Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Unfortunately, with the amount of debris over the Death Knight and the onslaught of attacks going on, it's not currently possible to reach the Death Knight. The same goes for Morgan, whose only defense from being utterly crushed by the debris is his wyvern curling up on him to try to shield him. They're both buried under it all as a result.

Anna and Jake can be grabbed though, and Gojo's healing field may be the only reason they end up surviving the attack. They're still unconscious, but they are alive.

Selena is currently out cold and it's not clear if she, Odin and Laslow are still alive or not. But regardless, at least Yuji can reach them.

The mat covers end up soaking up at least some of the damage. Coupling that with Carolina's healing means that the Pica-Pica group will probably still get hurt, but it may be enough to ensure that they all survive.

Manfroy looks taken aback by Gojo's ability to defend himself from the attacks. Julius, however, doesn't look impressed.

   "Come take your little walk then."   , he chuckles, amused.    "I have no reason to stay and watch. I've succeeded in what I needed to do here today."   

He simply laughs as he, Manfroy and the cultists villain-warp away, though with Manfroy still looking more nervous than his master as they all retreat. The onslaught of dark magic stops, the sky turns back to normal, and an eerie silence now envelops the battlefield. They can now assess the damage done to both the fort and... well, their allies.

As the battlefield clears, the scattered Shepherds are revealed to be... actually fine in some parts, definitely battered by the rocks, and some in need of more of an help than others, but there are shields fading around them, and long-range heals already being done. Courtesy of Libra and Emmeryn. Hurgh... We put some precautions in place in case something like this happened, Samsara groans, supporting a weakened Lucina. The other Shepherds are in various states of not good, though probably to everybody's surprise, Gangrel arrives, rocking a staff.

   You got washed today!    he laughs, groaning while applying his staff to injured people in need. The Shepherds are all in various states of being down mentally, even if they might heal: today, they screwed up. And didn't get to walk away with much of a victory. Julius had them whipped... completely.

As Gojo completes his stroll, Yuji is healed and help put people out of the rubber, attempting to help out Morgan especially! So is our Morgan, ignoring his earlier attempts at killing them.

The fort might be damaged, and so is our will... there's groaning of a sort. Yet Julius has killed none of us today. Dramatic as it might be, this is recoverable, much more than Galeem's earlier victory! People look around, bar Gojo, all feeling confident about Julius coming back. But he doesn't, seemingly, so they focus on healing.

I know I'm going to help you guys out! Yuji says, clenching his fists. Julius won't know what just hit him!

Nahhhhh, Gojo runs by. We have our whole exorcist adventures to have fun going through, remember? Also fingers to eat, cursed spirits to beat up, etc!

We could use stronger help at this point though, we'll need to find some of our allies, like the thunder god. Says Niagara, holding his arm, yet helping his daughter try to get the other Morgan out. If Julius is moving out, we have to be enough of a bother to his plans. And he has quantity, we need to match it with quality. Let him and a few other fighters be our vanguards onward.

As he speaks, Gangrel look around and head out into the woods: time to take a leak.

The fort will repair itself after a while, let's head back and see what to do, right? I get it if you want to leave though, I think from now on, all of our encounters with Julius will look like that.

I could still-

Smell you later! Gojo grabs Yuji and just teleport out like that. Samsara sighs, but begin to head back, turning to look at Jake and Anna.

Should we bring them in?

...

THIS IS NOT BRADUN

Luin's family claps enthusiastically at her words. Alright then, that's settled! Dear, go fetch your weapons! We'll be waiting for you at the courtyard... once we're done eating, of course!

They dig in.

"Grima's someone else's pawn? I'm gonna need ya to explain that one later. I'm a little preoccupied with Pretty Boy Voldemort there kicking all our asses."

Once the bombardment concludes and Julius leaves with Manfroy in tow, Nicole hauls herself to her feet and looks around at the battlefield.

"At least it wasn't a complete friggin' massacre..."

