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

[Redhollowlives999]

Red swallowed the lump he could feel in his throat, feeling every bead of perspiration falling at his head. He slowly walked back from the boy who he knew as Kors. Darn it, no water in sight. After a quick scan of the area, he took a deep breath and let his shoulders drop. "I'm familiar with some of the Overlords, but only because one of them raised me and Raul. Ujanmunt has always had this hatred towards us, so our master always kept us away from him. Other than his fear of losing control, I know nothing; of course he's third strongest. So losing control is something that he doesn't have to worry about.

"I'd rather not talk any further, mostly because I don't know much more from there."

"Interesting," Kors said, pushing his glasses back in place. "Another thing I'd like to know is-"

Red quickly swung his blade to a crack in the ceiling. The falling debris blew away the fire Kors had created. The room turned dark, except only for the moonlight that was shining above Red. "Nah thats enough. Hey you're smart, I'm sure you know about my water abilities."

Kors started to chuckle. "Please, I eliminated any chance you have of attacking me without me being ready to defend. I'm not interested in fight just yet."

"And yet you killed Clarissa. You're not my enemy, so I won't kill you. Instead-" Red started to flick his wrist in an odd fashion; the cracks coming from the rusty wrists could be heard all around the room.

Kors watched in confusion, taking a step back, wondering what Red was doing. Then he felt light. He was floating!

Red tested his power to see if his technique had worked. He moved his left index finger to the left; Kors' left arm shot up as a result. "Excellent. Congratz Kors, you are now my puppet. You may have assured I have no water, but you didn't know this: I'm at my stronger at night; strongest in a full moon. I can feel water from a mile away. And theres something you forgot."

"I have water in me. Sh*t." Kors said.


"Now answer this: What are your intentions? Who do you side with? And why don't your glasses fit your face? There always sliding down and you always pulling them up annoys me."

"Hmph."

[Zup]

What's going on?, Bird thought to himself. He couldn't help but shoot his head in all directions. He had somehow...become human? No...no... that was impossible. He was not a living being, he was a...

"Come along, Anthony," said the aide a few yards ahead of Bird in the hallway. He was holding a clipboard and had an impatient look on his face, though the facade he was showing Bird was never broken. "Dr. Neel is this way."

Anthony? Bird shook his head, even more confused than before. He brought his hand to his head, and just the feeling of skin was enough to send a chill down his spine.

He actually had a spine. And a chill actually ran through it.

Bird slowly walked towards the man who was leading him towards...Clarissa! Yes, Clarissa! How? Was she...? What about...?

In his confusion, Bird bumped into the man, who sighed and stepped to the side to allow Bird to walk beside him. He didn't have his computer subconsciously telling him where things and people were. No, he had to rely on his own two eyes.

Just the thought of having those human organs brought Bird's hands back to his face, though they closed as his fingers approached. Some sort of defense mechanism? the confused Bird thought to himself. Hm...human eyes were surely sensitive. Perhaps the skin that closed was to prevent-

Bird's thoughts were interrupted as the man grabbed him by the wrist and continued to pull him along. Bird couldn't help but reach for his saberstaff.

The weapon wasn't there.

"Where is my staff?" Bird blurted into the air, and the aide rolled his eyes and sighed again.

"It's this way, Anthony," the man played along haphazardly.

"Why are you calling me Anthony?" Bird asked. "I am Two-Nine-Eighteen-Four...Codename-"

"Yes, yes, my apologies...Bird," the aide said, stopping Bird by placing his arm in front of the confused patient's chest. His left hand tapped on the door behind him, and he said, "Dr. Neel? I've brought Mr. Birdson with me."

Bird's curiosity was piqued at the mention of Clarissa. She's a doctor? What's going on? How is she-?

"Come inside, Anthony."

"I am not-"

Bird was lead into the room, though he instinctively squinted his eyes and brought his hands up to block them. The light overseeing the room was incredibly bright, and his human eyes failed to adjust in time.

"Hello, Anthony. So glad you could join us! C'mon in and take a seat."

Bird somewhat recognized Clarissa's voice, though it was certainly a bit more...mature than he had remembered. Perhaps it was the way human ears functioned?

But that theory was shot down as Bird's eyes adjusted to the light. Sitting on the opposite side of a large wooden desk in the back of the room was a young woman who bore incredible similarities to Clarissa, as if the girl had grown.

She had, obviously...but how?

"Cl-Clarissa?" Bird asked, his voice a faint whisper. The volume of his speaking confused him. He had not intended it to come out that way. The mysteries of human functionality.

"Call her Dr. Neel, Anthony," said the aide as he lead Bird to a cushioned chair off to the side. He checked something off on his clipboard and nodded to Clarissa before leaving the room. Bird took this time to inspect Dr. Neel once again, and he was certain that she was Clarissa, though he was absolutely clueless as to how it could be here.

Ujanmunt...

Bird finally noticed that there were two others in the room with him, seated in two other seats similar to his in a line in front of Clarissa's desk. Next to him was Raul, and farther to Raul's left, was...Camas.

"Camas! What are you-?"

"His name is Cameron, Anthony," corrected Clarissa with a smile. She noted something on her papers in front of her, glancing over a particular page.

"I already told you that my name is "Camas!" Camas! Not...Cameron!"

Bird nodded, but Clarissa did not take notice. He looked to Raul, who was simply sitting there, quietly. "Raul?"

The boy looked up in confusion, turning to Bird. "Um...how do you know my name?"

Bird's head cocked to the side and...his eyebrow raised? It certainly felt like it did. "What? Raul it's me-"

Another knock came at the door, and Bird whipped around instantly. Perhaps the aide was back. But for what?

"Dr. Neel?" came the voice from the other side of the door. "We have Vincent with us."

"Oh, good!" said Clarissa cheerily. "The whole gang's here. Bring him in!"

Vincent?

The door opened and in came two aides, each on either side of a rather large and muscular man. His mouth was slightly open a bit, and his eyes looked to be hazy. His head rolled to the side a bit, but he regained himself soon after. He tugged at his arm, trying to remove the aides from him, but it looked to be a pitiful attempt.

"Sit right there, Vincent." Clarissa pulled out another sheet from a folder, tapping her pen against her chin. "Alrighty. We're all here it looks like."

Bird watched the large man, Vincent, as he was sat down by the aides on the fourth chair, to Bird's right. They strapped his arms onto the arms of the chair, likely to contain him from escaping. He gave off the vibe of being aggressive...dangerous...hostile...

"Vulres?" Bird questioned.

The large man's eyes widened and he turned towards Bird, his eyes narrowing. "B-bird...thing?"

Raul suddenly caught on. "Bird! Is that you?"

Bird looked back to Raul, nodding feverishly. "Yes! I-"

"Alright, guys, let's get started, shall we?" said Clarissa, patting her papers down and looking back to the four of them. "Can you tell me about this..."Dolor" thing again? Everything you know about it." She rested her chain on her hands, waiting.

What...what is she talking about? Bird asked himself. She was there! She...

Bird turned to Raul, then to Vulres, and finally to Camas. All four shared the same bewildered looks.

What is going on?

[Redhollowlives999]

Kors' heart pounded with slight fear; his face remained straight however. "And what will you gain from all this?"

Before Red had a chance to answer, the floor beneath Red broke. An arm appeared and dragged Red down the floor; causing him to grab his blade and release his grip on Kors. Kors fell to his knee, but he didn't stick around to recover. He ran up to the hole to see if Red was alright -which he was-. He was surrounded by 3 Rock Golems.

"Son of a...ugh no water to deal with these idiots." Said Red, who was busy defending against a punch that one of the beasts threw. He aimed his swing to the right side of the neck of the beast in front of him. It did nothing but annoy the beast. "What the the the the the? Its weak spot should be right there!" Red dodged another attack with a roll.

Kors scanned the beast. mhmm, these aren't regular Golems. "Attack them on their left side of the stomach. Its guarded with an extra layer of rocks, so it won't be easy to penetrate with a soft blade like that."

Red switched his blade from his left to his right arm and slowly moved his free hand over the blade. The blade slowly froze as his hand advanced to the end. Upon reaching the end, Red's free hand immediately grabbed the free section of the hilt. "This hard enough?"

Kors gave a slightly cocky smile. "Nice. Now attack where I just told you."

