Dolor: Stigma Vitae (Pain: Stigma of Life) - RP Thread

[Rammerrush]

"Welcome Camas Rikehart," Camas opened his eyes at the sound of his name.

"Where am I?" He asked, "What happened?"

"Virus, he tried to escape from the fights. I stopped him and killed him, solving that problem, but creating another."

Camas waited for the voice to explain what he meant, "What problem?"

"You." The voice laughed as the dark black background filled with large reptilian beasts, complete with wings and fangs. "See, when Virus sacrificed his life so willingly, he created the issue of us having an odd number of fighters, I had to even it, and seeing as how you were his scheduled opponent, it only seemed fitting."

"So you're just going to kill me for something that Virus did?" Camas reached for Essie. "What the?" He gasped. Essie was gone, and he was alone and weaponless without her.

"Oh no, I have nothing against you, Camas. It's just that I had to cancel the fights, I need my entertainment, and you, young Camas, are today's entertainment." The lizard monsters started to advance on him, long snake like tongues darting out toward him.
"There is good news of course, even though you're all alone here, pitted against a squadron of my monsters, there is still a chance you could live through it and find that award you so desire from me."

"You mean you really can restore Essie?" Camas asked. He had started to think that this whole thing was just a lie; that Essie’s restoration wasn’t going to be found here.

"I can do that and more; much, much more in fact. However seeing as that's all you want, that's all you'll get." Above the dark space filled with lizard creatures, a figure appeared, Camas couldn't make much out of it, but he knew that it had to be who the voice belonged to.

The figure raised its arms before disappearing altogether. "Now, entertain me swordsman!" The voice ordered.

The first of the monsters sprung forward, fangs first toward Camas. He managed to dodge the attack only to be pounced by another, equally scary lizard. "Get off, you freak!" Camas screamed and pushed the monster off. He rolled into a fighting stance and watched as the monsters slowly closed the space between them and him.

"I hope he didn't take these from me too," he rubbed his right arm, hoping he could still use his power to stay alive. For Essie, for Essie, for Essie...

A lizard jumped toward Camas, he quickly sidestepped the attack, but unfortunately he sidestepped straight into another creature. "Fire!" Camas drove his hand into the lizard's gut as flames erupted from his palm. The creature collapsed into a screaming, smoldering pile of scales and flesh.

"Good I can still fight," Camas jumped back, so he was a fair distance from each of the monsters and then called out, "Inferno!" Waves of heat filled the area around Camas, before a blazing wall of flames shot out from him, engulfing the nearest monsters, making the monsters screech as they burned to death.

Camas stood up and examined his situation, the fire had taken out the nearest lizards, but it barely seemed to slow the rest of them down. It was like fighting a hydra, cut one down and two more pop up in its place. “I’m going to need a little help.

He lifted his hand to the right toward a monster and shouted, “Fire!” The monster burst into flames, took a few steps toward Camas, before shriveling into a lifeless husk.

He moved his hand in front of him and shouted, “Ice!” The lizard in front of him froze as icy crystals began to grow on its body. The ice only stopped it for a second, because before long its left leg broke through the frost and stepped gingerly forward.

“Okay, ice is a no go.” Camas directed his hand at a monster to his left and shouted, “Bolt!” The beast stiffened as the blue streak of electricity shocked its system. As it fell to the ground, still seizing, the electricity jumped from its body and shocked the two nearest monsters. They followed the former monsters example and fell to the ground.

“Hmmm, looks like Lightning is the winner.” Camas held his hand high, but when he was getting ready to summon the power he was thinking of, the first victim of the bolt picked itself up and started crawling toward him.

“Okay, never mind, I’m going with Fire.” Camas closed his eyes and focused on his right arm, raised high into the air. Not on the many lizards approaching him. “Ifrit!”

A tower of flames exploded from his hand, they flew high into the black before raining down on the creatures. They erupted in a cacophony of surprised caws and screams as they caught on fire.

The flames stopped spewing from his hands and the monsters started calming down thinking the attack was over, they started moving toward him, and he couldn’t help thinking they had pompous looks on their faces. “It’s not over yet, bastards.” He muttered under his breath.

A warm feeling coursed through Camas’s veins and his eyes started to blur. “Ifrit, I summon you!” His voiced echoed through the dark space, preceding the rumble of a thousand volcanoes erupting.

“You request…” The red outline of a devilish figure appeared next to Camas. “Has been…” The outline filled in, revealing a dark green skinned, horned man wearing nothing but a loincloth. “Accepted…” Ifrit let out a deafening roar shaking the lizards to their very core. “I shall fight with you Camas!”

Ifrit’s body erupted into flames before he charged at the enemy, mowing them down with his brute strength. “Way to go buddy,” said Camas as he turned around to deal with the monsters Ifrit had ignored.

Camas rattled off a number of spells; burning, shocking, freezing, transforming, and overall destroying as many monsters as he could. He blasted away any that got close to him with his magic, but they still kept increasing their numbers. There didn’t even appear to be a dent in them, so Camas could only think of one thing to do.

“Ifrit,” he called out. “I need your power!” Instantaneously, Ifrit appeared before him and looked at him with a questioning gaze. “Hellfire.”

Ifrit nodded and released a dark menacing chuckle from his gut, the name of his ultimate attack filling him with a macabre glee. “As you command, Camas Rikehart.” He jumped into the area above Camas and hovered there, waiting for the monsters to close in.

Once the creatures were about an arm’s length apart Ifrit rose higher into the air. “Prepare yourselves for death, you putrid creatures!” Ifrit flipped upside down and looked down at Camas, surrounded by the creatures. With a laugh Ifrit propelled himself downward, aiming straight at Camas.

Camas raised his right arm, with his palm facing up and prepared for the God of Fire’s impact. Ifrit’s head made contact with Camas’s hand and with a rush of searing heat, Ifrit disappeared into Camas.

Camas cringed and grabbed at his stomach as the heat seemed to melt his insides. He collapsed onto his knees and screamed in agony, the pain making him see white. The pressure inside him continued to build until his body couldn’t hold it anymore. Camas screamed as flames ripped through his pores, burning every inch of his body.

The blazing fire moved through the army of lizards, destroying every monster that came in contact with it. Camas stumbled up from his knees and watched as his enemies died in a glorious fiery death tornado. And as the last lizard monster exhaled its final breath, the fire died with it, like it knew its job was done.

