Zone C -- Megacity One

[Oleander]

The safehouse was what Takezo would call an indomitable fortress, though perhaps it was not so impressive to the others. As he entered, greeted by the warning of non-violence in the base, he peered around the room. His brows rose, threatening to jump clear off his face. Like the odd structure before, there were lights in the ceiling that burned without smoke or smell. The well lit room had places to rest and relax, and he ventured a guess if he wanted it, food would be somewhere here.

Not much of the safe house was scanned before his eyes found Gildarts. It would seem the man was entering just a moment behind him. The hand upon the hilt of his sword tensed... and then released. For the first time since arriving on the island, he released the weapon and let his hand fall loose by his side. The swordsman's hand flexed, stretching at their new found freedom of burden.

"Our friend is drawing closer," he spoke to Dust. "We should rest here for a moment, she is not far now." Dust had not traveled as far or as fast as Takezo, and to be honest his legs were growing rather tired. He moved to a bare wall and sat against it. The backpack now resting in his lap was emptied of its contents, one item at a time. He drank upon finding the waterskin, but tossed the stick aside. The odd glass item was kept, if only for its oddity. He was not yet hungry, thanks to their gourging just prior to arrival, so his rations were saved for the time being.

Sighing in relief, he rubbed at one of his aching calves. "I noticed you were falling behind, my friend. You do not appear to be of low constitution... Is something on your mind?" Being polite again might seem odd to those who only knew him in passing, but by now Dust had come to an understanding. Takezo was a demon with a sword, but somewhere in him there was a pack animal. It was so much better to stand atop your kill with an ally to share your victory with. So long as that pack was loyal - Takezo had made that very clear.

[Dawnika Snow]

So far so good. No one had shown themselves to her and that was a boon if any. She had seen some of the competition in that hallway and wasn't exactly prepared to fight, not in these conditions. Her first priority was to find Dust and Shinmen, and not die in the process. The mist was still proving problematic, she hoped soon it would dissipate, but it didn't seem like it would.

The safehouse in this area was an office building, easily distigushable between the rest of buildings. It shouldn't be so hard for her to find. There were very few buildings any Primes were using. Her hand rested close to the trigger of the her gun and her death grip on her katana, she hurried down the streets of the city quickly. She stayed to the sides of the road where she could access alleyways and utilize cover of streetlamps and mailboxs. Coming around the corner of the street, she can see the center of the city reaching to the skies through the fog, though it was tough to see at first. This had to be where the safe house waited for her, judging by the mixed identification of her map, the Compass and her own intuition that was guiding her through the streets.

Though what ultimately lingered on her mind was the man she had talked to before being sent into the field: Dust. Why had he been so nice to her? What was his intent? To get on her good side and then stab her in the back? Or, was he genuinely being nice and trying to make a friend? Fuck no, he couldn't a friend to her the way Rogue was. Rogue had been with her for years, years. She should stay wary of the others, if she were to get killed this early in the competition, she would hate herself.

[Dawnika Snow]

Last post I moved from Sub-Zone C17 to Sub-Zone C2, sorry I missed that.

The center of city. It was rough getting her but finally she had made it. Her Vita Compass had flicked off telling her allies were close. They must be inside the safehouse waiting for her. She cursed to herself under her breath, it will look unprofessional if she was late. She did tell them that she would find them, and not to look for her. The roads around this area looped around a cluster of buildings where the safe house waited for her. The mist was still being annoying as fuck, but the buildings were close and her map was leading her through it.

Within the buildings, one seemed to have some life to it. It was the office building that was labeled to be the safe house. She had her target in sight, quickly she began to sprint towards the safe house building. a place of refuge on the battlefield. She busted through the door of the safe house, slowing down as she entered in the door, acting as if she wasn't in a hurry. Though, she tried to keep her breathing steady under her fisade.

The first thing she saw was that Prime from the hallway: Glidarts. Damn, she had hoped to avoid him for the bulk of the competition, but it seems that couldn't be helped. There was also Dust and Shinmen off to the side. Dawn took off her muddy facemask and took a deep breath of freah air(Instead of the cloggy ass reused air in her mask.

"Yo, Dust! Takezo!" She said throwing her arms in the air. "I told you I'd find you losers didn't I?" She screamed out to her mutual allies. "Let's go kill some bitches so I can get paid!"

