Had he been on his own, an alley would have been perfectly fine for his needs, but he didn't think that would sit particularly well with Soph.

Of course, the door to the restaurant was locked. This didn't surprise the courier, he had given up any hope that, if left to chance, even the smallest thing would go his way. While he didn't like the idea of breaking into someone else's property, the rationale that 'since no one lived in the town, it had to belong to Damon Dukes and, since Damon Dukes was a douche, it was ok to break his stuff' took Kaden about half a second. A bright blue flash of light served as a perfect lock pick. Sophia was quick to follow the courier… until she saw him dash into the bathroom.

As Kaden stood in front of the nearest urinal – second nearest, actually, since he wasn’t about to use the obligatory midget-pisser – he briefed a multi-faceted sigh of relief. While the physical relief was immediately welcome, the psychological relief of being alone for a moment also washed over Kaden. He was immensely grateful for Sophia’s presence, but the fact that she could be present at all was something the courier had yet to really deal with.

At least two people had been… brought back from the dead? For Dante’s Abyss? That made absolutely no sense to the courier whatsoever, but it was absolutely true. Both Sophia and Orion had been standing next to the courier, talking and joking with him in the flesh. How that was even possible was beyond Kaden’s ability to comprehend. Dead people were supposed to stay dead, weren’t they? That was one of the governing principals of Kaden’s fairly depressing life and it had just been turned on its head.

Shaking his head, Kaden took in a deep breath and tried to focus his thoughts. As he stepped away from the urinal, he approached the sink and took his time washing his hands. Even if he just accepted that Sophia was alive intellectually, he was nowhere near ready to deal with it emotionally. Just like Sage, he had been there when she died. With a sudden and unexpected growl, Kaden slammed his fist into the nearest wall.

No… he hadn’t been there. He had left all of them to… do what? At the time it felt like he was doing something meaningful. At the time it felt like looking for transportation was something that they would need. As he stood in that bathroom, glaring at his own reflection, all Kaden could think was that he had simply turned tail and run. Ashe, Sage, Sophia, and even Piper. He left a handful of girls to fight while he ran away. It didn’t get much more pathetic than that. If he had stayed, maybe things would have turned out differently. He would have gladly maybe the sacrifice in Sophia’s place.

Maybe the priestess being in the tournament would give Kaden a second chance. A chance to… do what? What was the worst that could actually happen to someone who was already dead? Pulling his fist away from the wall, Kaden rubbed it gingerly for a second. She could probably feel pain, at least. So… there was that.

“Oh son of a bitch…” Kaden felt physically ill when he remembered the trip he had taken right after Friend or Foe.

He had actually gone to Sophia’s temple to tell everyone that she was dead. Wonderful. The courier couldn’t wait until he found a way to bring up that gem. Who was he to have done that in the first place? It certainly seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe Kaden simply needed to make it a rule to never think about things he had already done. It was turning out to be a very depressing practice.

Shutting off the faucet, Kaden took another look at himself in the mirror. What was done, was done. No amount of self-loathing was going to change that – despite the fact that all Kaden really wanted to do was crawl in a corner and be emo. He was stuck in some stupid tournament and the only thing he could do, really, was see it through to the end. It was a momentary pep talk that wasn’t likely to last more than a few hours, but Kaden felt his spirits lift. He was ready to get back to their aimless wandering.

“Took you long enough,” Sophia said as Kaden stepped out of the restaurant.

The courier opened his mouth to reply with a joke about having to wait for girls, but caught himself. Instead, he suddenly found himself laughing. Moments ago he had been consumed with self-destructive spiral of loathing and doubt while Sophia had done nothing but smile a joke. More or less. If she, the person who was actually dead, could look on the bright side of things, who was he to do anything different. Flashing a genuine smile, Kaden looked Sophia square in the eyes.

“Hey. I’m glad you’re here, Sophia.”

“Wha--?” Sophia looked understandably confused as her cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “Where did that come from?”

“Dunno,” Kaden lied. “Now c’mon, we should get moving.”

“Moving where?” Sophia jogged up next to Kaden as she spoke.

“Let’s see…” Kaden swiveled his head from side to side. “How about that way?”

As he pointed, Kaden felt something tug at the back of his mind. Kaden wasn’t a huge fan of “fate” as an idea. The concept of all your actions and choices being largely irrelevant because the final outcome had already been decided just seemed… depressing. Despite that, the courier couldn’t help but wonder whether or not that was the way things worked.

In the exact direction he pointed, he could feel… someone. Either he hadn’t felt their presence before, or they hadn’t been there, either way, Kaden was quite curious to see who he hadn’t picked up on. Moreover, he was interested in trying to use his sixth sense to actually track someone. Most of his experience with his Ki Sense – a recent encounter with Blaze in Central City made it clear that Kaden’s ability had a documented name – made the ability out to sporadic and unreliable. Kaden attributed this to a lack of actual practice. It seemed ridiculous that, though he could magically sense people with his mind, he had allowed himself to be caught off guard so many times in the past.

