The Scarlet Carnival RP

Prologue
The Sins of Enigma​

Doctor Schrodinger smiled madly as he made his way towards the nine recuperation tanks, wherein nine individuals were submerged in suspended animation. The life support systems were united under one super computer, which only he had access to. Doctor Schrodinger wasn't a very tall man, only reaching four-foot-seven-inches in height. He was obese and had a crown of grey hair that fell to the top of his pelvis. His skin was pale and his lips, though grey, were hidden by his somewhat-darker grey mustache. He was missing several teeth, but the ones he had were shark-like. He wore glasses whose lenses were a dark silver-blue, hiding his otherwise mismatched eyes. His brows were thick and partially brushed across his glasses. Schrodinger even wore a white lab coat with a pair of blue latex gloves. The long white coat hid his bulbous body, making him appear as though he were gliding.

He approached the dark-screened computer, putting in a key in one of its hidden panels and turning it. When the screen revealed the username/password command box, the background remaining black while the Arial font proved to be green, he quickly typed in both username and password with surprising dexterity, precision, and speed. The screen went blank again, the black light fading into true darkness, for the next few milliseconds. It was hardly noticeable. The screen reappeared with a matrix of coding, revealing every known and unknown language. However, an error box appeared, the language alien. The mad scientist smiled wickedly as he hunted through his pockets for a short moment, and revealing a miniature UMD disc. The error box, revealed to be a front, faded and more windows appeared in a box of code; difficult to decipher and nearly impossible for any mortal to decipher. With a cough, the good doctor reached into his coat and brought out a USB stick, driving it into the super computers port. Those boxes vanished, too.

Nothing else appeared on the screen, but Schrodinger typed away. The main matrix of the computer reflected off his glasses. Eventually, the matrix broke apart, ceasing its virtual existence. The desktop turned from black light to ocean blue, revealing an otherworldly OS. A grey box appeared, commanding in the Universal Tongue: Please insert data...

Doctor Schrodinger fished around his his pockets again, pulling out a strange, small, and oblong object made of alien material; though it closely resembled a mix of jade, obsidian, and titanium. He left his chair and knelt down, moving around similarly shaped panels that were unnoticeable to anyone who wasn't the Head Scientist of this dead world, like Schrodinger. Often playing with the puzzle long enough, he inserted the thin object. It fit perfectly in the empty space, though it didn't match the chrome of the super computer.

Immediately, the box vanished and the blue screen revealed a single file. It was dubbed SIN. He ran his hand over a globe that was inserted into the computer's board, beneath the hundreds of flashing keys. The on-screen mouse moved towards the file and clicked a key that didn't flash beneath the rolling-mouse. A small rectangular window opened, asking for a password. He inserted it with the same nimbleness as before. It vanished but another window asking the same question. He inserted yet another password. A third window opened, and he repeated his previous action. Finally, the File Window opened; though there was nothing in it. At first. After a few short breaths, dozens of other windows opened up, revealing different things; formulas, models, code, encrypted secrets, etc. When the windows were all finished opening up, nine particular windows opened to reveal vital signs. The names were, of course, in an alien script. After a moment of analysis, Schrodinger's grin became a full blow Cheshire smile, laughter erupting from his flabby throat.

The sickly sound filled the near-darkness of the subterranean complex...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~@


Chapter I
Welcome to the Jungle​

In the crystal balls, televisions, holograms, and other visual devices of the various worlds appeared an image of a barren world. Above, the skies were blood red, the clouds black, and the sun sickly pale; below, the trees and grass were cast in eternal shadows. The trees were gnarled and daunting, having leaves the color of midnight. The grass was lively in its dark, sanguine form, the blades standing up straight; though they appeared wicked sharp. A high-pitched voice could be heard as the visuals shifted from point A to point B and so on.

"Welcome to the Scarlet Carnival," the voice began. "After a long year of waiting, we have returned for a new season. This season, we have gathered the most powerful, the most dangerous individuals from within the Omniverse! Like our previous seasons, they will fight for the peace of your worlds. I assure you, they will fight to the death. Or, if they become boring... they'll fight until someone gets incapacitated." The voice went on in a nonchalant manner. The images on the otherworldly visual devices shifted to the sky, where many, many falling stars fell towards the planet's surface.

"There are our stars now," the voice remarked, with some ironic glee to it. "This season, they will have to fight their way to the arena, to survive the new dangers of the otherwise dead world. Eliminating the competition at this stage is also optional. They are all as mortal as ants! Their powers, magic, abilities... it is all suppressed and they are forced to rely on their strength, wit, and instincts to survive."

The voice's final words faded away as the falling of over one-hundred stars were the focus of the many, many visual devices thrown about the region.

*******​

The floating cameras, shaped like bulky disks with a large red eye, analyzed the pin-code on each falling capsule, allowing them to connect to a specific world's network; whether it was a magical link, a technological link, or a psychological link, it didn't matter. Once connected, the otherworlders were able to watch their kin and see if they will do them proud. Just the very idea of it made them sick with estranged glee.

*******​

The pods landed gently and the doors opened, releasing the cryogenic gas that made the "Champions" slumber for so long. As soon as the gas fled the pods, they would awaken to find themselves on a strange world that they have seen on their TVs, computers, crystal balls, holographic generators... and so on. However, they would notice something amiss. They weren't at the arena, which was a monumental ziggurat surrounding by giant walls and towers of white, alien material. They were in the wilderness, far, far away from the bloodletting pyramid. However, though they were miles away, they could still see the huge ziggurat and the four tall towers.

 

Raven gasped as she awoke. Her brow creased as she tried to figure out where she was and what was going on. The last thing she remembered she was en route to her next victim and...then this. It did not take her long to put two and two together. The huge lumbering cameras gave the game away. She cursed herself for letting them take her like this, for letting her guard down even for a moment. Her eyes narrowed, rebellion already on her mind. She was not just some pawn in their silly game, she was going to make them pay for this, show them they messed with the wrong little girl. However as she rubbed her new accesory on her wrist, she knew that for now her powers would be extremely weak if she even still had them. She had to get the bracelet off, that was for sure. But for now it appeared that she had no choice but to play along and survive until the oppertunity arised.

