Golden Gate Empire [IC / No Longer Accepting / PG - 16]

Astolfo · January 14, 2016

Nori Amakusa

Odette noticed something was off, but too late. The ground rumbled beneath her loudly before a massive pillar of solid rock burst out with explosive force, sending her rocketing into the sky. From the looks of it, Nori had almost won, but the girl wasn't unconscious yet. Despite the obvious damage to her body, she was attempting to recover by grappling out to a building with… ribbons? Not letting her opponent slip away, Nori burst off the ground, sprinting off the walls of the two adjacent buildings to reach Odette, before flipping off the roof towards the girl. Chambering her arm back, Nori spun around with tremendous force before slamming her elbow into the other girl's torso to send her flying down the rest of the way. As Odette's body slammed into the grounds of the Thunder Dome, the shockwave behind the blow smashed apart the remaining pavement and cobblestone.

Dropping down, using the earlier pillar to slow her descent, Nori walked over. She could tell. The girl was dead. Something inside of Nori had felt it, at the sight of Odette's body hitting the ground. Closing her eyes, Nori knelt on the ground, her hands together. "I am sorry. You were an honorable fighter to have made it this far. May luck be with you in your next life, and may prosperity smile upon your journey. Rest now, you have earned it." Nori walked over gently to Odette's still form, shutting the girl's eyes with a gentle pass of her hand. "With life, comes death, and from death, comes life. I too, shall one day pass, and pay for the lives I have taken. So if you can, please find it in yourself, somewhere, to forgive me... " Standing up solemnly, Nori looked around. It seemed as if the pick-up crew had not arrived yet.

Collecting boulders from the rubble of the lost city, Nori surrounded Odette's body in a ring of stones. It was a simple and austere burial, but an attempt for what she could, and what she believed in. Closing her eyes, Nori bowed once more, before walking over silently to the submarine that had arrived to pick her up. Despite how radiant it was inside the Thunder Dome, a mysterious and serene place thousands of feet beneath the water, it seemed as if it was raining. Strangely enough, it tasted a little salty.

Maeriberii Haan · January 17, 2016

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just let me go, please."

It took a lot of effort and yelling, but Arisu managed to get away from the medical bay so she could get some times alone, thinking. It had been quite a while since she could just enjoy herself like this after all. And it's not like she's injured or anything. The stone had remade her body one last time earlier, which pretty much meant she fully recovered. She could've defeated the injured Elspire earlier...but of course, she didn't want to. And she didn't need to win this tournament anyway. The stone is slowly dissipating, yeah, but no need for her to remake it, as even the thought of doing so disgusted her now. Even if she needed to extend her lifespan so she could finish her encyclopedia, she could just find a way to do it someday later.

After walking around for a while, she was now in front of her hotel room. Using her keycard to open it, she found Fate soundly sleeping in the bed, which gave her a smile. She didn't wear her revealing clothing now - wearing the clothes Arisu bought for her instead. Did the girl watch s Arisu ashamed herself in public television? That would be awkward, and there's way too many questions that she would answer if Fate watched that fight. Though, it's perhaps somewhat inevitable. Had Alice didn't just so keen on pushing her towards Elspire and made the situation as cheesy as it...

"Nah, that wouldn't be half as fun."

Yeah. Despite of everything else, it's still one of the best moments in her life, and as cheesy as it was, with it both Alice and Elspire had convinced her to get her second chance on this world. This time she's not walking alone too. Alice's still with her, and...she now also had people that she could fight for, people she cared enough. Now, as hasty as it is for her to declare...she has her own family. Fate, herself, Elspire.

Arisu petted the forehead of the still sleeping Fate, before going back outside of her room. Elspire would probably like it if she watched him as he recovered.

Hälō · January 19, 2016

Dirk had gotten faster, but Tyson could already feel his own body starting to slow down. "Com'on, I'll mess up more than your 'do'..." Tyson met Dirk's scissor strike head on by blocking it with his right arm wrapped in Mephisto's chain just before the two blades would have beheaded him. Sparks began fly as the pair became locked in power struggle under the moonlight of the ruined battlefield, and Tyson couldn't help but note that whatever trick Dirk was using had put the two one even footing.

If this had been a regular fight Tyson would have gone as far as to say that he was enjoying himself, but with the knowledge thrusted upon him by Howler, the man was put on mission and had to select every word and action very carefully "Let's turn up the heat!" Flicking his free hand upwards, Tyson called forth a circle of hellfire around the pair, only to have shoot upward and expand to a scorching hot dome of fire atop the storm drain. Still locked in a clash, but now free from the eyes and ears of the outside world, Tyson attempted to push forward and overpower Dirk before speaking of the roaring flames.

"Look, the Old Man used his dying breath to tell me not kill you, Rider..." With a grunt he broke away the clash and leaped a short distance backwards so that his back was nearly touching the dome of flame. "He told me theres some bad mojo going with this tournament; the kind of s*** that makes guys like him and me break into a cold sweat. I'm talking Gods, devils, and all the bullshit in-between!" As he spoke, Tyson grabbed his pistol and fired off three shots towards the far wall of the dome of flame to make it seem like him and Dirk were still doing battle inside. "Like I said, I'm not gonna ask you to stand down," Suddenly Tyson became cloaked in a vail of flames that mirrored Dirk's aura. "But just know that I can't let myself lose here. And when this fights over I'm going to need your help putting an end to this s*** show..." Without warning, Tyson swung Mephisto's chain forward with inhuman strength, dispelling the dome of flame before rocketing towards Dirk to deliver a flaming punch.

Astolfo · January 21, 2016

Lotte

As Lotte slashed at Nero, the other man flash-stepped forward, dodging the blade scything towards his back. Within moments, Nero launched several chains of what appeared to be flower petals at his limbs, instantly throwing chakrams without pause. Slamming the ground, Lotte shouted out. ”Jail!” While this was normally intended to capture others, given the time it takes to fully form around, Lotte could also use it as a plain flat shield much faster. The petals and chakrams collided into the projected wall, creating spidery cracks along the surface.

”You don’t even feel human, gramps! For all I know, you made a contract with the goddarned Devil himself or something! And it seems like I guessed right, ‘true age’, huh?”

With a solid palm strike, Lotte sent the shield flying back at Nero, before turning his massive gauntlet back into Mash. Lunging forward without stopping for a moment, Lotte swung with explosive force towards Nero, hoping to catch him in between the wall and the shield. ”The only oldie here seems to be you, so you better do some bloomin’ mister, before I do it first and beat you!”

Maeriberii Haan · January 24, 2016

"A contract? That bastard actually owe me something, but that's not for here nor there.

Right now I need to school a little kid on how not to die on the freaking battlefield!"

Lotte summoned shields to protect himself from Nero's projectiles, but Nero had expected something similar to happen. He covered himself and nearby areas with his blooms as the shield pieces and what's left of his projectiles was thrown back at him. The kid, however, was fast enough to go near him in what was like an instant, and tried to pin him between the walls and projectiles so he could mash him with the oversized gauntlet of his. Did he really thought that it's actually a wise move? In a battlefield, one must be ready for anything to happen, especially ones that had been seen. Without wasting a beat, Nero covered himself fully in oversized lily petals just moments before the gauntlet hits. It smashed through the petals like wet paper, and continues on to break anything on its path - yet the white haired man was not there.

"Think two steps ahead. You can't win a battle with only impulsive movements.

Expect the unexpected."

Atop one of the nearby craters, a bud flowered, and Nero materialized in the center of it. Blood was on his mouth, indicating that he hadn't fully recovered from the previous battle, and that he exerted a lot of effort to flash step to this range. Nevertheless, simple facts couldn't deter someone as determined as him from backing down, and he stepped down from the crater using his petals as a stairway.

A certain feeling crept in on his mind...just right now, Nero felt that perhaps the young lad could actually prove his point. While he had been disappointed with him earlier, once the boy actually made his move, he saw something in his eyes.

A spark.

"Ah...ahahah...this boy...you really think you, feeble as you are, will win?

That's what I'm waiting for. Spread your wings and fly, kid. Or you'll be eaten by this old lion!"

Nero still didn't bother to actually summon his sword. After all, it's not clear that this one had the spark he once thought Camille had. He liked the boy...but he couldn't afford to be disappointed again. With a flick of his hand, more and more copies of his sword materialized and started to rain down to the boy's location.

