06-02-2018, 10:36 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2018, 04:55 AM by Ahana Varma.)
When the light vanishes, I’m in a completely different location entirely. There are people all over this hall-like area, plenty of whom are very obviously contestants, as they stand out easily from the staff and the reporters, who are mostly just ordinary humans, not loaded down with weaponry of any sort.
Thankfully, none of the latter bunch approach me. I’ve had some experience with their sorts before, from back on my own world, when our old raja decided to make out to the people that those of us returning from the wars with the highest kill counts were some sort of selfless heroes… it’s a pain in the ass having to give interviews while watching my every word, lest I accidentally give the (accurate) impression that I just really love murdering the everloving fuck out of people, rather than being all noble and heroic and shit.
Given how generous and kind-hearted the God-King of Nippur has proven to be, I can only imagine that he too would disapprove if he ever realised that I harbour such feelings… so even after coming to a whole other reality, I’ll still need to lie to the media if I ever do have to interact with them.
The contestants, though, might be another matter... there are plenty here who seem like they'd be more than happy to murder a few folks. Amongst them I see a group of three rough-looking women, one of whom is carrying a large, misshapen warhammer, heading away together, and a bare-chested, blue skinned man, who somehow has a skull for a head… another lich. Damn, this Omniverse just has a ridiculous number of powerful beings… I’m not looking forward to having to fight that guy. Ugh, but what if he’s the very first person I end up in combat against? How am I ever supposed to prove my value to Gilgamesh when even the most extraordinary of entities are apparently commonplace in this freakish realm.
Hell, never mind ignoring me—I can understand that—but none of the reporters even approach that muscle-bound, undead monstrosity, despite his existence being akin to some eldritch horror dragged straight from the pages of an ancient tome of myths and legends… it worries me a lot, to be honest, to think that there can really be that many people considered more worthy of approach than this creature. It’s not death itself that I fear, not with Omni’s promise of rebirth, but even a man of such boundless beneficence as my king must surely run out of patience eventually, if I continue to fail him. I must do well here, or I could easily find myself tossed aside like worthless trash.
Wanting to look around some more, perhaps get a better idea of what I’m up against, I take a glance at a nearby sign, which helpfully indicates where to find all of the facility’s amenities. The two that stick out to me immediately are the Library area and the Dojo & Gym section. The biggest, toughest muscleheads of the group are likely to be training non-stop before the tournament… while the more cerebral sorts will be occupying their minds.
After a brief ponder, I decide to head to the library first, since whilst mere thugs can still pose a threat—particularly when equipped with anti-magic artefacts and amulets, to protect them from harm whilst they close in on their targets—it is generally a safe bet in my experience to assume that magic users are the primary danger in any and all engagements.
I pass a few more of the odd competitors as I make my way through the building, but none of them strike me as being anything close to the same level as a lich… if I’m lucky, I might manage to make it at least a couple rounds through this thing.
When I enter the library, I spot a group sitting together at a table. One man is rather normal looking, whilst another would be too, if not for the glowing, red eyes which give him a more intimidating aspect… though this is reduced somewhat by the adorable little girl with those same eyes—a relation, to be sure; a daughter, I guess—sitting in his lap whilst she intently studies a picture book. There is also a strange being of diminutive height which I figure might be some sort of imp, a girl in a pointed hat, and what might be a type of beastman-mutant... though its appearance is far… cuddlier than those of its barbarous ilk that I’ve seen in my own reality.
The latter couple seem to be engaged in a discussion of their own, though my attention is quickly drawn away from them when I notice that a couple of the others wear badges bearing a symbol I recognise; the head of a lion, cast in gold. The emblem of Nippur… or rather, the faction of New Babylon; Gilgamesh’s subordinates. He did say that some of the others would surely be up for taking part in Dante’s Abyss, which must be who these two are. I’m a little surprised not to see that enthroned lich whom I encountered previously in city here as well, since surely such a mighty individual would be certain to bring glory to the faction were it to participate…
But then again, it no doubt has more valuable ways to be spending its time than engaging in a publicity stunt. In fact, its continued presence in Nippur may even be the main reason that the god-king felt it would be safe enough for him to leave his city behind and come here to join this contest himself.
“Nice badges. Are you two from New Babylon?” I say without preamble upon striding over to their table, casting my gaze between the ordinary-looking guy and the red-eyed one.
“That they are, dear lady, and that we are... and how might we help you today?” the blonde man is the one to speak. He acts cheerful enough and even winks at me playfully. I’m not fooled into thinking he’s as relaxed as he pretends, though; he places his hands on the shoulders of the little girl… an innocent enough gesture, but one which suggests he’s ready to shove her aside, out of harm’s way, at a moment’s notice, should it become necessary. He's ready for trouble in case I'm here to try and pick a fight.
I know that my king hasn’t always been the most universally adored of people, so it comes as no surprise that his followers might expect a certain level of hostility during an Omniverse-wide event such as this, “I am as well. Just newly recruited. I… helped the king fight off some bandits.”