“Well done Camas, I didn’t know you had such power.” The voice returned, and this time it seemed almost happy. “I’d have to say that was quite entertaining.”

“It helped that your monsters were total weaklings; I mean give me a challenge next time.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, Camas, just enjoy this victory.”

“So you’ll help Essie now, you’ll give me my prize?” Camas asked, hoping against hope that his search was finally over, that Essie would be human again.

“Eh eh eh,” the voice chided. “Not so fast, Camas, I’m not done being entertained. You have a great deal more to do before you can ask any favors from me. My monsters were only phase 1; get ready for the next phase.”

“Next phase?” Camas asked, but before he could get an answer, his vision faded into pure white nothingness.

“Don’t worry, swordsman, I think you’ll have fun with the next phase.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Camas awoke to the sound of rain dancing on his window, and the roar of thunder as lightning streaked across the skies. “What the the the the the?” Camas threw a blanket off of him and shot out of the bed he’d woken up in. “Where is this?”

The door behind him opened, and when Camas turned to see who it was he saw a familiar looking girl. He didn’t think he knew her, but he had definitely seen her before. “Sir, is there a problem?” She asked.

“Ummm, where am I?” Camas asked, knowing it probably seemed like an odd question.

The girl laughed before answering, “I knew you had a few drinks last night downstairs, but I didn’t think you had gotten blackout drunk.”

Drinks, drinks, the last time he had drinks was the night he agreed to join the tournament. “Wait,” Camas said, figuring it out. “Is this The Slobbering Tortoise?”

“Yup, The Slobbering Tortoise, the number one inn and tavern in the whole of the world,” the girl took a very proud stance and continued. “Even in this small town, The Slobbering Tortoise brings crowds from all over the world, I mean just the other day, the king’s steward took a trip down here just to get a taste of our specialty dish. That dish by the way is the Magnificent, World Famou-“

“Okay, you talk a lot, shut up.” Camas said, head beginning to throb with the aftermath of what had to have been a fun night. The Slobbering Tortoise was the place Camas had stayed before he woke up in the forest, and it was the place he’d been recruited by the voice.

“Well I’ll give you some time to rest that head of yours,” the girl said, moving out the door. “When you feel up to it, come on down for some breakfast.” The girl intentionally slammed the door behind her, causing a wave of pain to move through Camas.

What the the the the the happened? The last thing Camas remembered was fighting all those monsters and yelling at the voice. Could he have been sent back to his own world, the voice tired with him? Wait, Essie! Camas reached at her sheath to find nothing but an empty slot. Essie was still missing.

Camas checked everywhere in his inn room; under the bed, in the closet, behind the dresser, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found. But he did find one thing, a note that read: “Good luck with the next act, I’ll be interested to see how you deal with it. It’s not too difficult, just find Essie and you’re done.”

So he wasn’t home just yet, fine he would just win this creepy game of his and then take his prize. “Now, to find Essie, it can’t be too hard, I mean how many talking swords are there to find.”

Camas left his room and headed down to the first floor. The first floor was occupied by a large tavern, there were a few tables amidst the large room, but the only area getting any attention at this time of day was the bar.

It was being run by a familiar tall, dark haired man. He was serving a sad looking man, nursing a large alcoholic beverage, if Camas was to hazard a guess, he’d say the man was probably here a lot.

Camas sat down and ordered a coffee. “Sugar?” The bartender asked.

“Oh yeah, I like it sweet.” The bartender served his drink and Camas chugged it quickly, ignoring the heat as he swallowed the steaming liquid. “Ahhh, pretty hot, but I’ve had hotter,” he said thinking back to Ifrit unleashing Hellfire through him.

“Recovering from last night?” The bartender asked as he cleaned a few glasses.

“Do I know you?” How come everyone knew he had gotten drunk last night, did he put on some sort of big show? Did he jump on a table and start stripping.

“I’m Rus, the bartender, Russ Levi Ded.” The bartender extended his hand for a handshake. “I was serving you and your friend last night. You’re a very vocal drunk.” The bartender chuckled, remembering Camas last night.

Camas knew he made an idiot of himself when he got drunk, Essie always chastised him for it afterwards. That’s right he needed to find Essie. “Hey, do you know about anything weird going on around here?”

“Weird like what?”

“Something that’s even weirder than your last name.” Camas said.

“Hey, it wasn’t my choice,” Russ thought for a second before answering. “Well there have been some kidnappings going on in town. Yeah some freak has been attacking the town and stealing people away. He even killed a bunch of guards who tried to stop him. Five guards dead, killed by a crazy guy with a blade.”

“Hmmm a blade huh, what type of blade?” Camas asked, thinking it might be Essie. If it was he’d kill this guy to get her back.

“Actually, it’s pretty crazy. I only saw it once, but it left an impression; it was magnificent to be honest, A long sword with a sort of greenish gold hue. It even let off a sort of aura, I can’t explain it.”

That’s Essie. Camas laid down a few coins he had in his pocket and stood up from the table. “I’ve got to go now, thanks for the drink and the talk.”

“Wait up, I’ll leave with you,” Russ jumped over the bar and walked beside Camas to the door. He opened it up and the two of them were welcomed by the spray of rain blasting their faces.

“Oh yeah the rain, I completely forgot about how much it rained here.” Camas walked into the rain and spread his arms wide. “I love it, reminds me of home.”

“You’re crazy,” Russ stepped in to the rain and lifted a hood up over his head. “Well, see you around.”

Camas turned around and was shocked. He knew he looked familiar, he just didn’t recognize him without the hood. It was Virus. He watched as Russ turned around and walked away. “I thought he was dead.”

“He might as well be.” The voice answered inside his head.

What is he doing here? Camas thought inside his head, hoping he could both speak and listen inside his head.

“What, you think I would just let the losers die a peaceful death?” The voice said “I keep them; the losers become my puppets, my toys.”

“Oh and I bet you thought you were back home too. Sorry, this is all just a creation of mine; I created it with what I could remember of this small town when I came down to meet you.”

“You’re sick.” Camas said aloud, fed up with this voice’s bizarre games.

“Don’t judge your superior.” Camas felt an absence in his head and he knew the voice was gone. Camas felt relief but also lonely, he was used to having someone with him to talk to, used to having Essie.