C21 to Safe House C

[Dust]

SAFE HOUSE C

Dust walked into the lobby with Shinman Takezo, the blood thirsty sword wielding demon, and a moment later, they felt the presence of the two they'd walked away form three times this day. Each man reacted to the new comers in their own way, Takezo gripped his blade and was ready for battle, eager for it, licking his chops and drooling for the fight he demanded!! While Dust turned around to face the man who struck terror into Abyss, but he did not flex at the chance of battle like the man who had lead him here to this fateful meeting between them and the two from the hall.

Volk just stared, in a similar way that he did in the hall. He let Gildarts presence wash over him in waves, and the dark skinned elf's crashed against him as well. Though Dust did not budge. His tall figure stood between the two of them and Takezo, but lacked any threatening presence; as he could threaten these titans that stood before him, even if he felt hostility towards either of them, or puffed out his chest as a way to look bigger than he actually was. A moment passed, and another. The tension in the air was as thick as the air outside was with its foggy ghosts; perhaps it was one sided, or that the air just was heavier around him as he met eyes with The Strongest Prime and held his gaze without flinching. Instead, his eyes seemed to only solidify as he stared.

Takezo managed to break the spell a strong opponent naturally enchanted onto someone like him, and instead broke away from the group to walk away from the storm that brewed between the men. Dust was not so far into his silent stare with the other man to not hear his ally, and silently pulled free of the man's influence to follow along. The mentioning of Dawn getting closer had broken the spell the mage had without casting any magic, but it wasn't until Takezo said that she was closing the distance between them and her a second time did it completely register to Dust that Dawn was on her way.

This brought an excitement to his chest and the phantom tail syndrome happened once more. Then the older man mentioned his lagging and that surprised Dust. Not because he doubt his perception of the area around him, but because he didn't think he was paying that much attention to him. He cocked a smile to let out a soft laugh, ready to make some kind of comment, only to hear the door burst open. The taller man turned and reacted with alert despite the promises of this being a safe haven, only to see Dawn herself come strolling through like she owned the damn building. He almost didn't recognize her, if only because of the scent of earth that was splattered across her face and clothes. Then with a voice that was loud and proud, she called out to them like they were old college buddies, and he half expected her to throw up peace signs as she declared death upon 'some bitches'.

She'd see him go from alert, to surprised, to relief, and finally to that familiar big grin on his face and the kindness radiating from his grey colored eyes. Whatever tension remained in his back from the stand off with Gildarts, broke away with her entrance; like a rock star walking through the fog on stage. "There you are, Yuki." He said her frost-bitten title with a warmth that could melt anything, and sounded just as pleased to see her. "I was just thinking about you." He teased, relaxing his stance so that his perfect posture was in place and his hand touched his hip, the bag almost falling off his thick rounded shoulder. "What happened? Someone drag you through the mud already?"

[Oleander]

He glanced up at the sound of Dawn's voice. He had been tapping away at that tablet again, but the sudden easily broke his concentration on figuring out the odd stone. He ignored the loser part as friendly banter, but the offer of bloodshed was welcomed. Takezo immediately stood, refreshed from his long run and ready to go again. Like before, he took a moment to stretch his legs, preforming some long forgotten variation of some unknown martial art.

Even those who claimed to know every martial art would not know what style Takezo used for his warm up. Even if thye knew the modern version it was like comparing the Model T Ford to a 2017 Ford Fiesta. Time left almost nothing unchanged. The time spent was brief, and even while he released the tension in his legs, his grinning lips spouted words toned by fierce determination. "Calamari, Bushy-brows and Ink-Yokai are not terribly far."

A moment of realization hit him. Takezo turned his focus onto Dawn, a latecomer to his and Dust's conversation in the bar. "I believe the squid-creature formed her group after I ..." he almost lost it to a rogue chuckle, "after I gave her a mean look." He was not the only one to chuckle at that. "Their bond is weak, I sense no true loyalty between them. If we strike early, we may shatter their group before they are comfortable to hunt us. There is no telling if they have picked anything up as of yet. I can't speak for all of us, but I know I was not lucky in stumbling across something worth while."

Plucking his backpack from the ground he shrugged it back into place between his shoulder blades. "I hope you two do not mind if I take the lead. Miss Yuki, you are our ranged support, and... Dust does not appear to be much of a tracker of men." The statement was short and sweet; Takezo was assuming the frontman of the lineup. First to attack, most likely first to be attacked, leaving Yuki with more reaction time to find her post and fight from afar. If Dust was aware of tactics, which Takezo naturally assumed to be true, that would mean that he was the flanking body.