Red quickly scanned the beast and located the extra layer of rock; it looked like a bulging Hernia. He was surprised he hadn't seen it before. He quickly took a deep breath to muster strength. He lifted the blade and waited for the Golem to raise his arm. He focused on the blade's strength and swung with all his might at the spot Kors said. After he felt the first layer crack, he witnessed the whole beast crumble into little pieces.

"Hmph." Kors muttered with a smile. The two Golems that also surrounded Red took a few steps back, Kors timed everything carefully before jumping down. He quickly drew a symbol on the dust on the floor; he then clapped and pressed his hands against the symbol. Rocks came from the floor and destroyed the Golems; from the bulge first.

"Not bad."

"Just try keeping up." Kors grabbed a clump of dirt and ran to the street. He ran to the middle of the street, only to be greeted by 6 more Golems.

"Give me a minute; you can fend a few off right?" Red said as he destroyed 2 more beasts, causing 4 more to appear. He did not wait for Kors to answer, he simply tapped on the Jewel and hastened his movements. He could be seen running up to a very high building; arguably the highest building.

"What are you doing?" Kors could not hear any answer from Red; instead a roar from a charging Golem. "Son of a b*tch..." Kors dodged an attack. He ran as far as he thought necessary. He then stopped to draw a bigger symbol with the bigger clump of dirt and dust he grabbed earlier. After finishing, clapping, and pressing down on the drawing, a giant wall of metal and rock grew in front of him, blocking him and the Golems off.

"This will only last about 20 minutes, it won't take long before they figure what the material is and try to walk through it." Kors said to himself. He turned, but Red was long gone. "He must have went up." Kors ran into the building; locking the door behind him. He knew it wouldn't help, but it would have bought him some time to talk to Red without interruptions.

Kors ran up to the first first floor, until he picked something up in his scanners; which sent him flying back downstairs. "Camas?"

[Zup]

"Cameron, why don't you start?" Clarissa asked, turning her attention to Camas, who rolled his eyes at the name she addressed him by.

Why is she calling him Cameron?

Clarissa shuffled some papers on her desk until she found the correct one. The tip of her pen tapped against her chin a few more times before she nodded at what she read. She once again looked back to Camas, who hadn't stirred. "It's..."Dolor," right?"

The four of them simply sat in silence. They occasionally glanced at each other, unsure of what was going on or what to do or say.

"Clarissa..." Bird began, finally breaking the silence. The doctor turned to Bird, nodding, a smile on her face.

"Yes, Anthony?"

"That's not..." he started to reply, his fist clenching. His eyes shot down to the hand. He hadn't commanded the hand to tighten - no, it was all reactionary. Was this...anger he was feeling? He had noted the emotion in the other competitors, yet he felt it was nothing was blinding to them - the reason they ended up making a fatal error.

Was he...feeling angry?

"Anthony: I can't help you if you're not trying to help yourself," Clarissa replied in a supportive tone. "You're name is Anthony, not Bird-"

"My name is Bird."

"No, your name is-"

Bird shut his eyes in what he was sure was frustration. His head was shaking back and forth, and both of his fists were clenched now. "Two-"

"Anthony, please," Clarissa tried to intervene, lifting a hand up to order Bird to stop. Raul and Camas were watching the scene unfold, the former appearing worried and the latter curious. Vulres glanced at Bird and Clarissa out of the corner of his hazy eyes.

"-Nine-"

"Anthony, stop. Your name is not-"

"Eight-"

"Anth-"

"teen-"

Clarissa reached over the desk and patted her hand on the back of Bird's. It was certainly a much different sensation than he had before. Feeling his own skin had been odd enough, but another human's? No...no, these feelings were far too much for him to handle. He pulled his hand away, gripping the arm of the chair.

"Four! I...I am Two-Nine-Eighteen-Four! Codename: Bird!"

Everyone quieted once again as Bird made his declaration. He was breathing heavily now. It was an incredibly odd and uncomfortable situation for him. The stress was far too much for him to control. He had experienced so much in such an instant - a change more drastic than any of the other competitors in the room had been through, for certain.

He hated being "alive."

He hated it so much that he shot up to his feet, to the surprise of the rest in the room.

"Anthony, calm down. Just sit down and-"

But Bird would have none of it. His palms slammed down on Clarissa's desk, causing Raul, Camas, and Clarissa to jump in their seats. Clarissa's finger shot underneath the desk, and Bird barely heard the click.

However, in his current state, the thought never registered.

"Clarissa! Stop! Stop all of this!"

"Anthony, calm down!"

Bird shook his head, slamming his right fist on top of the desk, turning to Camas, then to Raul, and finally to Vulres before looking back to the doctor. "No! No! My name is not Anthony!"

Clarissa reached for a paper for whatever reason, but Bird swiped it away before she could do so.

"My name is not Anthony! I am Two-Nine-Eighteen-Four! Codename: Bird! His name is not Cameron!" Bird yelled, his finger jabbing in Camas's direction. The boy raised an eyebrow before nodding, crossing his arms. "His name is Camas! And him," Bird continued, motioning towards Vulres. "He is Vulres, not Vincent!"

"Anthony..." Clarissa began, exhaling deeply, rubbing her temples. "Please sit down before-"

"No! Clarissa, you were there! In the tournament!"

"No, I wasn't, Anthony, I've already-"

But Bird was not backing down. He planted his hands on the desk and leaned in close, staring the woman straight in the eyes as she lifted her head back up. He was ever so slightly shaking his head. "That tournament is where we met, Clarissa. I protected you."

Clarissa swallowed, taken aback by how personal Bird was taking his comments. Raul and Camas leaned in closer, unaware as to what Bird would say next.

"You...protected me?" the woman asked.

Bird nodded before his eyes dropped to the desk, taking in the sight of his hands. His human hands. "But...I failed..."

Clarissa was enveloped in Bird's story, even if she did not believe it to be true. She knew he was a mental patient, but she couldn't help but be interested in what he was saying, especially since it involved her. There was something about the way he told it that felt...real. "You...failed?"

Bird nodded once again, looking Clarissa in the eyes again. "Kors..."

"Kors?"

"Another competitor. He..." Bird's right hand tightened into a fist. "He killed you. I...I failed to stop him."

There was an undeniable feeling of discomfort in the room at this point. Once again, the five of them ceased talking. It was a powerful moment, and it felt like the only thing that had a chance at making sense of what they were doing in this...mental hospital.

Unfortunately the moment was short lived. The door flew wide open and two aides came rushing in, one wielding some sort of baton in his hands and the other with handcuffs.

"Dr. Neel! Are you alright?" the first aide asked. He quickly flicked a switch on his baton, and electricity sparked on the end.

"Wait don't-!" said Clarissa.

But it was too late.

Bird instantly recognized the threat just before it struck him. The baton lunged at his torso, ready to take him down and detain him further. He had a latent ability within him, though. A power that none had seen him perform; one he had only used once in his short life.

He twisted around, his hand swiping out. His left palm opened, and he pushed the hand forward. In that split second of movement, the aide was thrown backward, colliding with the second aide, throwing the two of them a good ten feet into the wall behind them in the hallway. The baton fell to the ground, the spark dying out until the switch was further pressed.

Bird stood there, his eyes wide, heart racing.

What have I done?

"A-A-Anthony?" Clarissa gasped, her hands over her mouth. "W-wh-what just happened?"

Bird glanced back at Clarissa, a lump in his throat. He was completely speechless. His eyes met with Raul, Camas, and Vulres, and the three of them were in the same state as he.

He picked up the baton, impulsively knowing what he had to do next. "I'm...I'm leaving."

Clarissa said nothing as Bird stormed into the hallway.

He was soon followed closely by Camas and Raul, the latter unhooking Vulres and helping him.

They had to find a way out.

[Rammerrush]

Camas watched as Bird fell to the ground from the baton smash. He was shaking and drooling from the mouth, muttering something about the force being strong with this one. What ever that meant.

"He always does this, but you didn't have to beat him, he wasn't a threat." Dr. Neel said. Camas knew after Bird's story that Clarissa had died and that Ujanmunt was probably doing the sme thing to her that he did to Virus, but he didn't want to think about it. He'd just keep refering to her as Dr. Neel for now.

The aides muttered their apoligies and picked Bird up, saying that they would taker him to the infirmary to recover. "You two can head to the common room now, there should be an aide outside to escort you."

Camas and Raul stood up and headed to the door. A large man opened it and entered the room, making his way to Vulres, clearly Vulres was in no condition to move by himself. The large aide lifted him up and led him to the door. "Come on you two, you can follow us." Seeing no other options, Camas did.