"The next lesson on how to survive in a battlefield. Fight with determination...

...and have fun!" Nero continued to laugh loudly as he coupled his phantom swords with his petal chakrams and flower chains. He didn't mind firing his arsenal from as early as possible if there's a chance the thing he seek would be there before him. If he's right, then after this, there wouldn't be a need for projectiles anyway.

"Because...if you can't even have fun while your life is at stake...then it wouldn't be a live worth living!

If you want to live, break through this binding, and burn with a spirit hotter than the hellfire around you!
Prove it to death itself that you want to be alive!"

And then, just as he said that, an explosion happened between him and the kid.

VCR_CAT · January 25, 2016

Dirk: Razerhill City

Tyson's chains met with Dirk's blade, making for a bright light show of sparks and flashes as the blades were eaten away by the impact. Of course, while the two of them were evenly matched, the situation began to change as Tyson summoned what seemed to be a dome of fire around them; pressing on Dirk and forcing him back.

"Look, the Old Man used his dying breath to tell me not kill you, Rider..." Tyson leaped backward; breaking off the power struggle. Dirk took advantage of the moment to let his power-up ability off a bit; feeling a wave of light-headedness, despite how little time he spent with that ability. Of course, he figured this break would be short lived.

"He told me theres some bad mojo going with this tournament; the kind of s*** that makes guys like him and me break into a cold sweat. I'm talking Gods, devils, and all the bullshit in-between!" Tyson grabbed his pistol and let off three shots around the edge. "Like I said, I'm not gonna ask you to stand down," Suddenly Tyson became cloaked in a vail of flames that mirrored Dirk's aura. "But just know that I can't let myself lose here. And when this fights over I'm going to need your help putting an end to this s*** show..."

"Okay, so you want my help to get the dirt on the old man. I think I got the skills you'll need for that. But first, I don't plan on losin' either," Dirk replied with a smile; bringing his Neon Burst back to life, his aura glowing with full force. "So gimme all you go-- sheet" Tyson gave Dirk everything he had got. Mid-sentence, Tyson's flaming fist found its way into Dirk's stomach, sending him out of the flaming dome and skidding across the storm drain's floor at a hault. Getting up, Dirk wiped some blood that had leaked from his mouth. "So that's the way you wanna play, huh," Dirk muttered to himself.

Forming what looked like two large power gloves made of light around his fists, Dirk tensed his body for a moment. "Then that's the way we're gonna play!"

Exploding off into a sprint, Dirk headed straight for Tyson, ready to give him a good beating with his fists.

Saul: Observation Tower

"And you are doing a fantastic job, commentating. Frankly, your co-host has been silent, and I'd love to hear his thoughts about seeing an angel and a demon fight. Isn't that interesting, Saul?"

Saul glanced up. He had been sitting, watching the feed with his head resting on one hand with a rather bored expression.

"Frankly no," Saul spoke up finally. "Dirk lacks strategy; he's throwing his body at the enemy and hoping they're defeated from it. Meanwhile, if that isn't working, he's clearly making it up as he goes. All that Tyson can really do is react to Dirk's actions and counter them as best as they can." Saul looked over at Gerald as he spoke his next line. "This fight would be far more interesting if the either of the combatants knew what to do beyond bashing their skulls together."

Hälō · January 26, 2016

Chokkaku

"Then that's the way we're gonna play!" Dirk roared before bursting forward towards Tyson brandishing a pair gauntlets formed from the same energy he had been using earlier.

"That's the spirit!" Tyson was ready, and as the two met atop the ruined storm drain, they both erupted into a flurry of motion. Thrown onto the defensive, Tyson was forced to desperately pivot and duck to avoid Dirk's massive punches as the two made their way across the roof of the storm drain in their deadly dance.

Finally finding an opening within Dirk's assault, Tyson lifted his elbow up over one of Dirk's jabs and caught the other man's glowing arm in armlock before pulling him in that the two were face to face. "Gotcha..." Tyson smirked only to have it melt off his face as he watched Dirk cock his free hand backwards to continue his barrage despite the range. With only moments to react Tyson did the same, wrapping Mephisto's chain around his arm and cloaking it in hellfire before swinging his fist forward to meet Dirk's only inches from both their faces. Forced backwards by the clash, Tyson found himself unable to react in time to avoid a follow up punch by Dirk, and could only grit his teeth to brace himself as the other's man's glowing gauntlet slammed into his face full force.

Tyson's world became a blur as he felt his body forcibly being cast into highspeed movement, only to be brought to a painful halt by the tough Razorhill soil. Now laying on his back in large crater, Tyson found himself gazing up at the full moon. From what he could tell, he had somehow managed not to have his entire skull smashed in by Dirk's punch, though he was fairly sure that he had cracked quite a few ribs with his landing...

Oddly enough, despite his injuries, the man let lose a painful laugh before forcing himself up. "Am I missing something?" Mephisto's voice chimed in, obviously not amused. "The Necroplasm making up our body is far more durable then mortal flesh, Ripper..." The demon continued as Tyson got to his knees and spat out tooth drenched in a black substance. "But if you continue at this rate..." This caused Tyson brake out into a fit of laughter that ran across the battlefield.

"You don't get it, huh???"

"Clearly..."

"He said, he'd help."

"... Elaborate."

"Rider said, he'd help. Ya know what that means?" Still laughing, Tyson brought himself shakily to his feet before shifting his gaze towards Dirk on the storm drain's roof. In the moonlight one could clearly see the cracks that had begun taking shape across Tyson's right cheek from the point where Dirk had landed his hit. "The hard part is over." A grin creeped across Tyson's face as he arched his body forward and clenched both fists. How long had it been since another man had pushed him this far? "Now... All I have to do..." As he spoke, flames began to dance around the man's battered figure, creating a light that could be seen all throughout the town. "IS FOCUS ON ENJOYING THIS FIGHT!" Tyson's roar was heralded by an eruption of hellfire that completely disintegrate his trench coat.

"..."

"This'll make you dance, Rider!" Tyson called out to his rival before inhaling deeply and releasing jet of condensed hellfire towards the edge of the storm drain causing the building to melt under the intense heat. Pivoting his head to the left, the Ripper ran the unearthly flame across the structure towards Dirk, intent on turning the ruined drain into a smoldering monument of their battle.

VCR_CAT · February 3, 2016

Dirk: Razerhill City

Dirk's punch connected solidly with Tyson's head; forcing his opponent far back into the storm drain with a loud smack. Dirk smiled as he watched his opponent go skidding off, much like he had made Dirk fly off in the opposite direction. This was all he wanted; a chance to straight butt heads against a strong opponent, and come out on top!

As Tyson was getting up, the storm drain began to fill with the same hot flames as before.

"Too bad; it takes two to tango, Tyson!" Dirk shouted back with a wide smirk, leaping off a nearby large rock in an attempt to get above the flames. Letting the large gloves vanish, Dirk opted to form a large, two-handed sword; not at all unlike those used in the crusades. Dirk thought this was a good touch. On the way down, Dirk's overclock abiltiy left a bright, colourful trail behind him. He could feel the ability's side effects wearing down on his body; every muscle aching and everything starting to go out of focus; but at this point, what mattered was winning.

Dirk brought his bright, white sword down towards Tyson as his body fell; preparing to bring the blade into the demon's body.

Hälō · February 5, 2016

BMG

Tyson's vision began to blur as he watched Dirk rise above the flames. Mephisto was right, he really was reaching the limit of his undead body, huh? Fighting to refocus his sights on his opponent, The Ripper had mere seconds to react before Dirk came down upon him with a glowing two handed blade. "S-s***!" Tyson roared in agony as his attempt at a hasty side step failed, and Dirk's sword tore clean through his raised left forearm; severing the lim as the hard light cut a deep wound into his chest.

"Ripper..." Mephisto's voice sounded, but it seemed somewhat more distant now.

"You're pretty good..." Tyson cooed with a hint of deliriousness, as he watched Dirk's follow through in what felt like slow motion. "But..." Gritting his teeth, Tyson manifested a condensed sphere of swirling hellfire in his right palm. "Like I said," Forcing his body to arch forward, Tyson swung the sphere unearthly flame upwards towards Dirk's stomach with as much force as he could muster. "I DONT PLAN ON LOSING HERE, RIDER!"

