(Pre-Show) The Barracks

[Violet]

She didn’t make it to the dojo, after all. Once leaving the park, Violet was assaulted by a plethora of reporters and media, and she spent the next several hours doing her best to talk about nothing. They pried into her personal life with questions and she did her best to reveal nothing at all while giving them the answers they sought. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to do such a thing: being a commander of a prominent militia, she had regular practice at bullshitting her way around media.

Once she made it into the greater corridors of the lobby, she spotted the guard by the barracks talking to a group of contestants, ushering them forward into the elevator he was so insistent about guarding earlier. Perking up, Violet saw this as her chance to finally get some sleep, and didn’t think twice as she jogged towards that glorious elevator.

This time, Mr. Doucheguard didn’t stand in her way as she entered the elevator and made her way up to the top. She could smell the fresh linens. As soon as the doors swooshed open, she pushed her way past the crowd and made her way to a rack far in the back, jumped inside, and closed the curtain. She didn’t bother looking for her duffel bag, or change out of her clothes. Sleep found her like a Mack truck on a dark highway.

[Lubbock]

"Gin... and Tonic? You guys are named after alcohol?" he asked, estranged by these names. Without thinking he mumbled nude his breath, "I bet Leone would rather like you,"
He recomposed himself and began to introduce, "My name's Lubbock, but my friends call me Lubba," he told him, but this time didn't mention being an assassin after his 'chat' with the purple-haired girl. A TV reporter was enough to get the word around. Without warning, Syura's voice kicked into his head and he turned towards the window subtly.
"Lubbock, I've noticed people are leaving the area at a rapid rate. I believe it's time to ready up for the Abyss," Syura informed him, godly voice stern. He turned back to Gin.
"Hey, sorry Red - I-I mean, Gin, but I reckon it's time for us to leave. I guess I'll see you in the abyss," he gave his new friend a kind smile and extended his hand for a handshake.

Lubbock watched from the ceiling, his wires keeping his legs locked onto the lights above as a sea of people, competitors and spectators alike, rushed around between the rooms, most headed towards an elevator. Some were unaccompanied while other were being ushered by bulky men that looked like they'd come straight from an army. He sighed and blew a stray hair off of his nose, making flop downwards to the floor with the other green locks. He reached up and slid his red goggles down over his eyes and unravelled the wire around his ankles, dropping to the floor amongst a bunch of people. He flipped the hood of his coat up for extra effect as some people gasped, others tripped, and the rest minded their own business. Boy, I should do this more often, he told himself, cocky.
The guards at the elevator stepped aside and allowed the now mysterious figure through. He rose up, and stepped off at the platform. He looked around the room he was in. It was even more bloody crowded than down there. That was a better advantage to an assassin though: mingling. He quickly waded into the crowd and removed his disguise, letting his hair fall back into place. He looked around. There seemed to be rooms placed all over. Although... Lubbock didn't even know which one was his...

He must really have looked confused there, which, on the contrary, is rather hindering for an assassin.

[Schwi Dola]

Desco looked at the signs on the all and started to head to her assigned number. She was already wondering where Guu was in here since Guu had gone ahead. What number was Guu staying in? Desco hoped she wouldn't have to fight in the contest maybe they could tram up with each other and tale down everyone else together!

She arrived at her room and looked around. It was simple enough with a bed and the necessities of living. On a table was her survival pack and started to take a look at that, she pulled out the various things. Some MREs, she had eaten these before in the lab. They had various foods in them that came with a little thing that would heat up when you added water which you used to cooked the food which may also need water added. The food inside had enough that two MREs was more calories than an average adult should eat unless they were doing a lot of physical work, so Desco should be able to make them last. But she didn't have much water for multiple days time. The map showed that the place was an island, so Desco should do just fine if she makes her way to the shoreline to refill her water bottles when she needed to.

Desco packed everything back into the duffle and sat on her bed, when a lady came up to her door. The yellow eyes all over Desco's body shifted to look at Erza, while Desco didn't notice until she spoke, so Desco greeted her and told her that she was waiting. Then Desco walked over to the duffle and fished out the collar that was inside. "Have you seen these yet?" Desco's eyes lit up as she spoke and Erza nodded. "Yes, I have one in my stuff." Desco held it out. "Desco's daddy helped make these! He works in the Empire." "I see.." Erza had to be curious about what kind of father the little demon girl had, but probably wouldn't guess that he was an ordinary human.

"Daddy told Desco what is does and had Desco try one one before she came here. It blocks Desco's magic." She held it up to her neck but hesitated. She didn't want to wear it just yet, Desco liked the idea of keeping her powers, but she would when the game started. "But it didn't block Desco's Super Magic Attack or her Battle Aura, so Desco will be able to fight!" Erza nodded, this was useful information that she could probably trust, at least Desco believed what she was saying. "I didn't know all of that, thank you for telling me."

Desco hopped off of the bed, her tail stretching out to catch her landing and push her upright before going back to its normal state hard to see under her dress. "Desco needs to go find Guu though, she went ahead of Desco." Desco walked out of the door and closed it then turned to Erza. "Unless you want to go with Desco, Erza, Desco is going to go find Guu!"

[Monkey D. Luffy]

"Hey hey hey! Stop that, I don't want your crappy necklace!" Luffy fussed, entangled by a duet of masculine stooge-suits futilely trying to wrangle the pirate into submission. There appeared to be a swelling pattern of disputes with Karl's faculty up to this point. By now they should've inferred that Straw Hat was not the compliant type.

"Please cooperate, sir! It is required of every contestant to be collared without exception," requisitioned the buxom bimbo whom greeted Luffy and 'Ears' at the elevator. Amicably inching towards the rubber youth, she knelt down to meet his visage with a jubilant, albeit counterfeit simper to convey her intentions were just.

"Behave like the obedient slave that you are and put the damn thing on already, imbecile," An extrinsic voice groaned from the aft, eliciting stretch and his captors to peer over unitedly, setting eyes upon a gussied man clad in spangled gold from nape to hoof.

"Oi, you've got one too goldilocks!" Mugiwara snapped in riposte, laxing his resistance to quell the struggle. His quip invoked a pulsing vein to protrude from the stranger's sun-baked forehead. "Why you insolent . . . I've only agreed to such protocols in light that the spoils of victory will inflate my lavish treasures!" The flaxen-locked aristocrat vaunted, sneering down at the 'lowly peasant.'

Sheesh, the only thing inflating is his ego, the busty blonde secretary mused to herself, erecting to her stiletto heels and tugging her blouse down over a voluptuous frame.

"Do not presume this makes us equals. I am Gilgamesh, King of–"

Twitch.

The golden liege halted his introduction as Luffy sprung before him, seizing the self-proclaimed monarch by his gilded chestplate. "King, eh? King of what?" Straw Hat inquisitioned rather demandingly.

"Remove your filthy mitts from my vestments you bumpkin!" Gilgamesh yawped, swatting the young pirate's hand away. "I am the only King that matters, the King of all Kings!" The royal asshat gloated with majestic posture. Clenching a fist, Luffy shifted closer.

"I will be the King of Pirates, and will clobber anyone claiming to be otherwise!" The irked captain challenged, planting a thumb to his own chest. The hot-to-trot bombshell attendant languidly rolled her eyes, scoffing at their altercation.

"Yes yes, everyone is a king. Everyone rules a kingdom, blah blah blah. Such impetuous folks around here; enough ego stroking. You, rubber boy, come with me, my name is Tristy. Pretty boy, run along and count your coins or whatever you do," Shooing away Gil, she gestured Luffy over with a finger. Gritting his teeth, the babylonian stormed off, mumbling unmentionables with bated breath.

Thud!

Absentmindedly jaunting about whilst ogling the ever-eccentric legion of contenders, Straw Hat thumped into something with an 'oof', something large, something hard. Tilting his visage high, the pirate locked eyes with a behemoth of dominating presence.