“No, don’t take my daughter!” The scream of an old man shocked Camas out of his thinking. “Please I’ll do anything!” Camas ran towards the source of the scream and saw an old man crawling after a tall man carrying an unconscious girl over his shoulder.

“Leave or I will resort to violence, old man.” The man turned and Camas saw his face. He had never seen him before; he had one long jagged scar across his face, and long graying hair. He was wearing a long white coat, like a doctor’s, but it was torn and had holes in spots. And at his waist: Essie.

The old man slumped in defeat, that’s when Camas realized what he had to do; he couldn’t just take Essie and run he had to stop this freak and return all the kidnapping victims to their homes. Camas hid behind a building and watched as the kidnapper walked away, when he was a good distance away, Camas started shadowing him, giving the crying father a pat on the back as he walked by.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The man led Camas to some sort of mountain base; the man used a large hole in the side of the mountain as an entrance and Camas quickly followed. The hole led into a series of tunnels that lead into a large room filled with cages, Camas watched from around the corner as the man dumped the girl into a cell, and picked up another kid from the same cell.

After he had left and continued down the tunnel, Camas walked into the room and saw what he kept in each of the cages. Every cage had one or two of the people he’d kidnapped; there were boys and girls, both young and old, there was even a dog in one cage.

“This guy is sick,” Camas muttered.

“Help…” whimpered a weak voice from one of the cells. Camas moved closer to the tiny voice and saw a young girl, no more than 7 or 8. “Please…”

Camas grabbed at the lock and was about to burn it off when he saw something glowing in the corner of the room. “Essie!” Camas dropped the lock and rushed toward the weapon, hands stretched to grab it.

“STOP!” A voice sounded in his head, warning him. At first Camas thought it was the same old voice but, then it repeated itself and it sounded different, unfamiliar “Stop.”

“Why should I?” Camas asked the room.

“That isn’t Essie; Ujanmunt is trying to trick you. If you touch it you will be trapped here.”

Is Ujanmunt the other voice? Camas asked, remembering to speak inside his head.

After he asked the question, the sword vanished. “He’s coming you are out of time, you must find your Essie quickly, Camas.”

“Wait if that’s not her, where is she?”

“She is close, but I must go now.” And with that the helpful voice was gone.

Camas turned around and inspected the room. Close huh? He thought. Can’t get much closer than this room. Camas inspected each of the cages, one by one, seeing nothing but crumpled kids. No Essie, but I can’t just leave them here.

Camas walked back through the room, melting the locks off, individually. Creating heat hot enough to melt metal, took a little out of him, but it was worth it. The victims stood up, unstably and made their way out the door as quickly as possible. Soon enough the room was empty of everyone but Camas.

“Excuse me.”

At least he thought so. He turned around and saw that young girl who had first called out to him. “Thank you, Camas.” She swept her hair out of her face and Camas recognized her. It was Essie. “Essie?”

“What have you done!?!?” Screamed a voice from behind him, Camas turned back and saw the white coated kidnapper, holding the fake Essie in his hands. “Where are my experiments?”

“Your experiments?” Camas asked, furious at the thought of this crazy guy doing things to all the people he kidnapped. “What the the the the the have you been doing to these people?”

Essie grabbed Camas’s hand from behind him and squeezed. “Camas, remember it’s not real.”

He looked down at her face, her human face and the much less helpful voice spoke in his head. “She’s right we’re done here, this wasn’t as fun as I had hoped.” Camas felt a strange liquid move up his body. He looked down and saw a dark shadowy substance moving up his body.

He looked back at the man. “This world was made, from his memories, that means there’s a chance you’re real.” Camas said in a threatening voice. “So when I get back, I’ll find you, and I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

Camas struggled against his restraints, trying to break free of the shadow’s hold. “You won’t remember this when I find you, but I’m going to kill you!”

The shadow moved up his neck, along his jaw and steadily, it started to envelop Camas’s face, stopping any threats he would try to make from escaping his lips. The shadow’s reached his eyes and that is when he blacked out.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“That wasn’t very fair, Camas.” The voice said. Camas’s vision came back and he was now in front of some sort of temple. “You had help there.”

“Prove it.” Camas said rebelliously.

A figure materialized; the same figure that had hovered over the lizard army. “I was willing to give you what you wanted, all you had to do was play along.”

Camas looked down at Essie, still human, still holding his hand. She looked up, smiling at him, and then she mouthed something: “It’s okay.” He looked back up and the figure had come closer.

“But, you had to go and get help,” the figure lifted its hand and made a snapping motion with its fingers. “But now I have to make an example of you.” The hand he had been holding instantly began to change, feel different. He looked back down and the girl whose hand he’d been holding was gone. Replaced with the glowing long sword, he had grown so used to.

“You bastard!” Camas grabbed at the figure but it disappeared. “Bring her back!”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Like you could hurt me, like you could even touch me. Leave me, but do not fret, your wish may still come true.”

Camas was starting to get tired of blacking out, but once again, his wishing swarmed with darkness. He felt his body falling before he stopped feeling anything. Just black, deep, cold, black nothing.

[Redhollowlives999]

Red tried to take a deep breath of fresh air before waking up, but he was immediately greeted some form of poison; waking him up.

"R..Raul..." Red managed to say with all the coughing. Red inspected the area, the sky was a darkish red, full of lightning. He was surrounded by a purple fog, and for miles he saw a purple ocean. But what shocked him the most was one feature: Raul wasn't next to him. "R-Raul!"

Red looked around nervously like a dog looking for its master. Raul was like a brother to him; they never leave each other for too long. "Oh crap. I'm on my own..."

Red and Raul had set up a system in case something like this happened. Red looked up to the sky, "Nope. Nothing." Red kept walking by the shore.

~~~~~~

"Red!" Raul panted as he ran around, looking for his close friend. "RED!"

Raul started his 'emergency signal' procedure. He started to move his arms and flick his wrists until lightning started to crackle out of his hands, Raul grunted at the electricity intensified. "RED!"

Raul shot straight up towards the clouds, making the sky slightly darker. Raul got back up to check the area for any signs of Red as soon as he recovered; nothing.

"I guess I'm on my own." Raul said with a sigh. "Man,"
~~~~~


"How am I suppose to fight when Red is the muscle in our group..."
"How am I suppose to fight when Raul is the brains in our group..."