With the exceptions of Sophia and himself, Kaden knew that there were talented fighters entered into Dante’s Abyss and, though he did not consider himself one of them, he wasn’t about to get himself killed. If that meant focusing on honing abilities he had simply taken for granted in the past, then that’s what he would do.

“There’s someone over there,” Kaden added, his arm still outstretched.

“Someone?” Sophia repeated. A hint of uncertainty was evident in her voice. “Should we… go see who it is?”

“I… guess so. I mean, both Sage and that Dukes jackass made it sound like we wouldn’t have a choice about fighting. We might as well see who the nearest competition is, right?”

“Yeah,” Sophia nodded.

Kaden’s reasoning was paper thin, and they both knew it. The only real reason they had to move towards someone was simply because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. They had no idea how the city they were in was laid out, or when they might be forced to fight someone else. At least having some sense direction, or purpose, was better than simply wandering.

Though initially reconnaissance was the only thing in Kaden’s mind, he had never considered the possibility that they would encounter someone who wasn’t an enemy. Well… the courier understood that, technically, everyone they came across was an enemy, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get along, right? It made sense to him… as long as he didn’t think about it too hard.

The person Kaden sensed ended up being closer than he would have guessed. Gauging distances based on a tingle in the back of his mind was more difficult than the courier would have guessed, believe it or not. As Sophia and Kaden rounded a corner, still following the sidewalk despite the lack of active traffic, the figure came into view.

Sophia reacted before Kaden could, though he wasn’t quite sure what he would have done anyway. Breaking into a light jog, the priestess broke away from Kaden and raised her arm into the air. With a smile on her face, she called out to the familiar figure.

“Sage! Hey Sage!”

Sage, having been moving in the same direction as Kaden and Sophia, whirled about as she heard her name called. Kaden wasn’t sure whether or not Sophia was aware of it, but as Sage turned, he could feel her ki spike. His eyes illuminated as he watched Sage’s ki creep outward into the surrounding air and immediately make the surrounding area significantly colder. As she realized who Sophia was, though, this all subsided instantly.

Kaden definitely couldn’t blame Sage for her reaction, though it didn’t exactly put him at ease. During Friend or Foe, and even his adventure with Belle Hibiki, Kaden had seen the reactions of trained warriors. That was not how Sage acted. As Kaden gazed at her with his Sight, even her ki was flowing erratically. The girl seemed very on-edge. If she had been telling the truth about having to win Dante’s Abyss, Kaden could see how that could take her out of her psychological element.

With immediate danger out of the way, Kaden suddenly realized he had been holding his breath. Relieving his lungs of the momentary lapse, the courier quickly caught up with Sophia and Sage. The two of them were exchanging pleasantries, bizarre as that was, when he approached. Giving Sage a quick wave, Kaden found his eyes pulled down her frame.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to Sage’s side.

“This?” Sage lifted her arm, displaying the ki rifle to Kaden. “It’s a… ki rifle. We all got one… right?”

“What?” Kaden turned to Sophia. “Do you have one?”

There priestess extended her arms to either side. “Do you see one? Where would I hide something like that?”

“Well that’s just great. They’re probably back by the hospital.” Kaden ran a hand through his hair and cast a glance back in the direction he had just come from. “Think we should go get them?”

“Do we need them?” Sophia asked. She cocked an eyebrow at the contraption in Sage’s hands.

“It’s a gun… that shoots ki. Why wouldn’t you want one?” Kaden tried to explain. “Tell you what. You ladies stay here. I’ll go back and grab the guns. Sound like a plan?”

“Are you going to remember how to get back here?” Sophia asked, casting a glance over Kaden’s shoulder at the sidewalk behind him.

“Hahahahaha… c’mon, Soph. Go somewhere, pick something up, come back. I do this for a living.”

The priestess had to concede Kaden’s point, and Sage voiced no complaint, though he wasn’t sure she would even if she had one. With a quick wave to both of them, he turned and moved back down the sidewalk in a light jog. Though it had initially felt like Kaden and Sophia had been walking for hours upon hours, it turned out they hadn’t gone nearly as far as Kaden would have guessed.

In the hospital plaza lay two ki rifles, out in the open, right where Kaden and Sophia had woken up. That he had missed something so blatant was more than a little embarrassing. As he scooped up the first rifle, a sensation flared in the back of his mind. In seconds, he found himself doing the exact same thing Sage had just done.

Kaden could feel someone approaching him from behind and reacted with speed as his top priority. As he spun, the courier dropped to one knee and raised his arm. Tilting his head, Kaden sighted down the length of his arm as he would a rifle. Ironically, he completely forgot that he was holding an actual rifle in his other hand. Within his outstretched hand, Kaden held a glowing orb of energy. Though it was small in size, Kaden had simply compacted the energy in an effort to maximize the impact it would have; he had learned that trick from Orion during Friend or Foe. Fortunately, he didn’t need it.