She scanned the area around her, she appeared to be in the wilderness far away from anything. However it was clear where they wanted them to head, the arena was visibly clear in the distance. That was where the action would really start. It was unusual for them to have to get to the arena first, she imagined they'd planned it as an extra challenge. A smile slowly crept up on her face. She was glad of this new development, the bracelet did not take away her knowledge of plants and poisins. Although she'd saw poisins as a bit of a cheat and she prefered to do the deed herself, during her time as an assasin she did take the time to do the research and has been known to use them on occassion. A lot of the plants here were unfamiliar to her but she was certain she'd be able to find something of use. Water, however, was a key priority and she knew she would have to find some soon. Maybe that was the thing that would force them to the arena but with all these plants she suspected there would be another source of water.

She realised that she still had her skirt on her outfit for her little girl act and she made a choice. She was well known in the criminal community but not with the general public, they may not know who she is. Her act wouldn't last long she knew but she figured she may as well have fun with it while she could. She smiled sweetly and skipped happily over to some plants, as if to admire them. Her mind was actually going through her knowledge of plants, searching for something of use. On top of this, she knew there would be many hidden dangers here, so she was on guard for anything to happen. She knew that she would have to head over to the arena, that was where the action would be. She wouldn't make a move to remove any of the other competitors quite yet but if they tried it on her, they'd discover how deadly the child assasin actually was.

 

Beucefilous failed to catch himself and fell to the ground after emerging from his long cryogenic slumber. He looked around and quickly picked himself up off the floor. He had no idea where he was but off in the distance was a familiar arena. He'd been chosen for a contestant in the scarlet carnival. Wonderful...Looking around, he spotted a little girl admiring some plants. He began to walk to her but stopped as he remembered they were in a contest to kill each other, so he pondered whether or not he should make contact. In the end he decided to go for it. "Hey, little girl. Need some help getting to the arena?" He asked kindly, assuming she was an ordinary little girl.

 

OOC: sorry about the long post... I just wanted to get the image out there of how my character percives things, if you guys don't want to read through the whole thing then you can skip to the last paragraph, the short one.
IC:
An awareness settled onto the being, as if waking up from a long sleep; then the being thought for a moment, after its head cleared more, slumber? it thought, wondering at the strange and alien sensation of waking up. The being had never felt this before, though it had seen other creatures do it, and the being understood the process.
The being noticed another odd feeling, an agony it had never felt before. What is this? it wondered, impartial to the pain, then the being percieved a sound, a gasping, like that a mortal would make when trying to breathe. A calm filled the being, a coolness in an area of its body. The agony faded. I am... breathing? it thought, as it attempted to make sense of all that it was perceving... a pressure comming from... behind? that couldn't be right, the being didn't have a behind. Then the being felt something strange, the darkness broken by the opening of two slits in front of it, rays of light pouring into the slits. Eyes? it wondered, as the slits opened and closed, the world beyond them snapping into focus. The being lay like that for several minutes, discovering several senses that it had not experienced before, then at last it rose from its pod. Walking it thought to itself, a bit amused at the strangeness of it, though the being quickly became accustomed to it, and then learned to run as well, as it had seen mortals do.

About an hour after waking up, the being had begun to notice a strange desire... it was unsure of what it was until it remembered observing mortals doing something they called drinking. The being wandered aimlessly through the black woods, searching for a river or a stream with which it might quench its thirst. Unaware to it, the being was straying close to where Raven was looking at plants.

 

When Keel had awaken, he had no idea on where he was or how he got there. The last thing he remebered was using the night form of his sword before everything going black. Speaking of my sword. Once he took a look at his blade, He noticed that it was in it's first form instead of it's tenth. He didn't have that much to think about it since he heard another person voice. It wasn't long before he found where it came from, a man and a girl. "What arena?" Keel asked as he walked towards the two.

 

Raven paused as she heard someone move about behind her, she tensed her body without turning round, ready for a fight. It never came though, instead he offered her an alligence. She smiled slightly and spun round. From the way he phrased his question, it was quite clear that he did not know who she was or what she was capable of. Yet despite this he appeared more than willing to strike up an alligance. This suprised her, why would they want a weak little girl as an ally? Unless maybe they thought she'd just be easy to kill later. Well, if that was the case they were very much mistaken. However, he looked like he could handle himself, she could keep up the innocent girl act and she guessed she stood more of a chance if she teamed up.

Before she could answer, someone else appeared, also not looking for a fight. Did they not realise what this place was? From his first question it appeared not. She sighed quietly before smiling brightly at them, "Why not? We stand more of a chance if we team up." She answered the first man before looking over at the other. "If you haven't already guessed from the huge TV cameras, this is the Scarlet Carnival and it appears this year we are the 'Champions'. Basically they're forcing us to fight eachother to the death. It normally takes place in the arena but perhaps for an extra challenge, this year they've started us outside the arena and we have to make our way there." She pointed over to the structure in the distance. "There is no shortage off dangers there but I'm willing to bet that's where they want us to go. They'll want us all together to fight. They will force us to go there, I don't know how. Perhaps that's the only viable water source or after so long something will happen which means everyone not in there will die. I don't know but I'm willing to bet something will happen to force us to go there. So, we can fight eachother now and kill eachother so there is less opponents in there or we can team up." She said, she might want to keep up her young girl act but she didn't want to appear too useless. She smiled at him and although it wasn't obvious, she was ready to fight if he chose that option. "Oh and I should mention, that bracelet on your wrist. Currently any powers or abilities you may of had before are gone. They will return as the battle goes on. It will also hurt you if you refuse to fight, though I think they might make an exception for allies to team up."

She didn't like saying all this, if felt like she was doing exactly what they wanted her to. Playing right into their hand, however she knew there would be oppertunities for rebellion later. If she had allies then together perhaps they stood more of a chance off defying this horrible game. They needed to know what they were getting into though.