"Ah? Oh, sorry 'bout that, I wasn't paying attention. You're a biggun', kihihi!" Luffy jived, grating the back of his unkempt coiffure. Yikes, this guy's as tall as the three Admirals, bet he's just as strong too!

"Hm? Worry not, boy. It caused little more harm than a feeble insect," the dismal-skinned hulk pardoned with demeaning tone. "I'm rather perplexed by how many fledglings have come to partake in such a dangerous contest of wits and wills," the towering brute continued, waxing speculation of the pirate's merit. Although, he was not doltish enough to think the young man unworthy. After all, his greatest nemesis was in fact juvenile by appearance.

"Keh, well, all the wicked jerks I've knocked down have been bigger than me. Large or small, everyone falls the same way," Mugiwara wisecracked in rebuttal, soliciting a confounded gaze from the beastly bruiser. "By the way, I'm Luffy! Straw Hat Luffy! I ate the Gomu Gomu devil fruit and can do this!" The captain displayed his abilities, extending an elastic arm some twenty feet and palming one of Tristy's plump ta-tas, groping it like a stress ball.

"Eeeek!! Unhand my goodies you perverted son of a whore!" She scorched like a ravenous fiend, stomping over and slapping Luffy to a pulp with her clipboard. Standing awkwardly in silence, a sweat droplet scaled down the ginger-haired clod.

"Some power you have there," yet another unfamiliar voice chimed, entering the main area through one of the myriad corridors. A wee little damsel trudged over, garbed in summer dress with a piggy-pink bob of hair draped over her melon. "I'm Guu, I can stretch too," she boasted in monotonous tone, demonstrating her claim with a wacky sway of her noodle arms.

"Whaaaat?? You ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi too?! Awesome!!" Straw Hat excitedly yammered, sauntering over to the vapid 'gnome.'

"Don't know what that is. I just can. I'm Guu, Princess of Ambrosia. It's nice to meet someone else like me," the fun-sized dame acquainted, raising a fleshy stub near the ceiling, eliciting Luffy to elongate his own appendage to match hers for a super high-five.

"Kahaha, you're fun! . . . But wait, did you say queen?" He inquired, placing a finger to his chin and tilting like an addled hound. Guu merely returned a nod before aiming a nub at the domineering Goliath whom for some reason was still settled in position.

"That's Ganandorf. He's the Dark King or something. You ran into Gilgamesh earlier. There's many aspiring crowns walking about," She elucidated, still maintaining an expression of disinterest.

Flicking his straw hat up over his countenance with a single digit, Luffy fell silent. Trekking over, he planted both feet upon the centermost linoleum tile and threw his arms out, bellowing a provocation for all contenders to hear.

"LISTEN UP! ALL YOU KINGS, QUEENS AND WANNABE NOBLES! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL YOURSELVES OR PRETEND TO BE! JUST REMEMBER MY NAME! I'M MONKEY D. LUFFY, CAPTAIN OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, AND I'M GOING TO FIND ONE PIECE! I WILL BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES! YOSH!!"

THWAP!

"ENOUGH ALREADY!!" An irate Tristy clobbered the rambunctious rubber brain with a ginormous hammer to squelch his obnoxious tirade. Where in tarnation she hauled such a whopper from remained a mystery. "I'm taking you to your room already, you idiot!" She directed, dragging a half-conscious Straw Hat by his collar and scampering off, leaving Guu and Ganandorf to ponder dubiously.

"Now stay put while I go gather your collar," Tristy commanded, tossing Mugiwara into his private chambers quite inhospitably and sliding the shutter door closed. "Oi, bring me some meat!" Luffy requested blithely, as if the thick numbskull hadn't just had his dome caved. Climbing up into a well-kept bunk, the captain relinquished a liberal sigh before falling back against the fluffed pillow to snag some shuteye.

"ZzZzZzZ . . . "

******

Shkeen!

A harrowing vestige pierced Mugiwara's spirit, forcing his conscious mind to recede into a cavernous pit of murky black. He had felt this sensation before, recently in fact. The ominous presence festering within him grew with every passing moment, lying in wait.

Gah, this feeling again . . . what is it? Why is this happening? I . . . can hardly control my body. My head . . . flooding with bad thoughts, hankering to hurt . . . anybody.

Gehgehgeh, I've already disclosed my purpose to you, cretin. I am you, and you are me. I'm taking control, fanning the flames of your deep-seeded malice. I shall relish in watching you stain your hands with blood of the innocent.

GAH! STOP IT! What do you want?? What are you? WHERE are you? Come out! I'll, gahahahahaha, I'll slit your fucking throat you piece of shit! Gahahaha! I'll bathe in your blood and piss on your corpse!

Oh? That certainly doesn't sound like you, does it? You're powerless against my possession. You should never have poked your nose in Cinnabar, little one. Fortunate for you, right now there is no need for my dominance. Enjoy what short stint of freedom you still have, boy! Gehgehgehgeh!

"ERGH! . . . damn it, guh . . . what's happening . . . to me? . . . "

[Blink]

After leaving the park, Blink had gone on an exploring spree in the recreation dome. Well, maybe only if you called 'exploring' by the code phrase 'eating everything in sight.' She had found herself at Restaurant Row, and after finding out she was not being charged anything for the food, proceeded to eat something at every individual place. They had given her front of the line privileges at most place, because she was a competition, so it was easy to just cycle through the different spots. She went from burgers to sushi and everything in between. It was a decent day to be Blink.

That took up all of her time leading into the announcement that all competitors must proceed to the barracks. She had been in the middle of eating some bacon at a diner, which was a suitably awesome way to end her delicious adventure. When she returned to the lobby, there was a huge burst of fanfare - it was a lot busier then when she had arrived. People noticed her immediately and began to take pictures. Perhaps it was just something about a dark pink woman in a big green outfit, but they paid a lot of attention.

"Which one is that?!"

"I think that one's Blink! Number 3!"

"She looks like a clown! Can she even fight?"

"Blink! Hey, Blink! I have a couple questions for you!"

"Good luck, Blink!"

She was bum-rushed instantly upon stepping foot into the circle of reports and fans. There were security guards around her to help form a man-made barricade, and them made it a bit easier to move towards the elevator. Eventually, her movement was hampered entirely as the interviewers fought hard to get her to talk. Though she was far from shy, she did have a hint of nervousness to her - she wasn't ensure what to say to anyone.

"What can you do, Blink? Show us one of your powers!"

Her bony face turned to see one of the reporters - a blonde woman with a big smile on her face. She wrinkled her nose a bit at the situation. She felt like a test subject. This tournament was starting to feel more like a reality show then an actual fighting competition. She was expecting it to be a bit more professional going into it, but now it was feeling like she was on display. She glanced over at the other side of the lobby where the elevator was, and without anymore mind, teleported to it.

There was a flurry of gasps as she disappeared in a magenta light. The two guards at the elevator didn't even flinch as she appeared between them and stepped into the contraption. After a few moments, one of the reporters spotted her as the elevator began to rise. "She's over there! She teleported! She teleported!"

Blink gave a silly little wave to the flash photography aimed at her as she disappeared up into the barracks. She adjusted her purple hair as the doors to the elevator opened, and she found herself in the last room she'd be in before the competition. She stepped out of the elevator and made her way to her assigned sleeping arrangements.

[Jak Mar]

Jak eyed his room frowning, he found himself near his room and he eyed the door next to him, number 24 and 26. Whoever it was next to him, he wasn't going to be a sitting duck for the next powerhouse that decided to fuck with everyone else.

Jak decided to ignore the reporters sticking mikes in his face and he pushed away some of them "Jak... come on speak to us.... Give us a taste of what you got.."