With a happy little sigh, Takezo exits the safehouse, eager to get the hunt underway. Finally. Even as he walked, that jaunty, haunting tune returned to his lips. “Demon, demon at my door, drop ten bodies to the floor! One for the fun, two for the fight! Three to feed the demons in the night! Four for the challenge, five will be dead! Six and Seven fall without their head! Eight for the record, nine for the night! Ten bodies fall, before first light!” Takezo slams the door behind them, after letting holding it open for his teammates.

Exiting Save Houce C, entering C21

[Malon]

"Got it! Uhmm, C17, that's me sooo...okay! Okay I think I can start moving."

Atta girl. Stay in touch.

Atta girl. Stay in touch. Tearen's voice came out of the Crystal Ball that Malon used to communicate, before falling silent again. Before moving out however, she took deep breaths, doing as best as she could to not let the fear, the borderline panic, the number of impressions played on her by her surroundings, by the teleportation and by the sudden presence of a backpack weighting down her back side... to not let all that overwhelm her. Breathe in, breathe out, put the backpack aside, put the tablet down, breathe again... okay, that was a little better.

First of, stop being scared of your surroundings, Assassin told her once Malon had calmed a little. The illusion was very helpful even in a situation like this. This is just another architectural style that we are unfamiliar with. Listen to your surroundings.

No sooner did Malon start focusing than she heard footsteps. Someone was walking through the streets of the city, and they were close. She pressed her back against a wall and readied herself to pull out a weapon, but the steps grew quieter again after a little while, indicating that whoever was causing them was moving elsewhere. And in the opposite direction of her, no less - towards the south. She picked up the tablet with shaky fingers, doing her best to calm her racing heart, and began to move north.

There's another thing, Assassin said. It won't help you much in an actual battle but you can use the powers of a Skinwalker to change your colors. If you could turn yourself darker to avoid standing out against the ground and the walls for instance.

I'll keep it in mind... this shapeshifting is making me feel a little exhausted, Malon thought in response. Before long, a beep of her tablet, as Tearen called it, showed that she was in a different zone now. She looked around and listened but could not find a trace of her to-be ally.

Hopefully he hadn't gotten in trouble? There were more than enough people around this area that she trusted to attack anyone else the instant that they met.

For clarity, the footsteps heard are Dawnika's. Refer to posts #37 and #44.

Moving C17 => C6

[Dust]

Dust watched the old swordsman do his motions, and stretches, but he couldn't tell you the difference between what he was doing and some made-up regime. He took this last minute time to transfer the things from the sack they gave him to the bag he snagged while playing on the beached ships. He liked that one better. He snapped the tablet on as he was familiar with the technology, glanced very briefly at the applications it could hold, and then stuffed it in the backpack. While his comrades were quick to toss the selfie-stick Dust found it amusing and collapsed it back in its easier to carry form for snapping pictures later. As he was doing this, though, it made him wonder if they did take pictures where would the files be saved and how could they get a copy when it was all done. Perhaps it was a prop and not as useful as he wanted it to be.

A smile came to his face as Takezo was relaying the story of their prey to Dawn, so she knew what this first hunt would be all about. It still amused him. What he gathered, the girl wasn't the brightest of the primes; not only did she provoke Shinmen, but she apparently tried to go head to head with Gildarts before all of this. He glanced at the man in the room a side glance; the type you use to gauge if the sun was high enough to call 'noon' without blinding yourself or getting lost in the radiance; then his eyes turned back to his group. "From what I understand, she is the type to act on impulse and quickly before she has the chance to think about it. We could us that to our advantage as well, perhaps get her worked up enough to make big mistakes." He said, shuffling his pack back onto the one shoulder. It was obviously going to fall off and he'd have to readjust it, but there was a reason he was only using the one arm. Even if he didn't know if it would come up or not.

He follows the two outside the building, stopping at the door and looking back at the men they were leaving behind. He give them a respectful nod, then leaves before Takezo closes the door behind. Their ally's excitement was evident in his almost skipping nature, as he sang happily. Wolf shook his head with a beaming grin before he looked up at the sky, it was starting to lighten up, but the fog was still ghosts in the streets. He ignored the prickling in his spine. "Calamari is obviously the weakest, but they might know that already. Should we attack on sight or try to do some recon?" He asked, seriously. They would have some time to talk this through.

C21>C17

[Harlan Higgs]

He watched the blue girl bounce up the side of one of the buildings and disappear. Silly creature. Ah well. Hoepfully he could count on her being just as amiable and disruptive the next time they crossed paths.