Red sighed as he picked up his blade. "This is not funny anymore." He started to rip a part of his under shirt and made a mask; he knew it wouldn't help, but it would be good enough for now.


~~~~~~

Raul gripped his Key of Lorelei and sighed. "Man, this is not gonna be easy. Worst of all, this place seems so familiar." Raul ripped a part of his sleeve and made a mask. He was already feeling sick from breathing this fog. Raul didn't wanna take any chances.

~~~~~~

"Good luck Red."
"Good luck Raul."

[Zup]

The suit was out and shone, even with the lack of sunlight, which was a major worry for the robot. He could not use it's energy conversion cells to charge his battery, as there was no sun. As far as he could tell, there was also a lack of electricity and magnetism for him to utilize.

Of course, if he truly needed it, Raul was a possible source of power.

Bird and Clarissa flew threw the dark air, the robot constantly searching left and right for someplace to land or any sign of the tower. He knew he would have to preserve his battery as best as he could should he be thrust into the arena. With every moment he stayed in flight, his suit's power was draining.

Clarissa seemed to be enjoying flying, however. Bird's scanners detected that her heart was racing, and she was even smiling as she watched the deadly ocean below them zoom by.

But Bird's attention was brought to a beep his computer signaled to him. His gaze darted to his right, as his scanners detected a large structure just on the tip of his minimap.

A quick turn soon identified it as a tower.

[Redhollowlives999]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI5fD7Jbnuw

Red walked through the dying forest. His mind had been in silence ever since he had been separated from Raul. Red stopped walking after he thought he heard a noise.

"So, we meet again."

Red took his blade out and got into a defensive stance. "Who the the the the the is that?"

"Where's your friend?"

"Why do you care?"

A chuckle could be heard echoing. "Just wanted both of you to be here when I slaughter both of you!"

Red dodged an incoming attack, he studied the weapon used; some kunai's. "So. Its you, utters ninja."

The ninja made herself visible. "How sweet? You remembered!" The ninja yelled as she ran towards Red. Who also rushed straight for the ninja.

Red prepared to swing his blade and slice her head, but he was parried by the women, but then was pushed back when another one appeared. "What the the the the the?" Red jumped back and made some distance.

"Whats the matter? Never seen a clone? You weakling."

Red's eye twitched in annoyance, "S-shut up!" He ran back into attack range and attempted to slice right through the true one; which disappeared right after the sword made contact.

"Wrong one." Red was kicked in the face by the ninja right next to him; sending him flying to a nearby tree.

"Harold! You'll pay." Red snickered.

"I can spare another leg is you want." The ninja sent multiple kicks to Red; only to have all of them parried by his Blade.

Red gripped his blade and focused on the strength of the blade, which allowed him to push the girl back to another tree.

The ninja pushed back, only far enough to regain the ability to speak. "I-I see you aren't that useless an opponent as I thought."

Red jumped back and sent a hi-kick to her jaw, but to his dismay, she dodged it and Red was suddenly hit on his side by another one of the ninja girls.

"Gr..." Red got up, with a vein visibly pulsating on his forehead. "You... Nobody kicks me and lives to tell the story!"

"Is that so?"

"Don't believe me? Go look for somebody whose kicked me, you'll look for years with no luck."

The ninja jumped back and shot 10 Shurikens at Red, who quickly froze his blade and used it as a shield. After the barrage of attacks were over, he got up and yelled to his opponent, who had disappeared again. "Can you do anything other than turn invisible, shoot fancy scraps of metal, and make clones?"

"Well," said a voice behind Red, making him jump a little, "if you care so much, why not try to find out little kid?"

"Oh you'd love that wouldn't you?" Red said as he swung his blade to the source of the noise. Red felt no contact, but instead felt a powerful kick to his back, sending him flying a few feet.

Man if Raul were here, he would have covered my back.... Raul.. Where are you? Can't win without your brains. Red was kicked yet again by the another ninja behind him, then he was stabbed by a small blade by his torso.

"Gah!"

How can I fight an enemy I can't see? Raul... What would Raul do?

"Red! Think fast!"

"Ow!"

"I warned you."

"Stop hiding! You're not a ninja Raul! Come out and fight like a real man!

"Man? We are only 10, you think to much, lets just have some fun before master comes back. Besides, hide and seek was YOUR idea."

"I wanted to do some sparing, I wanted to play that when he finished training today!"

The 10 year old ran ahead of Red. "Come on, lets race."

"...."

"Boo! You need to forget about strengths and have some fun Red. Smile fo' once."

The boy smiled, "Fine, firss one to the Lake wins!"

The two kids ran, past the courtyard, through the front gates, past the traveling merchants, and to the lake. The two kept running until Red ended the race by touching the tree. "I win!"

Raul panted for several seconds before saying, "I kin see that..."

"You mad?"

"No," Raul said with a smile, "You happy?"

"Yup. You could have don better!"

Raul chuckled and gave a big grin, "Some battle are better lost then won."

Red gave a very annoyed face. "Really dude?"

Raul brushed himself off and rinsed his face by the lake side. "Not gon' win all the time, its important to never expect victory each competition."

Red spat towards the tree he just tapped. "Sounds like loser talk to me."

"You are happy aren't you?"

"Of cours'! You are being a sore loser ain't ya?"

Raul chuckled to Raul's arrogance. "Well, yah wanna race again then?"

"You bet!"

The two boys ran towards the high sun, the older Red watched as the two boys ran back to their homes; with a small grin on his face.

Winning isn't important, surviving to see the ones you care about smile... thats what matters.

"Die!" The ninja aimed her Kunai straight for Red's lung, but to her disdain, Red grabbed the blade and got up with a spin kick; knocking the ninja down.

"I'm not taking your crap anymore."

The ninja looked up to Red's eyes; cold as steel. He grabbed her arm and stomped on it, slashing any clone that tried to aid her.

"Those eyes," she started, "I have only seen those eyes once."

"I now realize my muscles aren't enough to win," Red said as he dodged one of the ninja's clone. "What truly matter is surviving, returning to those you love, and being with those close to you."

The ninja attempted to do a spin kick of her own, but it was parried by Red's shin. "Like I said, I'm sick of your crap." Red placed his hand over his wound, and observed the blood dripping off it as he lifted his hand to his face. "You are gonna regret putting this mark on my body."

The ninja rolled up and tried to cut Red's neck, even summoning another clone to slash from the other side, but in the end, both attacks were blocked.