 

The being heard noises comming from not too far away, they seemed strangely intricate and structured, unlike most animal noises... what was this called again? Language, that's right, this was a language. The being took some moments searching its memory, trying to remember how to speak this language, when it thought that it remembered enough to get by, the being walked out into the clearing with the other three, glancing around at them, just listening for now, it understood the word Alliance and the word Kill, so it was ready in case the other creatures decided to attack it.
The being glanced down at the heavy thing on its side, a sword the being knew what a sword was, a sword was for killing, and it had seen enough mortals use them in the past for it to know how to use one. Anyhow, the being did its best to look non-threatening.

 

That would explain what happened with my sword. Keel thought as he listen to what the girl had said. In other word, he only had access to who knows how many forms of his sword. Maybe teaming up would be a good idea, at least until I get a better grasp on thing. Eventhough it did sound like a good idea to work with others, he had no idea if he could complete trust them or not and with his power sealed away for the moment, he didn't know if he could handled them right now.

 

Senri fell from his pod, still fast asleep. When he slept, he slept hard. With soft grass under him, he kept on snoring as he lie in the grass. His face a picture of serene calm and without a care that he was involved in the Scarlet Carnival.

Kurou stumbled out and lit his eyes on his sleeping friend. "Odd...isn't it? You can sleep through anything at all and here I am, wide awake with my nerves on edge. Stupid...the whole thing is stupid..." Why was he talking to himself? Because that's what it felt like when talking to Senri. He wouldn't respond and with the barest of nods, you'd realize it was like talking to a brick wall. "Time to wake up now Senri...c'mon sleepyhead." He knelt beside the young man and nudged him.

 

Noah Alba walked down the sleek, chrome hallways of the subterranean complex. He was tall and slender, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. He was of fair skin with long black hair, sleeked back as to reveal his handsome face. His eyes were the color of gold, with silver sunbursts; his pupils were slitted in the dim corridors. High cheekbones emphasized his fox-like eyes.

After a moment of wandering the puzzling complex, he finally stumbled upon a large vault-like door. He stepped forward and a number of mechanisms instantly activated, pistons and cranks unlocking the otherwise mammoth door. The door split into two metal slabs, horizontally no less, and revealed its contents. Inside was a handful of scientists, who were running about their business, obviously oblivious to Noah's presence. There was also a main computer at the far end of the room, as well as massive kennels holding the most vile creatures throughout the omniverse. The room, on its own, was massive enough to hold hundreds of thousands of monsters of immense size. Which was precisely the reason why they chose this particular room to handle their experiments.

Noah walked in, ignoring the dark forms within their over-sized kennels. Those creatures tried to reach out at him, growling and clawing at nothing in particular as Noah walked past. It was noted that each kennel was piled atop the other, as well as being divided up by aisles, from class to class. The weakest were piled into numbers, being classified from 10 to 1, the weakest being Class 10. Then, the aisles would shift to military classes, from E, D, C, B, A, S; respectively from the least dangerous of that class, to the most powerful and most deadly.

However, each kennel had a code. In the end, there were hundreds, most likely thousands, of creatures within that single room, and every single one of them was a scientific specimen with a very practical purpose. They had no name other than the code upon their kennels.

Despite the chamber being very large, and spacious, it was no picnic and it was very, very annoying to reach the very end of the chamber towards the very large computer that had access to everything within that room and containing every file of every thing of that room in particular. Down to the very last scientist assigned to the room and its purpose.

Noah sighed irritably as he made his way through the chamber until, at last, he stumbled upon a particular person. A scientist by the name of Schrodinger. He was a man who was as intelligent as he was ugly; nevertheless, Noah approached him, hiding his disgust for the most unethical scientific genius of the human race. "Professor Schrodinger," he greeted, bowing low. "Are you prepared to initiate Phase I of the Scarlet Carnival?"

Schrodinger turned and eyed the youth with a wide smile. "Why yes, Mister Alba!" He replied eccentrically, nodding his head like he was a bobble-head. How fitting, Noah thought with amusement. "I am sure the Omniverse will appreciate my art this year! Not only did I genetically altered them, but I reverse engineered their very genetic sequence as to understand their genetic make-up, therefore augmenting them with proper evolutionary traits that would make them far more dangerous and hideous! Not to mention I added a thing or two of solidified Mana to give them... well, you'll see. I shall dispatch a horde or three of Class 10s to see if they'll survive." Rolling up his right sleeve, the good doctor revealed a leather bracer that held upon it a small computer. It acted almost like a watch, save for the fact it was multi-functional. He remotely accessed the room's network and accessed a few files.

"I hope you didn't augment them too much," Noah remarked offhandedly, walking away and throwing up a ringed hand. "Otherwise there won't be a Carnival to enjoy this year."

*******​

Wake up...

The Champion stirred slightly, stubbornly trying to sleep within the pod. However, the familiar voice called to him, urgently trying to wake the strange entity. The black lids remained shut, wishing to lock the consciousness in the eternal realm of oblivion.

He wasn't very tall, only four-foot-eight-inches. His skin was bone-bleached; his nails, lips, and lids were the color of obsidian. His hair was long and white, with a sky-blue tint. His eyes were long and pointed, with a faint blue tint at the tips. He appeared angelic, beautiful enough to be feminine, though his bone structure revealed he was, in fact, male. Slender and well muscled, the entity was, unfortunately, naked.

Wake up, the voice said again, and to the youth's dismay, he woke up. That is... after he fell out of the pod as his slumber was distracted. Aeons of sleep, of dreaming a dreamless dream of sheer blackness, was disrupted by that crystalline voice. Melodic, yet distant...

As he was roused, the entity opened its eyes to reveal emerald, pupil-less orbs that literally shined light. After years of sleeping, the small youth's body was stiff and rigid. A death-like slumber had drained his strength, and he was indeed weak. The Champion tried to raise himself from the ground, but could not; his arms shook as he tried, yet to no avail did he rise. His legs did not move, no matter how much he willed them to.

Save me... the voice said urgently, though the warrior did not know if it was the same voice. Memories... so many memories... they had raced through his mind in a single, maddening moment. Death, slaughter, destruction... merry-making, love-making, hopes and dreams shared... it all made his heart ache. The voice was faintly familiar, though the screams of pain and agony drowned them out. Those words that were uttered... how many times did he hear them? How many times did he fail? How many times was he too late to change anything?