He walked the streets of the urban environment, feeling much more at home than on the soggy beach. Mountains of glass and steels, and rivers of asphalt upon which he trod. Empty. Completely empty. Karl Jak must be one rich son of a bitch to be able to empty out an entire island for a game show.

The only sounds he could hear were the cawing of birds and the echo of his footsteps rebounding off the brick alleyways. Which would announce hiz presence to anyone listening for signs of life, but he wasn't worried. 

Oh, but that escape from the swordsman! What a thrill! It was fantastic, and clever, and exaxtly what he had been looking for, the chance to flex his mental muscles to his advantage. He took the tooth out of his pocket, inspecting it and turning it over in his hands. Pretty good for the first round. He had a piece of something, and he'd shaken the most dangerous combatant he faced so far.

Still, it wouldn't do to be caught with his pants down. He felt in his waistband for the heavy revolver and flipped the cylinder open, spinning it silently. Well oiled, and fully loaded, .357 caliber bullets, each cartridge as big as his pinky. More than enough to blow a hole in most targets, and leave the rest gasping.

It was quite possibly his favorite gun in existence, with the exception of a compact modern death machine he'd only gotten to fire once at a shooting range.

Back into the waistband it went, and he pulled out his pair of brass knuckles next, slipping them on and off while he headed deeper into the city, the concrete jungle growing thicker with newsstands, market, and brand retailers.

C11 to C19

[Todd Ingram]

'Much movement in the area, I need to get to a better position.'

Observing the local area,Batman prepared to move once again. The thick mist didn't make his job any easier. The safest and best way to go about it was to double check everything. The coast seemed clear, the armored warrior decided this was the time to move. A well aimed shot with his grappling gun send the metal hook flying towards one of the nearby rooftops. The metal clanked against the stone right before it hooked itself. A zip line like sound was heard as Batman got carried through the air towards the rooftop. 'Clear.' A quick scan of the place satisfied the sceptic voice within himself. Not taking any chances he remained low in order to stay out of sight for any and all others.

"Hey!" A high pitched voice that came from behind him triggered Batman's sharp reflexes. With a swift 180degree turn he took a battle stance. The rooftop behind him was empty. But he wasn't letting his guard down. His eyes were scanning the mist clouded surroundings once more, he was 100% sure he heard something.

'Hey! Look! Listen!"

Once more it came from behind him. 'Wait, did that just come from the knapsack we received?' Batman kneeled down and opened the sack again. A pink blinking light caught his attention, it as a notification light on the tablet he received. Taking the device out he took a closer look at it, for some strange reason it came with a small note attached to it. Bruce read it, ' To the lucky prime! Enjoy this tablet which I personally personalized. Smooches, Karl.'

"Hey! Look! Listen"!

Once more the annoying high pitched voice, as if created by the devil himself, went off. Bruce turned the device around and looked at the screen which was showing a yellow button that had an upwards arrow engraved on it. Bruce pressed it, hoping it would stop sending the notifications, and it did. A chat bubble appeared explaining to him the use of this device.

Moving c20 to c16

[Gildarts]

While the other… Guests of the bunker remained quiet and unforthcoming, Illidan chose to lurk in the shadows, silently brooding as he churned about the battle tactics in his mind that would lead him to success. The dark elf had no intention of staying here for long, though, he had yet realized how to play this game to win. He heard Gildarts’ thumbs pecking at the screen of the little device from their knapsack. Illidan had no need for such mundane Gnome’s toys, he had his own power and it was much more reliable than a piece of metal that was too easily smashed.

But Gildarts was using the tool, or y’know, trying to. Like a wheedler of wood, he slowly trimmed down the “need to knows” and gathered some information on their next objective. Gildarts stood up and showed the map to Illidan, saying “This map shows us not only where we are, but what we can expect from the other zones. We’re in the city here, and there’s items we must obtain that drop every few hours.”

“What? That little device has an entire map on it?” the elf was curious, perhaps he’d mistaken piece of scrap metal for a useful tool in this mission. He snatched it from Gildarts’ hands and they spoke very briefly on their plans to come. Illidan was not here to fail, no, that wouldn’t do.
 
Told...Ya. The Malefactor sneered from the silence of his mind. Then she delved right back under the veil of his conscience.

Gildarts paused and waited. It was hard to say how much time had passed in the vault oh-so-sealed off from the outside world. It didn’t seem like there was much light in the room, but there was a lot of sound reverberation off of the walls. The mage keenly looked at his ally’s large ears, guessing that they allowed him to have very keen senses. He could likely hear Gildarts’ own heartbeat, if the elf put his mind to it.