“Kaden?” came a girl’s voice.

Tilting his head away from his arm – ironically, the glow from his ki obscured most of his vision when he tried to “take aim” – Kaden realized who it was that had approached him. With a sigh, the courier dropped his arm, letting his ki dissipate harmlessly. Standing up, Kaden flashed a smile and gave a quick wave.

“Hey, Ashe. Uh… sorry about that.”

“Quite the welcome,” the pink-haired girl joked.

“Oh hey! You should come with me. Sophia and Sage are waiting for me not too far away. I just came back here to grab this thing.” Kaden held up the ki rifle. He would have picked up the other one, but his encounter with Ashe showed him how likely he was to rely on a weapon.

“They’re waiting for you?”

“Yeah. When we ran into Sage we realized that, uh, Sophia forgot to bring her gun. C’mon.”

With a wave of his arm, Kaden set off back towards his allies. Ashe seemed to consider the proposition for roughly one second before catching up to the courier. As the two made their way down the streets, Kaden couldn’t help but laugh at how similar their situation was. Stuck in some ridiculous tournament with no way out and at the mercy of jackass’ rules… yeah, sounded like fun.

[Sage]

Though surprised at the time, and more than a little apprehensive about traveling with friends in a contest where there could only be one winner, Sage was happy to see her friends. The girl knew it was best to stay alone for the duration, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. They were... disturbing lately.

Kaden, and Sophia. She didn’t know much about the former, and still felt awful about what had happened to the latter. Between being consumed by thoughts of Kai and Sol, she didn’t have much energy left over to focus on whatever they were talking about. She answered some questions, and then the courier took off, leaving the two girls on the sidewalk of the eerie city.

“Y-You noticed it, too?” the blue haired girl inquired. Sophia arched an eyebrow at her. “The city... it’s empty. And it still makes noise.”

“Yeah, ...we noticed it, too, Sage,” the former priestess replied. She looked down one end of the street they were on, and then the other. If Friend or Foe had taught her anything, it was to avoid being complacent, no matter the situation. “It’s... creepy, that’s for sure.”

“The sounds bug me. B-Before you showed up, every time I heard a car horn or a cell phone ringing... or those voices, I kept having to stop and look around. I... thought I was going crazy,” the hybrid confessed.

Sophia watched Sage’s hands. The quarter saiyan had put down the ki rifle - which seemed two sizes too big for her, anyway - and kept her hands busy by nervously wringing them out. The blonde sighed. Didn’t seem too much had changed since she died. Still, Sophia felt she could understand. If Kaden hadn’t been there to tell her that he was hearing the bizarre, disembodied voices and sounds too, maybe she would have thought she was going crazy just like Sage did. So, she nodded with understanding, since there was little of relevance she could offer to the conversation.

“I... I shouldn’t have joined,” the doctor suddenly declared. “I entered for... for revenge. I knew what Dante’s Abyss was, and I entered anyway,” Sage began to pace to and fro, taking only one or two steps in either direction. Her hands were balled into fists and her face screwed up into a terribly distraught expression. “And what’s worse is I... I want it, Sophia. I want to make him hurt. I want to make him hurt like I did. I want him to see what he did to me, and I’m scared I’m going to do something horrible to make sure it happens.”

At this point, Sophia had no idea what Sage was talking about, and seeing how upset she was, was unsure about how to approach the situation. “Sage... who hurt you? What happened?” she softly questioned, making sure to come off as non-threatening as possible. Growing up in a temple made her pretty good at it. “You can talk to me, Sage.”

A veil of concern tightened the skin around the cryomancer’s eyes. She looked much more worried than usual, and Sophia didn’t think such a thing possible. The girl exhaled, a plume of steam evaporating into the night. She was ‘cooling off’ again. “I... never told anybody about this before... before now, I mean, um... except, e-except for my sister, and, um, but... uhm,” her voice cracked and she began to fidget about, as if she desperately had to go to the bathroom. Sage closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and held it for a moment, before continuing. “When I was...” she sighed. “When I was-”

“Hey, guys!!” came a cheery, effeminate voice, interrupting what was to be Sage’s revelation. Both turned to the sound with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, to see an excited Ashe running ahead of a goofy-grinning Kaden, who seemed a lot more chipper than his internal conflict would indicate.

To Sage’s surprise - and chagrin - the pink haired girl raced right up to her and tackled her into as close an approximation of a bear hug as someone as small as Ashe could do. With her arms pinned to her sides, Sage could do very little about it, except squirm uncomfortably.

Finally, the girl let her go, and flashed her a big, huge grin. Sage couldn’t help but smile back, turning red from embarrassment. “H-Hi, Ashe. I, um... I’m happy you’re okay. I’m just... sorry we had to meet during the tournament-”

“Nope. No bringing us down, Sage. We’re gonna get through this just like we- Sophia?!” she had completely shifted attention from the azure haired doctor to the dead girl.