They're drawing near! the voice added, much more clearer. His memories subsided as instinct and worry took over. With every bit of strength he could muster, he crawled his way back to the pod, only to be intercepted by a trident and a spear. He looked up. Two men in dark clothing, tall and bulky, looked down upon him, their white eyes curving wickedly with murderous glee.

"Look, brother," spoke one with a basso voice, the tone malicious. "It appears we have ourself a happy meal!" He laughed. The other chuckled. "Yes," spoke the other. "It appears this Carnival was much in our favor!" He laughed.

Carnival? the youth asked himself, confused. He wasn't so much afraid of them as he was worried for what he looking for. After a moment of being caught off-guard by their wicked conversation and plots, he felt pain around his left wrist. He looked at it. A thorn bracelet that dug into his wrist, releasing his lifeblood. It was deep and it was painful, but he ignored it. Before he could interrupt them, the two men, seemingly done with their conversation, plunged their weapons towards the smaller man. However, the blows never came.

"Yo, yo, yo," spoke a new voice, deep and cheery. "I got'chu, man. I gotta say, dumbo one and two weren't that hard, so why don't we feed them to the hungry, hungry hippo?"

Poetry? The smaller man asked, nearly wanting to laugh. It was, admittedly, horrible, but the man who did it was quite skilled. The two men that were attacking collapsed as a burst of blood poured from the stumps of their necks, and the young-looking Champion had to lower his head as to not get blood in his eyes. Appearing from behind them was a tall dark-skinned man with long black hair, braided into cornrows and tied in the back; there was a bandana around his domed-forehead with interesting characters alien to the alphabet of his own world. Over his eyes were a pair of sunglasses. The large, dark man also wore a red kimono with a white hakama; on his feet were straw sandals. They looked comfortable. Those look like the clothes from my world... he thought, though he knew it was impossible to be in any future of his own world. It had been destroyed, and solely by him and him alone. "Hey, man, get up before you get yourself killed," he said. "Unless you're comfortable being naked on the ground; in that case, you must have some mad skills!" The man laughed. Slender and well-muscled, the youth knew he had honed his sword skills to their peak, especially at his age. In his eyes, the youth knew that this man was quite young, especially compared to his own people. Human? He thought with surprise, nearly laughing at the realization. The humans of his world were weak, but here was one who could match the speed of the Dearmadta, the fastest, most intelligent race in all the Omniverse.

The youth, nevertheless, laughed at the rhyme, though weakly and with a hoarse throat. "Thank you," the white-skinned Dearmadta said gratefully. He continued to crawl his way back to the pod.

"Yo," the dark man shouted urgently, genuinely worried. "Ya shouldn't move if you're so weak. You need lotsa rest if you want to return to your peak! So says Masta Watanabe of the DJ Dojo!"

This stopped the small albino in his tracks. "Oro?" He asked, his expression full of bemusement. "Er... what is your name?"

"Glad you asked, little man!" The larger man began, pressing his middle finger at the middle-band of his sunglasses to adjust them properly. There was a gleam at the edge of them. "I'm the Rappin' Samurai of the West! I'm the risin' hope of the people without a pope, dancin' to the beat with my moves, as smooth as dope! Here I am, like the mornin' dragon, MC Monk of the Silver Ram, 'cause here I am, shoutin' my name like I don't give a damn! Word..."

Why is he rhyming? "So... your name is Word?" He asked, blinking. After a moment of silence, the larger man laughed.

"You're funny, little dude, I give you that..." he replied, walking towards the little albino. He stooped low, reaching towards him. "But MC Monk's the name, spinning rhymes with mad skill only equal to my sword play, livin' life like a game. I'm legendary, killing demons and devils like they're bad dairy..."

There he goes rhyming again...

"So I told you mine, so tell me yours," he went on, smiling all the while as he lifted the little one. The white-skinned youth stared at him, confused at what he's saying. "Your name, kid."

With an appreciative nod, the small youth gave a small smile. "This One's name is Sessamaru," he replied. "But you may call Him Sess..." he trailed off. Monk stared at him, confused for a moment. The gears in his mind were grinding hard, trying to process the strange pronouns.

"So... you're Sess?" he asked, looking down below. Sess blushed and blurted out a quick no. After a few moments of the both of them being embarrassed, the larger companion finally spoke. "Alright, alright," Monk began. "I got'chu figured out... your name's Sess and you talk so strange--" (Says the human rhyming all the time... and over half the time, it makes no sense... Sess thought) "But your voice makes you sound like you're in singin' range. I think we should both put on a show, with my mad rhymes and your killer voice, this Carnival will be our's fo sho!"

It was Sess's turn to think out the message, and finally concluded that he was talking about an alliance. He nodded and smiled. "Of course," he said properly. "But first... but This One thinks His clothes are in that pod... could you help Him there?" He asked, blushing slightly.

"Ya don't have to ask me twice," the large, dark-skinned samurai laughed.

*******​

Hidden inside the wilderness, there were grates that housed the slumbering entities. The grates slid apart, releasing the shadowy beasts inside. They crawled out of their holes, venturing the surface of the dead world...

*******​

Before the girl was interrupted by her new allies, she noticed that most of the flora appeared to be either benevolent or carnivorous. Were it not for the new companions that had arrived, her hand would have been eaten by at least two of the plants that appeared like budding roses. However, to her knowledge, any benevolent looking plant may be used to make remedies for any ailing disease; by that logic, then any remedial plant could be used as poison as long as it was at a high dosage. However, due to the alien appearances of the plants, the knowledge of how to make a poison out of any of the plants would have been learned through trial and error. But... the Carnival would not permit that.

Unbeknownst to the companions, there was, indeed, a time limit. Either they arrive at the gates of the arena before the majority of the other competitors make it there, or they die at the hands of the beasts strewn about the dead world.

However, measuring the distance, it would take at least a day or two to reach the arena. Sleep appears impossible without a proper group, and time is immeasurable due to the stasis of the world and the sun. Thus, the actual distance would appear to be an eternity in the eyes of those trying to survive.