Speaking of his mind, it was hard to think how long it would remain stable. In times of adversity, threat, it was more likely to stay keen, or so it had shown throughout the past few experiences with his encounters with Illidan, the squid, and Tearen, though something in Nealaphh the god-mind had elicited the Malefactor to be forthcoming, and Gildarts wondered to himself just how he would pay for that.

His somewhat pensive thoughts didn’t last long though, soon enough Illidan gestured his fellow prime to rise, “Stand up, we’re going out there. I can’t stay cramped up in here while other people make advances at our prize. Sitting in here is driving me mad.”

Gildarts nodded, he agreed. Maybe the fog had even dissipated, if not, that wasn't so bad either, however the mage would have to prepare his magic for the worst of it. Illidan and Gildarts exchanged another one of those "friendly glances" and it was Illidan this time who got the door, chiming along to Karl's slightly annoying though very informative pre-recorded message, they ventured outside, there were fragments of the fog, but it wasn't quite as potent as it had been when they had entered the safe house.
 
That was a relief, maybe the looming creatures of the fog were nor more, of course, whenever you assumed the best, sometimes the worst slammed you in the stomach. Wait for it... Wait for it....
 
WHAM! A huge, Gildarts-sized fist emerged from the belly of the stirring shades of white-gray fog, grasping the entire Prime in its fist and pulling him away from their beloved safe house faster than they'd even leapt out of there. Not bothering to close the door behind him, Illidan leapt to his ally's aid, pondering what magic he could use to free the human that would hurt the least.
 
Illidan's words grated in his throat as he fell to a low stance and warned, "Brace yourself, human."
 

Gil-lidan moved from Safehouse to C21

[Dawnika Snow]

The team of three paraded down the streets she had walked on her way to the safe house. She gave directions towards the forest she had spawned in and watched the teams back. Oscurita in hand, she stayed behind the two men, walking backwards every so often to cover their flank. When she knew they were safe, she turned back to the men of her group and her voice rose through the mist.

"Hey, boys. If what you say is true, about this Abyss character and her posse, I say we need some kind of plan." She said out loud, grabbing the attention of them both at the same moment. Dust smirked, a reoccuring trend whenever Dawn spoke(Yeah, she noticed.) and Shinmen let out a slight chuckle before speaking.

"I assume you have a plan in mind, huntress?" He asked.

"I do. This alliance your Calamari started, swordsman, she started it to spite you, yes?" Dawn asked, getting a nod as a response as the demon turned his head to watch his path again. Dawn grinned thinking of her plan. "Then I say we give you to her."

The Demon-Man let out a hardy laugh to her plan. Jumping straight into a fight and chopping Calamari into Ika Teriyaki? This was perfect. "This plan sits well with me, Assassin."

"Good, because you will confront them on the pretense of a solo fight. I will wait some distance away with them in my scope, and Dust will stay out of sight until the battle commences. I will fire a surprise shot at the one who looks the strongest and attempt to at least weaken them before they get a chance to retaliate. Dust will jump into the battle once you start tearing their throats from their necks and I will keep you guys cover from a distance." She explained step by step her idea for the plan. "We can catch their pitful alliance off guard and take three others out of the competition on day one. What do you guys say?"

C17 to C5

[Todd Ingram]

Batman learned that from the moment he arrived at the island several items were dispensed throughout this place. If only he knew sooner, he may have been able to reach one of them. Red X's appeared behind every location.

It must mean others got there first. If the others hunt these items so hastily they must give you some decent advantages.

Further explanation provided Bruce with the intel that more items would find their way to the island, he would just have to be patient and be ready to move. Placing the device back into the sack he prepared himself to head out once again. Across from his building was another one, not as high but still a rather large structure. Jumping wasn't an option with a distance this large. But Batman is always prepared, gliding through the mist he provided a shadow in the sky for others to see, if they were looking. His landing was graceful and silent, no need to alarm anyone in the nearby area.

The silence was broken by a low key buzzing that gradually became louder. The ominous sound didn't sit well with the prime. Allowing his ears to guide him he found his way towards the other end of the rooftop. Above him two of Karl's camera drones gathered.

' This is a bad sign, they want sensation. If camera's are gathered here it can only mean trouble for me.