Picking up the unconscious Anna and Jake, she answers Samsara with a nod as she begins carrying them towards the fort.

"We leave 'em out here, they're both sitting ducks if Julius changes his mind and comes back to finish the job," she replies. "And if you're thinking about getting Thor and Loki's help, I could always ask them for ya."

Hub Centralis

"Well, there's a blurred line between robot and human... I consider myself to be a human mentally, but I bet there's plenty of people who would like to dispute that."

As a demonstration, Icarus briefly removes his front chestplate, revealing lots of wiring, a nuclear fusion reactor that's continuously being fueled from D-T cells, heat ventilation, some computer debug lights, an assembly contraption, and a storage compartment filled to the brim with all kinds of resources. After putting it back into place, he looks over to the panicked thugs.

"Maybe we should talk somewhere else?"

Pieface: I'll do first aid once you're gone aight? 
Icarus: Aight. Idk my Homo Sapiens anatomy too well, but some of the body parts look like they have odd angles. Check for fractures? 
Pieface: Will do

Edited by StepexNo2 on Sep 24th 2022 at 12:19:15 PM

"Huh... It must be my age, then. Sure."

Kiryu raises a brow the moment Icarus casually does the equivalent of flashing himself to him. Observing every intricate machinery and concluding he can't understand anything that goes on inside. As he moves to walk the conversation elsewhere, one of the ruffians decides to talk shit to Gradius.

"We're not taking shit from-"

Before he could continue, Kiryu lightly glances over at them and they freeze up.

Fort Dawnguard

Belén rises from the rubble, the mats helping to ease the work. Emi, Nacho and Carolina are unconscious, but they barely survived the onslaught.

Thanks to Gangrel's staff, they recover their health and conscience.

If you want more help, I can ask the Tic-Tac-Toe Alliance.

Yeah... Talking about that, it will be better if you spend your pregnancy period at the Alliance HQ. If that pretty guy reappears, and I'm pretty sure he will be back, he will not have respect with you and your baby.

Said Nacho, not annoyed anymore, but with a calm voice and a smile.

Yeah! Our new friend Carolina will help us and cover your place. But you will be always our Belén!

Said Emi, putting a hand on her shoulder. Belén nods, and hugs her three friends.

I'll call Hatch to teleport you to the HQ. I hope see both of you soon!

Thank you, friends.

Nacho picks his cell phone to call Hatch.

Pantheon of the Fallen Star

Collector Samus, huffing and panting, lowers her arm cannon.

   "And that's that."    She wipes sweat from her face with her non-cannon arm.

Tropique Shoreline

Agent 8 shrinks a little, intimidated by Nagadilotep's direct gaze. When reminded of her reasons, the Octoling turns to stare at the ocean wistfully, and just as the sun begins to set too.

"... It's the view," she says. "The glistening shore at dusk is something precious. Even if I can't enter the water, I can appreciate it. It was once our home, after all."

Intrigue

"SHAAAA"

"UGAOOOOO"

"NYYYYAAAAAAAA"

The Necos are all tossed sky-high and come crashing down to the ground, many of them disappearing in puffs of smoke on impact!

Yet one still remains. I am still down on all fours, struggling to stand and hissing ferociously like the cat I am!

Hub Centralis

Katie stops when approached and pumps a fist in triumph.

"I told you I could handle it. Now explain that coin trick to me."

Fort Dawnguard

FE!Defense emerges from the rubble to survey the situation. After assessing what needs to be done, she runs over to Nicole, then reaches out a hand to take Anna.

"If you don't know, I'm also an Anna. My sister, my responsibility. I know a place Julius won't fuck with if he knows what's good for him."

The location in question is the Travelers Tower, with Def's permission. If the scene even continues that far, which it shouldn't, I've got this. And even though nobody but FT!Anna knows it in-universe, Julius would get his shit absolutely rocked if he dared come near it.

Reyna cocks her head. "I suppose we should take Morgan there too?"

"... Yeah."