[Zup]

Ujanmunt's echoing chuckle snapped Bird's eyes wide open. "Oh...so close...Anthony..."

Bird's hands shot out to his sides and he sat up, sweat dotting his forehead. He was breathing heavily, and felt an ache in both his head and his stomach.

"What...what happened? I-"

The room he was in was exceptionally dark - there was no lighting at all. No, the only source of light came from an extremely small window that almost touched the ceiling. The bed he was lying on was low - likely to prevent him from hiding underneath it or possibly storing something there. The rest of the tiny room was empty. There was nothing but hard concrete below.

There was that laugh again.

The owner of the voice, however, was nowhere to be seen. The scene didn't darken in any way (not that that truly would've hindered Bird - he could barely see anything as it was), and Ujanmunt's arms and torso hadn't begun to appear either.

But just hearing the Overlord's voice was exactly what Bird needed.

He wasn't crazy after all. Something was going on.

"Ujanmunt!" Bird barked to the ceiling. No reply came, but the robot-turned-man continued his call.

* * *

"Is this the robot?" a low, monotone voice asked.

Ujanmunt turned his head to his right, removing his gaze from the glass below that depicting Bird in his bed, screaming. The figure that had spoken to him was Nesster - the Overlord of Thought.

The suit-clad skeleton slowly walked into the scene, taking a position beside Ujanmunt, his arms behind his back. His massive horns dipped down low as he lowered his head to watch Bird.

Ujanmunt grunted. "Yes."

Nesster's arms crossed over his chest, and one of his hands rested beneath his chin. "Fascinating specimen."

The Overlord of Life nodded, staring at Bird as he jumped out of the bed and began to pace back and forth. "What is he thinking of?"

Nesster was somewhat surprised by the question, but not for long. He was already probing Bird's thoughts; it couldn't hurt to tell them to Ujanmunt.

Bird's thoughts entered Ujanmunt's mind, communicating as if Bird has relayed them to the overlord directly. What happened in that room? What happened? Clarissa...she...she didn't remember...

"Still on the girl?" Ujanmunt muttered to himself.

Camas...Cameron? Why...why Cameron? And Victor. No....No, his name is Vulres! Vulres! And...and where did they get "Anthony?" That's...that's not my name! I'm not...

"Hmph," began Ujanmunt. "Quite a bit on his mind."

I used...I used that power...But why...I know that I ran out of the office...

Nesster nodded. "He's certainly intriguing...He's not like the others..."

...locked up somewhere...Detained? Why is there no door? Why...

"What do you mean?"

The Overlord of Thought returned his attention to Bird, who was sitting against the wall, slumped in a position not unlike defeat. He rubbed the base of his skull, pondering. "He's thinking at a rate seven times faster than a human could ever hope to."

Ujanmunt looked back to the robot-turned-man, his hands in his hair. He seemed to be a bit intrigued by the idea of having hair, and pulled on it a bit, stopping only when he felt the slight pain on his scalp.

How can there be no door? There...there aren't any windows either...Except that one...Why? How? What...hair? Hair...Human hair...How? How am I human? Why...WHY am I human? I...

"What's the significance?" Ujanmunt questioned his fellow overlord. "Of the speed of his thinking?"

Nesster shook his head ever so slightly. "He's not stupid, Ujanmunt."

Did I hallucinate? I swear I used the...the aides...they collided with the wall...I...I took the baton and left the room...

Ujanmunt grunted and folded his arms, shaking his head. "He doesn't seem to be all that bright. He's fascinated by something as simple as hair."

Nesster chuckled. "You truly don't understand?"

Wait...there has to be a way out of here...How could I be put in this room if there wasn't-

Ujanmunt looked down to Bird, curiosity piqued, as he began to walk the perimeter of the room, his palms flat against the wall, dragging across the entire surface, his fingers poking every few inches. "What is he-?"

Nesster lifted a finger to silence Ujanmunt. "Just watch...and listen..."

...some sort of hidden...Wait...Here? Yes! Yes! Just need to...need to find...Here!

Ujanmunt's eyes widened as Bird's fingers locked around a rectangle shape in the wall, pulling on it. It only came out from the wall two inches - not exactly an exit.

Alright...alright, I found something...Based on the thickness of this...the wall...How high is this wall? Seven and a half feet, about...Good...okay...the width of that wall there...Alright...Alright...

"What is he doing?" questioned Ujanmunt.

Nesster chuckled. "Using a brain far more advanced than any of the other competitors."

"Is that so?"

Nesster nodded. Ujanmunt looked back towards the glass below, surprised.

Bird had found the four other panels in the walls, pulling them all out to their two inch lengths. He then took a few steps back and rubbed his hands together.

This...this better work...No it SHOULD work! I...I haven't made any errors...Everything seems right...

Bird suddenly dashed forward to one of the panels, ramming into his with his shoulder. The force of the collision pressed the panel into the wall - deeper than it had originally been. The panel actually pressed into the wall two inches in the other direction, and as a result...

The panel on the wall to Bird's left shot outward on a hidden hinge, opening Bird's path to the rest of the hospital.

"How did he solve that puzzle?" remarked Ujanmunt. "He was not supposed to leave until the aides came in to-"

Nesster chuckled, turning away from the glass, his hands returning to their position behind his back. "Give him a few minutes...He'll figure out the illusion in its entirety."

"No," replied Ujanmunt in disbelief. "There is no way he could possibly solve it so soon!"

"Do not underestimate that one," Nesster answered as he left the dark room. "Never underestimate that one..."

[Rammerrush]

"Nys, get off the table." Nesster said, the Overlord of Thought already bored with the trickster's games. "We're trying to watch Ujanmunt's fights."

To this Nys simply danced an even jollier jig. Nesster was always a challenge to anger, but Nys had always enjoyed a good challenge. "And what if I don't obey that little command of yours, Nessie?" Nys asked, calling Nesster his nickname for him, with a huge grim plastered to his face.

Nesster looked away from the mischief maker's moronic mug to Alphen. "You can deal with this," he said. "I honestly don't care enough."

Alphen stood up from his seat and shot Nys a long, cold stare. "What?" Nys asked, Alphen's gaze slowing his dance to a crawl.

Without warning, Alphen slammed his fist into the table with earth shaking force. "Get back in your seat Nys!"

"Okay, okay fine." Nys said, slumping back to his seat in defeat. "We can all just watch the boring fights." He crossed his arms and directed a frustrated glance toward all the other Overlords in attendance. "Party poopers." He whispered.

"What was that?" Nesster asked, surprising Nys. He had no idea his hearing was that good, but then again maybe he had just read his mind.

"Nothing," he replied quickly, wanting to difuse the situation.

Alphen was rearing his fist, getting ready to silence the room a second time. However, that became unnecessary when Ujanmunt raised his voice. "Everyone shut up, right this instant!"

The eight Overlords around the table, went quiet and sat in their seats if they weren't already. Even Alphen, some one who would usually stand his ground knew better than to get the current game master in a bad mood. "If the game is not interesting enough fo you at this point, feel free to leave and take care of your own buisness, like the others." Ujanmunt gestured to an empty seat at his right, before sitting back down in his chair and snapping his fingers.

A bright blue, misty orb appearered hovering above the table. "As you all know the actual fights are the only parts that are mandatory to watch, so please if you don't want to join me, leave." The room remained quiet; as much as they didn't want to admit it, the game had gotten interesting, Ujanmunt had a very confusing game style, but it led to an unpredictable game. There was no front runner and that was truly exciting.

As the mist hindering the sight inside the ball dissapated, Ujanmunt smiled and said, "Good, now just relax and root for your favorite." Inside the ball the white haired boy, Kors could be seen waiting in a room. Most likely waiting to talk to Red, or knowing the two of them, waiting to fight him.

"Let us swap over to the other plane!" Ujanmunt declared. Instantly the picture inside the orb began to shift from the sight of Kors, to the sight of Raul and Camas sitting inside the common room of the hospital. They were watching the other members of their prison in a mixture of confusion and amusement. Their entertainment was interrupted when a group of aides ran down the hall, toward where he had left Bird.

Bird will not escape, he may realize what's going on, but there's no way out.

The swordsman, Camas followed after the aides, at first Raul just continued to sit in his seat but with a few prods by Camas for him to get up, he followed. Hmmm, something exciting was about to happen.