Bruce walked over towards the ledge and peered over it. A long grey cable was strapped to the side of the building, roughly three feet underneath the ledge. His eyes followed the cable further until they reached the first of many explosive devices that were attached to the building. Adrenaline was immediately pumped throughout his body, he had to run, now. Sprinting with all the speed he had within his legs he ran towards a ledge away from the explosives. The moment his right foot landed on the edge, preparing to jump, the device behind him went off. A large explosion colored the sky flaming red for a single lethal moment. The blast send the dark knight flying like a rag doll.

Dropping fast he had to stabilize his fall before using his glider. Not easy after almost being blown to bits. The ground approached rapidly, a moment of clear focus provided Batman with enough stability to call upon his cape to function as a glider. The wind caught underneath the cloth and lifted the prime slightly in the air before gently guiding him down.

With a ringing noice in his ears he continued his descent.

Moving from c16 to c4

[Todd Ingram]

Batman finally reached ground level, his ears still ringing from the blast. He looked around, the fog was less thick here but it seemed safe.

"Hey! Listen!"The annoying device screeched out from his sack. Bruce was in no mood to pay any attention to that piece of tech. He continued his path, but before he even reached the next corner the infernal piece of scrap notified Batman of its existence. "Hey! Look! Listen!" The annoying voice didn't only have a negative effect on the prime's patience, it also alerted some nearby creatures. Three small doglike chimera's came growling out of an ally.

'Three canines, this will be fun. Seems I get to try out the sturdiness of the suit in this world.'

One of the vicious artificially created creatures leapt through the air, lunging towards the Dark knights throat. An anticipated move by the detective, with his right gauntlet he deflected the attack. The other two weren't far behind and started to circle around Batman, cutting off a path to escape. The pack was waiting it's chance, slowly moving around the prime. Even with his sharp reflexes he wouldn't be able to fend of three of those creatures at once. A drop of sweat created by pure tension emerged on his back, he felt it running down his spine ever so slowly. Attempting and failing to keep track of all three Bruce was slowly turning on the spot as his hand extracted what he needed from his suit.

They were about to attack when suddenly, "Hey! Look! Listen".

It triggered both the chimeras as Batman, lucky for the prime he acted first, a cloud of smoke appeared around him the second he dropped his small bomb. From within the thick smokescreen ferocious growls were heard combined with the familiar sound of a zip line. Batman emerged above the smokescreen, using his grappling gun to reach the first floor of the building next to him. He forced his way through the window, shattered glass dropped both in and outside.

Frustrated he took the tablet from his sack, pressed the yellow button and received the message. New drop spots were announced. There was one nearby! He had to hurry and search for it, not a moment to lose. Leaving the city behind him he continued towards the dropzone.

Moving from c4 to e3

[Malon]

When Malon hit the first junction along the way she took a moment to look back, then accelerated her steps. She caught the glimpse of a silhouette around a corner and felt her heart beat faster again. Right now she could not trust anyone but Tearen – and even him… well, not fully.

You should read a bit about the rules of this place. The tablet had a rules section. Assassin was awfully calm for the situation that they were in. Then again, being who she was she had probably experienced that sort of situation time and time again when she was still alive. Infiltrating her target’s dwelling, avoiding guards and civilians, getting the killing blow in, planting the poison or whatever else she did, and then getting back out…

You’re giving me too much credit. If every target I pursued was a heavily guarded VIP with a hundred guards that I must bypass, then I would not have lived long. Assassin explained. There’s been more than enough situations where I gave up and ran away to live another day, or did not accept a contract because it was too difficult. Anyway, I don’t think that those guys are pursuing you, so try to read a bit while we walk. You know how to read, right?

Luckily the answer to that was yes. Malon pulled the tablet out once again and, after a moment of adjustment to remember how this thing worked, tapped the screen to open the rulebook. She hardly noticed how she traversed the streets now, only needing to look up occasionally when another junction came up. “Mega City One” was the zone she was in, apparently… the map showed her where she was, roughly speaking, and let her advance towards the area Tearen had pointed her without little trouble. But if she found him, all would be well, right? They would make it through together. She wondered though, how did Tearen plan to accomplish his goal? Would he try to win this event to stand in the spotlight for long enough to share his warning? Or had he already accomplished what he’d come for?

It was only when she noticed that the big concrete buildings were withdrawing and giving way to wild nature, how far she had walked. Tearen seemed to be within arm's reach now.

Moving: C6 => B15

[Oleander]

That odd glass slate of his beeped and lit up. Even as they ran, he slung the backpack off his shoulders to extract the tablet. The note on the screen earned a chuckle from the swordsman. Slipping the tablet back into his back, he renewed his efforts, putting more oomph into every step.