Jak frowned, holding in what he really wanted to say to anybody else. This competition was already fucked up in a way. So far, his hallway had been quiet.... too quiet..

"I don't need to explain myself. You know all there is to know about me, which is next to nothing... "

He started to make his way out of the hallways of his room, slipping his survival goodies somewhere safe and frowned and made sure his room was locked. He started to run the opposite way out of his hallway and the numbers started to go up instead of going down.

[Erza Scarlet]

It wasn't until Desco hopped off the bed that Erza noticed the tail and the creepy-ass yellow demon eyes covering Desco's entire body. "Not sure how I missed THAT..." She muttered to herself. It was still a pretty innocent-seeming little girl otherwise, though, so Erza elected to simply try and ignore the eyes. It was hard, though... they were watching her...

"Who is this Guu? Friend of yours?"

Desco's previously-emotionless face lit up just barely enough for Erza to notice. "Yep! Guu and Desco are good friends. She's also a dictator!"

"A dictator, you say?" Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Well, I guess I don't have anything better to do." The oddly-matched pair, one covered in armor, the other in eyes, quietly made their way back to the entrance of the {31-40} hall, Erza taking special care not to let her armor clink too much as they passed Room 35. "Were you around for the... Ah, spectacle, with that one?" She gestured backwards, allowing herself to return to a more comfortable walking and speech pattern as they passed her own room again.

"Nope! Desco got here after it did and saw people cleaning, but missed all the fun." Desco continued out of the hallway and back into the bigger, lobby-like room by the entrance to the barracks. "Guu! Desco's here!" Erza watched her go as she lagged behind, stopping to lean against the wall beside the entrance to the hallway. She crossed her arms, and shook her head, a deep smile returning to her face. "Fun? She's a strange one all right. Something about her was still... Intriguing, though. Erza was soon forced to leave her temporary perch as the relatively short Desco was beginning to immerse herself in the crowd, and she didn't really feel like having to go through that again today.

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

The hours had passed quickly for the pale Prime as he poured over the information kindly provided by Jak and the Syntex corporation. Thankfully, the Library had stayed true to its quite stereotype and he had successfully avoided any unnecessary conflict up to this point. While he had heard several people entering and moving about the room, he had not looked up once. The ex-Turk was far too absorbed in the data before him, trying to soak up as much information (and therefor advantage) as possible.

Though the cataloged information of past contests and parallel histories was interesting to say the least, Vincent focused most closely on the profiles of the other entrants; 'Know your enemy' as the saying went. These autobiographical entries could provide insight into the other entrants, possibly revealing a weakness or character flaw that could be abused to gain an advantage. Whilst some had immediate vanity issues and others bore obvious issues with controlling their anger, Vincent was shocked to find that in many cases the entrants seemed to be 'average' people. He used the term loosely, but in comparison to the things he had seen, what awaited him was not altogether too threatening. He could not fool himself into lowering his guard, however. The ex-Turk knew only too well that even the most mild-mannered, gentle person could become another thing entirely if pushed to an extreme. Vincent could already tell that this Abyss would be such an extreme.

“Mr. Valentine?”

The raven-haired Prime looked up from the display, slightly startled by the woman's intrusion.

“Um, sorry to interrupt. I was told to bring you this,” the librarian said, depositing a small envelope on the desk, “and to let you know that entrants are to head to the barracks as soon as possible.”

Vincent muttered his thanks, opening the unsealed envelope as the cataloger returned to her desk. It contained a small slip of paper stamped with the number '30' in plain black ink as well as a small folded letter. The Prime opened note, skimming its contents.


Congratulations!

We at the Abyss are glad to have you in our little show. If you are reading this, all paperwork submitted is in order and you have been accepted into our roster. Your player number is enclosed. Please report to the barracks at your earliest convenience. Combatants are urged to mix with other entrants in the common area.

Have Fun!
Dante's Abyss Staff


The gunslinger stuffed the papers back into the envelope and slipped everything into his pocket. Valentine noted that the library's inhabitants seemed to be vacating, heading back toward the lobby. These were no doubt other entrants having received similar summons from Karl and his co-conspirators. He pondered this as he rose to his feet, following the path that the others had taken. The Prime followed at a lazy pace, sizing a few of them up; he might be the one to end their lives in the days to come. Though the thought of killing for sport sickened him, he though back to the Solas and Nanaki waiting for him back in Coruscant. He steeled his resolve, striding confidently toward the barracks.

“Everyone head toward the elevator after I check you off. Got that?” the official inquired, glaring through a pair of bushy eyebrows. “Any equipment should be deposited in this bin. Swords, wands, guns, melon-ballers, I want all of it.”

The group passed single-file through the gauntlet, verifying their position among the eligible combatants and depositing their gear. Vincent reluctantly dropped Cerberus unto the bin, locking eyes with the grumpy officiant as he did so.

“Calm down Mr. Prime. We don't want any of your garbage. If you live, we'll give your shit back.” He smirked at the gunslinger, clearly taking pleasure in depriving him of he weapon. “Number 30, Vincent Valentine. Go ahead up.”

The pale Prime and the rest of his group made their way up the elevator, finally arriving at the barracks. The elevator ride had been over with quite quickly, though Vincent knew well enough that they had traveled deceptively high up to reach their destination. The gunslinger followed his fellow combatants out of the car and gazed around for direction. He quickly found the hallway labeled '21 – 30' and followed it to the very end, where he was met with a door emblazoned with his designated number.

The room itself was quite small and modest, the polar opposite of the lavish and extravagant rooms that Vincent had observed to far. The walls were a dull gray, encompassing perhaps 20 square feet of space. A small cot took up most of this space, along with an end table on which the Prime found duffel bag #30. He verified its contents against what he read about past contests, finding everything in order. The ex-Turk was lacking his support item, though he remembered that these were to be distributed soon. He retrieved the map, dropping the bag near the bed. From the hall he could hear the commotion of other entrants finding their short-term homes and briefly considered closing the door before remembering what his letter had advised: “Combatants are urged to mix with other entrants...”. This, no doubt, was to please the cameras and increase the 'drama' of the event. The ex-Turk did not wish to play into Karl's hand, though he conceded that he may need any advantage that could be offered if he wanted to survive. Reluctantly, he propped the door open and took a seat on his cot, unfolding his map.

[Tartaros]

Tartaros meandered further through the halls, darting his eyes back and forth through the crowd around him... a most interesting lot... xenos, humans, and other unidentifiable beings all grouped in a singular shining chrome lobby... Whoever this Karl Jak is, he must have one hell of a marketing team...

At that very moment, a man, seemingly yet another employee ran up towards the marine, almost smacking headfirst into his chestplate. The man looked up towards the marine, staring through a pair of large glasses, holding a now disheveled pile of papers under his arm. The man finally managed to regain his bearings, and after flipping through the pile of papers, spoke.

"Erm... Mister... Castus? You need to head to the barracks, first door on your left."

"Ah... very well then, thank you."

and with that, the marine trundled off down the corridor, eventually finding his way to a plain and grey crowded elevator. The crowd was an... odd one, filled with what seemed to be the contestants, though there was no sign of Okor, Galel or Carn... perhaps they went up in groups... "No matter"...., Tartaros thought to himself, before making his way into the elevator.Eventually, an employee made their way towards the front of the elevator, “Everyone head toward the elevator after I check you off. Got that?” the official inquired, glaring through a pair of bushy eyebrows. “Any equipment should be deposited in this bin. Swords, wands, guns, melon-ballers, I want all of it.”, before walking back towards the side of the crowd.

Finally the elevator stopped with a rumble, and the group of primes left. Atempting to step out of the crowd, the marine was stopped by another employee, who pointed towards a bin, filled with a dizzying array of weaponry.

"All outside weaponry over there, sir."

"Ah, yes, how could I forget?