"I think you have yet to realize," Red said as he lifted his blade to attack the girl he knew was the real one. "It takes more than fancy powerful moves to win a competition."

"Glad you finally figured it out."

Red opened his eyes wide as a sudden bolt of lightning shocked the girl. "R-RAUL!"

Raul took off his protective cloth to reveal his big grin. "Red!"

Red ran right past the body that dropped in front of him, he wasn't sure whether she was dead or not; but he didn't care. Red came to a halt when he reached Raul.

"How you doing Red?"

Red stood in silence for a few seconds, before finally jumping on his friend giving him a big hug. "You were right bro." He said with a slight crack in his voice; the same tone Red had when he was 10. "Some battle are hopeless with strength alone. I would have died if I hadn't figured that out just now."

Raul responded to Red's hug with a pat. "I was worried to death; perhaps muscles isn't all that bad."

Red released his hug right after Raul's pat. "What do you mean?"

"Thought I was gonna die out there; guess brains isn't the most important thing. Never truly appreciated how much you pushed me." Raul gave Red another embrace. "Thanks bro. I finally understand all those times you wanted to do nothing but train."

Red patted Raul on the back, Raul let go, but Red didn't.

"You alright?"

"Actually, my body hurts like a female dog. Can't stand on my own, mind using your cure when we get out of his forest? Don't wanna stick around here to encounter another enemy."

Raul sighed, a slight chuckle could be heard under it however. "Alright buddy."

Red and Raul could be seen slow walking in the distance, the ninja mutters something as her vision started to faded completely. "Those ⌂_⌂. I will take their head if its the last thing I do."

"Quite the interesting battle, Red seems to have some deep ties with that other teen."

"Wh.. what?" Ryuka turned her head to see a blurry white figure next to her.

"Shut up, I'll be taking your powers now 'Ryuka'."

"Yo- you wou-wouldn't da-." Ryuka blanked out completely.

"About time you fainted you dumb excuse for a ninja."

[Zup]

Bird's computer locked onto the tower and he redirected his thrusters to take him directly there as soon as possible. The robot and Clarissa soared through the dark, harsh air at speeds approaching ninety miles per hour, and Bird would've gone faster had he not decided it would be dangerous for the girl.

"I see the tower, Bird!" said Clarissa from behind the cloth over her mouth, muffling her voice. She pointed straight at the structure, and the robot nodded in response.

The distance between them and the tower was rapidly decreasing, and Bird readied himself to twist into a landing on the rooftop. As he did so, his computer detected life on the farthest reaches of his minimap.

It was one of the competitors heading straight for the tower.

Bird quickly lead Clarissa to an area of the rooftop in which he could keep watch over her as best as he could. The unidentified competitor was moving in fairly quickly, and Bird gripped his saberstaff in his hand should they come to blows.

The competitor revealed herself to be one of the ones Bird had not had time to truly identify. As he spotted her with is own two eyes, Bird detected a strange, circular glow emitting from her back - most likely the source of her ability to fly. She was soaring to the roof of the tower, and appeared to have not spotted Bird just yet.

"What's going on?" asked Clarissa.

Bird cocked his head to the side. "There is...*chirp*...another competitor approaching."

Clarissa's hug on Flint tightened. Bird took a few steps back to allow the woman to land without having to attack just yet.

"Hm?" asked the woman as her feet lightly touched the stone tower rooftop. "The walking suit of armour has manners?"

The woman began to casually stroll towards Bird, observing him with every step. Bird's scanners did the same, albeit for much more different results. His computer detected a strange power source coming from her back and each of her palms. He could not, however, discern what they did exactly.

"I am not here to...*click*...fight," warned the robot.

"So you're just going to lay down and die?" asked the woman. Her head tilted and she narrowed her eyes at the robot.

Bird easily detected her ploy. While she had been talking and analyzing him, her snake was slithering around the edge of the tower, inching up behind him to bite. His computers picked up on its heat immediately, and he was not caught off guard.

"I will fight only when...*chirp* *chirp*...provoked."

The woman chuckled. "Sometimes it only takes one bite to kill the prey."

The snake suddenly whipped into the air and lodged its fangs into Bird's neck. However, the robot was not affected. He simply stood there, much to the woman's surprise.

"Hawks are predators of snakes...*click*...not prey."

He left hand gripped the snake around its thin, scaly body, and the sound of his repulsor blast was heard charging up just before the snake's innards were thrown outward, spraying across the arena floor.

The woman quickly tried to regain her composure, though she was visibly shaken that Bird had decimated her pet. "To the the the the with you!"

"Might I...*chirp*...know your name, first, miss?"

"Mimi!" the woman barked before her hand thrust out, palm facing Bird. A large fireball the size of Bird's torso shot outward, striking the robot square in the chest. He was not affected greatly, though. He flinched before turning on his thrusters to avoid four more fireballs aimed for his head.

As Bird floated in the air above Mimi, the woman snarled and flew into the air herself, utilizing that light on her back. Bird quickly documented this display of her abilities before barrel rolling to avoid another fireball.

"Coward!" Mimi yelled, diving straight at him, her palm extended.

Poor decision, Bird thought to himself. He whipped out his saberstaff and struck her on the temple with the metal of it, not activating the plasma blade inside just yet. She lost control of her flying and fell a few feet onto the tower roof, clutching the side of her head as she did so.

Bird contemplated finishing her off right then and there. On the one hand, it would decrease future threats in the arena, and it would allow him and Clarissa to wait on top of the tower with no threats for quite some time. On the other hand, it did not sit well with the robot to kill the woman outside of the assigned battles. It felt...wrong.

As Bird glanced at Clarissa, the woman below roared, "die!" and fired a fireball and a sword made of a pale blue light for his head and chest. In reaction, Bird activated his energy shield, protecting him from both projectiles. Afterwards, he dived straight down to Mimi, his boot crashing into her chest, forcing her onto the ground with a crack in her spine.

His saberstaff, plasma blade radiating, pierced her chest, ending her squirming.

[Redhollowlives999]

Red laid on the floor while Raul turned his neck; releasing any tension carrying Red may have caused. After releasing all he could, he turned to Red.

"I found no water, so looks like a cure is required." Raul took a deep breath and Red was suddenly surrounded by light with a slight green twinkle.