At the appearance of Kratos, and at the end of the explanation given by the very knowledgeable Raven, a small tremor raced through the ground, shifting the earth beneath their feet. A roar followed and it was bloodcurdling. Trampling through the woodland, a large, reptilian centaur-like creature appeared, a black metal collar on its neck. There was a red orb that blinked every few seconds in the center of the collar. The creature was large, towering at twenty feet, and the base of its body was like that of a green triceritops. The underbelly was yellow, as well as the muscled torso of the main host. Between its front legs was a large pair of lips with sharp teeth and a long, bubbly tongue. The other "body" of the centaur was humanoid in shape with a large, snake-like head. It had two arms with very sharp claws and large enough to wrap itself around any of their bodies.

The creature hissed as it saw them and it spat a yellow-green glob that gave a horrible, sulfurous smell. It must've been acidic. Following up with it's spit, it swung its right hand in hopes to catch a straggler.

It was very, very hungry.

*******​

Senri and Kurou could hear the immediate danger nearly two hundred feet away, where Raven and her group resided. However, even if they did hear it and if they were curious enough to find out what it was, they were sorely mistakened. Even if they were to run, they wouldn't be able to, for roaming around their area was a large, slithering thing. The ground rustled, the trees groaned, threatening to break. Surrounding them was a large, copper serpentine body of scales with black, amorphous spots and a dark yellow underbelly. If they were to follow the large, thick body, they would notice that half-way up was covered in dark brown fur. Furthermore, it's body became more humanoid. Long arms possessing silver claws on human-like hands, with large, bat-like ears, a lupine face, and a lion-like mane. It eyes were silver with green-slitted pupils, its fangs pearly and sharp. The creature was the perfect predator; a mix between a lion, a wolf, a bat, and a heavily mutated and genetically warped anaconda. Overall, the creature was the size of a whale.

It howled, and the sound was guttural and pained. It flung itself forward, claws extended, preparing to rip out their hearts.

 

Raven looked up sharply as the ground shook to see the creature. She did not hesitate, "Move! Now! We've got company!" She was already running as she yelled. She could feel the bracelet's effects already, she was running faster than any human could but compared to what she was usually capable off it seemed painfully slow. She put her arms up to reach over her back and to her relief she could feel her girls on her back, hidden of course. But she paused, she did not take them out straight away. Suddenly having a group seemed like a much better idea. They stood a much better chance as a group and this also gave her a chance to see what the rest of them were capable of. She didn't want to give all her secrets away this soon and she had to leave a bit of the weak little girl image intact. So, she'd let the others have a go and see how they reacted to it, judge their capabilities.

Either way her mind returned to the task at hand. It was clear that they'd have to fight it. She waited until she'd cleared enough distance before turning round to study the creature, still moving constantly. It was certainly a strange creature and certainly very dangerous, that acid spit was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. However, as she liked to say 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall', even the biggest scariest creatures had a weak point, the key was figuring out what that weak point was. Her eyes were drawn to it's strange collar, that must be how they were controlling it and maybe forcing it to fight. Although if you remove that, would it still attack them as it didn't seem the friendliest of creatures to begin with or would it leave them alone? It's yellow underbelly also caught her attention as a possible weak spot.

 

Beucefilous chuckled nervously and backed up as the enormous predator approached. "You have got to be kidding me. We gotta fight this thing? And with the bracelet?" He asked rhetorically. Groaning, he sent a signal from his mind to the ring on his finger to transform into a weapon. It melted itself down into a shiny silver liquid and ran down his hand. It slowly took shape and hardened before changing colors. I's end form was a dim grey katana. "That's it? A katana? To hell with it, it'll work." He said to himself. The creature was obviously dangerous so a head on attack would be absolute suicide. The litte girl was running around and doing what appeared to be analysis. She would be the tactician of the group it seemed. He cartwheeled out of the way of a burst of acid pit and went for it's legs. A good place to be on near any giant creature was the back...hopefully.

 

Once Keel had saw the beast leaping at them, he quickly moved out of the way of it's iniatal attack. He took a quick look at the beast and noticed that the current form of his sword might not do anything. Odds are I can't use Ravelt or Sacrifir, then I'll just use. "Gravity Core!" Saying the last of his though aloud, he waited for his sword to grow heavier, but instead it didn't change at all. There goes another one. "Mel Force!" Still nothing. "Blue Crimson!" It seems as the braclet took away alot more forms of his sword than he thought. "Please let this one work, Explosion." He said as his sword turned from it's original shape to an orange blade with a red guard. "At least this one works." Since the current form he was using wasn't that power compare to his other ones, he couldn't just blindly charge at the beast and with the odds high that Silfarion was locked away, he could take it down in 12 hit with one strike.

 

The being blinked at the larger creature as it appeared, his mind working just as fast as any of the mortals. The being leapt to the side, drawing his sword as he did so. Drawing on memories of countless centuries of observing Mortals with their weapons, it only took the being a moment to take on an expert sword stance, blade held in both hands, at a 30 degree angle to his body. If his confident stance wasn't enough, then the slight stumble as he tried to walk forward would set anyone's opinions of the being off. One moment appearing sure and confident but the next appearing to be an uncorordinated fool.

The Being grit his teeth as he caught himself before he fell from the stumble, then dropped back into a combat stance, then leapt forward again, this time taking pains to remember how humanoids moved, the Being's advanced brain calculating perfectly the amount of movement necassary to bring himself perfectly to a stop next to one of the creature's rear legs.

 

Senri opened his eyes at the sound of the howl. "Hmm?" he looked up and sat up in one fluid movement that had Kurou stepping back and reaching for his sword. Senri watched his friend carefully before cracking his neck and jumping up. Expectantly, he looked to Kurou for the signal and lurched forward with the crow demon on his heels. Senri sniffed, seeking out the source of the howl.

Kurou drew his black sword, hurrying after his quick moving friend. Even with the bracelet on, Senri moved fast. With the bracelet on, Kurou couldn't fly very long anymore. He'd have to save his strength for whatever had howled like that.