With a polite sigh through his respirator, the marine placed his boltgun and chainsword on the top of the bin, before proceeding into the barracks.


The room the marine was assigned to was sparse, though still a far cry better than his living conditions back in the wild, though the size of the small beds could almost certainly be improved. After quickly arranging it to his liking, Tartaros walked towards the common room.

The contestants made their way to rooms, marking them as their own before heading towards the common area and chatting amongst themselves. The marine had some other things on his mind however, finding his allies. After scanning across the breadth of the room and a couple minutes of searching, near the back end of the room, he noticed a repugnant smell coming from back outside the common area... Okor! Tartaros walked back into the corridor, following the odor to a room, peeking in however, the marine noticed the rotting giant lying sprawled on top of a bed, gripping a large green tome.

The Luna Wolf slink out of the room as quietly as possible back into the common room, and sat on one of the chairs, his weight causing it to creak slightly, waiting for one of his comrades to enter the room.

[Strazio Rockwell]

Strazio's rest only lasted a few minutes before he became aware of another contestant enter the room. His pale eyes took studied the potential opponent, the man had dark curly hair and wore a dark fur cloak. He almost looks like a hexeater Strazio thought, remembering the anti-magick revenats from his homeland. The air was filled with a pregnant pause as the two competitors sized each other up. Strazio shifted around in his seat and set his duffel-bag on the ground next to his chair.

With a slight hand wave Strazio spoke "you're welcome to sit if you wish."

"Ah, thank you" the man seemed to be relieved that the silence was broken. He took a seat near Strazio and relaxed slightly. Another few moments of silence passed before Strazio extended his scarred hand towards his potential friend.

"My name is Strazio Rockwell, Defender of Darkshire I'm glad to meet you. I'm assuming you're a contestant?"

"Yeah" the man paused before shaking Strazio's hand "I'm Jon Snow, good to meet you as well."

The two shook hands and shared a moment of respect. Strazio reclined backwards, putting his arms behind his head.

"So, why did you join this bloodbath?" Strazio asked, slightly raising his eyebrow.

Jon took a few moments to think before responding "I have my reasons."

"Very well, I suppose it is a bit pretentious of me to ask something like that" Strazio smiled warmly, trying to lighten the mood "I joined because I made a promise, I'm sure you've heard of the Pale Moors?"

"In passing, yes" Jon responded, he was slightly intrigued by Strazio's promise, but kept his somber demeanor.

"Well, it's a hellish place, dreary and dangerous. Monster and devils of all sorts make their home in the moors and the citizens are hunted by these infernal creatures. And yet, with all the sadness and desolation they fight against the oppressive forces of darkness." Strazio chuckled softly before continuing his soliloquy "needless to say they inspired me. I made a promise to banish Dracula, and I don't go back on my promises Jon. So in short I'm hoping the abyss gives me the power to knock down Dracula's castle."

Jon shifted around in his chair, seeming to contemplate Strazio's story. He tapped his fingers on the wooden arms of his chair before speaking "that's quite a promise." He keeps himself well guarded, although I do supposed we are meant to eventually kill eachother Strazio thought. Jon continued speaking "I'm here to clear my name with the empire."

"Oh?" Strazio leaned in closer and rubbed his scarred hands together.

"Yes, when I first arrived here I met a young boy named Crona. We were attacked in Coruscant by an armored warrior, wielding weapons I've naught seen before. Empire forces broke the fight up before it got out of hand, but I was arrested and forced to pay back my debt to the empire."

Strazio thought to himself the more I hear about the Empire the less I seem to like them. "I've met Crona."

Jon seemed surprised at Strazio's claim "do you know where he is?"

"Can't say I do, last time I saw him he was" Strazio paused as he took a moment to reign in his anger towards the golden king "he was in the Endless Dunes, pledging his service to the prick of a sand-king Gilgamesh." A small spark danced across his fingers before fizzling out. He was still pissed at Gilgamesh, but did his best to not let his temper show.

"I don't know why anyone would want to serve that arrogant bastard."

[Schwi Dola]

"Guu?" Desco wandered through the people, many weren't contestants but busy workers preparing for the events that were about to unfold. Desco couldn't see Guu from here, but Guu and Desco were both relatively short. While Guu has some kind of sensory powers, Desco was not yet installed with that kind of functionality. Perhaps she would ask daddy sometime.

"Guuuu..." still unable to locate her in the few impatient minutes she tried to squeeze through the crowd, Desco decided she needed some help. First she pulled out her Dataverse Device and sent a text to Guu. Desco is looking for you Guu, she met someone named Erza! She seems nice.

Next Desco summoned Yogsothoth. In a few moments he materialized at her back while Desco's tail pushed her body into the air to center it on Yog's body. Then her tail lifted off, though still outstretched and she floated a few feet in the air. "Maybe Desco can see better up here.."

[Alain the Carnedge]

Alain approached the guards, doing his best to ignore their stares. "Alain Velgr, number ten on the entrants list." He said, introducing himself as he presumed was standard procedure. The guards merely signed and pointed him to the elevator after a few more seconds of glaring. There was a keypad behind one of them, though they didn't touch it. Seemed they'd given up on unlocking and locking it every time. "Why thank you for being so polite, gentlemen..." He muttered, stepping through the doors and pressing the button for the barracks before they could respond.

The mercenary stepped into the barracks once the doors opened, and just after that, the doors closed and he heard the elevator going down again. There were no reporters or civilians, only (presumably) Primes. Some interesting company, to be sure.

But before mingling with the others, he decided to check his room. Alain moved down the hallway which was marked 1-10,and was greeted with door number two busted down, and a few employees fixing said door and the other things that were inside. "Erm..." He shuffled uncomfortably and quickly noticed the opposite door was down as well. Seemed that someone got into a brawl. The mercenary just kept moving down the hall after a moment of hesitation, hoping that his room wasn't in a similar state.

Alain breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his door was intact, as was everything else. Stepping into the closet these people at Syntex called a room, he took a quick look at his supplies. Some rations, water, a compass, and a map. He took the map out of the duffel bag he was supplied with and put it down on the desk. Judging from the amount of contestants, the island would be undoubtedly crowded. It was most likely best to stick back and wait until their numbers had thinned. Then when everybody was injured, he'd go in for the kill. It was a good plan...disregarding the fact he didn't know where he was going to wind up first.

The mercenary stood there for a minute or two, trying to formulate a back-up. But nothing came to mind. Every attempt to get a decent strategy was hindered by how random some parts of the event was. He'd have to make his strategy once he was actually on the island, which was presumably the point. Alain took a brief moment to clap for the host of the Abyss before putting the map back and walking outside again, shutting the door behind him. Knowing your enemies was important after all.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Roughly went over this with Proto, let me know if I messed up anything! xD

Crimson hues of light pierced an ever expanding, abundance of smoke. Its illumination, casting upon a barren and desolate land, revealed a scorched black earth, cracked with subterranean rivers of magma, visible from the fissures within. Volcanic mountains stretched as far as the eye could see and along with them, their terrifying billows of smolder and ash, forming from the sporadic eruptions of hazardous lava.

*VZZTSHTHAWAPP!*

Sasuke stepped through the crack in time and space, thoroughly fascinated with yet, another foreign technology the world of Omni possessed. At this point, he no longer cared if people caught him gawking or thought him a tourist. Everything in the world of Omni was just so different… and amazing! Sure, he was accustom to Jutsu, but interdimensional travel? Holograms? What was next?!

He placed his palm to the reality-hole he’d just come through; solid. Odd… was this a one way thing? No one had said anything about that to him...