Astolfo · February 6, 2016

Lotte

As Lotte’s massive gauntlet flew towards Nero, the other man chose to create a flurry of petals. His fist tore through the flowers without the slightest resistance. At all. The man had disappeared. Hearing the man’s voice from a distant location, Lotte whirled around to face him. Nero had sprouted out of some giant flower bud. Lotte could see blood over the devil-man’s mouth though. With a grandiose stairway of petals to walk down, Nero shot a jab towards his way before raining down a giant storm of swords, petals, and the flowery binds he had seen before. Unwilling to let go of the last word, Lotte replied in kind.

”You still dronin’ on about how feeble I am after I made ya bleed? You better not keel over either, geezer!”

Lotte called upon his shield once more, but having been used so quickly after the last, it failed to form fully. As the raw force behind the projectiles slammed into the wall, it sent Lotte skidding back with it, before colliding with the wall behind him. It had managed to stay in one piece, but it wouldn’t take another blow. Lotte himself had taken a hit as well. Getting thrown into a literally rock-hard wall had knocked the wind out of him, and he coughed painfully several times. This wasn’t enough to put him down yet though.

”And I’m havin’ the best time of my life right now, ole’ man!”

Lotte began to feel something arise in him. He was truly having fun, and despite this man being his enemy that he needed to defeat to continue on, Lotte could feel a bond of sorts to him. He wondered if Nero felt the same. Not a moment later, one of the volcanic eruptions that frequented this arena went off, sending out a blastwave of sweltering heat and wind. It wasn’t enough to shake Lotte though. Staring down the man across from him, Lotte’s eyes burned with his indomitable will.

”I’ll be damned if I’m gonna go down from some flying toothpicks and petals! And if you’re only gonna keep resorting to those party tricks, I’m gonna get bored real soon. So you better show me what you got, gramps!”

The gauntlet around Lotte’s arm disappeared instantly. ”Mash!” Without a pause, Lotte invoked the name of his second ability, which he hadn’t ever felt like it was worth using - till now. Nero was a worthy opponent, and might as well give him due respect. ”Dodge this, you fossil! Déjà Vu, first, second, third!” His head began to spin instantly from the toll, and Lotte coughed out blood. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Lotte leapt at Nero straight on. The other man had never seen his second ability before, and without knowing what to expect, Lotte figured he’d react on the fly. But if it didn’t immediately take his attention, Nero would react to what’s at-hand first. Here, Lotte leaping at him. Given Lotte’s habit of conjuring weapons and whatnot at the last second, Nero might attempt to leap out of the way - into the ability. Déjà Vu, his ability, let him essentially duplicate the results of an ability he had used. In combination with Mash, as the gauntlet was originally meant to be used, instead of just one fist coming out from a portal, it would create it as many times as it was looped - three more times.

As Lotte drew closer, the portals formed on either side of the man, above him, and from behind, about eight feet away from his body each. The only way out would be forward - into Lotte. ”I want a fight without any of your cheap tricks! Let us fight one to one, like a man would! I can tell you’re stronger than I am, and I betcha had a whole lotta more experience than I did, but I’m still not going to give up! So you telling me to give up is pointless!” It was unlikely that Nero would ever resort to unarmed fighting, and on the small chance Nero would stop using his flying weapons, he would probably use his sword instead. The battle was taking its toll on Lotte’s body and stamina, and he was going all-out now. Life or death meant naught in the face of this supreme clash. Conjuring his blade on his right hand, Lotte swung at Nero as the fists closed in.

VCR_CAT · February 6, 2016

Dirk: Razerhill City

Even though Dirk's blade cut into Tyson deep, it wasn't quite enough. For a brief moment, as Dirk's guard was down, Tyson managed to get in another punch; one that was as strong as he could muster. As the punch impacted, it was enough to knock Dirk out of his overcharge ability; throwing him backwards into a pile of rocks nearby. By now the world was spinning, and try as he might Dirk could not push himself from the ground. Everything burned, and not because of the fire. Every muscle was screaming; being pushed beyond their limits for way too long.

"Well... I think that's it..." Dirk gasped out between ragged breaths.

Dad · February 6, 2016

Skybox

As Dirk was planted against the rocks behind him, Twitlive exploded with Twits, from all over the globe. There were boos and cheers, hisses and screams, howls and laughter, but above all, the match had come to a close. After a grueling five hour bout, Dirk and Tyson had finally managed to bring their battle to an end. A narrow victory for the hotshot Tyson, barely scraping by after landing a cheeky blow against Dirk, taking the wind out of his sails. Fortunately for the both of them, the timing of the end of the match was right, as both of their levels of popularity soared. And in the background of all the hype, one overly excited Steph jumped up from her seat, barely gripping her desk as she commentated on the last of the fight.

"And that is it!!" she said screaming. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is all over for the Lightslinger!! A swift, sneaky blow from the Hotshot Tyson, has landed him a secure position in round three! But it wasn't an easy victory. Dirk punished Tyson for his mistakes, forcing him to pull out all of the stops. A battle of light and dark forces between a young rambler and an experienced veteran, and the young blood has come out with a win. Let's take a quick moment to recap this fight, as our contestants are picked up and brought back to the hotel."

Gerald was visibly uninterested, as he stretched back in his chair, folding his arms and kicking up his feet. Meanwhile, Twitlive was still exploiting all of the hype.

'Guess those trigger fingers turned into crispy fingers. Tyson BODIED the old man.'

'Cheep win! Ny1 can land a blind punch. Bet tha cheet tyson wont fite ME! Luv U Dirk! <333'

'Ugh, that had me on edgeeeeeee. Still proud of the Lightslinger. #TeamDirk.'

'That match was hot! But Tyson's burning passion for victory kept Dirk in the hotseat. That's what happens when you play with fire!'

He nodded to himself, as viewer numbers continued to climb. But Gerald had lost interest in this fight the moment Howler had died. "He wasn't supposed to die," he thought to himself. "No matter. This will end the same way. It always does," he said turning his attention to the remaining matches.

"And on the other side of the spectrum, a quick, painless victory for Nori! She swooped down in total silence, devastating her unsuspecting opponent with powerful psychic attacks and ending this match in a matter of minutes! Never has there been such a flawless, unmatched victory! Just how powerful is Nori!?"

'Holy shi-et! Nori needs to search the Arctic for some chill.'

'Dam son! Hit em wit da one two ko!'

'Eek! That was brutal! But it was so kind of Nori to bury Odette. It's quite a shame. Odette was one of my favorites. :c'

'When was the last time you saw a catfight evolve into premeditated murder in under five minutes? Jesus man. Nori's cute, but she funking scares me.'

This match brought a smile to Gerald's face. He loved the more brutal kills. It was quick, and usually resulted in the victim feeling very little, if no pain at all. It was a great way to make a point, and prove just how much of a problem you could be. But once more, something was out of place. Gerald held onto his smile, as he recalled Nori's win. And as Nori boarded the submarine to return to the surface of the ocean, beneath her burial site for Odette, the girl's body was engulfed in shadow behind Nori's back.

Only one other match remained. Nero and Robert. Or Lotte, as he preferred. But this match had taken the longest by far. For whatever the reason was, Lotte had only decided to get things underway now. But it was too little too late. For the both of them. Gerald's eyes wandered, before he sneakily reached beneath his desk, and flipped three tiny switches. What happened next would hopefully get the message across to both Nero and Lotte. A few casualties would be inevitable of course. But by the time this entire event was over, the losses of a few civilians would mean nothing. Not that they meant anything to Gerald in the first place.

The Boiling Depths

As the battle raged on between Lotte and Nero, it seemed as though festivities were taking place in the small, obscene town below them. What sounded like a series of fireworks exploded behind them, rocking the caverns, and destabilizing what was a once a dormant volcano below their feet. Suddenly, the pleas and horrified screams of dozens could be heard piercing the air, as the entire structure of tunnel working rumbled and quaked fiercely. A powerful groaning sound, accompanied with bubbling and boiling caught the contestant's attention, as the already sweltering heat levels began to increase. And before they knew it, a mechanical whirring sound was in their ears.

A blaring alarm came down around them, as a pale orange light began circling the immediate area. Several other alarms came down throughout the Boiling Depths, bathing the already bright caverns in an orange light. Then, the sound of falling rocks splashing into hot molten magma was strangely offset by the rapid ticking of a clock. An electronic clock, covered in heavy steel plating emerged beneath the rubble, as it rapidly dropped from a starting point of five minutes. There was no where to go for the citizens of the city below. And in five minutes, there would be nothing left of them, or the contestants.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 7, 2016

The sizzling remnants of the monitor directly in front of Morgan sparked fiercely, having just took a flaming skull. Morgan huffed and puffed, gritting her teeth while her sister clung to her arm, looking up at Morgan in concern.