 

(Ken & Malyce)

Ken was snoozing comfortably against a tree, drool running down his chin. The man was quite muscular, wearing a sleeveless light blue keikogi, double weaved, with a white obi and wrist-and-ankle bands of the same shade. The thorn bracelet wrapped itself neatly below the right wristband. Ken Halcyon was a generally tall man, ranging at about five-foot-ten in height, and his body seemed to lack fat as it was replaced mostly by muscle. Not to say he was too muscular, but rather neatly honed to a man of his stature and talent. His brown hair spiked up on ends, while long six-inch bangs frame his face. His side-burns brushed the top of his shoulders, while a long rattail reached down to his tail-bone. He was barefoot and had no possessions on him, save for a gourd of sake wrapped in his obi and a spear that rested at his side.The fair skinned man snoozed away, unaware of the apparent danger. The large howling that popped up from every direction did nothing to rouse him from slumber; not even the earthquakes stirred him! However, it was apparent that he did some traveling... though he was only four yards away from the pod. The man mumbled in his sleep, turning to the side. Unexpectedly, a large, scythe-like appendage ripped right down where the bulk of Ken's body used to be... as in, before he turned to his side and slept some more.

The creature that attacked Ken Halcyon was an amorphous thing covered in shape-shifting tendrils, its color much like oil in sunlight: a dark, sickly rainbow in a sheet of obsidian. The thing made no sound, though it towered to be four stories. All over its gelatinous form, boils would appear and pop like hot tar. With flagellum whipping to-and-fro, it relinquished its prior assault for a new one. Thirty solidified tentacles struck forward like rushing spears, seeking to impale the target.

Before the thick tendrils could pierce the first layer of skin, less than inches away from bare flesh, the tendrils broke apart and fell away; becoming a black, oily gas. If the unshapely titan had eyes, it would stare hard and cold at its attacker. No more than thirty feet away was a small, slender woman with pink hair pulled into a braid, with a fringe brushing her thin brows above her large, almond-shaped eyes of rich amber. She was tan-skinned and shapely, appearing both young and beautiful. She wore traditional martial arts clothing: an embroidered vestment of red-gold silk, cotton leggings, red slippers, wristbands, anklebands, and a rosary. Strapped to her back were twin hooked swords.

Despite her exotic beauty, of both appearance and weaponry, the young woman wore an expression of boredom and irritation. Her pupils contracted, becoming cat-like slivers. "Get out of my way," she began, her voice cool and distant. "Or you'll be a part of my favorite snack, you ten-year old, extremely moldy midday additive!" Despite not being intelligent, it was apparent the thing had some feeling and attacked her at a rapid rate. Despite having a thorn bracelet on her right wrist, the beauty was quite agile and acrobatic, dodging every strike and even gaining a grip on a solidified appendage. Spinning around it and flipping atop the thing, she ran up its temporary limb and towards its bulk. Though she seemed hot-tempered, the young woman had a keen-sense of observation. Her eyes glowed gently, noting a much darker mass in its amorphous body. The body even pulsed beneath her feet, practically guiding her to its source. In a desperate attempt to survive before she could touch its gelatinous bulk, the creature turned its entire body into solidified spikes. However, the young woman had taken a good note of its defense mechanisms as she gave into her sixth sense. She leaped high into the air and flipped backwards, landing on hand-and-knee at the tip of its horizontal spike, narrowly missing every other spike.

So... its pulse reverses towards it source, like sucking in air, and starts solidifying its otherwise gelatinous bulk... she thought, staring at it hard. It appears to be blind and numb while in a solidified state, but maintains the ability to hear through the vibrations I send when I'm touching it. Like when someone is trying to listen by using the ground. Which means... it's entire bulk isn't solid, but rather a thick layer. Otherwise, it would end up killing itself. Nevertheless, she sighed in angst as she realized she couldn't stop her own blood from racing; no more than could she stop the oceans of the worlds. Stomping her feet, she sat there at the spike's edge, glaring at the thing. "Well fine, then!" She shouted. "I'll just wait until you run out of air, you stupid thing!"

After a moment, she felt the thing shudder, and eventually it shuddered to the point she was about to fall off. "H-hey! Stop doing that!" She snapped, holding on to the thing's solid appendage with dear life. When the thing didn't reply, she was about to taunt it a second time, but the sound of shattered clay stopped her. She looked down, to see the man she had (inadvertently) saved. "Hey! Who are you?" She growled, obviously upset.

Ken Halcyon kept punching the bulk of the creature, breaking away layer after layer of its solid body. The girl had noted beads of sweat pouring down the man's face, making her consider how he was strong enough to break the creature's shell. A master martial artist? He sure does look strong enough, but why is he sweating? Is he also a competitor of the Scarlet Carnival? She mused, a gleam of interest in her eyes. Ken, on the otherhand, ignored her as he focused on shattering the creature's defenses. His right hand hung back, as it appeared to be a heavy jab... perhaps even a haymaker...

"Fujin!" He shouted. There was much strain as he absorbed the energy necessary to enact the blow. His veins were exposed under the flesh, blood pulsing faster beneath it all. Sweat covered his entire body, and his legs began to shake. Nevertheless, lightning and wind spiraled around his fist, and then his arm... but it was languid, as if it were aroused from sleep simply to swat a fly. As the blow landed, the shell shattered below whilst cracking the rest of it. Strangely, the creature let out a sound. To the young woman, who at first marveled at the man's will power to even conjure up much magical strength, then was quickly startled by the creature she was fighting. It made a sound.

"Lass!" Ken shouted, his accent strong now that he wasn't yelling or shouting in concentrated anger or meditative focus, which required precise wording in order for the mystical arts to work. "D'ya mind gettin' down from thar? It won't do you any good to be fallin' from such a spiny thing. Especially if you want to live to see another sunrise."It took the woman a moment to understand the man, who spoke so fast and eccentrically that all she heard was the word "lass". His accent, nevertheless, made her want to laugh. It was so silly sounding that she could imagine him being a little man with red hair and a beard, wearing a little green clothes along with a green hat, hoarding a pot of gold inside a tree or somesuch. Nevertheless, she ignored the childish impulse and leaped from the thing, flipping twice and landing into a roll which she immediately arose from. The large thing began to crack all over, tipping over and falling with earth-shattering force. As it landed, the earth beneath their feet shuddered. The girl, not fully recovered, fell onto her bum. As the momentary tremor was over, she looked towards the strange martial artist.