Sasuke shrugged it off and took in his surroundings. Suddenly, the moment changed and the Ninja’s expression became serious. He wasn’t exactly sure what he had expected to happen when he had walked through the portal, but it most certainly wasn’t this. He’d assumed, from what Hammond had told him… that on the other side of the portal would have been some sort of main hall and/or lobby area. He had even been told to expect rather lavish and luxurious accommodations and amendments. A ploy implemented by the staff of Dante’s Abyss to cover up the blood and violence the tournament condoned, however, none of that was present when he arrived on the other side of the portal. Instead the young Ninja found himself assailed by an enduring heat source accompanied by a smoke that seriously irritated both his eyes and lungs. Sasuke shielded his face from the harsh environment with an outstretched arm, as he tried to decipher what was going on.

Where were all the reporters Hammond had talked about? None of this made any sense… thought the young Uchiha.

***

“Sir, we have some sort of interference.” a woman informed her supervisor over her desk intercom; she waited patiently for his response. She wore a business casual dress, her hair in a bun, and pinned to her chest was a badge that displayed her credentials:

Dante’s Abyss Staff- Lexi Goldbloom

“Interference, what are you talking about?” the intercom sounded a response from her supervisor.

She hesitated a moment before answering with, “Well, one of the contestants… vanished.” reluctance showing in her voice.

“What?! What do you mean VANISHED?!” his voice resonated through com-link.

She hesitated once more, but finally replied with, “Well, he took one of our portals the Empire gifted us and now… well, he didn’t come through to the lobby, sir.”

Suddenly, a man in his late thirties appeared at her desk. She recognized him immediately, lowering her head, and eyeing her feet as he shouted, “WHAT?! And you are just NOW telling me about this?! Imbeciles! Bring up the portal audio and video feed, NOW!” as he finished his face had turned a rosy shade of red.

“Yes, sir!” she responded as her hands began hitting the keys of her keyboard in rapid succession. She quickly brought up the feed, on their main computer screen. The screen detailed a youth standing in front of a chair and a woman, with cat ears and tail, questioning him.

Her supervisor, now, in person, and standing behind her, sounded ever more intimidating, “Fast forward! Fast forward!”

The screen then depicted an eruption of fire from the youth as the room became engulfed by what could only be described as, ‘A Giant Fireball’.

“Humph, that’s interesting. You know, we’ve really got some great talent this year.” her manager stated as he pondered over all the contestants who had also displayed amazing talents. He then pointed to the screen, “There! Okay, stop!”

The screen depicted Sasuke, flashing his famous Uchiha grin and entering the portal.

“Okay, show me the other side, from this point in time.” the supervisor demanded.

The female attendant made a grunt, indicating that it might be difficult to obtain. Her supervisor shot her an intense look and she almost squeaked in response, “Wait… here… I got it! There.”

The screen now depicted a zone covered in hell-fire, “That’s the Stepps, isn't it? Why would it take him there?” Lexi asked.

On the monitor, Sasuke stepped all the way through the rift, stepping out onto the Ashen Stepps soil.
The manager took a step back, “I better call Karl Jak right away!” and a moment later he had Mr. Jak himself, on the phone, “Sir, there’s been an issue with one of the contestants… one of the portals..”

“I see. So, it’s happened?” Jak questioned.

“Wha..?” the manager started before being interrupted by Jak.

“He’s found the one he was looking for, excellent! That is good news! Now, make sure you get everything on camera, I want this live for all our audience to see!” and like that, Karl Jak ended the call.

“Huh… Well, you heard the man, roll ‘em. I want every inch of this covered, every angle. I want it available on the Dataverse immediately, make it so!” her supervisor barked as Lexi mimicked her own mock expression in response (when no one was watching). Her fingers flew into action with her keyboard. She hated her job, but man did she like those fat paychecks. She sipped on her coffee as he worked, diligently to, ‘make it so’.

***

“I see, so it’s true. You are here.” sounded a voice just outside of Sasuke’s field of vision. The Uchiha stood, without movement. Silent, his eyes shut. “It’s unfortunate you came alone. You’re not the one I was looking for,” the voice paused to let out a snicker of a laugh, “hmphaha, though, you’ve fallen into my trap, none the less, haven’t you? Little brother.”

Sasuke’s upper lip snarled, his eye’s flared open displaying crimson pupils, and his hands began to speak the language of the shinobi. A bright, hot, white light burst into existence within Sasuke’s right hand, “Itachi Uchiha, I hope you’ve prepared to die. I’ve lived my whole life for this day, this moment. You killed our people, you killed our parents! I’ve grown my hatred for you, all this time. I become the Avenger of our clan and I lived my life for this one single purpose!”

***

Lexi Goldbloom turned in her chair to cast a look at her supervisor, whatever they had caught, it sure looked like it was going to be good for the ratings. Was Karl Jak behind this? Had he orchestrated this whole thing?!

***

“Chidori?” questioned the surprised elder of the two Uchiha as he arched an eyebrow at the thought. “My, I didn’t think you capable. Such a waste.” he mocked his younger sibling.

“ENOUGH OF THIS!!!” Sasuke screamed as the vicious electric current he had created lashed out in all directions, barely containable within his hand. Red eyed and pissed off he rushed Itachi, hell bent on avenging his clan this day, not the next. Unconcerned with the destructive power he possessed, the young shinobi rocketed forward, Chidori in hand. Electric vigor carved hollow the mountain side adjacent to him as he ran, “IT ENDS HERE!!! DIE YOU BASTAAARRRDD!!!”

*KABOOM!!!*

The area surrounding the shinobi shook as a blinding flash of white light consumed them. When it dissipated, a giant crater had been left in its place as the attack had taken a piece of the mountain. Itachi had, in a beautiful display of speed and martial arts, out maneuvered the youth’s attack and diverted it into the base of the mountain; his fingers wrapped tightly around the youth’s wrist. It was astounding, he had brushed off Sasuke’s attack like it was nothing, mere child’s play.

*SNAP*

Itachi’s grip on Sasuke’s wrist, terrifyingly strong, eventually dislocated the youth’s own with a simple flick of movement. An Immense pain, both foreign and familiar to the young shinobi, shot through his nervous system as he felt the dislodging. The youth felt a deafening shriek of pain about to escape his lips when he tasted blood in his mouth. In an effort to stifle his scream he had bit his tongue so hard he bled; he succeeded , Itachi would have no fond memories of his screams to take away from this day.

Itachi gave him a swift kick to the ribs, one that sent him several yards back, scraping across the scorched earth, singing and burning him as he went. “Leave this place. You don’t interest me at the moment.” his older brother mocked him.

Sasuke stood, defiantly and with purpose. “Well, GET INTERESTED!” he roared as he shot forward, a furry of rage clenched in his fist, intended for his opponent. He grimaced however, as he was sent flying backward, taking a well-placed boot to the chest instead. Upon collision with the base of the mountain Sasuke felt his air escape him and his vision become a blur before him. Still, in this condition, he stood.

“Just give in.” the rogue ninja, the monster who murdered his family, mocked Sasuke.
The youth took a combat stance as he spoke, “I already told you. I lived my whole life for this day, this moment. This fight is NOT OVER! NOW DIE!!!” and when he finished shouting he was upon Itachi once more, however, he was met with Itachi’s own assault. One, two, three times he took blows; to the abdomen, nose, and to the side of the head. Sasuke staggered back, caught his footing, and slammed his hands together sounding a loud sound as he did so.

*SNAP*

Sasuke grinned, feeling his wrist sore, but now with ability again, he performed a coordination of hand signs that unleashed a devastating orb of blazing fire, intended to devour Itachi Uchiha. Wasting no time, his hands began in motion again, summoning fourth an abundance of electric destruction into his right hand. He then charged into the hellfire, created from his previous jutsu. As the flames cleared, two Uchiha remained, one rocketing towards the other with the screeching sounds of ten thousands birds aiding him on; they collided and a white light enveloped the scene once more.

*BOOM*

When the light subsided, both Sasuke and Itachi were gone; nowhere to be seen.