Ujanmunt turned toward the table full of his fellow Overlords. "So what do you think I should do to make this more interesting?" He asked. "Any suggestions?"

[Zup]

Nesster leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. His right hand began to stroke his chin as he watched Bird dart through hallways and doors, evading the numerous attempts by the aides to catch him. He couldn't help but listen in on the robot-turned-man's thoughts...

...leads to that second hallway...What was that?...They're looping around...Grab this for later...Been in that door already...Gotta find it...

The Overlord of Thought looked up and to his left to meet the gaze of Zyereon, who had been staring at him a millisecond ago.

"Can I help you, Zyereon?"

The Overlord of Death sighed, slightly shaking his head. "The girl should not have died."

Ujanmunt, sitting across the table from Zyereon, chuckled in response. "Oh? Her death bothers you?"

Zyereon sighed once more, rubbing his temple. "The girl...Clarissa...Her death was unnecessary, Ujanmunt...I would have had no remose taking Kors...but the girl? The innocent little girl?" Ujanmunt rolled his eyes. "I hope that robot guts him."

"D'awww, leave him alone!" chipped in Cercis on the other end of the table.

Galhurst shushed her before turning back to the other Overlords. Nys, sitting across from the two, giggled. "Maybe he just needs a little friend."

"Yeah!" Cercis replied, happily. Galhurst once again displayed his command over her by smacking her on the back of the head.

"Shut up, sis! He's a total a**."

"That's not exactly important," said Alphen, who was seated towards the middle of the table. "He's done a good job surviving this long."

Ryuenjin finally added to the conversation, eager to give his two cents as far as combat went. He was glad to take his eyes off of the boring scene below him and engage in something that excited him. "He ain't gettin' any farther than this, though."

"What makes you say that?" came the response from Raiji-Sabumar, who sat across from Alphen.

Ryuenjin leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. "Cuz the kid can't fight. At least not as much as those other guys."

"True," replied Ujanmunt. "But the boy is smart."

Nesster was next to chip in. "He certainly is intelligent...but he's in over his head...The robot will not hold back."

"That I can agree with," said Raiji-Sabumar.

"That human brain of his," Nesster continued. "may be more powerful than the robot's computer, but it's also prone to fear...to guilt...to defense mechanisms that have no place in the battlefield with that robot as his foe."

Ujanmunt chuckled. "Are you telling me he will fall in this area?"

"I am."

The Overlord of Life grinned, turning to Ryuenjin. "Ryuenjin...you are certain Bird can defeat Kors?"

Ryuenjin chuckled. "Of course I am. I mean, his skill with that saber pike is intermediate at best, and you can tell he relies on that little armor of his...Hm... If I fought him, I'd be carefu about getting in close - that's how you take him down, but that's also how you increase your chances of getting your head shot off."

"Well..." replied Ujanmunt. "Would you care to give your two cents on the rest of the competitors?"

"Don't mind if I do," Ryuenjin replied. He rested his chin on his hands, haphazardly watching the scene in the hospital progress, disinterested. "I'll start with the black-haired kid."

"Camas," Ujanmunt answered.

"Whatever. Well that sword of his is...interesting. Wouldn't mind clashing it with one of my own. Dunno if that's such a great idea, though...wouldn't wanna kill the girl inside it. Guess I'd just chop off his head."

"And how would he fare in this tournament?" Raiji-Sabumar asked.

"He can outlive Kors, and maybe the green guy."

"The orc is completely dense," said Nesster. Even the artificial mind of the robot operates better than his...All braun, no brains."

"Right," Ryuenjin stated. "I'm curious about that other kid, though. Raul I think...That fire thing he's got...He could be utilizing it much better than he has been. Tch. Wasted potential."

"Oh? What is this?" asked Ujanmunt, peering into the orb. "I believe things are about to get exciting..."

"'Bout time!" said Nys.

Nesster directed his gaze to Bird, who was maneuvering through the halls, aides on his tail. The Overlord of Thought felt eyes watching him and looked across the table and far to the right. Ryuenjin smirked and nodded his head.

[Rammerrush]

Camas was sitting in the cold dark room, chained to the wall, wishing he had something to occupy his time with. "Essie," he said, not able to see the sword but knowing she was there. "Do you get the feeling that this voice isn't letting us out for a reason?"

"Yeah, it kind of feels like I’m not really here, but at the same time I know I am. Is it possible to be in two places at once?"

"I don't know," Camas replied. "But, I know the feeling, it's like I’m seeing through someone else’s eyes, and the guy is a sniveling coward." With one more struggle against his bonds, he screamed at his faceless captors.

Essie released a sigh of embarrassment for the umpteenth time. "Camas just calm down it won’t do any good..."

============================

Nys was getting tired of Ujanmunt's 'exciting' tournament. He focused too much on hassling the contestants; he practically gave them no chance. When Nys's turn came around he'd be sure to attack them a little less and to play with them a little more. Just the thought made Nys snicker; it was going to be good.

Nys stood up from the table and pushed in his chair. Silently he left the commotion as the other Overlords started to get interested in the orb. "What to do, what to do?" Nys said to himself as he closed the door to the entertainment chamber behind him.

"Well I suppose I could take a walk through Minera's garden, she's usually good company." Nys headed in the general direction of the garden, figuring he'd fill his free time with good conversation, and if he could get it passed Minera, a few fruity snacks.

However, Nys changed his mind when a brilliant idea crossed his mind. "That would be a fun way to mess with Ujanmunt," he said aloud. Unlike the others, Nys was not afraid of angering the current game master; while they worried about starting a conflict, Nys hoped for it and did anything in his power to make it happen. "To the cells!"

Nys practically skipped to the entrance of Ujanmunt's cells. Here is where he kept all of his puppets, the losers of the arena, people who got on his nerves, people who talk in movie theaters, and in one occasion, a friend. He figured that he could stir up alot of trouble in here.

He opened the door and headed inside. Nys had been in this macabre place before, so he knew what to expect; yet everytime, it would get to him. The walls and ceilings of the large room were giant mirrors, to this day no one but Ujanmunt knew how big the place was. There was no furniture in the room, no tables, no chairs, and no lamps; only what seemed to be an infinite number of Ujanmunt's Life Tanks.

These tanks are what he uses to keep his pets alive. See, in each tank, one of Ujanmunt's puppets floats in the iridescent, glowing blue liquid; what he does is keep these; losers, annoying people, movie-talkers, etc. in a state of suspended animation. Not quite dead, but not quite alive either. Then, he'd do what Nys liked to call: a spiritual displacement. He would take that person's spirit and implant it in any situation, he wanted, then he would either enjoy the situation himself, or the contestants would be put there.

A chill ran down Nys's back as he thought about how creepy it was for the Overlord of Life to be so obsessed with stopping the circle. "I guess everyone has their quirks." Nys muttered as he headed down the halls of Life Tanks. "Now, who should I implant to make this tournament actually fun?"

"AAAAAAAHAAAHAHAHHAHHHHHHHAHAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Nys's scheming was interrupted by an excruciating scream; it hurt Nys just hearing it. He quickly moved through the expansive forest of blue tanks and found the source of the scream.

It was a life tank, like he expected, but unlike the other occupants of the tanks, this one was quite active. This surprised Nys, these people were supposed to be dead, dead people are not supposed to scream. Nys leaned in closer for a better look at the tank dweller's face.

The face pushed closer to the glass and let out another scream, "GGGAGAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHHHHHH!"

Nys leaned back with new understanding. "You cheating bastard, Ujanmunt." It was Camas; the swordsman Ujanmunt had been having fun with when he had to cancel the first fights. The plan all along was to put him back in after he had been entertained, but it looks like Ujanmunt pulled a fast one.

"No wonder he's screaming, Ujanmunt must be displacing his spirit in two different realms." Nys paused as the man screamed bloody murder again. "He's probably going half and half, keeping one half in some private illusion, and he was using the other half to fool us into thinking he was still playing. If I had to guess I'd say he put Camas's weaknesses back into the game and kept the half with any strength as far from the tournament as possible." Camas screamed once more, and if Nys didn't know better he could've sworn he heard a few curses in there. "Man he must really hate you Cammy boy."

Makes him the perfect way to get under the Ujster's skin.

Nys placed a hand on the tank and focused, he was going to do Camas a big favor. He traced the lines of the swordsman's spirit. He arrived at the fork, he knew one would lead to all of Camas's weaknesses in his little illusion, and the other would lead to his strengths. "Hmmm, I guess I'll flip a coin."