“It’s... a long story,” came the priestess’ reply, trying to dodge the question that had come up so many times already. Instead, she glanced over to Kaden. “Is that mine?” she inquired, pointing to the ki rifle in his hands.

“Yup,” came the reply. Kaden handed the weapon over to Sophia, who grunted in surprise at how heavy the thing was. “I, uh, also brought her along,” he hooked a thumb in Ashe’s direction. “Is this when I ask if we can keep her?”

“Shut up,” the teenager retorted, punching Kaden in the arm. “So, what’s the plan, anyway? Just wander around and look for stuff?”

The group quieted down at the question, and for a few moments, they looked around, unsure of what to say. One by one, they noticed Sage standing there, eyes on the street, a hand holding her arm at the elbow. She seemed preoccupied.

“What’s up, Sage?” Ashe was the first to break the silence and ask the obvious question. Judging by the girl’s dark countenance, though, nobody was going to like the answer.

“The... rules for this year’s tournament are... different from the ones I’m used to. I’m not sure I... understand properly, but I think on a scheduled combat day, the participants in the fights in a given area are chosen randomly, and they’re forced to fight until somebody wins,” Sage explained. “With so many of us together, it’s hard to imagine...” the girl paused for a moment in an effort to collect her thoughts. So much of this year’s games seemed amiss. “To imagine that at least two of us wouldn’t be forced to fight each other.”

“Simple. We don’t,” Kaden retorted. “Who’s going to force us to kill each other?”

“They’ll... they’ll kill you for real if you don’t,” Sage explained. She waited for a moment, knowing that what she just said must have carried a fairly heavy impact. “If it’s anything like it used to be,” the girl tugged at the collar around her neck, and winced. The thing was chafing on her skin, and a red ring had formed beneath the coarse metal of the object. “These collars can kill us. Really kill us. We w-would be better off fighting each other and doing what Dukes wants, because then at least we wouldn’t die.”

The courier’s face immediately twisted into anger. “Are there any tournaments where the players aren’t forced to play the way some pompous douche bag wants them to? Or maybe even one where at least the players get to pick and choose wether or not to compete?”

“So, what are you saying, Sage?” Sophia interjected, both to get her own questions answered and to defuse Kaden’s growing aggravation. “That we shouldn’t be traveling together?”

“...Y-Yes,” the girl replied, dismally lowering her head.

“But we’d be walking around alone, then, not knowing where we’re going. That’s crazy!” Ashe protested.

“Not to mention suicidal,” Kaden agreed. “You’re sure there’s not a better way?”

“T-To guarantee we don’t hurt each other? ...No, I-I don’t think-”

“What if we split up?” the youngest one in the group interrupted. “Two and two, right? Pretty good odds we’re not stuck fighting each other, and we can still help each other out, too.”

Three sets of eyes fell on Sage. She felt like they were burning her, scalding her flesh. “I, um... o-okay,” she agreed. It seemed sensible, and although she knew she should just go off on her own, she wanted the company. It was hard to argue against having a friend with you in a frightening place when the alternative was to be completely alone. “But we should probably get to a bunker first, and then split up.”

“...Why?” Kaden raised an eyebrow.

“Please! You h-have to take this game seriously! We have to go the bunker to reset the timers on our collars. If it ever runs out, you’ll die!”

“And I’m betting the death is ‘for real,’ huh?” the courier folded his arms and frowned when Sage nodded in affirmation. “This Dukes guy is a real prick, you know that?” he set his jaw and turned away. “So where the hell do we find this bunker?”

“I... I don’t know,” Sage admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“I know where it is,” came a gravelly voice from the alley adjacent to them. The foursome leapt to the defensive as a man adorned in a battered, grey trench coat stepped out into the open. He was carrying a ki rifle, and the uniform beneath the dingy coat was clearly that of Dukes’ subordinates. Kaden picked up on it immediately, and the effulgent spheres in his hands showed how excited he was to see the man.

“And why the hell should we trust you?”

The man shrugged. “Because we’re in the same boat? Because you don’t have a fuckin’ choice? Dukes screwed me. I was supposed to get paid and get off this rock. I’m stuck here just like you; I didn’t know what was happening here. I bet you didn’t, either. Maybe I think if I can help you guys out, I can somehow redeem myself. Maybe I just want to piss Dukes off. What fucking difference does it make? I can take you to the bunker or you can all wait to get dusted. Come on, if we go, we go now. We don’t have much time.”

There was a moment of dissonance, but the group ultimately had no choice. The rebellious employee led the way, sprinting down the streets, and veering left and right at seemingly random intersections. The lot of them began to wonder if they were chasing the man into a trap.

- - - - -

They arrived at a museum, whose door had been replaced with what was clearly a door from a bank vault. “Intense,” Ashe exclaimed.

“No kidding,” Sophia agreed, as the quintet made their way toward it. Sage stuck close to the priestess, since Ashe was too close to the guard, and he seemed too... convenient. Still, they made it into the bunker, which, thankfully, was unoccupied, and closed the door behind them.