***

Lexi, who had been intently watching the fight depicted on their screen, turned to her supervisor, “Where’d they go?”

Her supervisor took a closer look at the screen, “Man, I don’t know… but you better find them, or it’s going be all of our asses!”

Lexi shook her head, muttering something just out of ear shot, sounded like, “What do you even do around here?” Nevertheless she began working away at her computer, ever desperate to locate them.

***

Sasuke suddenly fell through yet, another portal, nimbly catching himself in a crouched position as he surveyed his new surroundings. He appeared to of landed in some sort of administrative office that resembled a museum of sorts, or at least he suspected. In fact, the room almost reminded him of the Third Hokage’s office.

“Sasuke Uchiha, I’ve been waiting for you.” A voice sounded from, again, just out of his vision. Sasuke, now irritated, turned to face the voice. Before him stood an elderly man with long white hair accompanied with an even longer, white beard. The beard stretched down the front of his well-made, but ancient looking robes. Sasuke gave him a blank expression, encouraging the elderly stranger to elaborate not offering any conversation of his own. “My name is Dumblerdore, Albus Dumbledore. I am Chief Warlock of the Kingdom and the Head of the Mages Guild.”

“The Kingdom?” Sasuke questioned.

“Why yes, the Kingdom. It’s quiet lovely this time of year. A splendid abode for any who have had their… fair share of miss-tidings with the Empire, but that’s not why I have summoned you.” The warlock answered displaying a smile ear to ear before continuing, “Itachi Uchiha is a growing threat. He arrived sometime after the scramble incident and has been steadily increasing his prowess as well as his influence amongst the more hardened citizens of the Omniverse. He is attempting to raise an organization to do his bidding. I know their whereabouts and I have insight on the goals he hopes to accomplish. I fear he may one day mount a formidable assault on the Kingdom and its people. It is because of this I have summoned you here.”

“That’s all good and well,” Sasuke cut the elderly man off, “but if you will just send me back, I’ll finish this myself! You’re the reason I’m not killing Itachi Uchiha right now!”

The elderly wizard kept a cool demeanor and simply asked, “And, how was that going for you, before I summoned you here?”

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks; he was right. He had been taking a pretty bad beating back there. After all this time, all this training, and he was still no better equipped to slay Itachi than when he were a child. He cursed under his breath.

If only he was stronger… he thought.

Albus, who had, at some point, changed positions, was now sitting in a rocking chair. He leaned forward, “And, what if you were? What if you were… stronger?”

Sasuke’s eyes widened, had he heard his thoughts?

Dumbledore smiled, “I am commissioning you, one, Sasuke Uchiha to the task of eliminating this threat, however, in order to do so, you are going to need a lot of power; a lot more than you possess now.”

Sasuke kept quiet, as if to say, ‘Go on.’

“In this world there are legendary items known as artifacts. Any one of them could instill the power necessary to defeat Itachi and more so. The ability to make a real difference, for the good of the realm.” finished the Albus Dumbledore`.

He sounds like Hammond now… thought the youth.

“Search these artifacts out, obtain them, and use their power to reach your goals, but be careful, you’ll find you’re not the only one searching for these items of legend.” the ancient warlock finished.

“So, you’re saying these… artifacts… will give me the strength I need? Where will I find them?” questioned the Uchiha youth.

Albus, now sitting atop the desk placed in the office, began speaking once more, “Dante’s abyss is as good a place to start as any. Several of the contestants possess artifacts themselves and the grand prize for first place is an artifact as well.”

I don't remember seeing him move... thought Sasuke, but replied with, “Okay.”

“Okay?” questioned the ancient wizard, now standing directly behind the raven haired ninja.

Sasuke turned about to face Dumbledore, eyeing him suspiciously,“How did yo-” he stopped.

Is everything thing in this place like this? This is f*cking crazy… he thought.

“Okay. I’ll do it. Send me back, I’ll get take the mission.” The youth stated, looking Dumbledore in the eye.

“You will? How do I know I can trust you?” questioned the wizard.

“Trust this. I won’t let anything get in the way of my vengeance. I will restore my clan.” Sasuke stated with conviction.

With that Dumbledore flicked his wand and 'poof', a portal shifted into existence. Sasuke leaped through and was gone, leaving Dumbledore with a smile on his face, “That’s what I’m counting on, my boy. That’s what I’m counting on.”

***

Sasuke landed on the other end of the rift in space, quickly surveying his surroundings once more. You never know where one of these damned portals was going to take you. This time he had been transported to a small room containing a bunk, desk, and place to prepare simple meals. On top of the desk sat a bag labeled, “Contestant #43”

“Looks like I missed the preshow. Hammond said they wouldn’t move us into the barracks for days…” Sasuke stated as he placed a hand over his forehead. His sense of time was all distorted and his body ached from the battle with his brother. He removed his shirt as he wanted nothing more than to plop down on that bunk and just sleep forever, however, just as he was about to do so, he remembered something.

“Dante’s abyss is as good a place to start as any. Several of the contestants possess artifacts themselves…”

The youth put his shirt back on and exited the room. No time for rest, he needed to do some investigating!

[Schwi Dola]

Desco was disappointed as her efforts to find Guu failed, she must not be right here because she'd at least have noticed Desco even if she couldn't spot Guu. Desco set back down on her tail and desummoned Yogsothoth as her tail shrank and let her down going back to its normally small size.

Without anything else to do to find Guu Desco pulled out her Dataverse Device to see if there was anything Guu posted online. Desco found an ask Agnès blog but she couldn't find any posts by Guu in the past 5 minutes nor had she responded to Desco's message. But then Desco looked up and saw a guy in red and black. He kinda looked like a super hero but there was something off about him, something that didn't say good guy. "Hey Erza, do you know who that is?"

[Negi Springfield]

Negi had just gone through the portal and was wandering around the lobby when he heard a gruff voice.

"Hey, get to the barracks." A guard, wearing a Syntex uniform, pointed towards to the elevator towards the back.

He pushed his way through the eclectic crowd. The elevator was flanked by two guards, silent watching him.

"Negi Springfield"

"We'll take any weapons you have."

"I don't have any."

"You're contestant number forty-four. You'll find everything you need in your room." One of the guards entered a passcode on a nearby control panel and Negi entered the elevator.

The inside of the facility was spartan. There were no fixtures on the concrete walls and the intermittent light dimly lit the halls. The place felt like a prison. He went down the hall marked 41-50 and found his room. Inside, there was a small cot and not much else. On the bed, was a bag filled with packs of MREs, bottles of water, a compass, and a map. He unfolded the map, looking it over. Then he folded the map back up and put everything back in the bag. He laid down, intending to get some sleep, but he felt too restless to do so. Instead, he left his room, shutting the door behind him. Might as well see if I can find out something about the other competitors.

[Guu]

Guu, firmly distracted by what had happened with the strawhatted man, decided it was good time to check out her room. She wandered down the rows upon rows of rooms until she found room 23. She promptly ignored the incessant yelling from her nearest neighbor, who was complaining to several staff members about how the soda fountains had the option for Coca Cola.

She passed through her door and was greeted by a rather plain room that was passable at least. It’s better than the one that greeted her in the Langweilig Inn. She found her bag, lying neatly not far from her bed. She’s quick to rifle through it to get an idea on what they are allowing in this thing. Some sort of TV dinners labeled MRE’s, bottles of water, a compass, a map… She unfolded the map and inspected it. She made a quick mental note of the places she’d like to visit, not making the connection that any of those locations could be the place she dies horribly in. Putting away the map, she pulls out her dataverse device and gets some tweets in, as well as a blog post.


---


As she surfed the net, reading up on everything she could on Dante’s Abyss, she had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. It was something important, at least to her as it was really biting at her conscience. She couldn’t quite piece together what, maybe her encounter with Gilgamesh really had thrown her for a loop. However, something caught her eye.