"Why so hesitant?"

"I just don't like the kid."

"Aw, c'mon," says Mordecai.

Letricallo, Reprium

Strongest Cirno strolls through the elf forest-town, stretching her arms and wings with a yawn.

"Wellllll, I've had my fill of fights for now. Let's see what there is to do."

Edited by KiriK on Sep 25th 2022 at 12:57:22 PM

Veyolkos's Current Whereabouts: Dawnguard Outskirts

The Laitivern yawned and hopped back into the trees, walking up to what remained of the course and finishing it off. The Wolves had returned since then, and were already on top of her fallen legs and entrails, carrying them away casually, as if they still had some time before going to some mandated meeting. The sickening cracks of the hag's ribs could be heard, as Veyolkos raised his bloody head away from the gore-caked branch, as flies and crows flew about the stained patches to pick off the scraps.

"It is simple really. There is a cycle of perceived cruelty- that the weak are fed upon by the strong, and the strong die and are later consumed by the weak- A faulty perception of the world that has in fact led to many a great war and genocide. Creatures of flesh vary, but you either speak of man and his many look alike, and they take these ideas and meddle it with something... Unnatural. A system of currency and belief entirely predisposed to their own making."

He flew down to a stream hidden in the groves, still in the stranger's line of sight as he washed away the sanguine mask plastered onto his face. That a drink to wash it all down. After a few moments he looked back to the stranger, walking forward as his scales rattled against one another in subtle motions. He sounded, far more scholarly now. As opposed to gruff agitation.

The truth is, life and death are not enemies but complementary, and that nature is more, "Everything is fair", which at first seems like cruelty... To those without the imagination to work around it."

Onyxis Village: Anomaly One

As his hand came through the small rift in space-time. He felt something brush against his palm. It felt, caked in dirt and almost raw. Like the way one's hide may feel after skidding against a road at high speeds. Then... It got wet. Way too click. And he soon felt human teeth gnashing down on his hand like a bear trap. If Arad pulled back he'd feel some of his skin peel off with him. And would see two human upper-halves coming out in a pincer maneuver around him. Their bodies were horizontal to the ground, and their eye sockets looked to be in less then stellar condition, having been grown over with a black membranous material with the same consistency of a dogs's nose. But as they kept moving forward, it seemed like they were attached... to a head. Like the mandibles of an ant lion attached to what seemed to be... a malnourished moose head.

Their hide matched the brown, matted coat of a female moose, as it walked through the portal in a sickly manner. It seemed to be both melting and malnourished, as its eye sockets seemed to pulse with an pulsing black flesh. It was almost like the creature had an awful mold infection around its eyes, ears, and nose. Its body trailed behind it a fishing net, loaded with with white and black fleshy strings that grew around the nylon of the net. The creature's ribs were open, barbwire covered in a similar filth to the cage slumping against the ground. The creature was wheezing and gasping, sounding like a woman who had just run a marathon instead of the horrifically animated corpse before it. It swayed its head around as if scanning the terrain, as the human heads began to twitch in the direction of Arad, compressing and decompressing as if they were just hollow bags of air and flesh.

Tropique Shoreline

Nagadilotep understood some aspects of longing, and witnessing the beauty of dangerous terrain. Such sacred grounds existed throughout the sea, and many of the Marai had taken up spots he loved, and filled them with shellen homes.

   "Do you long for the sea... Or has such a feeling been squeezed out?"   

Edited by ArbiterOfTheBog on Sep 25th 2022 at 5:40:46 AM

Brotherhood of steel camp

Bookstore nods, saying "There's a few ways I could help. I could construct some flying EMP bomb equipt drones and send them at the enemy, I could drive the truck over and have the turret controls activate... Worst case scenario, I do have an ace up my sleeve if we can get within a certain blast radius."

"Very well. I believe I have a database entry. Playing recording."

V1 explains the coins, and their association with the electric revolver, before handing an electric revolver to katie.

"Green mode is coins, blue mode is overcharge."