Nys stood back from the tank and pulled a coin from his pocket. "Okay, head's will be left and tails will be right." The coin flipped over itself as it spun through the air. Nys watched it rotate as it rose higher and higher; heads, tails, heads again, tails once more. Then it began to descend in the same pattern. Nys swpied it in midair and pocketed it. "It was going to be tails."

Hand back to the glass, Nys traced Camas's spirit once more. At the crossed roads he turned right without hesitation, and was glad he did. In no time at all the spirit trace lead Nys into a dark windowless room. He couldn't see anything, but for a glow in the corner, he was seeing through Camas's eyes, and not the weak one; the one Ujanmunt was keeping hidden, the strong one.

With a great deal of focus, he redirected himself and the spirit he was connected to into a realm of his own making. He would've just released Camas back into the games, but what fun would that be, when he had the opportunity to pass on some inside information.

===========================

"What the the the the the?" One second Camas had been chained to the wall of his cell and the next thing he knew he was in a large, breezy meadow. Only, he couldn't actually feel the breeze, the only reason he knew there was one, was the effect it had on the grass.

Camas clutched at the sheath on his belt and let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, your still here Essie."

"Yeah, but what happened?" She asked.

A well-dressed man appeared out of nowhere and said, "I believe I can answer that." He was wearing an expensive looking suit, if Camas was to hazard a guess, he'd say it would've been worth more money than he'd ever see in his life. However, his face was a stark contrast to attire. His face was unshaven, his hair was long and shaggy, and his eyes looked just a little too big for his body. "You're just waking up." The man laughed a very feral, awkward laugh for his body.

"Okay, I have a few questions." Camas pulled out Essie and pointed her at the man. "Number one, where are we?" He took a step toward the man. "Number two, who are you?" Another step. "Number three, am I still in the tournament, or am I dead?" Now Essie was right at the man's throat; in response to this the man simply smiled wider than seemed humanly possible. "And number four, who is Ujanmunt?" He asked the question that had been bothering him since he first heard the name.

The man flashed out of existence, reappearing seconds later behind Camas. "One," at the sound of the man's voice Camas spun around and slashed through the man, he merely flashed out again and reappeared floating high in the sky. "This is a place of my making, that means," he flashed out again and popped up right in front Camas's face. "I have complete control, no killing me."

Camas jumped back, startled. "Two; my name is Nys," he extended his hand in the form of a handshake. When Camas didn't return the gesture he pulled his hand back and ran it through his mess of hair. "Fine, I didn't know manners were such a foreign concept to your people."

Camas was confused, and frankly, he was just tired of this crap already. "Fire!" Camas shot his hand forward and a ball of flames barreled toward the man; who, once again, flashed in and out of existence, this time directly on top of Camas.

"Three," Camas rolled out from under the man and sprung in to a fighting position. "Yes, you are technically still in the tournament, I'm just here to make it even." Camas was getting ready to strike at the man again when he held up his hand. "Oh please, stop with the theatrics and just let me answer your questions."

Camas ignored the man and continued to charge his spell. "Come on Camas, let's just listen to him, he doesn't seem like a threat." Essie said, trying to diffuse the angered Camas, which was usually an impossible task. However, this time he calmed down unusually easily.

"Thank you Essie," Camas was slightly alarmed that he knew her name, but he wasn't that surprised, in this situation he seemed to have all the answers. "Finally, four; Ujanmunt is a cheating little bastard. He is the Overlord orchestrating the tournament, the person who has been talking in your head, and the reason Essie so easily calmed you down just now."

"What?" Camas asked. "You lost me at that last part."

The man sighed and lowered back to the swaying grass. "Ujanmunt took you during that first fight, he trapped you in one of his extraordinarily unique cells, and had you entertain him. Then afterwards he kept one half of your mind trapped, this half, your strong half; while he displaced the other half back into the tournament, your weaknesses, like your uncontrollable anger. Understand?"

Camas wished he could say yes, but a lot of it was going over his head. "So your saying Ujanmunt split me in two?"

"Ugh, sure if that helps you, yes." The man walked up to Camas and laughed. "Ahh humans, look I don't care if you understand any of this or not. All I want is for you to go back in to that tournament and make some havoc!"

Camas definitely understood that part no problem, and he was more than on board with it. "Okay, what have I missed?"

"Oh, right to business, I like that." Pictures appeared in front of Camas as Nys continued to talk. "Well there have been two playing field shifts, three more contestants died, everyone hates Kors, but he thinks he has a way to cheat death and make it so everyone wins, Ujanmunt is getting ready to release all Bird, Raul, the fake you, and Vulres from their psychological prison so that's not really important... Hmmm I guess that's all." The images vanished, not that it really mattered though, they had been moving so fast that Camas couldn't make heads or tails of them.

"Send me in, I'm ready!" Camas said. "But I'm going to do a lot more than just make havoc, I'm going to win!"

Nys stood there in thought for a moment before replying. "Well, if you keep talking like that I may find myself rooting for you. However, if you plan on winning, you'll need this."

Before Camas could stop him, Nys grabbed Essie out of his grasp and began fiddling with her hilt. "Camas!!! Get this guy off me!!!" Essie screamed.

"Hey give her back!" Camas jumped at the man who held him back with one hand, while still fiddling with the now floating blade with the other.

Camas continued to push forward, toward Essie when Nys shouted, "Finished!" He handed her back to the struggling swordsman. "There you should have a bit more power now."

"What did you do?" Camas examined Essie but didn't see anything new. "Did you do anything, or are you just crazy?"

The man rolled his eyes, as if he always heard he was crazy. "Check the hilt."

Camas did, and sure enough, there was a glow that hadn't been there before. "What is this?"

"Just a hint of my power I'll try and make another and send it down, enjoy!" Before Camas could respond, Nys pushed him on to his back, only he never hit the ground he continued to fall into a deep enveloping abyss of darkness.

=======================

Camas fell straight into another world. It was a world of night skies and tall buildings. He looked to be in some sort of alley way, there were dumpsters on each side and the ground was covered in something sticky.

He took one whiff of the odor emanating from the trash, and it drove him out of there faster than anything else he could've thought of. However, when he had left the confines of the alley he had to rethink that.

Because one thing he couldn't have thought of were giant cement people walking around like zombies. "That's new." Camas hugged the corner of the alley and inspected his discovery. Every single one seemed to be heading towards the tallest building Camas could spot.

"Oh, Camas you're not thinking of-" Essie started to say.

"Yup!" Camas rushed out of his safety alley and into the thick of cement creatures. He unsheathed Essie, readying for a fight, but the things didn't seem to pay him any mind. There was half of Camas that was glad he was being ignored, and another half that wanted to teach them better. Then he remembered what Nys had said; a weak side and a strong side.

I better listen to my strong side...

Camas raised Essie above his head. "Wolf's Flame!" He swung her toward the monsters in a downwards ark, and as she sliced through the air, blue streaks of flame flew toward the cement creatures.

"Camas, how'd you know to do that?" Essie asked, surprised that Camas was able to release that power so easily.

"I guess it was just instinct." The flames began to die out and Camas saw that he got what he wanted; all the attention was on him now. The sudden rush excited him, and made him feel on top of the world, it must've been all that time he spent in the cell.

Camas rushed toward the nearest thing and sliced at its outstretched arm, splitting it in two with Essie's new bluish green glow. He ran straight past the one armed monster and continued to hack and slash any monsters that got in his way.

He spun in the air when one tried to leg sweep him, cutting its leg and another ones arm in the process. A monster tried to smother him with its own body but Camas burst through its torso, using Essie as a battering ram, (Eliciting a yell of protest from the blade) and when he had broken through that one another one was waiting with open jaws, but Camas used Essie's flames to propel him forward enough to clear the jump.

He was almost to the building, just a few more seconds and he'd be inside, hopefully it was worth the trouble. Camas slashed at the direction of the door, the fire spreading out form Essie and burning the door to coal. He burst through charred hole and turned around. The monsters were almost to the door, and as much as he would've loved to take them all on, they were blocked out for a reason.

"Glacier!" Camas raised his non sword wielding hand at the hole and a block of ice the size of an iceberg rose from the ground. "That should keep them bus for a while."