"Are you kidding me? He lost!? He's not supposed to lose!" Uuuugh! She flopped back onto the chair, and began making up a new poll.

"How BS was that win"

-Really BS

-Majorly BS

-Supremely BS

She leaned back into her seat with a groan. This changed everything. Dirk was supposed to win and keep winning and then let her take the prize. Instead, this? And to make it even worse, Tyson hadn't even killed him. She couldn't use the sympathy card to get Tyson on her side now. Things weren't going her way at all, and now she was stuck with everyone thinking she was dating a loser. "At least he'd be a decent lackey...Dammit."

She didn't really feel like watching the other match, but she had to. Maybe one of them could be her ticket instead. The sword girl seemed strong but also too stuck up to manipulate. But those two, perhaps she had a chance. "Sorry about that folks, I had a, uh, temporary lapse. But I'm back now! Dirk tried super hard didn't he? Well let's see how the others are..." She checked the match and realized what was going on. That would...that would wipe out an entire city. Why? There was nothing to gain from that, why would that be allowed? Mindless destruction, without gain, is stupid! A waste of life and potential! She glanced at Gerald. She muted her mic again. "You're not gonna let that happen right? It's just for show yeah?"

Maeriberii Haan · February 7, 2016

”You still dronin’ on about how feeble I am after I made ya bleed? You better not keel over either, geezer!”

"Still want to bark much like that? Let's see your bite then!"

This kid, for Nero, was quite funny. If looking strictly at his appearance, Nero wouldn't have figured that he had this kind of demeanor inside of him. He's not sure yet whether this kid was amusing or annoying just yet for now, but he's sure he'd find out soon. The kid got smashed into the wall due to the ex-demon's projectiles, but his shield was still up, even if only standing barely. The ex-demon sighed, wondering whether he should finish the kid off immediately by using his speed to reach him for a finishing blow, but-

”And I’m havin’ the best time of my life right now, ole’ man!

I’ll be damned if I’m gonna go down from some flying toothpicks and petals! And if you’re only gonna keep resorting to those party tricks, I’m gonna get bored real soon. So you better show me what you got, gramps!”

"Why would I do it if you don't get your delinquent buttock here and face me instead of getting cornered like that?"

Yeah, let's go finish up this kid. Nero was going to blink towards Lotte and finish him off, but the kid decided that the exact moment Nero ceased his assault, it would be his time to go on the offensive. He broke his barrier and rushed forward towards the demon for an assault, but no weapons so far in sight. A daring move, however by doing so the kid let his guard wide open. Nero didn't waste a single breath to lunge forward with a joust at the kid's unprotected body. He had seen the kid's range of attack so far, and he knew his sword would hit him before most thing the kid would conjure, giving him ample time to dodge the attack. One hit, and it would be-

"What is this...?"

Nero could feel disturbances in the air. A rift in space? He looked at his side, and noticed a portal of sort. The disturbance was also on other points around him. It seemed that the kid was using the moment where Nero underestimated him to lock him of sort with the kid's own tricks. It really seemed like he's wanting for him to go forward, going in close combat - a direction Nero's going to go to anyway.

”I want a fight without any of your cheap tricks! Let us fight one to one, like a man would! I can tell you’re stronger than I am, and I betcha had a whole lotta more experience than I did, but I’m still not going to give up! So you telling me to give up is pointless!”

"You...

...talks way too damn much for a brat!"

A sound of laughter rang through the air. Those words were not said with malice, nor with spite or annoyance. This kid was something different. Even while cornered, he didn't break his confidence or composure instead of fighting like an animal. The kid hadn't shown him that much yet, but his foolish insistence and determination was admirable, in a way. The brave charge, as clever as his way to force the demon to move, was still suicidal, yet the kid's still doing it. However, it's not over yet. Nero hadn't seen enough.

The fun had only just begun for both of them.

The distance between him and the kid was close. He could use his flash step to appear behind him and finish him off, but Nero felt like giving the kid more chance. Ignoring what would be a surefire way to win, Nero charged forward too with his longsword in tow. The kid then conjured his weapon - his sword - and swung at him. The fists now also emerged from the portal too. Had he not moved forward, he would have been hit and smashed for sure. But one of them kept on going at his direction.

Nero blocked the swing using his own sword, and pushed the two of them aside using his big sword as a leverage to narrowly avoid the fist coming from behind. Despite his build, the kid's power behind the swing was real. nero stood his ground and kept his sword parrying the kid's attack, but he knew that at a range this close, the kid would have an advantage with his smaller weapon. Left without many choices, Nero decided to keep withstanding and parrying the kid's attacks anyway, and as he saw an opening, he conjured two copies of his swords on the kid's side so he would-

A disturbance in the air. The sound of rumbling, and the momentary screaming voices that was silenced in almost an instant. Lotte managed to strike him with a blow in that moment, but Nero was not concerned about it much, but with what was going to happen on the place. An alarm clock ticking. Orange lights. A clock, counting down. Boulders falling to molten rocks. A volcano was going to erupt.

"Well...this is going to be quite inconvenient." Nero said, unamused. The momentary time to breath between the assault was used by him to conjure a flower shield before him, and removing his big sword with a petal of his fire lilies, sharpened enough to serve as a sword. The two of them had not much time left. That bastard Gerald would not like it anyway if the match was interrupted and left inconclusive by the upcoming explosion.

"You're right. I could've killed you right here and earlier with how much you focused on me, thanks to my trick, but I decided against it. While a demon could be as unfair as they could, I suppose this time, I'll be fair for once. The clock is ticking.

If you can defeat me, I promise that you can survive the upcoming explosion."

With that being said, Nero charged, this time with a beast-like ferocity unseen before. He decided that if he's going fairly, then no need to hold back anymore. He charged wildly using his petal blade towards Lotte with a surge of agility, and proceeded by throwing it away and plucking two of the petals from his hovering shield, continuing his assault with both of the blades. He would throw the blades he held as projectiles once he felt them deteriorating, and continued his relentless assault by plucking the flower nearby. Nero stopped bothering with defense at this point.

He would just not let Lotte get any moment to retaliate.

Astolfo · February 20, 2016

Lotte

As they traded blows, the scenery itself interrupted as the nearby volcanoes roared loudly, the ground shaking powerfully. Screams could be heard in the background, drowned out by the sound of burning rock and debris smashing into the terrain, and on top of it all, a loud, digital alarm. It didn’t take rocket science to figure out what this was about. Lotte growled in frustration. One way or the other, this fight was going to end within the next few minutes.

Nero successfully blocked his attacks with a shield made from petals of flame, before drawing out an over-sized petal which apparently was sharp enough to function as a sword. At Nero’s words, Lotte replied in kind.

“A demon’s talkin’ about being honorable? What a surprise. Although, at this point, I think nothing would surprise me anymore. I’d love to talk more, but as ya can see, we ain’t gotta lot of time left. How about ya say we put on a good final show for the old geezer watching all of us?” Lotte gestured towards the skies, or rather, the top of the arena’s caverns. “Life, death, that doesn’t matter anymore, because I’ve given it my all, and I’ll take whatever I get. But I’ll be damned if I’ll just sit down and admit!”

“What’s left to admit? You’ve shown everything. Quite a good one, your effort is. But as good as you are, it’s far from enough!” Nero leapt towards Lotte with a sudden new ferocity, slashing at him with incredible force. Plucking petals off the floating flower-shield, Nero used them as swords until they seemed as if they were about to break, before throwing them instead. Under the relentless assault, Lotte took multiple cuts, but managed to shield his eyes and vitals. Forced backwards, Lotte couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “So you’ve been holdin’ back the whole time, weren’t-cha? Not that I blame ya, if you’re that strong, you wouldn’t need to. Feels almos’ like an honor to see you in your full glory.” Dodging and parrying what blows he could, every second seemed like an eternity, but even so, Nero’s assault barrage continued to rain down endlessly, slashing and stabbing. Lotte began to feel despair, but pushed away the thought. There was no point moaning over that now. He knew what he was in for when he signed up for this contest in the first place.