He wanted to procure a spot at the nearest drop point to the Golden Alliance. Maybe they will come for it, challenge them, or at the very least one of his own teammates will have an item advantage. “We are making a detour… This magic stone says there will be a relic dropped near our dear friends. We should pick it up before we pay them a visit, maybe even meet them there.”

The age old game of cat and mouse, it was not even truly trickery. It was life. They all knew the item was going to be there, even with his technological density he could read the beeping glass slate. If we get there first, we can scout the battle field, set a trap and watch the rats struggle!” The sheer joy echoed with the laughter that followed. “I love this game!”

That’s all this was to him, a game. His teammates were his pack and they hunted people, living people, for sport. He almost did not mind relying on the support of these two in this context. In fact it was made more fun having near strangers whom he did not feel would stab him in the back – at least not outside of a sanctioned duel.

“Miss Yuki! When we arrive, I suggest you find yourself a comfortable highground. I shall take point, to lure our prey in – as you suggested.” He clearly did not mind or perhaps even enjoyed the idea of being the bait in the trap. It just meant he could be close and personal when it springs upon his foes.

The scenery became less walls and ground of stone and more woodlands. The warm, humid air gave him a sense of normality. He was so accustomed to this world, he could not help but take an extra deep breath through his nose to take it all in. “I hope we fight them in the forest!”

C5 to B14

[Simon]

Quiet.

The distinct lack of people made the city much more ominous than the forest. Not that it would've been reassuring to see hundreds of civilians roaming out and about with potential serial murderers, but still. A glance over Dante's shoulder confirmed that Tearen relented from following him, clearly on his own agenda. Whatever that mystery was planning, the devil hunter wanted no part it. Knowledge wasn't worth dying for.

With nobody else in sight, the competitor relaxed for just a moment. Returning Ebony & Ivory to their holsters, Tony Redgrave sought out an unused public bench. He swept off some dust with his finger-less gloves, then plopped into the seat, sighing.

You should've got rid of him while you had the chance.

Bad idea. The ex-enigma had mentioned meeting with an ally of his own. Chances are that attacking Tearen, no matter the outcome, would've resulting in drawing their ire as well. A manipulator like himself would no doubt have powerful friends.

A ringing from the drizzled knapsack removed Dante from his acidic thoughts. He whipped open the bag, retrieving the tablet and the new notifications it displayed. Three more item drops were due in just a couple of hours, with the message allowing Primes to start heading towards the locations. Chances are that fights would break out, so the situation would be a matter of picking one's poison, as it were.

The closest drop would be back in Zone B, just a brisk stroll away. Unfortunately, the former God-Mind still remained in that area, as far as Tony could recall, so it would be prudent to have no part in that location.

The next closest item would be in Zone E. Jak's last sent message reported him as entering the Zone E Safehouse as well. With no word yet from Graowr since her diversion with those items, and some time since either of them had talked over communications, Dante had only his own judgement available. With any luck, he could send out a message to them both and hopefully meet up around the drop point to ensure they could get the item.

As it stood currently, the big "if" in that plan was if all of them, much less any of them, could get there before another alliance staked their claim. Dante could handle any one player except Tearen, but didn't feel confident fighting against stacked odds.

Jak, Graowr, I'm heading to the drop point at E2. Head over there if you're close, and we can secure whatever comes out of that package.

Moving from C6 to C5.

[Simon]

The redcoat moved swiftly, a brisk jog through the desolate streets. The air of silence, the sole sounds of boot-clomps and scattered scraps, and the oppressive fog over the metropolis - it all weighed heavily upon whomever strolled through it. Re-affirming his position on the map, Dante considered himself grateful that he would've have to stay within the mist very long to get where he was going. Though the redcoat would have to cut back through the logging site, he banked on the idea that Tearen would probably pursue the items, and not the stranger he had only briefly interacted with.

Here's to hoping that would be a sound investment.

After however many more minutes of his brisk pace, Tony slowed down to a steady walk, his throat starting to rasp from the exertion so far. He reached behind his back and into the pack, yanking out the waterskin and holding it to his lips. The water wasn't particularly cool, after that sojourn from the tropical woods, but the taste remained fresh and it relieved his tension nonetheless. When Dante finally relented from drinking and took a large breath, he had carelessly chugged down half of the contents already.