“Alright, that’s my job finished,” the corporate traitor suddenly announced, plucking a walkie talkie from one of his coat pockets. He thumbed the broadcast button and brought the receiver to his mouth. “All done here; pull me out.”

In a flash, the man was gone. “What-? He was playing us the whole time?!” Ashe shouted. “What an assho- whoa-!!”

It was no small wonder why she cut herself off. They were surrounded by supplies. Medicines, food, water, energy cells for their ki weapons, almost anything they could think of. Immediately, each of them took a duffel bag from the conveniently placed pile, and began stuffing them with whatever they thought they would need.

“So, about those collars,” Sophia said, slipping a canteen into her pack. “Have they been reset?”

“It sh-should be automatic, once we walked into the bunker. I... couldn’t really tell you for sure, though,” Sage replied.

“Well, that’s comforting,” the courier added. “Seemed real convenient that we were just led to a bunker, though, doesn’t it?”

Ashe pulled a stack of maps from a shelf and grinned. “Well, at least we won’t have to rely on help to find the next one,” she announced, passing out a copy to each one of them. “We might not be so lucky next time.”

“I’m wondering if we were too lucky,” Kaden grumbled.

“Well, there’s not exactly much we can do about it. Maybe Dukes wanted to keep us alive for now. We’d be pretty boring if we just died right away, wouldn’t we?” Sophia hypothesized. “It’s probably just as much to keep himself entertained. Or whoever’s watching this. Or whatever.”

“Right, I guess you’re right,” Kaden ran both hands through his hair. “So... how do we do this, then? Who’s going with who? How do we split us up?”

There was silence for a long time, and then Kaden realized it seemed that everyone had intended to rely on his decision. He sighed. “What if I go with Ashe?” he inquired. Sophia’s eyebrows knitted at the proposition. “Just... well, think about it. I’ve got ki sense, and that should keep me and Ashe out of trouble, for a bit anyway. Sage knows a bit about the way Dante works and you’re pretty good with energy, too,” he said this to the priestess. “It just makes sense.”

“Alright, then. I guess you’re right. I guess we should go right away, huh, Sage?” Sophia looked to the girl, who nodded, though her expression seemed disappointed. “Well... Kaden... good luck. It was good seeing you again. You too, Ashe.”

Ashe nodded, and then turned to Sage. “You don’t think I’m just gonna let you leave, do you?” she smirked, before embracing the medic. This time, Sage didn’t try to fight her. It was entirely likely that they might not see each other again for a long time.

Finally, they backed away from one another, and with another few awkward goodbyes, Sophia and Sage stepped out of the bunker and headed south, leaving two of their friends behind. It was hard not to look back, but they had to make good time, lest the vindictive game designers manipulate them in some horrible way.

We’ll still have to fight eventually, Sage silently conceded. But at least she didn’t have to hurt her friends now. Not yet. Not until there was no alternative.

“Whoa!” Sophia exclaimed. “Look at that!”

The duo ran ahead, to a bizarre scene. The city suddenly halted abruptly, and immediately beyond the razor edge of it - which even cut buildings in half - was a vast, thick forest. “This just keeps getting weirder.”

Ashe, Kaden, Sage, and Sophia entered the bunker in the City Sector.

Sage and Sophia moved from the City to the Forest.

[Orion]

It was all becoming clearer now to Orion. He was duped. When he died, he wasn't granted passage to Heaven. No, his ears must've been ringing after the few bullets to the back he succumbed to. That giant pink ogre must've said Hell. It just wasn't the traditional fire and brimstone he was expecting.

At first, he chuckled at the realisation. What a unique and somewhat sadistic form of torture! Step one, make the genocidal mass murderer and destroyer of civilisations believe his name was written in the good books because he may have accidentally saved a kitten from a tree after blowing it up. Step two, load him on a plane and fly him to another world that departed from the literal infernal descriptions of the land of the damned. Step three, start him on a fruitless quest to obtain the approval of 'Heaven's' great 'Masters' to be brought back to life.

Now he knew Anitan was just a demon. A fucking chatty demon. The perfect punishment for Orion's history of sin.

After shattering the butcher store window and consuming as much aromatic meat as he could, he furthered his journey down the road, literally ham-fisted. As he took another uncivilised bite from the honey glazed leg, he heard the ever persistent telepathic voice of Anitan echoing within his skull like a whiny yodeler.

<Ooooriiiiiiiooooon!> he summoned.

If you just ignore him, he'll go away, he lied to himself.

<Heeeeeyyyy! Talk to me!>

"What!?" Orion burst, chunks of masticated meat falling from his lips. "What do you want?!"

<Hey, what's with the attitude?> the spiky haired deity rebutted, seemingly unaware of his aggravating presence. <I just wanted to give you some company, that's all. You're all alone down there and I thought you would want to hear a friendly voice. Geez, you try to help a guy...>

The one eyed saiyan gulped the chewed ham down in one go to promote enunciation. "And what made you think I was alone?"