Of course, even now Nero was still holding back, despite him not saying a single word as he continued his assault. He just didn’t have the heart to tell the boy just yet. The kid obviously knew he was going on a battle he wouldn’t be able to win from a while ago. It would be a shame if Nero would just smear and break his spirit by telling him the truth.

“You’re not half bad. Perhaps this time you’re just slightly unlucky.”

As the attacks continued on, Lotte’s defenses began to crumble. It was becoming obvious by this point that Nero wasn’t even tired yet. Meanwhile, Lotte, who had spent a lot of his stamina to handle the onslaught of Nero’s projectiles earlier, started to lose more and more of his ground. Nero’s assault was rather predictable and not especially tricky despite the changing angles, but he kept on repeating the same flow of attacks over and over again. None were stronger than his previous swings, but none were weaker. A pattern of steady attack with little to no holes to exploit, meant to outlast the opponent.

“Ah, damn it all.” Lotte thought about the battles he had till now. Even in this completely one-sided fight, he still didn’t want to give up. He wasn’t a weakling, and damn it all if people would see him that way. Struggling to keep himself upright, he slowly walked towards Nero, batting away what few blows he could. One of the swords pierced his leg, and he crumpled, slowing down almost to a crawl. Nero was only several feet away, but it seemed like miles from the ground. Half walking and half dragging his body along, Lotte reached Nero after what felt like hours. He was in a terrible condition, with cuts and sores and gashes all over his body, blood smeared and mixed with dirt. He was covered in grime, but his eyes still shone with the same fire that they had when the battle first started. Stopped caring about what would the demon before him do, Lotte looked directly into Nero’s eyes, raising an unsteady fist, before punching Nero in the chest weakly..

“(something tbd)”

With that, Lotte crumpled to the ground, face-down. The battle was over.

Dad · February 22, 2016

Tke Skybox

As he watched Lotte collapse, Gerald sighed. "What a sad display," he thought to himself, as in the foreground, a helicopter crashed and exploded in the distance. But without hesitation, he leaped to his feet, and slapped his hands on his desk and yelled into the broadcasting microphone. "And it's alllllllll over! Robert Lotte is down! I repeat! Lotte is down! An endless onslaught from Nero gave him a great lead, and he has secured victory!" he said over the mic.

"Finally. Things are back in order."

"What a quick battle, Gerald. It appears that the arena began to erupt, and this threw Nero and Lotte into a desperate space. They had to end their battle quickly or they would both be killed. This led to Lotte getting reckless, and underestimating Nero's damage capabilities. The result is. . .Lotte has lost!

Ladies and gentleman, your victor is Nero!"

And as Steph announced the winner of the final bout, upon raising her head from her desk, Gerald had vanished from the Skybox. Muting her microphone, she looked around, before addressing Morgan and Saul. "Did either of you see which way Mr. Dillinger went?" she whispered a bit loudly. She immediately dismissed her question, waving her hand. "Disregard that. Let's close out the matches for the day, and I'll search for Gerald. I'll have a car come around to escort you both when you're ready."

Steph turned back to her microphone, and flipped it on again. "After a grueling hour, Nero and Lotte have had their battle drawn to a close. Nero's helicopter escort is closing in, and this will be the last we see of Robert Lotte."

"Or so you believe," he thought to himself now safely watching the Skybox from his personal vehicle. In the uproar, Gerald slipped out and slithered downstairs in seconds. "Now for the fun part. Take us back to the hotel. I have a few announcements to make."

The Boiling Depths

As Lotte collapsed, Nero could feel the cavern around him quake with power. The incessant rumbling grew violent, as the ground beneath him began to quake. He was about to witness another body be consumed by fire.

"Not again," Nero thought as Lotte collapsed, nearly panicking. He looked around, but Nero had no idea what else to do. He took the chance to dive at Lotte, and try to carry him aboard to the helicopter. But as Nero dove, a hideous wall of flames burst from the rubble around him, cutting off his path to Robert. He began calling out to the boy, begging for him to wake up.

"Lotte! Lotte, you have to get up! You showed me your resolve! You still have it in you! Get up, Lotte!" Nero pleaded through the fire. But there was no reply. The wall of flames merely grew brighter, until Nero's vision was completely obstructed by the fire. "Damn it. Damn it!" he said turning his back to Robert. He sprinted towards his helicopter, which was just touching down. Leaping over the rubble, diving around corners, and climbing through the depths, Nero used his magic to speed himself ahead, as he made his way to the surface. As he finally climbed out of the sweltering depths, Nero, staggered to the helicopter, as he heard an explosion behind him.

He turned around slowly, giving a second glance to where Robert should have been. Another explosion caused Nero to wince, shutting his eyes in anger. "Sir!" his helicopter co-pilot called to him. Nero turned around, a sharp look in his eyes. Regrettably, he boarded the chopper, as the volcano they had been dueling inside had become active again. It rumbled anxiously, shaking the helicopter violently, even as it took off from the surface. And deep in the caverns, beneath the surface and inches from the boiling magma, Lotte's body was covered in a black shadow, and carried away into the darkness.

Somewhere beneath the Golden Gate Hotel . . .

"This is Robert Lotte?" he asked them, snapping his fingers. "Look at me! Is this Robert Lotte!?" he demanded. They nodded in compliance. His soot covered body suggested that they barely reached him in time. "So what do we have in total?" he wondered aloud.

"Basil. The Blind prodigy. Odette, the Ribbon Sorceress. Kokoro, the Vampire. Camille, the Robotic Assassin. And of course I still have to deal with the dragon," he said sarcastically. "I always do. And if I remember correctly, at this exact time last year, I had five bodies. Not four. Someone lived that wasn't supposed to," Gerald said turning around to the Black Guard. Ten of them stood at the ready awaiting their next orders from Gerald, their expressionless, soul sucking eyes looking into the soul of their master.

"The temporal line is skewed. The memories have not fallen into place. Basil and Odette should not be here. Why did Morgan live? How did Elspire survive? And why is Nero not in line with the others?" he questioned them. Gerald's eyes grew narrow. Something was off, as he predicted. But it was a lot more extensive than what he had believed. "Tap their minds. I'm done waiting. I want to know what went askew. Find out who the perpetrator is, and fix my memories. Bring them all here. I'll wake these ones up," Gerald said, dismissing the Guard with a wave of his hand.

As the Black Guard vanished, Gerald slowly walked over to the remains of Basil. The first victim. "Now, Basil," he said to himself. "What do I remember about you?" Gerald hovered his hand gently above Basil's splattered guts, as a dark blue light emanated from his palm. And as he slowly lowered his hand over Basil's remants, the boy's existence began to fluctuate. His physical body reformed, and began to wave like a bad antenna television channel, warbling and distorting as Gerald moved his hand over Basil. But slowly, from Basil's temple until the edge of Gerald's hand, Basil became stable. As Gerald's hand reached Basil's waist line, everything above Gerald's hand had been healed. Basil's face was whole again, and his chest and arms were reattached as if nothing had happened to him. Sure enough, Basil's lower half followed, until his body was completely made anew.

"I think that's everything I can recall," Gerald said examining the boy. "Oh. Almost forgot. You're blind, aren't you?" Hovering his hand over Basil's closed eyes, he could feel the boy's sockets trembling as he lost his sight once more. "Now then. Who's next?"

BGM: The Warrior

In the midst of their celebration, their personal thoughts and feelings about the tournament, and their secrets, the Black Guard appeared behind the remaining contestants of the Secret Cup Tournament, no matter where they were or what plane of existence they walked. Saul, Morgan, Dirk, Tyson, Elspire, Nero, Zyg, Arisu, Fate, and Noya were now being unwillingly assaulted by the power of the Black Guard. Their mental prowess put the contestants into a sleep so powerful, that they couldn't even dream. An unnatural sleep, almost like death.

Their breathing grew shallow, their bodies cold, and their powers temporarily dormant until they wake again. But the contestants would all end up back at the Golden Gate Hotel. This time, however, they would find themselves waking confused, lost, and shocked, as they had been transported to the lowest floors of the Golden Gate Hotel, where no other guest had access. Their minds would feel blank for some time. After being under the spell from which they had just awakened, their mouths would be dry, they would have splitting headaches, and they would feel drained of energy.

But the feeling wouldn't last long. The contestants would be in for a shock and surge of adrenaline as they witnessed the impossible. The contestants would awake in Gerald's private quarters, some forty or more stories underground. The normally dark, cold room would be dimly lit, just enough for them to witness what it held inside. And Gerald, betwixt the shadows of four others, would greet them as they awoke from their groggy state.