"Camas?" A familiar voice said from behind him in the dark room. It was clearly surprised to see him and as Camas turned around, he saw why. It was Kors, one of the contestants who thought he was dead.

"Yup, I'm alive." He said with a smile. "It's not going to be that easy to kill me."

[The_True_Kazan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHM-7qMiDs

Camas looked at Raul in confusion. "So, how do we get out of here?"

Raul clenched his teeth; the whole situation was giving him a headache. "I don't know." Raul walked up to the door and started to bang on it until somebody finally answered.

"Yes?"

"Where's Red?"

"Who?"

Raul grew visibily irritated. "Red! Redhollow! Where is he?"





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh. Looks like somebody misses his brother." Ujanmunt said with a grin.


"Ujanmunt!" Said a voice behind the seat where Ujanmunt. "Don't you dare."

"Quiet Raiji, I do as I please."

"I'll rip out your heart and laugh as I make you eat it."

Ujanmunt simply started to cackle as he snapped his bandage wrapped fingers. "Too late. Sit and watch you arrogant fool."

Raiji looked at the overlord with disgust, but regardless, he sat to watch the the the the the this boy was about to endure. "Remember what I taught you. My student."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh you mean Rojas." Said the man in white. "Don't you remember? We put him to rest. He became far to violent, talking about overlords and time control."

Raul's eye widened. "Y-you.... did........ WHAT?!" Raul kicked the man in the jaw, ordinarily the man would have died, but he simply laid there in pain. "You bastard! I was just with Red. Where is he?!"

The man in white got up and pressed a button behind him. "Code 00801! Code 00801!"

Within the few seconds, Raul was surrounded with men in white clothing. Camas stood watching in horror as Raul fought off aid after aid. He must have knocked out 10 before 3 really big ones came and completely squished him. Shortly after he was captured, Dr. Neel came in walking slowly.

"Come on Raul, we've been over this; Rojas is dead."

"His name WAS RED!"

Dr. Neel came and gave Raul 3 small playful smacks. "No it wasn't. His name was Rojas. You were his best friend. Now Raul, you are arguably the most quiet one of these patience, so we will forgive this."

Raul tried to spit on Clarissa's face, but the 3 men restricted his breathing; stopping him from doing as he pleased. "His name was Red, we grew up together! I think I would know his name!"

Clarissa sighed. "I didn't want to do this." Clarissa took out a big needle.

"Clarissa! Me and Red promised we'd protect you! Please, stop this; break free from the overlord's influence!"

The doctor injected Raul with some clear chemical. "Shhh shhh! We will wake you up in an hour."

Raul watched as the doctor slowly disappeared in the haze the drug had created. Before long, his vision completely vanished.






"Wake up, how dare you step in this realm."

"Who's there?"

"Hmph. You have failed me."

"Who is this?! Who did I fail?!" Raul was suddenly shocked when the darkness around him suddenly lit up.

"How dare you use my power and not know my name."

"Y-your power?"

"I must test your worth once again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You sure are ignorant."

A dark burgendese flame appeared a few feet away from Raul. The fire then spread 2 big wings and left out a large roar. "I am the power you use. I am all around. I am the being that decides who you are."

The bird then transformed into a Large glowing version of the Key of Lorelei. Raul, who was still confused, walked towards it. He slowly extend his hand, only to be blown back by a powerful source of energy.

"What the the the the the?"

"As I said, you are not worthy."

A man in a white cloak slowly walked up to the blade. He was blad, but the majority of his hair was on a long beard he had. The man had several scars that ran through his face, and cold eyes. Under his white cloak, a black, much more thicker cloak could be seen. He stood with the Key on one hand, and a large wooden cane in the other hand.

"Who are you?"

"I'll be taking this."

"Hey thats mine!"

"It has chosen its master. Isn't that right. Lorelei?"

"Thats right, Yamamoto."

Raul slowly walked back. His eyes widen at the mention of this name. "You're Lorelei?!"

"Now you get it." Said the blade.

"This is your test human. Should you fail you die.

Yamamoto with a smile on his face, toss a wooden sword to Raul.

"If you can touch me maybe I will help you."

Raul try to attack Yamamoto but the sword went right through him.

"WHAT are YOU?"

"DEATH."

Raul slowly walked back, he could feel his every nerve screaming 'Fear'. "Grrr.... What do I do? What would Red do?" Raul closed his eyes to think of Red's words.
"Raul! A untouchable enemy is not an invinicble enemy. There are two types of strength. The physical/mental strength, and the creative/ ARTISTIC strength. My mission everytime I train is to achieve both. But you have the other half... I envy you."

Creative strength?

Raul stopped walking back and stood his ground. "Come at me."

"I do not attack the weak."

"Well then we are at a stand still; because I don't either."

The old man gave a small chuckle. "You are foolish if you think you defeat me. I have been alive for 2,000. I know any trick you could POSSIBLY come up with."

"Who said I was gonna trick you."

The old man Lorelei refered to as Yamamoto opened his eyes. "I respect that in an enemy. Very well. I shall deliver the first blow."

Before Raul could take a deep breathe to prepare for impact, the man disappeared and reappeared almost imeditately behind Raul. Raul's eyes widen as he dodged the attack for his dear life. "What the the the the the?"

"That was pathetic. That was a 5th seat flash step at best. You will never be able to touch me."

Raul ran towards the old man and swung his wooden sword at the man, who evaded the swing with ease. Raul keep swing, but no matter how fast he moved, the old man always moved faster; by a hair. After 10 minutes of nothing but swinging, Raul fell on 1 knee tired. When he looked up, Yamamoto was drinking Tea with fire coming from the Key of Lorelei.

"Now you're just teasing."

Yamamoto took a sip of his tea. "Am I teasing? Or is your failure making me look good?"

Raul started to brainstorm anyway he could touch that man. But that speed was irritating. So Raul did what he thought was most creative. He took the sword and cut the hair right above his forehead. He started to run around the old man; throwing hair over his head as he ran. When he ran out of her, he finally stopped and pointed his wooden sword towards the old man; who was still drinking his tea. "What is this? Are you trying to enclose me with some hidden ability?"

"Like I said; who told you this was a trick?" Raul threw his wooden sword at the man's head. "You lose Yamamoto!"

The sword went right through the man. "Ignorant fool."

"I don't think so," Raul said, pointing to a strand of his hair on the guard of the blade. "I win." Raul started to jump up in down as a victory dance. His face started to lighten up do the great victory he achieved.

"Who told you that?" Said the old man, who simply stabbed the blade into the ground.

"B-But! I touched you."

"You touched the blade. Not me."

"Oh come on! Thats a load of crap!"

"You have yet to meet pain; Pain is the stigma of life. Pain is the greatest teacher one could ever encounter. I will show you what happens," Yamamoto started to take out a hidden blade he had in a cane he was walking with, "When you left arrogance lead you in battle."

The ground started to shake as the wood around the blade finally disappeared. Raul could feel a cold sweat bead falling down the side of his face. "What is this?"

"Everything in the universe must turn to ashes; Ryūjin Jakka" Fire started to erupt from the blade. Raul could feel the power from where he was standing.

"Yamamoto!" Yelled the blade. "Don't make it any more impossible than this task is."

"This boy won't learn until he feel true fire."

"Very well." A sigh could be heard from the blade. "Raul! Grab me!"

Raul didn't even think twice about grabbing that blade. He was within grabbing distance before he saw Yamamoto coming right at him from the corner of his eyes. The room grew darker as the flames got bigger.

"Raul hurry!"

Raul reached the blade and felt a surge of familiar energy run right through his veins. Every one of his pours had the sensation of pure power. Raul turned towards his enemy. Who just sent a massive fireball towards Raul, who simply split the fireball in two. "You'll have to do better than that old man."

"I intend to, rebelious child." The earth beneath Raul started to crack. In the distance, 7 pillars of pure lava and fire can be seen erupting. That gave Raul enough to realize what was gonna happen if he stuck around. He jumped to the side, avoiding being caught in the fire.

"What a few fire pillars? Please." Raul shot 2 streams of fire, the fire started to envelop into a big circle around the two. Once the 2 flames connected again. Raul put his arms down and took a deep breath. "This feels good."

The head captain disappeared and reappeared right behind Raul. "Once again, you are being blinded by arrogance." Raul swung to his left, towards Yamamoto's torso, only to parried by his own fiery blade. "Your speed is horrid." He tried to reach Yamamoto by the beard with his right arm, but Yamamoto disappeared again, causing Raul to trip alittle. "You have no balance." Raul found Yamamoto, flying towards him; Raul bends down low to perform a fiery spin kick. "And your reflexes are slow." Yamamoto went right through and kicked Raul in his side.