<Well, you were with Ares all that time. Since he didn't come down with you, I figured there was a missing void.> His voice suddenly perked up. <And I'm here to fill it!>

"God! Don't you have pupils to train or something?"

<Shhh. Not so loud. Someone might hear you and sneak up on you!> Anitan's voice sounded as if it were blocked by a pouting lip. <Then no one would get to see how great of a trainer I am.>

"Yes, yes. It's all about you, isn't it?" Orion replied sarcastically, throwing away the cleanly picked ham bone in his left hand and focusing on the remaining one in his right.

<C'mmmoooooon. I bet you're anxious to try out your new abilities, right? You don't wanna leave the competition prematurely by giving away your position?>

Orion released a haughty "Ha. I don't exactly see anyone close by, do you? There's no noise, no sign that anyone has passed through here recently. Hell, maybe half of those weaklings died from that gas inhalation. I wouldn't know, would I? Besides, I want them to come to me. Cuts out all the skulking and hunting. I just want a good, clean fight." Orion paused as he tore the pink flesh from the smoked roll of ham. "Now that I think about it, just a good fight would suffice."

<Weeeell, in that case ... > Anitan started suspiciously, <you might want to look behind you ... now!>

Orion spun on his heel, involuntarily forcing the meat housed in his mouth into his wind tunnel. Coughing and spluttering, he slammed his hand against his own back to elicit the clogging to dislodge. The saliva coated morsel finally launched from his mouth, splattering on the bitumen.

He looked up. No one was there.

<Got yooooouuuu!> Anitan mocked proudly.

"I'll get you, you miserable ..."

<Hey, if I was being serious, there's a good chance you'd be done and dusted by now. Take my good humoured and impeccably timed joke as a wake up call.>

Orion's brow furrowed. "Yes, yes. But did you just say ... dusted?"

That may have been the first time the blabbering lord of speed fell silent as he thought back on what he said. <Yeah, but so what?>

The elder saiyan took one last hearty mouthful of the unfinished ham leg before tossing it aside. "Dusted? Have you never watched this tournament before?" Orion clasped the metal choke chain around his neck, shaking it only gingerly to accentuate his point. "I have to get to one of those damn ... oh, what was it ..." He stopped speaking, recalling the name of the target location from the previous Dante's Abyss ... "bunker! That's it! If I don't get there in so much time, they activate this and I get reduced to molecules."

<Oh!> Anitan was genuinely surprised. <Well, that adds an extra kick to the festivities, doesn't it?>

"That's one stupid way to put it," Orion snapped back. "I don't suppose you can provide any useful logistics on where the blasted bunker is, can you?"

The platinum haired sensei laughed suddenly as if he wasn't expecting his ex-pupil to ask such an obvious question. <Help you? I thought this was a competition of wits, strength and ...>

"A simple 'no' would suffice, you blabbermouth," Orion retorted, reaching the end of his tether. "You're not going to be in my head the whole time, are you?"

Anitan hummed. <Nah. Not when you're in a fight, at least. Wouldn't want to distract my star graduate now, would I?> Orion could just picture the moronic grin on his face.

"You're distracting me now."

<But you're not fighting.>

Orion facepalmed. "I ... just ... ugh. I'm looking for a bunker. Please, can you just shut up for a little while?"

---

Finally, the seasoned veteran came upon a small, humble domicile with the word 'BUNKER' written above its rounded door frame. Seizing tightly the ki rifle Anitan pointed out to him that he obliviously ignored upon waking up, he stalked quietly but swiftly to its entrance, swiveling the weapon blindly inside while keeping vigilant of any approaching foes. Nothing reacted to the distressing sight of a rotating rifle in the doorway, which Orion concluded to be a good sign.

Diving into the bunker, he immediately noticed the wealth of resources located therein. Food, water, basic medical supplies, and even several plush beds welcomed his presence. Having liquidated two entire glazed ham legs, there was no need for sustenance, and wouldn't be for a while, he hoped. However, he helped himself to a plastic bottle of water or two to quench his thirst before pocketing another within his garish robe.

Orion froze in deathly fear as his collar reacted to the bunker. It started beeping, small red bulbs pulsing around its circumference. What the hell did he do? Wasn't he allowed to take some water for the road? It was a surprisingly hot night and there was no breeze! That's not fair, he couldn't die before he even had his first fight! He played by the rules! He was in a blasted bunker, for crying out loud!

He winced expressly as he waited for the inevitable disintegration of the bonds that strung his molecules together, and nearly jumped out of his skin when the collar emitted a pleasant chime, indicating its refreshed status. Orion let out a relieved, guttural growl. Adrenaline was pounding in his head and he wasn't even in a fight yet. That damn Anitan put him on edge.

Taking his few weary steps outside the bunker, he was at least thankful that his ex-sensei had either muted himself for a time or, like a three year old child, grown listless of Orion's uneventful situation and wandered off to obtain something more of interest to his goldfish-like attention span.