...

Look I have no fucking clue how these things work just roll with it.

It just works. -Todd howard

Edited by ReynTheLord on Sep 25th 2022 at 11:51:10 AM

Pantheon of the Fallen Star

Mark gets up in relief and walks over to Green. Meanwhile she's grumpy about the fight not killing her and decides to take her frustration out by whacking Mark so hard that it depowers him of the blindfold.

"A... Am not hurt bigly??"

"Could've waited till I took it off dumbass. I can only guess this is some gauntlet. Don't feel like sack about it there's more shit for you to smack later."

Green's eyes if they can even be seen lmao light up at the prospect of an ever increasing gauntlet of power. Good enough for her mood to lighten a bit too much.

"If you want to continue that badly th-"

"YOU'RE IN THE WAYYYYY"

He is sent A Twinkle in the Sky after a sharp kick to the jaw.

"STOP COMPLETING MY SENTENCES YOU CRACKFUCK"

Some hut in the rainforests of Tropique

Mark, Green, Reiss, and Amy were all quaintly asleep together in a circle. Till Mark abruptly jumps awake and nearly gives everyone — aside from Green — a literal rude awakening. But thankfully he only strikes the dirt.

Having spectated the fight somehow, Artemis chuckles at the abrupt response.

"Wus gonna smack you awake either way, stupid crap's bound to happen if yall were asleep at once. 'think she did a better job at it than I will."

"God give me a break" "I am a God-" "Touchébag"

He does a few stretches and gets up, before leaving without any elaboration.

"Er.... Aight! if those red aprons from the CoCCs come by I'll shoot you in the ass from all the way here!"

"Like I can't handle a bunch of large spoons. I'll have better luck elsewhere getting ready for their big manchild."

Artemis waves bye as Mark makes his way to the shoreline. With only one thought in his mind. "He's probably around here somewhere. The ocean's better than lakes, screw those things."

Edited by BoniniBanana on Sep 25th 2022 at 8:53:46 PM

Letricallo, Reprium

Forest of Magic - Magician's Melancholy

As Strongest Cirno wandered around she'd hear a somewhat familiar voice call out to her.

"Ah! Cirno!" she said, and if Cirno didn't move out of the way she'd get caught in a tackle hug. "Finally, someone I recognize!" She'd then let go of Cirno after a moment to look at her, letting Cirno also look at the newcomer. Cirno would recognize her as looking like Luna Child, the fairy of moonlight but with some very noticeable differences. The most obvious one was that she was a lot taller than the Luna Child Cirno is familiar with. Normally a head shorter than even the not so tall Marisa, she looked more close to Reimu's height now. Her outfit looked mostly the same, save for her white dress with black highlights being resized and wearing a pair of boots instead of slippers.

"Ugh, I was going through the forest of magic to see if I could get one of Marisa's books but somehow I ended up here." Luna whined with her trademark frown on her face. "At least I found you. Do you know what this place is? It's kind of like the forest of magic but there's no youkai or even fairies I know."

Once out of earshot of the thugs, Icarus asks:

So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened back there? What did these guys bother you over?

Meanwhile, Pieface is attching a rail to a thug's broken leg. He, too, asks:

Mind telling me what happened? Did you all get beaten up by the same guy?

Gradius seems to be almost eager to shut that goon up, but then Kiryu steps in and the old man grumbles. I don't need no protection, young man! he scolds, though he at least appreciates Kiryu's successful attempt at preventing violence by sheer macho. Yes, this is a man who'd be appropriate to take on the gauntlet of strength.

Because now here's a man with meat on his bones.

Oi, youngling! I've got an offer

Kiryu give Icarus a blankly response, this constant assault by random people has so integrated to his day-to-day that he has never come to question it. "I don't know, it's something that will happen throughout the day. Like waking up or brushing my teeth." And speaking of daily occurrences, he hears Gradius out like any other. "What is it?"

The thug nods.

"We thought he'd be easy money..."