Raul landed right by the ring of fire, coughing blood. "Bastard." He got up. "Lorelei! Together!" Raul cleared his voice and took a deep breath and began to sing.
"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze
Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze
Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa
Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei
Va neu va rei va neu va ze rei
Croa riou croa neu tue rei croa riou ze rei va
Rei va neu croa tue rei rei."
Yamamoto then started to dodge several random attacks. Dark attack, light attack, fire, earth, while Raul was enveloped by light.

When it was finally over, Yamamoto finally fell on one knee, panting. "What kind of ability was that?"

"Yes." Raul simply responded. "You ready to give in?"

"I see you have much more power. Very well." The man lifted his blade and pointed it to Raul. "Bankai." A sudden burst of light surrounded Yamamoto, then all the flames left around him suddenly was absorbed into his blade.

"Oh no you don't!" Raul was sure this was gonna be it. So he began to charge up a hyperresonace.

"Zanka No Tachi."

Raul sighed. "Really? That's it?" Raul continued to charge up his hyperresonace.

"Hmph. Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin." Yamamoto swung his blade towards the right. Everything in the path that he swung in was vaporized. Leaving only the empy space below. This display of power terrified Raul.

Raul swallowed the lump in his throat so he can utter: "Holy crap."

A large flame started to engulf Yamamoto's feet. "Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin." The flame intensed and started to fully surround Yamamoto; the heat was so strong even Raul could bare to be around it. "Try touching me while my body is enveloped in the sun."

Raul's heart pounded. If he gets anywhere near me I'm done for. Raul waited for his hyp. to fully charge.

"Say goodbye ignorant child." Yamamoto flew straight at Raul, who had finish his hyperresonance.

"Taste this!" Raul let out a battle cry as he shot the blast at the old man. Raul immediately jumped for cover as the explosion completely destroyed everything around the two; except for where they stood.

Both men stood there, panting. Raul looked at the floor, there was no floor. Just a path that was roughly 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. He knew that if he powered up another attack, they'd both die. And the man could summon his 'bankai' because the power was neutralized. "It seems like we are at another stand-still."

"Nonsense." Said the man. "Its down to the battle of the swords. How about this, if you can touch me without falling, I will not kill you." He raised his sword and pointed to Raul.

Raul gripped his Key of Lorelei harder. "Okay. Lets finally end this."

The two swung at each other. One swing to the lower left, the other the opposite way. Not a single swing was missed. After about 10 minutes, Yamamoto started to get the upper hand. Raul started to realize that this man was more of a sword master than he was.

I need to come up with something or I'm done. What was it that Red said was my gift.... Creativity? I need to do something no good swordsman.

Raul grabbed the Key with both hands and gave a ferious swing toward's Yamamoto's sword; forcing Yamamoto's hand to swing back. Yamamoto sighed. "You truly are arrogant." Raul did something that surprised even Yamamoto; he toward to do a headbutt. Yamamoto smiled and disappeared. He reappeared right behind Raul and grabbed his by the shoulder before he fell in. "But you remind me of myself when I was younger. Well done; I approve."

"I approve as well." Said Lorelei. "For proving youself once again, I will do you a favor."

"Thank you, both."




Raul woke up in the hospital, his left arm was in extreme pain and everything around him was spinning. "Ahhhhh!" Aides came in as soon as they heard his scream.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know!" Camas responded. Getting up; he was completely lost.

"He's not suppose to wake up yet!" The Aid checked his lungs and heart with his device. "DOCTOR!!!"

Within the second, Dr. Neel came running in. "What happened? I heard a ye-"

"He's having a heart attack!"

"!" She ran to the nearest Defibrillator and ran back to the room. "Come on Raul! Clear!" Raul's chest jumped up.

Raul saw his blade, which seemed to be hidden. It was being held by... Ujanmunt! "What happened to that favor?!"

"This is the favor."

Raul's sight immediately disappeared. He felt his whole body completely shut down before his mind completely stopped what it was doing.

"He's dead." Dr. Neel said.





Raul woke up with a gasp. He was in a dark room, before he could explore, or even get up, he heard Red's voice. "Red?"

-- Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:48 pm --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SHM-7qMiDs

Camas looked at Raul in confusion. "So, how do we get out of here?"

Raul clenched his teeth; the whole situation was giving him a headache. "I don't know." Raul walked up to the door and started to bang on it until somebody finally answered.

"Yes?"

"Where's Red?"

"Who?"

Raul grew visibily irritated. "Red! Redhollow! Where is he?"





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh. Looks like somebody misses his brother." Ujanmunt said with a grin.


"Ujanmunt!" Said a voice behind the seat where Ujanmunt. "Don't you dare."

"Quiet Raiji, I do as I please."

"I'll rip out your heart and laugh as I make you eat it."

Ujanmunt simply started to cackle as he snapped his bandage wrapped fingers. "Too late. Sit and watch you arrogant fool."

Raiji looked at the overlord with disgust, but regardless, he sat to watch the the the the the this boy was about to endure. "Remember what I taught you. My student."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh you mean Rojas." Said the man in white. "Don't you remember? We put him to rest. He became far to violent, talking about overlords and time control."

Raul's eye widened. "Y-you.... did........ WHAT?!" Raul kicked the man in the jaw, ordinarily the man would have died, but he simply laid there in pain. "You bastard! I was just with Red. Where is he?!"

The man in white got up and pressed a button behind him. "Code 00801! Code 00801!"

Within the few seconds, Raul was surrounded with men in white clothing. Camas stood watching in horror as Raul fought off aid after aid. He must have knocked out 10 before 3 really big ones came and completely squished him. Shortly after he was captured, Dr. Neel came in walking slowly.

"Come on Raul, we've been over this; Rojas is dead."

"His name WAS RED!"

Dr. Neel came and gave Raul 3 small playful smacks. "No it wasn't. His name was Rojas. You were his best friend. Now Raul, you are arguably the most quiet one of these patience, so we will forgive this."

Raul tried to spit on Clarissa's face, but the 3 men restricted his breathing; stopping him from doing as he pleased. "His name was Red, we grew up together! I think I would know his name!"

Clarissa sighed. "I didn't want to do this." Clarissa took out a big needle.

"Clarissa! Me and Red promised we'd protect you! Please, stop this; break free from the overlord's influence!"

The doctor injected Raul with some clear chemical. "Shhh shhh! We will wake you up in an hour."

Raul watched as the doctor slowly disappeared in the haze the drug had created. Before long, his vision completely vanished.






"Wake up, how dare you step in this realm."

"Who's there?"

"Hmph. You have failed me."

"Who is this?! Who did I fail?!" Raul was suddenly shocked when the darkness around him suddenly lit up.

"How dare you use my power and not know my name."

"Y-your power?"

"I must test your worth once again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You sure are ignorant."

A dark burgendese flame appeared a few feet away from Raul. The fire then spread 2 big wings and left out a large roar. "I am the power you use. I am all around. I am the being that decides who you are."

The bird then transformed into a Large glowing version of the Key of Lorelei. Raul, who was still confused, walked towards it. He slowly extend his hand, only to be blown back by a powerful source of energy.

"What the the the the the?"

"As I said, you are not worthy."

A man in a white cloak slowly walked up to the blade. He was blad, but the majority of his hair was on a long beard he had. The man had several scars that ran through his face, and cold eyes. Under his white cloak, a black, much more thicker cloak could be seen. He stood with the Key on one hand, and a large wooden cane in the other hand.

"Who are you?"

"I'll be taking this."

"Hey thats mine!"

"It has chosen its master. Isn't that right. Lorelei?"

"Thats right, Yamamoto."

Raul slowly walked back. His eyes widen at the mention of this name. "You're Lorelei?!"

"Now you get it." Said the blade.

"This is your test human. Should you fail you die.

Yamamoto with a smile on his face, toss a wooden sword to Raul.

"If you can touch me maybe I will help you."

Raul try to attack Yamamoto but the sword went right through him.

"WHAT are YOU?"

"DEATH."