The cycloptic warrior was almost certain that the city was deserted. He hoped Dukes was having a good laugh at the nerve damaged saiyan trekking purposelessly through a ghost town, scaring himself with his own shadow. There must be other contestants on the island somewhere.

In the far horizon, despite his impaired vision, Orion spotted vast mountains. He couldn't make out many more details from his limited vantage point, but perhaps those tall, rocky spires could offer him a better perspective of the island. Maybe he'd even run into that cocky half breed ... Zulu. Yeah, that was her name. Or perhaps it was Blondie? Orion never was good at names, but the festering grudge in that arrogant woman promised an exciting battle, especially if Ares' earlier reports of her ascending to the legend of Super Saiyan were accurate.

Being mindful of his surroundings at all times, Orion sprinted towards the naturally formed watch towers, holding his rifle upright. Things were starting to look up. He had a plan and his mind was tranquil and still, free of that overbearing, rage provoking -

<Hey buddy! Sorry, I had to take a slash. So, how's it goin'? Killed anyone while I was away?>

"Aaaarrrgh!"

Orion entered the bunker in the City Sector.

Orion moved from the City to the Mountains.

[Ashe]

"Quite the welcome."

It was an honest joke, one that was in no way intended to sound as harshly as she was afraid he'd take it. To put it bluntly, she had been nervous at the idea that she'd nearly been disentigrated by an energy beam from Kaden, but she also understood that if he had done anything, it would have been entirely accidental.

Not that he'd be apologizing to anything more than a pile of smoldering... Ashe.

"Oh hey!" he said, an idea occuring to him. "You should come with me. Sophia and Sage are waiting for me not too far away. I just came back here to grab this thing," he mentioned, holding up a ki rifle.

Her eyes drifted to it for a moment and then she picked up the one next to it since he didn't seem all that interested. "They're waiting for you?" she questioned as she studied the gun.

"Yeah. When we ran into Sage we realized that, uh..." he trailed off, watching as Ashe's gun seemed to suddenly change shape into what seemed to be a small stick instead. "Sophia forgot to bring her gun," he finished, sounding a bit off guard as Ashe's jaw hung open.

"Mine has to look like a freakin' magic wand?" she grumbled under her breath. It didn't surprise her given the way things had been changing on her.

Kaden finally gestured for her to follow him and pointed in the direction of where he'd come from. Lost in thought over her magic ki firing wand, she looked up to realize that he'd already begun walking. "Ah crap!" she swore, snatching her bag back up and running forward, wand in hand.

"So uh, your gun stayed completely normal?"

He looked at her strangely as they walked. "Well, yeah... What's up with yours?"

She shrugged. "To be honest, I half expected it to change into a giant penis. I'd have to cock the shaft and then squeeze the balls to fire the beam or something," she joked cynically.

Absolute silence.

She looked at him suddenly, realizing she'd made her dark humored joke out loud and blushed. His response was a bit more sputtering. "Why... why would you expect that?" he asked, half in laughter, half in surprise.

She gestured for him to hold still a moment and tossed her bag to the ground. "Well, you see this bag?" Without pausing for confirmation, she unzipped it, pulling some of the contents out. "Ok, when I first woke up in some mountain pass, this thing was filled with documents explaining this tournament and what we are expected to do. There was also this sorta cool cel style digital map stuffed inside that tracked where I was - both creepy and cool at the same time. There was also food and water, enough that I took a break once I finished using the pair of gloves and grappling hook to climb up that stupid mountain cliff to avoid whatever the heck was down there. Yes," she answered, cutting him off before he could speak. "A grappling hook."

"That sounds a bit awesome, to be honest."

"It totally was," she laughed, brightening up.

He looked back into the bag a moment. "You... lose it?" he asked, probably formulating a joke inside his mind.

She shook her head as she closed her bookbag back up. "No, and that's just it. I put everything back in there and crossed the border into this city. Well, shortly after doing so, I tried to get that map back out to help find my way to the bunker. And yeah, there were bunkers listed on this thing," she added.

"Bunkers?"

She sighed. "I'd tell you what they were for, but I honestly can't remember. I don't know what happened, but when I looked I found that my map, food, water, grappling hook, gloves, tournament information, and a lot of other crap was just missing."

He nodded. "So someone robbed you," he decided.

Shrugging again, she stopped - instinctively - at a crosswalk and looked both ways before heading across the street. "I guess so. And whoever did it decided it would be totally cool to return all my heaviest schoolbooks back to me at the same time."

"That does kind of suck. Why not just ditch them?"

She looked at him as if he'd said something stupid. "Because I need them for a huge test on Monday? That and I don't have enough money to go replacing all of them. I'd just get yelled at for being clumsy and losing them or something."

His hands came up defensively. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, sorry. That... does kind of suck," he repeated, not really wanting to press the issue. Spotting Sage and Sophia in the distance, Kaden decided to change the subject completely by pointing them out. "There's-" he began, jumping suddenly as she shrieked next to him.