I opt not to tell them how bad a job I did of it. No sense in letting everyone know that I’m going to be the weakest link who’ll be letting our team down if I can avoid it, “My name is Ahana Varma.”
“Ooh,” he grins, “that’s great. Always nice to meet a new recruit. I’m Lord Victor Wolfe and this is my beautiful daughter, Valarie Wolfe. Over here we have the Nobleman, Erik Vrell, then Shan- sorry, Dr Shantotto and Marisa Kirisame, who’re also members of New Babylon, and… Ricter, was it?”
“Yes.” confirms the beastman who had been attempting to converse with Marisa, nodding his head.
“And Ricter, then, who isn’t actually one of us, but is hanging around here anyway because he seems interested in whatever weird concoction it was that Marisa was cooking up a minute ago, for some unfathomable reason.”
“Hmph.” grunts the girl in the pointed hat, “Just because you’re fixated on one thing and one thing only, Lord Victor, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any men in the Omniverse with more than two brain cells to rub together.”
“Ohoho,” laughs the doctor, Shantotto, “That does sound a fair assessment of Victor, our dear lord, who’s ever so obsessed with wielding his little sword.”
“Uh...” I begin unsurely, thinking that the Omniverse must have a pretty lax concept of nobility if these people are free to speak rudely to a lord like this. But then again, if these are Nippur's elite, perhaps they all just know that they are important enough to Gilgamesh's cause that they can get away with such discourtesy. They’re certainly not what I was expecting of the god-king's retinue, but I'm sure that they must all be a fearsome lot nonetheless.
In any case, I don't really need to worry about what to say next, since before I can manage more than a single syllable, I’m talked over by two people at once. It’s a bit difficult to hear
exactly what it is that Erik is saying—as he gestures helplessly over towards Valarie—since Victor speaks at a much greater volume, but I’m pretty sure that it's something like, “Really? We’re talking about that with a child sitting right here?”
Meanwhile, Victor gives Shanotto a warning glare and loudly announces, “Hey, I’ll have you know, there is nothing ‘little’ about my sword!”
There’s a moment of silence next, when the red-eyed man notices that several others in the library are now staring their way, Shantotto smirks and Marisa rolls her eyes.
“Anyway, come on, Ahana, pull up a chair and join us.” the lord instructs.
“... Alright then.” I agree after a moment’s hesitation. They’re certainly an unusual bunch, but I suppose I should have expected as much; of course such a pragmatic figure as King Gilgamesh would be gracious enough to overlook a few small… eccentricities, in the name of recruiting the most powerful possible Primes to his side, to better protect his people.
Thankfully, none of the latter bunch approach me. I’ve had some experience with their sorts before, from back on my own world, when our old raja decided to make out to the people that those of us returning from the wars with the highest kill counts were some sort of selfless heroes… it’s a pain in the ass having to give interviews while watching my every word, lest I accidentally give the (accurate) impression that I just really love murdering the everloving fuck out of people, rather than being all noble and heroic and shit.
Given how generous and kind-hearted the God-King of Nippur has proven to be, I can only imagine that he too would disapprove if he ever realised that I harbour such feelings… so even after coming to a whole other reality, I’ll still need to lie to the media if I ever do have to interact with them.
The contestants, though, might be another matter... there are plenty here who seem like they'd be more than happy to murder a few folks. Amongst them I see a group of three rough-looking women, one of whom is carrying a large, misshapen warhammer, heading away together, and a bare-chested, blue skinned man, who somehow has a skull for a head… another lich. Damn, this Omniverse just has a ridiculous number of powerful beings… I’m not looking forward to having to fight that guy. Ugh, but what if he’s the very first person I end up in combat against? How am I ever supposed to prove my value to Gilgamesh when even the most extraordinary of entities are apparently commonplace in this freakish realm.
Hell, never mind ignoring me—I can understand that—but none of the reporters even approach that muscle-bound, undead monstrosity, despite his existence being akin to some eldritch horror dragged straight from the pages of an ancient tome of myths and legends… it worries me a lot, to be honest, to think that there can really be that many people considered more worthy of approach than this creature. It’s not death itself that I fear, not with Omni’s promise of rebirth, but even a man of such boundless beneficence as my king must surely run out of patience eventually, if I continue to fail him. I must do well here, or I could easily find myself tossed aside like worthless trash.
Wanting to look around some more, perhaps get a better idea of what I’m up against, I take a glance at a nearby sign, which helpfully indicates where to find all of the facility’s amenities. The two that stick out to me immediately are the Library area and the Dojo & Gym section. The biggest, toughest muscleheads of the group are likely to be training non-stop before the tournament… while the more cerebral sorts will be occupying their minds.
After a brief ponder, I decide to head to the library first, since whilst mere thugs can still pose a threat—particularly when equipped with anti-magic artefacts and amulets, to protect them from harm whilst they close in on their targets—it is generally a safe bet in my experience to assume that magic users are the primary danger in any and all engagements.