“Gildarts was going to this thing?” She asked out loud to nobody. She sensed out as far as she could, feeling for that middle-aged man he was familiar with. Sure enough, he was the lounge, playing cards with random people. With the scent caught, she shoved her device in her bag, slung it on her back and she ran off towards the recreation area of the barracks.


---

Along the way, she spotted someone very familiar. He was a mouse with round familiar ears that she had seen on about a million hats. Figured it would only take a second, she took a little detour.

He was just kind of sitting there, a little bit of sorrow on his face. His clothing was unfamiliar, but even then, it was obvious who he was. The famous Mickey Mouse. Taking a few minutes, she summoned a little notepad and pen into her hand and approached him, holding the pad close to her chest.

“Excuse me…” She said, catching the mouse’s attention. She pushed the notepad forward and into his paw. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Oh!” Mickey was somewhat surprised at the sudden fan. He grasped onto the pad and held out the pen. “Who should it be out to?”

“Guu. That’s spelt G-U-U”

He scribbled on the pad and then handed it back to her. The text read: “For my best pal, Guu. Sincerely, King Mickey the Mouse.” She recoiled at this.

“You’re a King?” She said, somewhat surprised.

“Well yeah. What else am I known for?” He asked, puzzled.

“Well, I… Nevermind. It’s just I’m royalty myself. Princess Guu of Ambrosia.” She curtsies before him. “Pleasure to meet you King Mickey.”

Mickey figured this little girl must be some king’s daughter, though the fact that she was in this tournament sickened him deeply. The fact that Karl would let a mere child compete was horrifying and disgusting. He genuinely hoped nothing bad happened to her.

“Anyways, there’s a guy I need to meet. If you’re ever in the Tangled Green, give us a visit sometime. Bye.”

She ran off, curving herself to wave at Mickey as she heading for Gildarts.

“Be safe, Princess Guu.” He said as he watched her run off.


---


Didn’t take long before that familiar red head was within view, suddenly playing solitaire. Without any warning, she slid into the seat in front of him.

“Hello Gildarts.”

He suddenly dropped his cards in surprise.

“Princess! You’ve been pulled into this, too?”

“Yep, it’s like I said in my e-mail. Representing Ambrosia in this thing.” She said, while stomaching the autographed notepad. “I’m guessing this was the reason you couldn’t come back to Ambrosia so quickly.”

“Yep, they roped me in.”

”Well, good to know I have some allies out there.”

At the mention of that phrase, that nagging feeling of dread came back to haunt her once before, it as driving her nuts.

”Glad to hear the mission was success. You’re rewards will come when we’re back at the kingdom”

“Oh, I don’t require rewards. I was only doing what was honorable.”

”Yeah, I got that from you, but I’d prefer to give you something. Maybe a nice house or something.” She stated, but before he could respond: “Not taking a ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Well, if you wish your highness.”

“Would love to meet that Molly you were talking about. She sounded feisty from her tweets. Getting her reward would be preferable, too.”

“Well she needs a job now, and a new home.”

“What was she hired for before?”

“Getting information.”

”Hmmm, we don’t have one of those. Consider her hired.”

“Haha, she’d be happy to hear that!”

”So how old is she?”

“Oh, can’t be older than 10.”

That nagging feeling returned in full force, but this time, like a light going off in her head, she knew exactly what she was forgetting. She stood up straight in her seat, which didn’t really gain her much height.

“Desco!”

“What?”

”I needed to find Desco! I’m an idiot!”

“Who’s Desco?”

She expanded her senses into the crowd, searching frantically for her friend. Eventually, she found her, perusing her device somewhere out there with two other people surrounding her.

“I’ve got to go. A friend needs me…” She said, jumping out her seat. But suddenly, she turned to Gildarts and grabbed his hand. ”On second thought, you’re not doing anything, you probably should come with.”

And with that, she yanked him out of his chair and onto his feet. She lead him through the crowd towards Desco.

[Doomguy]

So, I did not get much of chance to look into my fellow contestants. I was far too distracted by something far more powerful in my own arsenal than gather intel. But it wasn't as if they others hid themselves. Giant super soldiers in powered armor, men in spandex, magical little girls, pirates and ninjas. The more I saw the spread of primes that Omni saw fit to pull into this world, the more it started to dawn on me that I might have been the more "normal" prime there. Which is a sad state of affairs, when you think about it. The gun-totting, Hell destroying marine was the image of normality in the world of Omni's domain. There might have been some that I overlooked in the rushed glance over the competition, but there majority had some sort of strangeness to them, if not in looks than at least in armaments.

What this meant for me in the battle to come was little. May they be quick or lumbering, strong or clever, the diverse cast of strengths was only off set by their own weaknesses. The demons of hell may have been greater in some part to a human, but it was a sole marine that brought their entire world to ruin. The barons of Hells, great and terrible, broke as easily as the others when they found themselves unable to hit me. the quick pinkies tried to rush me, but could not take the pain as I brought the chainsaw down on their heads. Revenants brought the firepower, but I drown them under a rain of plasma and stomped their guards to the grown. What different where these people to the enemies I've fought before? Once we reached the island that was to be the arena of this event, they were just the enemy. I would survive, raise my self to triumph, and when it was said and done I could only hope that my apologies would mean something to those I had to kill.

As I made the final touches to my latest weapon, wrapped in giddiness as the newly summoned parts all fit together and I would be able to test fire it at the dojo, I felt a hand grab me by the shoulder. I whirled around, my hand reached out for the shotgun I left on the workshop table, and I saw it was one of the guards that the jackass who was in charge of this blood sport hired to keep the peace. Poorly, so I heard.

"You're Doomguy, right?" He asked, and I raised an eyebrow that someone actually pronounced by nickname right. For once. "All contestants are to head to the barracks now. I'm here to escort you"

Fair dues to the rent-a-mook, he managed to remain calm and professional even when I had been a few seconds from turning his insides out. I eased up my grip on the shotgun and placed it in the weapon's holster, gathered up everything else, and was lead back through the extravagant lobby dome towards the elevator that I had passed on my first way through. Destiny laid before me, and I was ready to take it heads on.

"Excuse me, Doomguy, could we have a word with you?" A voice behind called out, and I stopped in my tracks to see who it was. My escort tried to hurry me along when he grabbed my shoulder plate, but he only managed to make a fool of himself as his boot squeaked on the polished marble floors. The mustachioed man in a red coat and his motley crew of equipment people. I have to admit, that Ron Burgundy wanted to waste his time with me was flattering, even though I knew the reason was for his own ratings.

"Sure. By ya'll have to keep it quick, I'm on the clock here" I answered, one hand gave the thumbs up towards the camera while I planted the other in the guard's helmet and pushed him down and added a degree of difficulty for him.

"Is that a hint of southern drawl I hear? Nice to meet a fellow American, and one who wears the uniform" That, at least, seemed genuine, and I nodded to confirm his suspicions as I grappled with the guard. "So, what's your reason for joining Dante's Abyss" He said the last bit with half-assed enthusiasm, betraying that he had been prodded into "hyping" the event. Which meant Karl Jak had the media pretty much on the lease. That he had picked me out meant less that I was interesting and perhaps more that he failed to meet some quota when the rest of the primes shrugged him off. I could have just left, but I at least wanted to throw him some kind of bone.

"Anything I can use to get to Omni is something I'm going for. And if I can get to Omni, then maybe I can find a way to get everyone home and maybe get some answers" It was the honest answer, one that most stood by. Ron himself nodded is silent agreement

"A noble cause, Doomy" My eye twitched a little, but my helmet blocked that off "But what makes you think you'll win against all these other primes?"