"MUCH better." Red said as he stood up, he stumbled alittle, but managed to get up.

"Stop doing that, you know your muscles need to adjust."

"Sorry. So... how do we move on from here? We are pretty much stuck on an island."

Raul pointed down the coast. "I saw something along the way. This... Tower....."

"Think that's it?"

"Think I saw a contestant fly towards there."

Red picked up some of the food he had snuck with him, offering Raul a Plum. "Thanks."

"No problem. So, how do we get there?"

Raul sat down and lit a dead log on fire. "Not sure," Raul removed the cloth on his face, "I think we need to build a boat."

"I don't think that's water. I tried to bend some to cleanse it; got thirsty. Not only did it not work, I threw a rock in there to see how safe it was to jump into, the rock sunk like a... what's worse than a rock sinking into water?"

"A rock falling in general?"

"Yup. It was as if it were some poisonous lake of gas."

Raul got up, throwing away the seed of the plum. He walked towards the ledge of the land he was on. A quick glance down reveal that it was merely 5 feet down. "Lets see how it reacts to fire."

Raul shot a fireball to the ocean. It acted as if it landed on water, but some more gas appeared; causing Raul to cover his face. "Darn it."

"I think it reacts to elements or something."

"Can--" Raul was interrupted by a figure dropping several scraps of metal on the floor.

Red let out a roar. "Hey! Aren't y-"

The figure left in a zephyr; before Red could even finish.

"What did he leave?" Raul said.

Red inspected the pile. "I'm no engineer, but it looks like... parts for a... boat?"

"How do you know?"

"Well," he began, "I see oars, a motor, and a big name on.." Red lifted a large piece of metal, "This piece called, 'Tarterus Qliphoth 2.0'."

"Is that where we are?"

Red shugged. "the the the the should I know? If anything, it looks like a dying planet."

"Yeah," Raul said with a sigh, "We need to focus on getting out."

Raul put on his protective cloth. "Man, this air is making my mouth taste like vinegar."

"You should get that checked. Ohh! Wanna leechi berry?"

Raul started to make what he hoped was a boat. "Nah."

"Apple?"

"No. I just want water to be honest."

"Well," Red took out his blade. "I still have some healing water in this thing, but we should save it."

"Agreed; now help out, I'm all skin and bones."

Red laughed at the statement. "Sure brother."

[Zup]

Bird closed the blade on his saber staff, glancing over at Clarissa who was cowering in fear.

The robot solemnly placed the staff onto his back and lifted Mimi's body in his arms, turning away from the girl. He walked to the edge of the tower, then dropped the body over the edge into the deadly sea below.

Bird's scanners shifted his gaze to the farthest little island he could see. His computer was in the process of detecting...

Red and Raul. They were stranded on that tiny island in the distance.

Perhaps I should assist... the robot began before his computer completely switched his line of thought. No. Permanent shut-down is now viable. I can only watch for myself.

Bird looked over his shoulder at Clarissa, who was starting to shake at the sight of what Bird had done to Mimi.

But what about Clarissa?

The robot scanned the girl, and noted that she was extremely nervous. His killing of Mimi had definitely had an effect on her. Under normal circumstances, he would've rushed to comfort her in some way.

But no such idea crossed his mind.

Instead, Bird walked the perimeter of the tower, scanning the horizon, looking out for more competitors, though none were picked up by his computers.

The suit had returned to its position underneath Bird's typical plating by now. He wanted to preserve its power and energy for when he truly needed it.

To pass the time, Bird's computers began to plan ahead for future battles. He mapped out strategies he could utilize to take advantage of all his foes' known weaknesses, and to make up for his own in the best ways he could.

He was ready for battle.

[Redhollowlives999]

Red looked at the 2 parts he had in his hand, with a puzzled look on his face. "Okay this part goes here."

"No it doesn't! That's the piece I asked you for 5 minutes ago!"

Red handed Raul the two parts. Shortly after he started digging into the pile again. "Here. You're better with this stuff anyway."

"Wish Bird was here, I'm sure he could just magically build this or something."

Red stopped his search to look at Raul. "Why bird?"

"Don't know. He seems really smart to me; I like talking to him."

"What's with all of his chirping and clicking? Is he even a he?"

Raul looked towards the tower. "No clue, I've always liked the field of Mechanics. He seems far too advance. Which is why I avoid confrontation around him."

Red started looking for parts he hadn't broken yet. "I respect him for talking care of that girl... Clarissa was her name right? She seems so innocent its annoying. Bird is also a powerful opponent, I can feel it. But I still don't wanna pick up a fight with anybody; unless I have to.

"Of course, we still have other people we need to worry about. Like that ninja girl. She can use her terrain to her advantage, and with her invisibility and my lack of water, she easily got the upper hand."

Raul stopped his gaze and continued to work. "I'm more worried about that kid with the glasses. His abilities concern me. Alot I might add. If he takes your water and uses it on me, I'm done for the most part; same for you if it goes the other way around."

"Yeah, luckily I have my-"

"Acho!"

Red was interrupted by a small sneeze. Causing him and Raul to get up in a flash.

Raul's face grew serious. "What was that?"

"Sounded like a little boy."

"Came from that way!" Raul yelled.

"Lets kill that little pipsqueak now!"

Red and Raul ran towards the source of the noise. After some time left, A white figure came out of thin air; who stepped into the light, revealing his identity. "Finally those imbeciles are gone. Look at this mess, even with both IQ's combined, it would have taken then years to finish this."

The boy began to build the boat. After some time, he stopped to admire his progress. "Just need to add the seats, place the engine, find a good power sourc- !"

Once again the boy turned invisible. Shortly after, Red and Raul came back.

Red sighed. "No sign of him."

"Maybe he ran off, heck, maybe it was some native or something and they ran away."

"Who would live here? It looks like a dying planet." Red snickered.

Raul ran to their spot and ran around an almost complete boat. "Hey! How did this happen?"

Red looked at it in confusion. "A miracle maybe?"

Raul studied the boat carefully. "Doubt it."

~~~~~

"Where am I?" Said Ryuka.

She surveyed the area. She remembered, she was defeated yet again. "I will kill those fools!"

She began to run, only to fall to her knee in pain. "Tch, darn it" The ninja sat down to treat any serious wound she had.

"I can't lose their trail. Not a-" The ninja's eyes widen as she remembered. The boy. He mentioned stealing her powers; then he ran off towards the 2 young men.

"Darn it, now I need to add another to my list." She slowly turned invisible and moved as fast as she could, hoping her targets didn't get too far.