"Who the Hell do you think you are?" She snapped, glaring at the man. The man looked at her confused, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

"Why, I'm Ken. Ken Halcyon of the Storms," he told her, smiling. It was evident that her irritation was non-existent to him. "And who're you, lass?"

The girl was about to bite his head off (again), before she noticed his right hand and his right wristband. It was covered in blood. He must have pushed himself too far... the bracelets constrict the amount of power you are allowed to use, and if you want to use more, it'll dig into your flesh and emit an electric shock that should paralyze the wearer and, or, nullify the spell or technique; this does not affect natural strength and speed... but it does weaken magical properties. So how was it he was able to sneak in extra power? She thought, intrigued by the man. Perhaps it was his mental discipline, or perhaps he was too much of a moron to even give up when there's pain. Or perhaps it was both? The man was beginning to intrigue the girl.

"Malyce," she muttered. "My name is Malyce..."

*******​

[Sess & Monk]

(Will write this later)

*******​

[Raven, Kratos, Beucefilous, & Keel]

Despite Kratos's analysis, the creature proved to be far more faster. It wasn't because that he was wrong, but it was because the being overestimated its ability as a mortal. Seeing the Being as a larger threat, a ghastly light surrounded it as kicked the god-turned-mortal with its hind leg. The kick was fast for a creature so big, and it had a strong static charge at its base. If the being was able to keep note, the creature had also subtly shifted its position to land the strong kick.

However, due to earlier error in its bestial judgment, and because it was so large, it didn't see Beuce cartwheel under it. Beuce would manage a few good cuts before the reptilian-centaur would lift itself on its hindlegs and pound down with its front legs, creating an earth-shattering quake. To Beuce's cunning, the creature was in pain; but, at a fault, the creature was now enraged. It spat again a stream of acid towards Keel, while Beuce was still behind the centaur, Kratos landing against a nearby tree, Raven nowhere to be seen, and the earth still shuddering from its previous slam.

*******​

[Kurou & Senri]

The monster appeared behind Kurou and Senri, creeping upon them as silently as its large body would allow it. The two were upon its cage, the strongest source of the creature's stench. They would find, inside the large kennel that was erected from the ground, was a pile of organic refuse with piles of bones and shedded skin and fur. The monster applied a slight squeeze to the trees around them and the kennel, causing them to break and fall down, the creature cloaked in shadows as it was far away from the collapsing point.

*******​

[Lone]

The man stood atop the tip of a tree, staring onward towards the pyramid. Lone was approximately five-foot-seven-inches, with long black hair with a green tint. He wore a rib-long leather jacket, with no shirt beneath, the left sleeve gone as a metallic arm revealed itself. Lone's right arm, however, was covered with a sleeve, though the thorn-bracelet dug into his skin. At his right hip was a katana whose blade was slightly longer than normal. He was, however, a man with fair skin, a gaunt face with amber eyes that appeared nearly wolf-like. His cheekbones were high and he had a slight salt-and-pepper stubble, despite his young appearance. His body was finely toned, his muscular structure slightly above normal but not too large; still small enough to be considered slender (borderline fit (nearly extra-fit)). He even had a hawk-like nose.

Around his neck was a silver chain necklace with a crucifix with a ruby embedded in its center. At his left hip was a patched-up teddy bear upon a similar silver chain at his belt loop. He clutched it with his silver hand, though knowing he couldn't actually "feel" it. Despite knowing his power wouldn't work successfully in this accursed place, he leaped down from the tree, venturing towards the large pyramid...

*******​

[Noah]

(Story development; will write later)

*******​

[Aeryl]

Aeryl was the first to appear at the arena. Or, at the very least, the massive gate of the massive walls. In front of this gate, which was less of a gate as it was a giant solid door made of brass-like metal, was a tall knight in pure black armor. The armor itself wasn't so much medieval as it was technologically advanced; the aesthetics were far more advanced than those of Kratos's own godly world, not mention far more practical. The armor appeared to be made of light, yet sturdy, metals; coated in obsidian to give it a ghastly sheen. It was tight upon the body, mimicking the structure of humanoid muscles and veins; like a design made by Michaelangelo, the Earth artist whose fame and beauty lasted through the many ages of its existence. In between the joints were quasi-chainmail with spandex-insulated leather, allowing for comfort and easy movement with the security of defense. The helm, however, was a different story. It took on a Nordic-Saxon design, combining the decorative horns (though instead of a bull or antelope or any other large mammalian creature, it took the horns of a ram) with the Saxony helm, with a lower face guard. Surprisingly, the visor mimicked a Venetian mask design with two almond-shaped holes. The holes, at first, appeared to be covered by a black lens... until green flames came to life.

This knight stood a good eight-feet, with broad muscles. The armor, at first appearing normal like military-grade life-support armor, began to twist and contort itself. The knight before Aeryl began to take on a more emaciated form, the armor emphasizing skeletal structure (at first appearing human-like, to more angelic-like). Swirls of visible rot appeared, from sickly green to faded violet, shifting to and fro like the Chaos of the omniverse. Dark grey bones became more vivid in the armor's midnight pitch, which darkened impossibly. From the leather collar, which extended from the breastplate and into the helm's opening, appeared a cloud of dark orchid. It was like a velvet cloud, midnight swirls in a blanket of beautiful purple, and it hung around the Knight's neck like a scarf. In fact, it solidified into precisely that, but as it did, the folds of the magical cloth became more cape-like.

Beneath its palms, which were extended and crossed, was a massive greatsword whose blade was as broad as muscle-builders shoulders. The blade also appeared serrated, dipped in the blackest void, and covered in ancient, alien runes. From both the weapon and the knight, wisps of darkness, so foul and dark it was that it would fell even a demi-god, poured out languidly. Those tendrils danced in lethargy, unwanting yet forced.

Despite the knight's immense size, height and width, it spoke with a silent whisper. But true to its owner, the whisper was dark and bloodcurdling. It sounded hungry. "Riddles three, you must answer, and three you must obey. Thrice may I ask, and no more. Fail in this endeavor and your soul will be mine to take..."