While their vision cleared and they were still figuring things out, Gerald stepped forwards. "Good evening contestants," he said as cheery as ever. "Normally, we would have progressed much further. Last year about this time, Tyson and Elspire were already in the semi-finals, and I would congratulate the winner with a large trophy. Sixty percent of the time, Tyson won!" he said chuckling and nodding at the Fire Starter. "You would look to me and say, 'why are you giving me a trophy'? And I'd reply, 'for second place of course'! And the look on your face Tyson! Marvelous!" Gerald said laughing.

"You would grow angry, shove me aside, and melt the trophy into nothing. Then you would question me about the finals and I'd cause your mouth to go agape. As you suddenly realize that the final match is against me. Little old Gerald!" he said with a cautious smile. "And then," Gerald said as his voice suddenly turned from gleeful to deadly serious. "As your friends watched on in horror, I would dismantle you. Split you in two in a matter of seconds as you grow reckless and over confident. The audience gasps, as the Hotel is locked down. And I proceed to put you and your friends in body bags," he said frowning.

Gerald began to pace, raising a single finger in the air. "But that didn't happen this year, did it?" he asked, now stopping and turning around to face the contestants again. "No. This year, one of you changed something. Whether by accident or on purpose, you interfered with my perfect tournament. You ruined the memory and now I'm trying to recall where something first changed. One of you betrayed me. And if I cannot find out who or what changed, I'll simply have to put an end to this tournament. Permanently."

Gerald nodded in satisfaction with himself. "Even the gods are out of place. They have certain lines. Certain entrances and exits. But some of them are unaligned with what I know. Funnily enough," he said stepping forwards slowly. "A lot of it revolves around you, Elspire."

Gerald opened a palm to Elspire, as if asking him to walk over. "What I don't understand is, Elspire. . . you were always the one to stick by my side. Ever since I rescued you from the mother you thought you knew, you were faithful to me. When she devoured your brothers and sisters, you were next. And I saved your life. Yet, once again, you oppose me. Elspire, will you see reason? Will you listen as I try to save you and your friends from yourselves. From your droning, terrible lives. Let me help you, Elspire. One more time."

As Gerald awaited Elspire's answer, Basil, Kokoro, Camille, and Odette stepped forward, one by one. And in unison, they recited from the shadows, "He saved us. And he can save you too."

Mr. Hyde · February 22, 2016

The last thing Zyg remembered, he was prancing the halls of the hotel as happy as a drunk cybernetic dinosaur could possibly be. He thought he had just passed out as a side effect from all the alcohol, but he surely didn't remember passing out in this place. His vision was still blurred, but his cybernetics caught traces of all the contestants as of yet were inside this one room. The lights came on, and they were blinding, disrupting his scans for a split moment.

Gerald appeared...and unleashed a terrible speech. Zyg stood there, dumbfounded by all of this. He was but a simple cyborg raptor...but this tournament had grown much larger than himself, and probably the rest of the others as well...

But a couple of contestants were under the limelight...playing a bigger role than the rest of them.

"I think I had too much swamp water last night..."

Elspire woke up, an incredible pain rattled his brain. The bandages from the medical bay were still wrapped around his waist and arms, and a couple of bruises were visible. But where he was now...it wasn't the medical bay. As a matter of fact...he couldn't tell where he was. Not even when the lights turned on, and a sheen of metal grew apparent, could he tell where he had awoken. Something else caught his attention...all these familiar scents in the room! He looked around only to see the other contestants sprawled around him. Another scent from farther away made this clear what this all was. It was none other than their game master, Gerald.

"Good evening contestants. Normally, we would have progressed much further. Last year about this time, Tyson and Elspire were already in the semi-finals, and I would congratulate the winner with a large trophy. Sixty percent of the time, Tyson won!"

What was he talking about?

"But that didn't happen this year, did it? No. This year, one of you changed something. Whether by accident or on purpose, you interfered with my perfect tournament. You ruined the memory and now I'm trying to recall where something first changed. One of you betrayed me. And if I cannot find out who or what changed, I'll simply have to put an end to this tournament. Permanently."

Was this really Gerald? Elspire's knees started to shake underneath him. There was an incredible sense of power permeating from every ounce of that little old man's every fiber. Elspire was truly terrified.

"A lot of it revolves around you, Elspire."

The phrase struck him like a lightning bolt.

"What I don't understand is, Elspire. . . you were always the one to stick by my side. Ever since I rescued you from the mother you thought you knew, you were faithful to me. When she devoured your brothers and sisters, you were next. And I saved your life. Yet, once again, you oppose me. Elspire, will you see reason? Will you listen as I try to save you and your friends from yourselves. From your droning, terrible lives. Let me help you, Elspire. One more time."

"He saved us. And he can save you too." The previous contestants, who were thought to be dead, stepped out of the shadows around Gerald.

Elspire grabbed his chest, an unspeakable sorrow washed over him. What Gerald said couldn't be true...there was no way! His mother taught him everything he knew...he loved her, and she, him. Gerald was no where in those memories...this had been his first encounter with the man. How dare he slander his mother! He flung his hand to the side, static faintly glowed around it. Had he not been so drained of energy, he would surely mount an attack against the liar.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?! LIKE HELL I WOULD!" With the static fist, he pounded his chest. "I can feel my mom's spirit surging inside me! Every instinct I have tells me that what you say is lies!" His fangs were visible, and his eyes took their dragonic form, bloodshot from rage. "Don't you ever dare speak about my mom that way...I don't care who you are!"

His voice roared.

"I'll bury you where you stand!"

Dad · February 22, 2016

Shadow Plateau

Gerald sighed, sulking at Elspire's words. How to get through to someone so angry. "Elspire. As long as you've known me, what reason have I to lie to you?" he said gesturing to the young dragonling. "Perhaps. . .if I show you. . .oh, but you may not like what you see."

Gerald clapped his hands together, and a large monitor just above the door way behind the contestants flickered on.

"Four hundred inches of flat screen. Not bad right? Yes, but onto the point of this."

Gerald stepped a bit closer, and began speaking to his computer. "Unit. Playback record. Current time, one year ago."

What the contestants were seeing, albeit with different people lined next to each other, was the current event. Happening exactly one year ago, right now.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?! LIKE HELL I WOULD!" With the static fist, he pounded his chest. "I can feel my mom's spirit surging inside me! Every instinct I have tells me that what you say is lies!" His fangs were visible, and his eyes took their dragonic form, bloodshot from rage. "Don't you ever dare speak about my mom that way...I don't care who you are!"

And like so, Elspire's words and actions were again reflected, one year ago today.

"That was just to make point, my boy. But, I assume you will ignore this. Let me be more direct," he said clenching his fist. "Unit. Playback record. Captive dragon and her young. Eight years prior."

On the screen now was an infant Elspire, cowering in a large confined cage, where his mother was thrashing about. Another pure bred dragonling scurried fearfully away from its mother, as her mouth dripped with fresh blood. She roared ferociously, the dragonling backed into a corner with no path to escape.

The mother lowered her head, an in an instantaneous snapping motion, ripped the head from the dragonling, a satisfying but sickening gulping from her gullet as proof. And then she turned her head. Her eyes were crazed. Something was very wrong. A visible scar on her belly and wings, as if she had been attacked. She gazed at the human dragonling and let loose a low growl, as she cautiously approached the child.

Towering over him by several dozen feet, she bellowed into the evening sky, before turning back to the babe. But before she'd had a chance to react, she fell dead as a shadow passed her by. She collapsed backwards, an agonizing groan as she fell to the ground and her wings fluttered lifelessly. And standing before Elspire were five beings.

"Get him out of here. Send him to my dwelling. And Gerald," one of them spoke in a heavy, deep voice.

"He doesn't need to know about this. Any of this."

Gerald scooped up a thrashing Elspire, placing a palm over his head and covering his mouth. "Of course."

The video ended as suddenly as it had began, with the monitor going dark, and Gerald sighing heavily behind the contestants. "You see, Elspire," Gerald called. "Your mother despised you most of all. You were a halfbreed. Something unnatural to her. And before you ask. The answer is no. You were not born naturally. You were an experiment, Elspire. My experiment. I mean, why do you think you've grown so fast? No one becomes a fully fledged adult in eight years, Elspire."