I pass a few more of the odd competitors as I make my way through the building, but none of them strike me as being anything close to the same level as a lich… if I’m lucky, I might manage to make it at least a couple rounds through this thing.
When I enter the library, I spot a group sitting together at a table. One man is rather normal looking, whilst another would be too, if not for the glowing, red eyes which give him a more intimidating aspect… though this is reduced somewhat by the adorable little girl with those same eyes—a relation, to be sure; a daughter, I guess—sitting in his lap whilst she intently studies a picture book. There is also a strange being of diminutive height which I figure might be some sort of imp, a girl in a pointed hat, and what might be a type of beastman-mutant... though its appearance is far… cuddlier than those of its barbarous ilk that I’ve seen in my own reality.
The latter couple seem to be engaged in a discussion of their own, though my attention is quickly drawn away from them when I notice that a couple of the others wear badges bearing a symbol I recognise; the head of a lion, cast in gold. The emblem of Nippur… or rather, the faction of New Babylon; Gilgamesh’s subordinates. He did say that some of the others would surely be up for taking part in Dante’s Abyss, which must be who these two are. I’m a little surprised not to see that enthroned lich whom I encountered previously in city here as well, since surely such a mighty individual would be certain to bring glory to the faction were it to participate…
But then again, it no doubt has more valuable ways to be spending its time than engaging in a publicity stunt. In fact, its continued presence in Nippur may even be the main reason that the god-king felt it would be safe enough for him to leave his city behind and come here to join this contest himself.
“Nice badges. Are you two from New Babylon?” I say without preamble upon striding over to their table, casting my gaze between the ordinary-looking guy and the red-eyed one.
“That they are, dear lady, and that we are... and how might we help you today?” the blonde man is the one to speak. He acts cheerful enough and even winks at me playfully. I’m not fooled into thinking he’s as relaxed as he pretends, though; he places his hands on the shoulders of the little girl… an innocent enough gesture, but one which suggests he’s ready to shove her aside, out of harm’s way, at a moment’s notice, should it become necessary. He's ready for trouble in case I'm here to try and pick a fight.
I know that my king hasn’t always been the most universally adored of people, so it comes as no surprise that his followers might expect a certain level of hostility during an Omniverse-wide event such as this, “I am as well. Just newly recruited. I… helped the king fight off some bandits.”
I opt not to tell them how bad a job I did of it. No sense in letting everyone know that I’m going to be the weakest link who’ll be letting our team down if I can avoid it, “My name is Ahana Varma.”
“Ooh,” he grins, “that’s great. Always nice to meet a new recruit. I’m Lord Victor Wolfe and this is my beautiful daughter, Valarie Wolfe. Over here we have the Nobleman, Erik Vrell, then Shan- sorry, Dr Shantotto and Marisa Kirisame, who’re also members of New Babylon, and… Ricter, was it?”
“Yes.” confirms the beastman who had been attempting to converse with Marisa, nodding his head.
“And Ricter, then, who isn’t actually one of us, but is hanging around here anyway because he seems interested in whatever weird concoction it was that Marisa was cooking up a minute ago, for some unfathomable reason.”
“Hmph.” grunts the girl in the pointed hat, “Just because you’re fixated on one thing and one thing only, Lord Victor, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any men in the Omniverse with more than two brain cells to rub together.”
“Ohoho,” laughs the doctor, Shantotto, “That does sound a fair assessment of Victor, our dear lord, who’s ever so obsessed with wielding his little sword.”
“Uh...” I begin unsurely, thinking that the Omniverse must have a pretty lax concept of nobility if these people are free to speak rudely to a lord like this. But then again, if these are Nippur's elite, perhaps they all just know that they are important enough to Gilgamesh's cause that they can get away with such discourtesy. They’re certainly not what I was expecting of the god-king's retinue, but I'm sure that they must all be a fearsome lot nonetheless.
In any case, I don't really need to worry about what to say next, since before I can manage more than a single syllable, I’m talked over by two people at once. It’s a bit difficult to hear
exactly what it is that Erik is saying—as he gestures helplessly over towards Valarie—since Victor speaks at a much greater volume, but I’m pretty sure that it's something like, “Really? We’re talking about that with a child sitting right here?”
Meanwhile, Victor gives Shanotto a warning glare and loudly announces, “Hey, I’ll have you know, there is nothing ‘little’ about my sword!”
There’s a moment of silence next, when the red-eyed man notices that several others in the library are now staring their way, Shantotto smirks and Marisa rolls her eyes.
“Anyway, come on, Ahana, pull up a chair and join us.” the lord instructs.
“... Alright then.” I agree after a moment’s hesitation. They’re certainly an unusual bunch, but I suppose I should have expected as much; of course such a pragmatic figure as King Gilgamesh would be gracious enough to overlook a few small… eccentricities, in the name of recruiting the most powerful possible Primes to his side, to better protect his people.
Quote:Ahana has moved into the Library.
![[Image: Ahana_Sig_V3.png]](https://image.ibb.co/bAZXiJ/Ahana_Sig_V3.png)