Edited by BoniniBanana on Sep 25th 2022 at 10:28:49 PM

This should not be happening on a daily basis... what economic forces are driving this supposed multiversal nexus into such chaos? If Icarus' homeworld has a vast abundancy of resources, why doesn't the Arena? He made a mental note to investigate this phenomenon deeper.

Can I ask you for a business card first? I may want to contact you in the future.

He pulls out a business card for Exotic Ventures and offers it to Kiryu.

Pieface, coming to the conclusion that further first aid isn't necessary here, cleans up after himself and takes off into the sky again, taking all the medical supplies with him.

As a young man, I used to be a part -I lead- an order of valorous knights, men and women who pummeled stuff with their bare hands really good. We had a deity of a sort, long beard, he said "you can't get Me up there!" so we grabbed his long beard and tore him off the Heavens! It was funny, anyway, you seem strong and righteous, unlike many of these modern "boys" running around.

What'd you think of undergoing "challenges" and fighting my friends? They're scattered around here and would be glad to take a hit or two, but we can't pass on without seeing for ourselves that there's some 100% manly red blooded fighters around. How will the universe thrive if the next warriors fight their battles on the internet and choke themselves to death guzzling their soy?

And if you want a reward well... that'd be odd, what more do you need than the satisfaction of standing at the top of the world of power? I guess I have some meal tickets and a lifetime worth of gold hoarded from dragons.

Essentially:

SUBSTORY 99: ELEGY OF THE FIST

Questgiver : Gradius

Quest Description : Prove your worth to five cantakerous warriors of old. Don't be fooled by their withered looks! These were at the top of the world of strength and they're not so far off even today!

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 25th 2022 at 4:38:53 PM

He shrugs, lacking a business card or at least one that's probably still valid, but he takes the one Icarus gives if ever he needs to call. Shows his phone to hand a calling number instead.

Kiryu's brain filters out all the philosophical mumbo jumbo and literary theatrics like "soy" and thinks about the offer to yet another gauntlet of fighters he'll have to beat — and possibly learn from afterwards — for some reason.

"So you're saying you want me to fight your friends? This isn't the first I've been offered this kind of opportunity, of course. I accept your challenge."

Edited by BoniniBanana on Sep 25th 2022 at 10:55:03 PM

Icarus writes down the telephone number as well as a personal notice to investigate the local telephone networking protocols, then decides to walk off again. He'd also have to take a look at the local police departments, for sure.

Gradius nods with an eager smile and hands Kiryu a small pamphlet, with a picture for each fighter: two men, two woman, one helmeted figure.

A man with a tall mustache, long hair and thick eyebrows.LIGHTNING "LAD" LARRY - That fucker could summon lightning by thinking about it. He'd even make a sword, which he once bathed in the unholy menstrual blood of a succubus to make it BLOOD lightning. He tried to kill me five fucking times but in fairness, I did start it by briefly turning evil to try to kill him four times. Still, he's an asshole, add some more punching than he anticipates. His lightning's swift but I learned his maneuver to redirect it.

A man with no hair and no eyebrows. BARRY BLOODCOCKER - Barry had to give away his hair and eyebrows to form a hair armor and kill an angel once, so he's an hairless ape that specializes in wrestling and grabbing. Don't let him get his hands on you! He's also crafty. So crafty I consider him a friend on-and-off because he cheats regularly. He might not count as a challenge anymore by the time you fight him because he wouldn't count as a friend, so do this one quickly. Oh and, huh, careful for his mud slinging attack.

A woman with short hair and a stern look on her face. VALKYRIE VILDA - I met Vilda before I met my wife, that harpy took my virginity like a Roc snatching a cow out of the green pastures it preys on. Didn't have a son because she had to blow up her uterus to kill a parasite beast. Anyway. She isn't that physically strong but she has a specific fighting style and fights like hell to take you down before she runs out of steam, so you're going to have to be prudent. Overwhelm her faster than she can or beat her up after exhausting her. Also, she might use a rapier. Might because that dumb broad lost it like seventeen times a week.