"Hey, guys!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, running at full speed despite the heavy weight she'd only just been complaining about.

The courier, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear at his successful diversion. The blue haired girl turned just in time to get tackled by her Friend or Foe companion who actually managed to lift her into the air as if her backpack - and friend - no longer weighed more than a feather. "H-Hi, Ashe," she began, red from a mixture of shyness at the affection and the blood rushing to her skin in an attempt to force oxygen to continue through her body. "I, um... I'm happy you're okay. I'm just... sorry we had to meet during the tournament-" she continued, looking ready to launch into some depressing Sage style whine that would end with her blaming herself for everyone's plight.

The student, however, would have none of it. "Nope. No bringing us down, Sage. We're gonna get through this just like we-" she trailed off, staring at Sophia again as if totally forgetting meeting her in the bar earlier. Who could blame her, given that the next immediate second involved armed guards rushing in and interrupting the party? "Sophia?!"

The cleric watched her eyes lock onto the halo surrounding her brow and she warded her off with her own eyes. "It's... a long story," she responding, turning to Kaden without another word. "Is that mine?" she pointed at the gun in his hands.

He nodded and confirmed it, tossing her the gun. "I, uh, also brought her along," he motioned to the pink haired girl who was so excited that she was panting for breath at this moment from her run. "Is this where I ask if we can keep her?" he joked regarding the situation.

Her thing arm didn't do much damage as it struck his arm jokingly, punctuating a "Shut up" before continuing to as what the deal was. "Just wander around and look for stuff?" Everyone just got quiet, not really knowing what to say, but all seeming to look to Sage to provide answers. The doctor, on the other hand, seemed uneasy under the stares. "What's up, Sage?" she finally asked, trying to get it out of her.

Ashe immediately knew that she was inviting the exact thing she'd silenced Sage not moments ago to prevent. The girl launched into a deep and somberful recollection of everything that Ashe had read within the paperwork that she'd - until now - forgotten. The pink haired girl could only nod along with her explainations as she recalled things at the exact moment the words reached her ears, leaving her wondering why she hadn't remembered until now. What frustrated her was that she felt that there was something wrong with what Sage was explaining, but she had no idea exactly what.

The voice of the priestess broke the silence that had collected, with the exception of one angry courier. "So, what are you saying, Sage? That we shouldn't be traveling together?"

Everyone knew the answer before she said it. Ashe immediately cried out over the girl's confirmation. "But we'd be walking around alone, then, not knowing where we're going. That's crazy!" she whined, having just gotten to the group in the first place.

The only guy in the group agreed with her, pointing out how suicidal it was before trying to find a way to dismiss the plan. "T-To guarantee we don't hurt each other? ...No, I-I don't think-" Sage insisted despite their concern.

Ashe took a deep breath and interjected with the best that she could come up with. "What if we split up? Two and two, right? Pretty good odds we're not stuck fighting each other, and we can still help each other out, too," she pointed out.

"I, um..." she stuttered, looking at each of them, unable to find the strength to dash their hopes. "O-Okay... But we should probably get to a bunker first, and then split up," she insisted.

"...Why?"

She looked at Kaden frantically as the words came spilling out. "Please! You h-have to take this game seriously! We have to go to the bunker to reset the timers on our collars. If it ever runs out, you'll die!" she rushed, her words almost slurring together without a breath in between.

"And I'm betting the death is 'for real,' huh?"he grumbled, tightening his fist when Sage whispered confirmation. "This Dukes guy is a real prick, you know that?" he growled, projecting immediately from all the previous situations he'd experienced lately.

He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself without upsetting Sage even further. "So where the hell do we find this bunker?" he growled in an angrier mood than he usually carried.

Sage seemed on the verge of tears. "I... I don't know- I'm sorry."

His breath exhaled as he began to turn back around to apologize for taking it out on her, but something else caught everyone's attention. "I know where it is."

---

Ashe and Kaden were left alone within the bunker as their companions left them, heading out into the wilds alone to reduce the risk that they would be forced to fight each other. Minutes seemed to pass before Ashe finally bit her bottom lip, realizing that she'd just been left alone with a cute guy in a smelly jacket. One who had happened to be her husband in an alternate future. "Um..." she began, not really turning around as she imagined him watching her. "So what... should we do first?" she asked, extremely unsure of herself and suddenly very self concious.

She heard no response, however, and finally gathered up the courage to turn around, only to find him sitting at a table within the bunker with a stack of waffles stacked high on a plate. Surrounding the plate, as if set into a religious altar of some sorts, were various toppings and syrups for waffles. Part of her mind immediately grew curious as to the types of fun she could have with those items, while the other part of her mind scolded her in mock anger that she dared think such thoughts.

In the end, it took her about two steps to clear the distance between the two of them and to find her own plate full of waffles - and some root beer to wash it all down with.