Aeryl, a five-foot-six youth with stark, rosy-red hair stared at the creature with his large almond-colored eyes. Aeryl didn't look like much. His skin was fair, his clothing could pass as a high school student in some Asian country; it was dominantly green, and he appeared somewhat handsome, despite his long hair. He was slim and appeared weaponless. The thorn bracelet on his left wrist didn't seem to dig in as deeply as the others who still travel the jungle. "Three questions? Riddles?" He asked, his voice having a gentle tenure.

"My song brings about the pitch of night, forevermore the rest of mortal men. Ugly and foul is my breath, I bring upon the veil of rot and misery. What am I?" The knight asked, its whisper hollow and devoid of any sort of sentience. It made Aeryl shiver, and he thought long and hard to an answer. While he waited, the knight asked again. Time was running out. If he did not answer the question after the third time, he would surely die.

That thought brought to him a series of ideas, but he noted one in particular. It was a bird, whose feathers were as black as midnight. It feasted upon the dead, and many feared its song. In folklore, this bird was the personification of death, and many mortals feared it out of superstition and folklore. "You are a raven, for your lullaby is a forlorn tune of eternal sleep; therein lies our misery." Aeryl said at last, pride in his voice. His tone became cocky. "Next riddle."

"The hour draws near, for I slither along like fear. Drowning in pools of blood, the bodies of mortals float along my eternal flood. When you next wake, your soul I shall take... what am I?"

This riddle was far too complex for Aeryl, and he took his time. In a span of thirty seconds, the knight asked once more, which was thirty seconds less than last time. He thought harder. The third time the knight asked, and Aeryl shuddered. "Hades?" Aeryl asked. The knight remained silent and Aeryl shuddered in fear...

"Two riddles of mine have you answered, and thus you must answer once more. In the beginning, I am nothing. In the end, I am nothing. In between, I am everything. What am I?" The knight asked, its voice never fluctuating. It remained a snake-like whisper, though hollow and apathetic.

Aeryl sighed with relief and began to think again. After fifteen seconds, the youth heard the riddle reiterated. Another fifteen after that. Aeryl smiled at the next fourteenth second and answered. "Time?" He asked. To Aeryl, it was simple. All these questions focused on Death. If Ravens were the personification of death and Hades was the curse after death, then Time was obviously the cause of death. It was either that or history... but history in itself was history in the beginning, middle, and end. Humanity, in the middle of their lives, valued time above all else. For, in this nihilistic omniverse, time was all that mattered to any mortal.

The knight began to turn to dust, fading away as the gate opened. In the air, a whisper could be heard. Though you have proved victorious this day, the next we meet you shall be mine to eat... bones and all...

 

The being coughed as the pain filled him, something warm on his lips, he looked up from where he was laying against the tree and then reached up, rubbing his left apendage, Arm he thought, against his lips, then holding it in front of his vision, which was still restricted to only comming from the two spots on his face.... eyes.... why do I even need the blasted things? he thought as he was staring at the red liquid on his fingers.

The being, Kratos, stood up, and wiped the blood from his mouth and eyed the centaur-like reptile again... it had strong back legs, was the first thought that Kratos came up with, the second was that it can't kick while it is using its rear legs for stability.

With that thought he held out his left hand, sending a twinge of power to pull the air under the creature's front, stomping feet together, making it thicker and harder to drive through... so the centaur-reptile would have to stand like it was on an incline. The exertion caused beads of sweat to drip down Krato's brow, and the pain in his chest grew worse, but he ignored it.

 

Raven's eyes widened slightly as she watched the others attack and the creatures reaction to them, this was going to be harder than she'd first anticipated. Her first thought had been to attack from below but the others had already done that so instead she figured she'd descend from above, with her usual abilities this would be dead easy but with the bracelet it would be much harder. She already had a taste for how it had affeted her speed, normal running was still a little faster than any human could run naturally but far slower that she was capable of normally. Working on this then a sprint would be a bit faster than that but not by that much. The decrese in speed would have a two fold effect, not only would it make it harder to get close without it seeing her, it would lower her momentum dramatically for jumping onto the beast. She wouldn't be able to get on it with a single leap anymore, she'd have to do it in several.

She took a deep breath, still out of sight of the beast, and unsheathed her dual katanas. She'd been annoyed earlier when one of the guys had been disappointed with just a katana for a weapon. A katana could be an amazing weapon in the right hands, you didn't need all the fancy bits. It was her firm belief that the best opponent could turn absolutley anything into a weapon. She believed you should train and become skilled, a weapon that did all the work for you was cheating and if you ever lost that weapon then you were in trouble. It was much better to make the person holding the weapon stronger than making the weapon stronger. That said, her katanas were hardly ordinary, they were made out of an incredibly strong material and had a few hidden extras. She didn't know if the bracelet effected them as technically it wasn't part of her, it was only her weapon but either way she wasn't planning on using it yet. Somethings were worth keeping secret.

She moved stealthy agross the ground, keeping well out of veiw of the creature. Raven was an assasin, if she couldn't move unnoticed then nobody could. She wanted to get as close as possible before she sprang into action. She watched one of the guys start to do something and smiled, that was good. A distraction if nothing else. Suddenly she was up and sprinting the last little distance to it, she moved silently and from a angle it would find hard to see to minimise her chances of it noticing her. She leapt up onto it's foot, knee and base of it's leg before landing on it's back. She used eachone as a foot hold to propell her up, barely on each for a split second so it couldn't do anything fast enough.

Once on it's back she wasted no time in burrowing one of her katanas into it's neck, between two scales as far as it would go. She held on tight as she did to avoid being thrown off this bucking bronco. And had her other katana ready to retaliate against anything it did against her that that could stop otherwise she was ready to move. If it tried it's acid it would only be hurting itself.

 

By the time Keel had gotten out of the way of the creatures acid attack, he'd noticed Raven moving in on it. Maybe this will work. Slamming his sowrd on the ground, he allowed the combination of the sword explosion and dirt in the air to sneak around the monster. Once he was out of it's sights, he made his way on it's back and took a handful of it's hair so he vould stay on it.