Gerald smiled warmly as Elspire turned back around to face him. "And within you lies a dormant power that only I know and understand. But these people you surround yourself with. . . they will hinder you. You're nothing more than an object to them. But I loved you, Elspire.

I raised you as my own, I showed you your strengths, I fed you, and I kept you safe. I held from you the secrets of your past because I didn't want to hurt you, Elspire. But when you learned of the tournament--well, it was hard to keep you from being a part of it. Unit. Playback record. Elspire and the Cup Schedule."

The monitor flickered back to life, as Elspire was now seen in Gerald's promotion offices above ground, approaching Gerald.

"Steph told me everything. You know I want to fight, right?" he said with a smile.

Gerald sighed, patting Elspire on the shoulder. "I had a feeling you would find out. I asked Steph not to, but alas. But Elspire, you have everything you could possibly want here. You can battle the Guard. They're endless! Why would you want to go into something so dangerous. This was only supposed to be for sport."

"Sports are fun! And I wanna fight. Come on Gerald, please?"

Gerald sat in a lofty chair, turning around to face a large window that stared into the horizon.

"On one condition."

"Name it, anything!" he said with static running over his body. Gerald turned around and stood up, placing an open palm over Elspire's head and knocking him out.

"You cannot do it if you know what you know now."

The video playback ended, and Gerald spread his arms open wide. "Don't you see, Elspire? This is what you wanted! This tournament! These great fights! But you were never meant to take on the gods. You were never meant to win, either. It was too dangerous. But you pressed on and surprised me every time. For two years in a row, you took the cup. And I wasn't about to fight you for it. No, I decided to reset everything. Because I saw the look in your eyes when it was all over.

You wanted something more, Elspire. And so I gave it to you. For the last six years, I've given you the chance to take home that cup and fulfill your goals. But the last four years, your handler has been the winner. Isn't that right, Tyson?"

Mr. Hyde · February 22, 2016

Elspire collapsed, the video feed in front of him was too much for him to handle. His mother...berserk and out of control was feasting on young dragonlings...he was presumably next. Was this all true? His heart burned, it couldn't be. She was right here, she was guiding him. She always had been. But the truth was being broadcast right in front of his face. His eyes started to well up with tears.

Gerald had raised him, had loved him? Were his memories fake? Was everything fake?

Who was he? All these questions that began to form and build up in his head.

"I didn't ask for this...there's no way I asked for this....Mother...help me..."

"Don't you see, Elspire? This is what you wanted! This tournament! These great fights! But you were never meant to take on the gods. You were never meant to win, either. It was too dangerous. But you pressed on and surprised me every time. For two years in a row, you took the cup. And I wasn't about to fight you for it. No, I decided to reset everything. Because I saw the look in your eyes when it was all over. You wanted something more, Elspire. And so I gave it to you. For the last six years, I've given you the chance to take home that cup and fulfill your goals. But the last four years, your handler has been the winner. Isn't that right, Tyson?"

Elspire looked for that contestant...a contestant he had barely spoken a word to. A contestant who smelled like death...who smelled inhuman. He had a handler? And this handler...was this husk of a man? The static that danced around his hand had faded from a golden color, to a pitch black.

"Who are you..." he managed to say through the tears.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 23, 2016

Morgan wasn’t sure what was going on. Last she remembered she was making a snide remark about Lotte. “Guess there’s one contestant hotter than me now.” and leaving the skybox to go attempt to get Nero on her side. And then she was somewhere else, with all the other contestants...even the dead ones.
She knew necromancy, this was something else. This was something disgusting. Gerald started spewing some insane bullshit, and Morgan had to calm herself to take it all in.
She had known there was something funked up going on here. This might explain Gerald’s reactions in the skybox, why he was so unconcerned with his blatant murders, everything. He wasn’t afraid of consequences because he knew there wouldn’t be any. But how? This was something beyond even the gods. Maybe even beyond her father.
And Morgan was all alone here. She couldn’t expect any of these others to help, and some of them apparently were working with Gerald in some way.

Though, the tricks, the pseudo-necromancy, everything Gerald has done, none of it was as bad as what was happening right now. They were ignoring her. All eyes were on the damn dragon boy and his angst, and it pissed her off. That guy was going to steal the spotlight? Hell no.

She debated attacking Gerald, but held off. She didn’t know enough. She’d just wait for one of the idiots to attack first, get some information, then find a way to kill him from that. Because at this point there was no taking his side, this old man was twisted and she didn’t feel like working with that.

There was a moment to speak as Elspire asked something of one of the contestants. She cycled through all the questions in her head, trying to pick out the one most important, but then a thought came to her head. The contestants were here. JUST the contestants. A horrible feeling formed in her stomach, and she felt an angry, acid-y, feeling bubbling up. “Gerald! Where’s Vena! What the hell did you do to my sister! And don’t you dare ignore me, you funk! I don’t care about this daddy role-play you’ve got going on; my sister better be okay or I’ll burn your funking hotel to the ground!” Her eyes literally flashed with some kind of inner fire as she bared her teeth at the man.

Dad · February 23, 2016

Shadow Plateau

Gerald was taken aback when his conversation between himself and his plaything was interrupted by a witch with an unquenchable thirst for attention. The little jabroni spoke to soon. Gerald sighed, waiting for Elspire and Tyson to have it out. Before giving Morgan his full attention, he looked closely to Elspire. Everything was becoming clear. At least he certainly wasn't the problem. His dormant strength--as black as it was--was finally peeking.

Turning his head to Morgan, he smiled. Gerald, his arms still open, took a moment to gesture to Morgan, as the lights angled towards her. She was put under the spotlight, as he spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, one of the strongest witches of the twenty-first century, a herald to magic, second only to her father, Lady Morgan," he said clapping his hands.

Behind him, the risen dead clapped in unison, applauding with no signs of stopping.

"I like the way you think, Morgan. On your feet, you jump to action, not hesitating or concerned with the opposition. However reckless it may seem, it is a tactic that adapts well," he said acknowledging Morgan at last. "But my dear you'll be happy to know that no amount of magic you or your slob of a father may possess, you don't have the strength to burn down an inch of this hotel. " Gerald's voice grew serious once more as the former contestants behind him stopped clapping as he raised a hand for silence.

"And if you keep running that pretty little mouth of yours, I'll be the one forced to take action much sooner than I'd like." Gerald's voice turned soft again, as a smile returned to his face. "And if you're concerned about little Vena's safety, she is alive and well. I had Steph go and retrieve her after I sent the Guard for you. So the next time you'd like a question answered my dear, all you have to do is ask. And I'd be happy to give you a straight forward and honest answer.

After all," Gerald began anew, as his smile turned crooked and sinister. "I wouldn't want to see harm done to the Reaperson family. Of course, it's not as though a snap of my fingers and I could bring Father Grimsley's entire organization to ruins. Because you see Morgan, you don't have the clout or resources to do anything your father or I don't will you to.

You're a brat bound to the rules of simplistic, outdated arcane magic with an idiot for a father, no responsibility, and a distinct lack of positioning for power. so if you're going to throw your weight around, you'd better come to me with more than a burning hotel. Because I am prepared to bring you, and this entire world to their knees. And if you thought those people in the Boiling Depths suffered, you have no idea what I'm capable of!" he said spitting.

Gerald gently dusted off his suit, breathing deeply, calming himself down. With a sigh, he asked, "Any more questions?"

And at his words, the doors behind the survivors slid open, as Steph walked through the entry way.

"I have two, sir," she said sarcastically. She ushered Vena inside, pointing her to her sister.

"What's going on, and why are the contestants down here?"

Hälō · February 23, 2016

BMG

Tyson watched the entire display with scowl. How long did it take for everything to go to s***? About three hours after his fight with Dirk.

Though the majority of his wounds had healed themselves, and his energy levels were steadily replenishing, the damage that the man had suffered from Dirk's last attack had left Tyson's arm in a sling that hung inside his jacket. To make matters worse, his head was killing him and it seemed that Gerald had dragon-boy in the palm of his hand...

"Who are you..." The blonde growled with black lightning dancing across his finger tips.

"Great. f***ing great..." Tyson sighed inside his mind as he ripped his eyes from Gerald and his pack of zombies. "What are the chances that I could send the whole lot of 'em to purgatory if I blew myself up?"

"This is no time for jokes, fool." Mephisto's voice responded immediately. "Elspire's heart rate is increasing... the boy intends to kill us."