~~~~~~~

"Looks like the only thing missing are: The seating, windshield, the engine, and a good power source."

"What type of power source we talking about?"

Raul checked the boat and the engine again and smiled with joy. Fire, Hot water, Electricity, and/or kinetic energy! For Fire we need wood, so some flammable, good with 1 time use material, like Wood or Coal; so that's a no. Actually, all we really have his electricity."

"YES! We got plenty of that! Tower and more free food! Here we come!"

"Give me 3 minutes to get things ready, could you help me with this engine first?"

Red got up, tired (although he done nearly nothing). "Sure man."



There they are! So while I was unconscious, they were playing pirate.


"Is this baby ready to set sail Raul?"

"Yup. Get the stuff and help me push it to that.... purple poison thing we are gonna call water for now."

"Got ya!"

The two began to push the boat, but it was only moving at a slow pace. "Push harder."

These imbeciles can't do anything right. The boy took a corner that was free and began to push; making the boat move abit faster.

"Thats it Raul! Keep pushing!"

"I'm pushing as hard as I can!"

"Excuses!"


The ninja girl observed the 2 boys push, contemplating on what to do. I could sneak on board and kill them half way, or I could kill them now. The ninja looked at the size of the boat, she decided they should push while she sneaked her way on.

"Ugh, did this boat just get heavier?" Red uttered under all his grunting.

It did get heavier, by at least 100 pounds. The boy initiated a scan of the boat; the ninja from before was on. That little winch. I need to push harder. I will deal with her later.

The boy applied more strength, enough to move the boat, but slow enough to let the increase go unnoticed.


These boys are strong, and handsome too; quite a shame I have to kill them, they would have made good slaves.

"One more push Red!"

The two pushed one more time and jumped on the boat as quickly as possible. They watched carefully to see if the boat floated; it began to sink.

"Ah! Raul Raul Raul what do we do??"

"Calm down Red, this boat uses air to keep it up, I simply need to power it up." Raul began to bend lightning, he gave it enough juice to make his own hair stand. Red watched as Raul aimed his fingertips to a small antenna on the engine, the result was a big thunder bolt shooting straight at the receiver.

As soon as the electricity made contact, the antenna absorbed all the electricity, causing the Boat to rise.

"Red, Drive."

"Alright."

The boat zoomed away the second Red placed his foot on the pedal. "I love this! We must be going about 80 miles per hour! We'll be to that tower in no time at all!"

The boy, who was still invisible, walked up to the invisible ninja. "Listen here toots, this is a one way ticket to the arena, if you mess this up, I will cast you overboard, and laugh as you die in this poisonous sea, so keep shut."

.... Who was that? I can't- the boy!! I kill th- no.. Patience, that's what fath- sensei showed me. Let me get to the tower first.


Raul turned to Red in slight confusion. "What was that?"

"What?" Red responded over the roar of the engine.

"Did you hear something?"

"Over the sound of my yelling and the boat? No."

"Swore I heard something..."

Red lifted his arms up and gave a yell. "Dude, we're are completely alone! You're just hearing stuff! ENJOY THE RIDE!"

Raul chuckled off his problem. "You're right, look, we're almost there!"

"I think I see somebody on top... Doesn-" Red stopped his yelling and stared at some corpse that could be seen. "Whats that?" He said while staring at the body.

Raul took a break to inspect what Red "Don't worry about it for now. But keep your guard up!"

"Aye aye captin!"




So, Bird as already arrived. Hmph, I'll show that bucket of bolts and wires whose really the smartest.

[Zup]

Red and Raul were closing in on his minimap at a rather quick rate, catching Bird's attention. He peered over the edge of the tower into the distance, and sure enough, he could see what appeared to be a boat heading straight for the tower.

But what alarmed him was that he detected Ryuka and Kors on the boat as well.

Have they...become allies? the robot thought to himself. His mind raced to prepare strategies for such an outcome. Perhaps they had recognized Bird's threat level and planned to work together in order to take him out. Maybe Ryuka and/or Kors were hostile towards Red and Raul and currently held them hostage in some way. Perhaps it was the opposite of that?

Regardless of what their motives were and what the situation was, Bird was not about to be taken by surprise. He moved towards Clarissa, ordering her to stand up. He caught himself in the midst of his command, surprised that he had taken such a tone with her.

The girl was shaking as she stood there. Her body temperature rose and her heart rate had increased. She was definitely terrified.

"I am...*chirp*...sorry, Clarissa. I did not mean to...*click*...frighten you."

"It-It's okay, Bird..."

The robot pointed to a spot off to the side that he deemed the best location to hide, telling her to wait there. He himself quickly located the stairway and began to descend down the tower, his hand ready to reach for his saber staff.

The inside of the tower was empty and somewhat cold. There were no signs of life other than the occasional rat or two scurrying on ledges on the walls. There was a large elevator shaft in the center of the tower, but instinct told Bird to not take it. It could've been broken, rigged, or an unwise decision. He did not question his computer.

As he descended the tower, Bird's computer kept track of the incoming party of four tearing through the waters, closing in on Bird's location. At the same time, he also noted various ways in which he could maneuver through the tower should he be forced to fight one, two, three, or even all four of them. He was sure to map out escape routes he could use his thrusters to zoom through in order to reach the rooftop as quickly as possible. He located heavy metal objects he could manipulate with his magnetism, and makeshift weapons should he lose his staff in the encounter.

Within a few minutes, the robot arrived at the bottom floor of the tower, and his computer predicted that Red, Raul, Ryuka, and Kors would be there within the next minute. He leaned against a wall, allowing the entrance to be within his sights. He ran a quick check to make sure Clarissa was still on the roof. Satisfied that she was well, he turned his gaze back to the door of the tower.

Red was the one to push the doors open, and Raul was not far behind him. Bird's body tensed in order to defend against possible attacks by Kors and Ryuka, but for some reason, he could not physically see them.

They are invisible...

Bird switched to his thermal vision, and sure enough, Kors and Ryuka came into his sight. It was this revelation that made him aware that Red and Raul did not know they were accompanied by the two, and Bird was ready to defend them should the need arise.