A large woman with colossal shoulders and two braids of her, with a confident toothy smile. WALLY WALL - Wally was the physically strongest of us. Seriously. That woman dragged the moon back into orbit when the sun turned evil and tried to steal it and she had to wrestle the sun first. I'd like to say that she's dim-witted, but she isn't: she fight fiercely but smartly. Still, age has affected her like any of us: she's not as durable as she was, a few blows here and there maybe, and she'll fall.

And lastly, the helmeted figure, wearing a conical hat and a hockey mask. BINARY BILLY - Not a man or a woman, could never see underneath the damn helmet. Also a goddamn hockey maniac, they fight like a demon with the right weapons but they run out of steam without 'em. Made them useless when we were all transported to the weaponless dimension until they crafted a whip made out of the spines of our enemies. Yeah, they're scary. Wouldn't bang them even if they were the finest woman I ever met, not that I would because my wife's prettier than that!

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 25th 2022 at 5:21:58 PM

Tropique Shoreline

Nagadilotep paused briefly in his interactions with Agent 8, with a surprised look on his face as he sniffed the air, grumbling a little.

   "We have Company..."   

Edited by ArbiterOfTheBog on Sep 25th 2022 at 8:26:54 AM

Kiryu reads the pamphlet thoroughly, deciding to choose the helmeted figure and keeping a small queue in his head — yet again, the lexicon flying through his head Like A Dragon. He makes his journey and walks around to search for BINARY BILLY.

The figure points, in a "see we're getting somewhere" gesture, and sit down again. I see what you mean. We knew of such cycle at home. Optimally, The weak would unite to become the strong, who would themselves unite with flames of equal strength, growing higher and higher but never forgetting their origins. Some... assimilated not entirely out of one's free will, to feed the strong.

But the warring souls led to these constructs losing their minds and growing insane. A sorrowful consequence of putting one's ambitions above everyone else without relying on one's innate strength to carry them through. It was punishment for carelessly accumulating strength without cultivating it. To grow a flame, stronger than the wildest wildfire, yet lack the mind to use such power or the goal to reach using it.

The helmeted figure shrugs. But you beings of flesh do lack our... fluidity. And I do find this cycle you described as a little cruel. One could not reach their best self because they were killed, instead of at least joining a greater whole, even perhaps imbuing it with their thoughts. This woman, the witch, how long until you excrete her out? She has lost an opportunity to grow and will never impact this world again.

I guess that what I would wish to say is: when you find yourself on your way to be eaten, will you abide by your code and see it as fair? Or will you rage, realizing that you were lower on that totem pole than you had assumed?

Radahn, Annihilation Nergigante

Radahn's Camp

Annihilation Nergigante stands still, withstanding the attacks of Inosuke, Gough, Urkel, and Ciaran, barely flinching as swords and greatarrows cut into his flesh.

Something was up.

Just as Nick's sword statue leapt into the air, what the plan was became clear.

The white spikes on the monster's body turned into a shade of pitch black, light shining off each one. They hardened, and before long, the attacks of the four began to bounce off of him, unable to break through the spines. He lowered his head to the ground and covered as much of his body with his armored wings as was possible while making himself smaller and more compact, and what at first appeared to be the Annihilation Nergigante cowering soon became obviously something else: Protection.

What goes up must always come down, and as soon as he entered this position, it began raining swords, courtesy of Nick, putting Inosuke, Ciaran, and Urkel in immediate danger of getting cut, and maybe even Audio and Nick himself depending on how close to the Annihilation Nergigante they were.

Many of the weapons weren't just swords, but instead arrowheads, daggers, and sharpened chips of metal ripped off of larger swords or pieces of destroyed armor. All items that wouldn't be lethal to the average person, but would still cut into flesh and hurt like hell.