Maybe it was time for a proper break. This would be the last bastion of major civilization Dante expected to see for the next few hours, so he might as well relish in it somewhat.

He walked a bit longer until a hotel came in sight. Excellent- the place would see its first customer in who knows how long. Throwing open the glass doors, the Prime competitor paced through the melancholy lobby. Dante figured he could grab something from the kitchen, refill his canteen, and have a snack on one of the couches before heading out.

There wasn't much to raid, unfortunately. The fridges had been cleared out, leaving little behind except some raw ingredients, some fresh and others spoiled. The faucets still worked, however, and even if it didn't there were a few bottles of water left from an emptied carton. He settled with just his waterskin and one of the packaged rations. Chicken and gravy with peas, all wet and leathery. As Dante tore through the meat, he regretted having not stopped by that on-site bar back on Station 17. As soon as this was done, he was moving out.

All the while, the devil hunter remained blissfully unaware of a lobby security camera shuddering alive again, shifting over and locking onto the sight of him.

Moving from C5 to B14.

[Harlan Higgs]

Taptaptap.

Taptaptap.

Harlan was rapping his knuckles along the brick facade of the street he traveled down. Finally, the angular roads all dumped out into a huge circular district, reminiscent of a traffic roundabout. 

He could see the large office building towering above the horizon, smack dab in the center. But it was early. There was plenty of time to come back later, for now he wanted to get as good a picture of the island as he could.

C19 to C21

[Enel]

Something slithers past the outer ranges my senses and I hold still. No sense forcing my will upon anyone this soon. The rules made it clear that omnilium would be awarded based on the number of items drops we grabbed. I’m happy to fight anyone for a reward, but what’s the point of dirtying my hands for no reason?

The streets are dead. It’s a pale vision compared to my own City of Gold. Did Syntech build this city just for the competition or did the place get co-opted? The more I explore this world, the more questions I have.

Moving from C5 to C17.

[Dane Regan]

I'm going to try out writing in first person for DA.

I rubbed my forehead, still laughing to myself about the blood-soaked warrior from the preshow. Hopefully, I'd get the chance to meet up with him later, he seemed capable.

The chances are, considering he'd only just started exploring the preshow, he probably hadn't agreed to team up with anyone, unlike the many other packs of people about.
Teaming is for cowards. Boooo.

I shrugged, looking through the bag I was given. Just generic food and a water bottle, a flat rectangular plastic-metal block with a smooth and shiny face, a plastic stick, and a plastic cylinder with glass at the end. I could examine it later. Right now, I wanted to get out of sight. Anyone directly north, south, east or west of me would get an unobstructed line of sight towards me - I seemed to be in the middle of a four-way interception of roads, sandwiched between some very tall buildings. The fog was nice, at least. 

Might as well get started now.

I grabbed onto one of the lower window ledges to the side of one of the nearest skyscraper, there looked to be enough handholds higher up, although I considered I may have to redistribute my magic to make the process easier. Still, since I'd been summoned to this place, my general strength seemed to be a lot higher.

It didn't take long to reach the top. I ascended at about walking speed and reaching my destination allowed a good view over a large coastal area. Interesting. I'm sure there was a route to the top from inside, evident by the hatch on the roof, but I didn't want to get caught inside by anyone - it was too confined and I needed at least some space to fight well.

I sat down behind the ledge by the side of the roof, occasionally peering over into the streets while examining my bag's contents. 

The stick seemed to be able to attach onto the block, and the cylinder let out a wide beam of light - it might have been more useful if I hadn't already learned and devised spells to do similar things. After more experimentation, I learnt that the device was similar to the Dataverse access panels back at the preshow. It had communication capabilities, and it seemed I could watch or post comments. The communication might be useful, and the notifications specifically for this event would be as well, but why would I bother commenting on all this when I could spend my time actually doing things? Still, the touch activation was interesting. If technology could do all this without magic, it was certainly worth giving Coruscant a shot.

Dammit. We're always too slow. We really wasted our chance just then.

That was annoying. Upon scrolling through the notifications it seemed I was directly next to an item drop. Key emphasis on 'was'. Just a few hundred metres. The locations for the next ones were revealed though. Either in the mountains, lowlands, or a forest. The mountain one was a tad closer, so I figured I'd head there next.

I ducked down and moved away from the ledge. Someone was down there, and I didn't feel like wearing myself out just yet. Luckily, the buildings were mostly close enough that jumping and climbing between them was a perfectly viable option. So that's what I did.

Moved from Subzone C2 to Subzone C3.