Raul slowly walked back, he could feel his every nerve screaming 'Fear'. "Grrr.... What do I do? What would Red do?" Raul closed his eyes to think of Red's words.
"Raul! A untouchable enemy is not an invinicble enemy. There are two types of strength. The physical/mental strength, and the creative/ ARTISTIC strength. My mission everytime I train is to achieve both. But you have the other half... I envy you."

Creative strength?

Raul stopped walking back and stood his ground. "Come at me."

"I do not attack the weak."

"Well then we are at a stand still; because I don't either."

The old man gave a small chuckle. "You are foolish if you think you defeat me. I have been alive for 2,000. I know any trick you could POSSIBLY come up with."

"Who said I was gonna trick you."

The old man Lorelei refered to as Yamamoto opened his eyes. "I respect that in an enemy. Very well. I shall deliver the first blow."

Before Raul could take a deep breathe to prepare for impact, the man disappeared and reappeared almost imeditately behind Raul. Raul's eyes widen as he dodged the attack for his dear life. "What the the the the the?"

"That was pathetic. That was a 5th seat flash step at best. You will never be able to touch me."

Raul ran towards the old man and swung his wooden sword at the man, who evaded the swing with ease. Raul keep swing, but no matter how fast he moved, the old man always moved faster; by a hair. After 10 minutes of nothing but swinging, Raul fell on 1 knee tired. When he looked up, Yamamoto was drinking Tea with fire coming from the Key of Lorelei.

"Now you're just teasing."

Yamamoto took a sip of his tea. "Am I teasing? Or is your failure making me look good?"

Raul started to brainstorm anyway he could touch that man. But that speed was irritating. So Raul did what he thought was most creative. He took the sword and cut the hair right above his forehead. He started to run around the old man; throwing hair over his head as he ran. When he ran out of her, he finally stopped and pointed his wooden sword towards the old man; who was still drinking his tea. "What is this? Are you trying to enclose me with some hidden ability?"

"Like I said; who told you this was a trick?" Raul threw his wooden sword at the man's head. "You lose Yamamoto!"

The sword went right through the man. "Ignorant fool."

"I don't think so," Raul said, pointing to a strand of his hair on the guard of the blade. "I win." Raul started to jump up in down as a victory dance. His face started to lighten up do the great victory he achieved.

"Who told you that?" Said the old man, who simply stabbed the blade into the ground.

"B-But! I touched you."

"You touched the blade. Not me."

"Oh come on! Thats a load of crap!"

"You have yet to meet pain; Pain is the stigma of life. Pain is the greatest teacher one could ever encounter. I will show you what happens," Yamamoto started to take out a hidden blade he had in a cane he was walking with, "When you left arrogance lead you in battle."

The ground started to shake as the wood around the blade finally disappeared. Raul could feel a cold sweat bead falling down the side of his face. "What is this?"

"Everything in the universe must turn to ashes; Ryūjin Jakka" Fire started to erupt from the blade. Raul could feel the power from where he was standing.

"Yamamoto!" Yelled the blade. "Don't make it any more impossible than this task is."

"This boy won't learn until he feel true fire."

"Very well." A sigh could be heard from the blade. "Raul! Grab me!"

Raul didn't even think twice about grabbing that blade. He was within grabbing distance before he saw Yamamoto coming right at him from the corner of his eyes. The room grew darker as the flames got bigger.

"Raul hurry!"

Raul reached the blade and felt a surge of familiar energy run right through his veins. Every one of his pours had the sensation of pure power. Raul turned towards his enemy. Who just sent a massive fireball towards Raul, who simply split the fireball in two. "You'll have to do better than that old man."

"I intend to, rebelious child." The earth beneath Raul started to crack. In the distance, 7 pillars of pure lava and fire can be seen erupting. That gave Raul enough to realize what was gonna happen if he stuck around. He jumped to the side, avoiding being caught in the fire.

"What a few fire pillars? Please." Raul shot 2 streams of fire, the fire started to envelop into a big circle around the two. Once the 2 flames connected again. Raul put his arms down and took a deep breath. "This feels good."

The head captain disappeared and reappeared right behind Raul. "Once again, you are being blinded by arrogance." Raul swung to his left, towards Yamamoto's torso, only to parried by his own fiery blade. "Your speed is horrid." He tried to reach Yamamoto by the beard with his right arm, but Yamamoto disappeared again, causing Raul to trip alittle. "You have no balance." Raul found Yamamoto, flying towards him; Raul bends down low to perform a fiery spin kick. "And your reflexes are slow." Yamamoto went right through and kicked Raul in his side.

Raul landed right by the ring of fire, coughing blood. "Bastard." He got up. "Lorelei! Together!" Raul cleared his voice and took a deep breath and began to sing.
"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze
Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze
Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa
Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei
Va neu va rei va neu va ze rei
Croa riou croa neu tue rei croa riou ze rei va
Rei va neu croa tue rei rei."
Yamamoto then started to dodge several random attacks. Dark attack, light attack, fire, earth, while Raul was enveloped by light.

When it was finally over, Yamamoto finally fell on one knee, panting. "What kind of ability was that?"

"Yes." Raul simply responded. "You ready to give in?"

"I see you have much more power. Very well." The man lifted his blade and pointed it to Raul. "Bankai." A sudden burst of light surrounded Yamamoto, then all the flames left around him suddenly was absorbed into his blade.

"Oh no you don't!" Raul was sure this was gonna be it. So he began to charge up a hyperresonace.

"Zanka No Tachi."

Raul sighed. "Really? That's it?" Raul continued to charge up his hyperresonace.

"Hmph. Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin." Yamamoto swung his blade towards the right. Everything in the path that he swung in was vaporized. Leaving only the empy space below. This display of power terrified Raul.

Raul swallowed the lump in his throat so he can utter: "Holy crap."

A large flame started to engulf Yamamoto's feet. "Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin." The flame intensed and started to fully surround Yamamoto; the heat was so strong even Raul could bare to be around it. "Try touching me while my body is enveloped in the sun."

Raul's heart pounded. If he gets anywhere near me I'm done for. Raul waited for his hyp. to fully charge.

"Say goodbye ignorant child." Yamamoto flew straight at Raul, who had finish his hyperresonance.

"Taste this!" Raul let out a battle cry as he shot the blast at the old man. Raul immediately jumped for cover as the explosion completely destroyed everything around the two; except for where they stood.

Both men stood there, panting. Raul looked at the floor, there was no floor. Just a path that was roughly 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. He knew that if he powered up another attack, they'd both die. And the man could summon his 'bankai' because the power was neutralized. "It seems like we are at another stand-still."

"Nonsense." Said the man. "Its down to the battle of the swords. How about this, if you can touch me without falling, I will not kill you." He raised his sword and pointed to Raul.

Raul gripped his Key of Lorelei harder. "Okay. Lets finally end this."

The two swung at each other. One swing to the lower left, the other the opposite way. Not a single swing was missed. After about 10 minutes, Yamamoto started to get the upper hand. Raul started to realize that this man was more of a sword master than he was.

I need to come up with something or I'm done. What was it that Red said was my gift.... Creativity? I need to do something no good swordsman.

Raul grabbed the Key with both hands and gave a ferious swing toward's Yamamoto's sword; forcing Yamamoto's hand to swing back. Yamamoto sighed. "You truly are arrogant." Raul did something that surprised even Yamamoto; he toward to do a headbutt. Yamamoto smiled and disappeared. He reappeared right behind Raul and grabbed his by the shoulder before he fell in. "But you remind me of myself when I was younger. Well done; I approve."

"I approve as well." Said Lorelei. "For proving youself once again, I will do you a favor."

"Thank you, both."


Raul woke up in the hospital, his left arm was in extreme pain and everything around him was spinning. "Ahhhhh!" Aides came in as soon as they heard his scream.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know!" Camas responded. Getting up; he was completely lost.

"He's not suppose to wake up yet!" The Aid checked his lungs and heart with his device. "DOCTOR!!!"

Within the second, Dr. Neel came running in. "What happened? I heard a ye-"

"He's having a heart attack!"

"!" She ran to the nearest Defibrillator and ran back to the room. "Come on Raul! Clear!" Raul's chest jumped up.

Raul saw his blade, which seemed to be hidden. It was being held by... Ujanmunt! "What happened to that favor?!"

"This is the favor."

Raul's sight immediately disappeared. He felt his whole body completely shut down before his mind completely stopped what it was doing.

"He's dead." Dr. Neel said.

Raul woke up with a gasp. He was in a dark room, before he could explore, or even get up, he heard Red's voice. "Red?"