As for Ciaran, at least three small blades ripped through her lightweight cloth armor and drew blood, before a dagger fell into her nape and through her spinal cord. The woman fell to the ground, unable to breath, until to yell, unable to even move as the Annihilation Nergigante got out of it's defensive state, glaring directly at her. He lifted his front right appendage into the air and slammed it down onto the knight of Radahn, leaving nothing behind save for a mess of blood and bone.

Radahn stared on, his mouth slightly agape. He had hung back the entirety of the fight, but now, with his forces wither demolished or in retreat and one of his trusted knights killed in a horrific manner, he knew he had to be the one to repel this hellspawned dragon. With swords built for human hands embedded in his armor, he drew both of the fifteen to twenty foot blades built for a demigod and charged the Eater of Elders.

Edited by ISZATSO on Sep 25th 2022 at 12:23:39 PM

Radahn's Camp

Audio lets his plasma stream upwards, forming a field around him that isn't quite impervious to attacks, but significantly slows down all the falling projectiles. He tries protecting the other fighters with it, but as it spreads, it thins out and becomes weaker. Inosuke, Chiaran and Urkel might be able to still use the field if they dodge under it in time.

Once all the weapons land safely, Audio blankly stares at the monster. What to do, what to do... this thing can clearly regenerate itself. Can it be starved?

He notices Radahn taking a run-up, and decides to posess his swords in order to improve their damage. Radahn might feel them becoming lighter - maybe he can manage to chop off a limb.

Hub Centralis - Exotic Battlegrounds Grand Opening

The Battlegrounds are lit up bright in contrast to their surroundings - red and white spotlights illuminating the facade and drawing various geometric patterns on it. There are already a bunch of people streaming inside to see what's up - nothing beats a free public sports event, after all.

Stefan is battling a robot in one of the four arenas. He is wearing sports clothing, and he's equipped with what looks like a metal slab with assorted sci-fi looking decorations, as well as a backpack with an orange glowing fusion reactor connected to the slab via cable. And he's not doing too bad either - although he has a fair share of wounds, the robot he's battling, a humanoid with a riot shield and a sword of his own, has a lot of dents in his hull. One final jab, and his sword arm comes right off. The robot holsters his shield, picks up his broken arm, lights up red, an indicator that he's no longer capable of combat and that he should be considered defeated, and leaves towards the edge of the arena.

Stefan, too, leaves towards the changing rooms, followed by a medical drone. Today's the day for the Grand Opening, and he has been spending the last few days training in order to get his combat skills up to something decent and to get comfortable with his weapon of choice. Granted, out of the ten opponent difficulties he'd only selected Two, but he feels at least a little more confident in taking on more serious combatants. The grand opening will be starting in half an hour, let's just hope it'll work out fine...

Meanwhile, Icarus is monitoring the systems, triple-checking to make sure that all the technology is working as intended. He has an explorer mech standing on the outside, a good distance away from the entrance, ready to activate if someone recognizes him and/or approaches him. There's a good deal of people from his homeworld too, not present with robot bodies, but using the built-in video cameras to see what's going on. Icarus is nervous, hoping this event will actually bring good PR to the Battlegrounds. Especially considering the fact that he isn't native to this universe.

Edited by StepexNo2 on Sep 25th 2022 at 10:28:00 AM

EXOTIC BATTLEGROUNDS - GRAND OPENING

As promised, Sarah is present to the grand opening, accompanied by a big fellow and good friend of her, Thor, a towering giant of build fit to one day kill the World Serpent and lift famed Mjolnir. That said, while she looks mostly curious and contemplating an area, his opinion seem more severe, downing a big tankard worth of mead after cursory glances.

He really did work on it good. That'd be a nice spot to train and hang out in, wouldn't it?

I REMAIN UNIMPRESSED! he yells, filling up his mead with a glare.

Sarah smiles, a bit embarrassed, because it's a case where she's not one hunred percent sure the arena can survive Thor's insane standards. Icarus worked a lot on that, and he knows his science! I wouldn't dismiss it too openly.