I could feel the corner of mouth turn up in a wild smile as he asked that. I reached across my back, grabbed the handle of my newest weapon, and let the enormous bulk of the Big Fucking Gun rest on my shoulder. It's weight was pure power, a comforting port in the storm of fate. the warm glow of its plasma generators like a beacon at the gate. With it I felt like nothing would get in my way. Victory was assured.

"Because my cause is just, my will is strong, and my gun is very. very large." As I looked lovingly at the huge weapon, I noticed that two more guards had neared when their comrade failed to reel me to the elevator "Alright, I gotta go. See you on the flip side" was my final farewell as I was finally dragged into the elevator and sent to the final preparations before the fight.

----

The elevator to the barracks was largely quite, save for the basic yet ever agitating music that always ends up playing inside the metal death trap. I said "Hi" to the guards inside after the guards outside managed to push me inside with minimal casualties, but all I got was a cold silence. Nothing against them. They weren't being paid to be nice. The ride was as uncomfortable as everyone just spent the time look either they eyes glued to the door, while the bad music played through the bad speakers like someone's idea of a joke, and once the doors opened neither one of us said a word as I walked into the into barracks proper.

Compared to the polished to a shine lobby floor that all of us had been in moments ago, the barrack were spartan and built for purpose. Without any life or style, and one would notice the corner cutting if you looked hard enough. It struck a striking resemblance to a USSMC building, or a really shitty hotel, with it's narrow corridors leading into small, pen like rooms with numbers on the front. Grey cement walls were the only furniture worth mentioning, and the front room looked more like the entrance to a subway than a sporting event: queue lines leading to a set of revolving barriers and a single attendant was there to welcome incoming primes.

After I was given my door key and my collar (I was told I didn't HAVE to put it on until the event, it was just mandatory for the unruly primes), I gave a glance around an saw the room that was assigned to me. Number 26. How long was it since the attack on the bar, that I had still not sleep since? Maybe I could dodge everyone and get some shut eye...

[Galel Baraz]

Galel sat against the door of his room, third eye scanning the hallway in both directions while his mortal eyes were glued to the book he held gently in his massive hands. The War Against Diablo: Part III, Closure of the Black Gate. He read, absorbing the information on the page. After a few moment, he gently flicked the paper, moving on to the next page. This continued for nearly an hour, during which time several contestants stopped and asked what he was reading. His answer each time was the same, "Fate." When asked what the hell he meant by that, he was silent.

Soon enough, he closed his book, satisfied with the information he had acquired. Placing the book against his thigh, he grabbed some leather straps that dangled from a chain attached to his armour. Wrapping the straps around the book, he ensured that he would always have it with him. Checking to ensure the book was secure, Galel nodded and stood. Glancing down the hall, he turned and entered the room he had been assigned. Sitting on the bed, Galel pulled the duffel bag of supplies before him, opening it up and checking its contents. No vox caster, nor any power supplies. He frowned, closing the bag and placing it next to his bed.

His survival skills were rusty, that was for sure. It had been centuries since he had been stranded with no supplies, forced to live off the land while he figured a way off the rock his enemies had forced him to land on. Galel smirked, lying back in the bed and remembering his home. A galaxy of unremitting war and bloodshed, a thousand thousand warbands dedicated to the destruction of the Corpse-Emperor's Imperium. A universe where only the strong thrived in a billion societies built upon the suffering of trillions of souls. It was a good universe, one where he had learned the hardest lessons. Never trust. Galel thought, The most important of those lessons.

[Illidan Stormrage]

At least if there was another Ganondorf here, it boded well that they were enemies.

Link listened quietly as the Gerudo king quarreled with a golden armoured man, arrogance and condescension dripping off him like water. He was far more hotheaded than Ganondorf though, as a few choice words sent the man into a self righteous tirade. Gilgamesh, he called himself. Ganondorf might be evil incarnate, but at least he was polite.

The barracks were just as noisy and crammed with participants as the lobby. Link's eyes moved slowly over the crowds, sizing up the competition.

I'm going to have to kill them, he thought to himself. If they don't kill me first.

Link felt sick. What kind of farce was this? This was no place for the Hero of Time to be. He was a warrior for justice, not some rupee hungry mercenary for hire, or a posturing attention seeker out for personal glory. Neither was he, as his eyes flicked briefly onto Ganondorf, a sadistic dictator greedy for more power.

But what could he do? He rushed into the portal without a second thought. Syla's note was all the motivation he needed to charge headlong into a completely alien situation, unprepared and unsuited for its challenges. What was worse, he was forced to team up with his nemesis just to have a sliver of a chance at reclaiming the Triforce of Courage alive. He still didn't trust the idea that he was immortal and he had no intention of proving it. Ganondorf had mentioned that he perished here and was reborn, but his words were worth less than the sand his kingdom was drowning in.

He sighed, staring at the back of his left hand, twisting it back and forward. What kind of hero was he now? The Hero of Time teaming up with the greatest villain of all time. A thought reached into his mind that filled him with dread. Was he even a hero? He had the Master Sword, a few useful tools and a goddess blessed relic in the past, and he heavily relied on their powers to get him through his challenges. Was he just some kid who happened to find them?

And even then, he hadn't always succeeded. During the battle against the Rathalos, Link stabbed Ganondorf with the Master Sword, but still failed to defeat him. He could even get stabbing right. Couldn't anyone technically take up the same items and forge the same destiny that he had? Maybe even a greater destiny than his?

In that case, what made him special? Without the Triforce of Courage, what made him any different than the other Hylians in his world? It seemed it was all random chance, that he wasn't preordained to defeat Ganondorf after all. The weight in his stomach climbed into his shoulders. He wasn't a hero. All he was was lucky.

And now he was entering Dante's Abyss, where it seemed his luck would finally run out.

Link stared up at Ganondorf, his looming form dwarfing almost everyone else in the barracks. While he would never trust Ganondorf, he felt a slight wave of assurance that such a powerful warlock was on his side.

And at the same time, a level of fear he could not describe.

[Lubbock]

Before long, Lubbock noticed a young boy, seemingly two years or so preceding himself. He had bright red hair, much like Gin's, wearing glasses and some kind of robes. Although he looked young, he also looked wise, almost seasoned and slightly worn... Lubbock decided to go talk with him and ask him about his room. He waded through the crowd once more, pushing past people, before finally exiting the suffocating fray. However, he was quickly pushed back by someone, a man in scruffy grey and green clothes, with a hairstyle that looked like he washed it with oil.
"Hey, kid, Lubbock, right?" he asked, his massive hand against the assassin'a chest. He smelled of booze and axle grease.
"Y-yeah," he slightly coughed out, and rather nasally too due to trying nose to receive the horrid smell.
"Yeah, thought so. Watched you chatting with Mr. Burgundy. Lemme give you a quick tip - those wires of yours will be useless in the Abyss," he told him, looking him in the eyes with his brown ones. They actually almost looked black with the overshadowing brow.
"A-ah, sure. Why not?" he asked, confused.
"The guards probably should have taken them off of you before you came in here, but they're so subtle and the guards are as dumb as a dipstick that they wouldn't have bothered. Better take 'em off in your room before someone sees. That won't be good," he advised the green-haired boy.
"Oh, okay... But I have one problem," he looked into the man's confused face, "I don't know which room's mine..."
The guy just laughed, "What?! A participant doesn't know his room?" Lubbock scratched his head and mumbled, 'don't need to rub it in'. The guy pulled out some kind of device and tapped it a couple of times, "Let's see... Lubbock, Lubbock... Ah! Here you are! Room 17, in between Gin Yatreg, 16, and Link, 18," he told him helpfully. He slid the phone back in his pocket and turned, "Hey kid, I gotta go. I'll be rooting for ya,"

Wait, my room's next to Gin's? Sweet! Don't know who his Link guy is though... he turned back to where he saw the young boy, but he was gone. Shrugging, he turned to the side of the room and made a beeline for room 17.