"Let's see him try..." The Ripper growled under his breath before drawing his pistol and pointing it at the half-dragon. "He's playing you, kid." Tyson's tone was deadly serious. "It's what motherf***ers like him do. They get in your head. They use your weakness to bend you to their will..."

Hellfire began to dance around Tyson's pistol, mimicking Elspire's lighting. "Sadly, it looks I'm the good guy here," As he spoke, Tyson couldn't help but remember Howler's warning; did the old man know this was how it was going to go down? "and the only thing I'm gonna handle, is the act of putting two hot ones in that bastard's head." He motioned towards Gerald without shifting his burning gaze from Elspire. Those around Tyson and Elspire would feel the air begin to vibrate with pressure as the two stood in silence for a moment. "But I don't really think it matters what I say now, right?!" His voice was oozed death. Though he hated himself for it, Tyson's adrenaline was pumping; The Ripper was about to be set free once again.

Dad · February 23, 2016

Shadow Plateau

Gerald was silent briefly as Steph addressed him. "Sir?" she asked again, stepping into the light. "What's--oh my God!" she squealed, dropping her hand held tablet. At the sight of the formerly deceased contestants, Steph felt ill. "What--you were all killed! What's going on!? Gerald!" she said stomping.

Gerald wagged a finger, and ushered Steph over, as a rather rash conversation went on between Tyson and Elspire. Steph slowly and cautiously walked towards Gerald, inching between the contestants as she stood in front of them now. She could feel the pressure building behind her, as Elspire and Tyson looked each other in the eyes. "Gerald, what--" "Steph. Don't hesitate. I need you at my side. Now come," he demanded, pointing at a vacant place to his right. Steph hesitated, taking a single step at a time, much more slowly than before. But Gerald was growing impatient. He folded his arms, his fists clenched tightly as he watched his trusted assistant slowly but surely betray him.

"Gerald. . . .Mr. Dillinger, I--I need to know what's going on. I'm very frightened right now and--"

"Steph, if you'll join me at my side, I'll explain everything. Now please, just come forwards," he said extending a hand.

Again, she hesitated. Steph could feel her legs trembling each time she grew closer to Gerald. There was something about him that sent a chill down her spine. And seeing all of these formerly deceased contestants now standing behind him in a zombie-like state, with practically no will of their own, only made her more concerned.

"Steph, I assure you that everything will make perfect--"

"No," she said finally.

Gerald raised his head just slightly, and tilted it so that his right ear was facing Steph. "What was that dear? You didn't come across clearly. Say it again."

Steph paused, looking left, and looking right. Then she assured herself once more. "N-no. I can't do this. This is terrifying. And you're not being honest with me. I can't--"

Gerald held up a hand to silence Steph, causing her to take a step back. He sighed, smiling gently. This wasn't in the record either. In fact, Steph was not supposed to be here. Not now. She was far too early. There was so much more that was supposed to happen before her appearance, that it didn't make sense. And Gerald began having sickening thoughts about her.

"Once more something is out of place. I don't know why I bothered thinking you would understand. Not now, it's much too soon," he said to her quickly.

"Gerald, you can't--whatever this is, you need to stop. Those are kids behind you. I don't know what you've done, but--"

"Elspire!" Gerald barked. This caused Steph to flinch, before slowly turning around to face the contestants. Each of them except Elspire and Tyson were looking to Gerald, until he called the half-dragon's name. "You've been imprisoned long enough. I won't bind you anymore. If you want the truth--especially from someone who was tied up in hell-you're going to have to beat it out of him. And so I want you to do something for me, Elspire," Gerald said taking a black crystal bead from his suit breast pocket. "I want you to be free, Elspire. And when this is all over, you and I can make a new shelter for your overwhelming strength. But for now," he said crushing the black bead in his hands into powder.

"Be free."

As the bead was destroyed, a purple light emanated from it, dimly lighting the floor of the Shadow Plateau. The dust particles of the black bead fell towards the ground, but stopped midway, and drifted towards Elspire. And as he stood at arms with Tyson, the black dust entered his nostrils, slid under his scales, and went directly into his bloodstream. What Elspire felt next was a sharp pain in the back of his head.

It was as thought someone was peeling away his skull from the inside out with a jackhammer. A grinding under his skin, like millions of fire ants. And a cracking in his back that was like hundreds of daggers piercing his spine. "Give in to your inner strength. Let yourself be free, Rhageos."

Maeriberii Haan · February 23, 2016

"That hurts."

Waking up in god-know-where, Arisu felt like her head was getting light. She had no idea about what happened - last thing she remembered was her going to check on Elspire's condition after making sure Fate's fine. But now she's here, along with...the other cup participants? That was weird. Even Fate was there, staring intently at a direction. The blue-haired young woman turned around to see where she was staring at, and saw Gerald. No, that wasn't it. She also saw people that had supposedly been killed on the previous rounds.

The hell's happening?

Everyone was looking at his direction with myriad emotions. Shock and disbelief was some of the one she could see clearly, but the witch girl looked pretty frustrated and upset. The man with the long, white hair on the other side looked...surprisingly calm, but that wasn't an expression Arisu would describe as such. She couldn't see where was Elspire from her position, so she got up, and wandered a bit to see him. He...he was crying? What happened? He was going towards a man with some sort of demonic aura, seemingly to attack him?

She turned around with a stern questioning look at Gerald. She probably missed what had just happened, but whatever it was, she knew that it wouldn't be something good. Perhaps Alice had kind of gotten both of them into a situation too sticky for her to handle. Gerald's assistant entered the room soon, and looked at the man and the scene in bewilderment. Still dizzied after waking up, Arisu couldn't exactly pick up about what exactly was being spoken there, but the next words rang clearly inside of her head.

"I want you to be free, Elspire."

What?

"And when this is all over, you and I can make a new shelter for your overwhelming strength."

This is nonsense.

"But for now, be free."

You can't touch him like that.

"Give in to your inner strength. Let yourself be free, Rhageos."

Purple light filled the area all of the sudden, and Arisu immediately turned around towards Elspire. Black dusts gathered around him, and entered his system. She could see it. He's in pain. The hell was going on? She kept on asking herself that question, over and over again, but realized that she couldn't get a clear answer right now. And it shouldn't matter anyway. There's something more important to do.

"Perfect Freeze."

She had no idea about the name Gerald just called. Whoever that name was, that's not Elspire. That's not her Elspire. She didn't break through her self-imposed prison just to see this happening without doing something. So, Arisu thus casted an ice spell around Elspire, hoping to encase him, before turning around to face Gerald again, looking disgusted.

"Whatever you're trying to pull off here...whatever the hell are you...I don't like you.

I don't care the past you have with him. He's mine, and mine only. So stop talking with languages I don't understand, and bugger off!"

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 23, 2016

"Tsk". Morgan continued to glare at the man. His response was infuriating. Insulting her, her father, even magic itself. However, one thing managed to calm her temper. She believed she had already won. Gerald's words, while seemingly impressive, actually made Morgan feel better about her chances. "There's many people who believed themselves greater than the magic. They all failed. You're nothing like my father, but not for what you think. You might be on top of the world, on top of the universe, but you'll fall soon enough. Because you, unlike dad, have no idea what to do with power. Looking at what we've seen so far what have you done? Wasted it on this tournament for your pet dragon. And look at him, he's a love-struck idiot that doesn't even know you, what's the point? You've brought powerful forces together, and made them all have reason to hate you. And the saddest part is even while I point this all out you think you're untouchable. I look forward to seeing you fall."

She was silent for a moment, looking at the once-dead contestants. She was trying to determine the type of magic that made them tick, trying to find the link that, if severed, would release the control.

"Those things behind you, what are you expecting to do with them? What are they?"

Vena running up to Morgan both worried and relieved her. She was glad to have her within sight, but Morgan knew the old man was getting angry at her. But as most of the others weren't doing much yet, she had to figure out some way to learn more. She embraced Vena warmly, kissing her on the forehead. "Be careful Vena. This is more dangerous than I can explain." She whispered to the younger girl. Then she stood, tall and proud, subtly pushing Vena behind her as she watched for Gerald's response. Whatever was about to happen with that dragon, this man was the real threat. And anyway, the abomination mage would be able to deal with Elspire, most likely.

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Golden Gate Empire [IC / No Longer Accepting / PG - 16]

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