"Hey, it's Bird!" Red told his companion, pointing at the robot.

"Kors and Ryuka are-!" Bird began to tell before he twisted around, dodging a trio of shuriken aimed at his throat. His left hand shot out, and a repulsor blast fired off into the ninja, who was able to evade the attack herself.

"What the the the the the?!?" said Raul, turning around and drawing his sword.

Bird's thrusters kicked into gear and he zoomed forward, diving in between Red and Raul. He crashed into Kors, who was readying an attack against Raul, tackling the boy into the wall behind him. The impact was enough to kill the invisibility, and Red and Raul realized what was going on, and just in time, for Ryuka slashed down at Red, who barely pulled off a block with his own weapon.

Bird was suddenly struck on the back with what felt like a heavy kick, toppling the robot and bringing him to his knees. He was confused, as his computer detected nothing behind him. Ryuka was in the distance fighting Red and Raul, and Kors was still against the wall, coughing up some blood.

The robot turned to face a black, inky figure that was in the exact shape as Ryuka.

Some sort of...clone?

For some reason unknown to him, Bird could not detect this Ryuka clone on his computers. He had to keep the thing in his vision at all times or risk being the victim of another sneak attack - perhaps one that lead to severe malfunctioning...

Bird whipped out his saber staff and released the plasma blade inside, slashing across the clone's torso. The thing dissipated in an ink puddle on the floor, but suddenly reappeared behind him with another kick.

The robot turned his fall into a roll and ducked beneath another kick. His saber cut into the inky opponent once again causing it to vanish. This time, Bird twisted around and slashed again, "killing" it before it had time to strike once more.

Bird's computer detected Ryuka sprinting up the stairs, probably fleeing the scene towards the roof. Red and Raul, however, did not continue their pursuit. The clone seemed to have left as well.

Kors was on his feet and running up the stairs as well, muttering what were likely curses under his breath.

"Hey, Bird, should we-?" Raul began to ask when Bird shook his head.

Those two are heading towards Clarissa... Bird noted. His gaze directed itself to the large elevator shaft in the center of the tower. The elevator appeared to be in working condition, but a quick scan showed that it would crash before it reached the top. The robot turned to the two boys.

"You two may follow them if...*click* *click*... you wish, but do not take the elevator."

"Ugh," groaned Red, putting his hands behind his head. "I don't wanna walk up all of these stairs."

Bird shrugged, his thrusters turning on. "I'm not going to...*chirp*...carry you." The robot zoomed off into the elevator shaft, spiraling towards the roof in order to beat Ryuka and Kors there and protect Clarissa.

[Redhollowlives999]

Raul ran ahead. "Come on Red!"

"Ugh, this calls for alittle Dagger haste!" Red grabbed, then tapped the jewel at the hilt of the dagger. He then started to run, passing Raul in a second.

"Hey! Haste!" A red clock surrounded Raul as he ran up the stairs. As soon as the clock disappeared, Raul's speed increased 3 fold. Raul caught up to Red only shortly after. The 2 got up to the top in about 20 seconds.

"Bird! We'rehere!" Red said, bobbing up and down; his breathing pattern accelerated.

"We'reheretohelpyou!"


The ninja looked at the 2 boys, she held Clarissa by the neck, with her turning her head, pleading to Red, Raul, and Bird to help.

Red clenched his fist. "Clarissa!"

Raul and Raul ran towards the girl, but they were blocked by a huge wall of stone. They turned to see the cause; Kors. With electricity running through his arms.

"Not so fast imbeciles."

"Red.... Don'tletgotofthatdagger."

"Gotcha."

The two dashed at the boy, who disappeared out of thin air.

"Crap. Not this again! And myhaste isrunning out."

Raul thought for 2 seconds. "Delta-12! Go!"

Raul started performing a series of fiery sweep kicks. Red ran to a safe, pre-decided spot, standing by. After 15 seconds, Kors was blown away; coming visible once again.

"Red now!"

Red tapped the jewel of the Dagger twice, causing time to stop time. The effect only lasts for about 15 seconds, so Red dashed to Kors to hack away; slowly counting in his head. Finally reaching Kors with 0:07 seconds remaining; he managed to slash 3 fully powered slashes before time started to move again. As soon as time started; Kors felt everything that happened to his body while time froze. Rocks dividing Raul, Red, and Bird started to break down.

"What?" Yelled the ninja, "You're useless! They defeated you in under 30 seconds!"

"Its... Because of.... that Dagger... of Time..." Kors slowly stood up; pointing to Red's dagger. "Curse you!"

The boy knelled down and started to draw a symbol with his own blood. When he finished, he clapped and slammed his hand into the drawing; 2 giant hands came, grabbed him, and started to bring him down through the ground.

"I will kill all of you! This isn't the last you'll encounter me!" He pointed to Red, "I will claim that dagger, and kill you with your own brotherhood blade."

"Burn in the the the the!" Red spat at the boy, but it the boy left before he and the saliva connected. "Bird! Clarissa!"

Raul sighed. "Ugh, ninja utters. Didn't already learn your lesson?" Raul started to bend electricity.

"Stand down! Or I'll kill the girl!"

Red looked to Bird, who was holding his gun to the ninja's head; waiting for the ninja to make the first move.

"*Chirp* Killing her only means... we will *click* not hold back.

"Stand down now, we have no reason to fight; yet." Raul added.

The ninja looked around, contemplating what to do. Then after 2 minutes, she kicked Clarissa towards Red, who caught her, and ran away.

Bird and Raul were ready to chase her, but Red stopped them. "Leave her, she no longer poses as a threat. Only a weakling would abuse of the innocent."

Clarissa clutched Red's shoulder closer. She tried to talk, but the tears and the lump in her throat prevented her.

"You're covered in sweat." Red sighed. He stood Clarissa up and bended the sweat and tears on her clothing. "You'll catch a cold."

Raul walked up to Red, then to Clarissa. "Clarissa, do you have any Offensive/Defensive abilities? I doubt they'd put you in this without a fighting chance."

Clarissa was about to tell them about her powers, but her eye caught Bird, who was nodded 'No, keep quiet.'

"Nothing for Offensive and Defensive; sorry if I'm such a burden."

"Don't apologize, don't be afraid to look for me and Raul if you need help. Also you always have Bird."

Raul walked to Bird. "Man, I hate this, can't believe they used us... So, what do we do?"