Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

"Well if that's what you want, sure I can do that." Luna said, shrugging. "Just wave at me or something so I know when to start turning up the volume. I'll stay back here. He'd see us easily if we both went." Luna left out the part that one reason she wanted to stay back was she didn't want the usual ending of the pranks with the gang where they leave her behind to get yelled at.

Cirno silently gestures to Luna to reduce the volume now, then slips into the empty bar.

"Hey," she whispers, hovering behind Kratos. She makes sure to stay out of his line of sight even if he turns around.

Well, the event will start in... fifteen minutes, and by then, there won't exactly be individual arenas... you'll see what I mean. Do you mind being put in teams against each other or do you want to stick together?

Stefan, who has quickly grabbed himself a glass of water from the cafeteria, approaches Sarah and Thor, still carrying his battleslab... yeah, he kinda wants to show off. And get to know the other fighters, obviously. He offers his hand to shake.

"Hey, aren't you the girl who wrecked a swarm of robots here a while ago? Welcome back!"

Then he turns to Thor, a buff and intimidating man who obviously isn't in the best mood... how to approach this guy?

"And you're visiting for the first time? Er, have fun beating me up, I guess. Name's Stefan, what's your name? I don't think I've asked either of you for a name before..."

Hi! Haha, yes, the swarm! andachunkofthearena. I'm Sarah Tripadora, nice to see you again! She shakes his hand, smiling. Her grip is... regular, slightly stronger than a woman her corpulence, but she has good control of her strength. You've done some training, I see! Good one! She flash two thumbs up, eyeing his battleslab.

I AM THOR THE GOD OF THUNDER, STRENGTH AND MANY OTHER THINGS! Thor's eyes seem interested, his fickle mood going away slightly as he sizes up Stefan. AH! YOU ARE TRAINING ASTUTELY! GOOD! SELF-IMPROVEMENT WILL TAKE A MAN TO THE GREATEST HEIGHTS THERE ARE! YOUR ANCESTORS LOOK UPON YOUR GAINS PROUDLY, STEFAN!

He's very energetic but... he is a God so- Sarah shrugs. I hope you'll forgive him. Er, he's enthusiastic.

YOU WOULD STILL BE LEFT BLEEDING OUT IN THE SNOW IN A PROPER FIGHT TO THE DEATH RAIDING ALONGSIDE MY VIKINGS BUT KNOW THAT VALHALLA WILL TAKE YOU ANYWAY FOR YOUR REMARKABLE BRAVERY!

Sarah puckers her lips and tilt her head to the side, in a "sorry!" way. He's very enthusiastic, I hope you don't mind! She pulls out a little box of ear plugs from her pocket, slightly, and gesture at them with her finger, nodding in a "want them?" way. He's still a very powerful fighter and one of the Thoriest Thors I've ever seen Thor. A compliment is high praise, and you're only starting out with the training!

...

Kratos turns around instantly, face twisted into a psychotic snarl. Who dares-?!

Nothing.

Kratos, not one to dismiss such things as nothing given his enemies, angrily flips out the table and take a few steps, brandishing his weapons.

ZEUS! he says, once, before immediately getting angrier as if his own mention triggered him. ZEUS! YOUR PARLEY TRICKS WILL NOT STOP ME FROM LITTERING YOUR BLOOD ACROSS ALL OF GREECE!

"Hmm, I'd prefer to stick with Rumia frankly." Flandre said, looking at Rumia who was starting to manifest her shadows due to the bright spotlights.

"Do you mind if we go inside then? I'm quite interested in seeing the competition." she said, pulling Rumia with her inside and assuming Icarus would follow. She arrives just as the introductions happen, Rumia wincing at Thor's volume. Flandre lets them finish before she speaks up.

"Oh? So you're the Thor?" she asks, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "I've heard of you, though in my world you've long since faded away like many other gods."

   "Hi! I'm Rumia."    Rumia says, waving at them.

"And I am Flandre Scarlet."

Luna gets a twinge of nervousness but keeps the trick going. It is a bit funny seeing him flip out like that. Worst case scenario, she has an escape route idea.

t456 nods. Not in understanding, but because she does not have much of anything left to say.

"PEANUT BUTTER AND KETCHUP! THAT'S YOU AND ME, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT!"

His hair and eyes turn teal

"We just don't mix."

If uninterrupted, t456 will resume the process of leaving Eve.

Though, this time, they very much suspect they will not leave uninterrupted.

I pray we won't be ketchup together. Eve says, ominously, before fading away. Another self of her is approaching the congregation of Hub Centralis, absorbing the information she just processed. The clone decides to hear out whatever happened, either to solve it or to assist it, but she hates the seeds of uncertainty in her heart.

Elsewhere, below her notice, there's a woman with long blue hair and bandaged eyes also converging, below notice. Her long blue hair's dirty, her bandages are likewise grimy and blood-soaked, her robes are unkempt and her smell is almost lethal up close. She's a hobo, pretty much, but one walking around and carrying herself with a smile.

Check out disturbances in town, got it, boss! She says out of nowhere, finger-gunning at the air. A nearby Aokiji blinks, wondering if she's talking to him, but then she laughs loudly, snorting a bunch. Woops! I said the quiet thing out loud, haha!

Laughing happily, she puts her hands in some holes of her dress, as if it were pockets, and walk around.

...

Adam notices this and gasps. Duck! A weird advice to give, but it's because he immediately walks over the young woman, attempting to shield her with his body as he raises his arms to swiftly catch the tree bare-handed, easily lifting it overhead and tossing it away with nary a grunt!

What a vicious power! Having dispensed with the tree, he immediately look down, eager to see if Kirike's alive!

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 26th 2022 at 9:11:33 PM

Kirike ducks down just in the nick of time and...

Adam did it! She's okay!

"... I'm alive? I'm alive!"

"Hey!" Cirno repeats, slightly louder, giving Luna another signal to slowly up the volume.

Adam does a big, big sigh of relief and wipes his forehead before holding his hand up for an high-five, smiling slightly.

I'll get you through this.

...

Kratos turns around again, not repeating himself, but still being stuck in a weird bout of psychotic rage, as he beholds an attack on his sanity.

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 26th 2022 at 10:30:56 AM

Dakotadrome

Luin watched the the great monster died, returning her sword to her sheath.

"That was easy! But I guess it should be expected from something as weak as him, ha!"

Hahahahahahahaha! You're so funny Luin! Says Or, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. The whole village also roar in laughter at the depths of Luin's wits, hoisting their beloved heroine over their shoulders as they head back to the village.

The night is a feast, and wonderful merriments as Luin receives the honors she merits, the honors she deserves, the moments she was robbed from. Her family, alive and well, celebrate her. And when she goes to sleep that night, she awakens to the same reality, of happiness and deserved victories. With Annie gone again, all is well.

And all is well the next day,

the next week,

next month

next year

next decade

Stefan grins and shows his own box of earplugs. "Thanks for the offer, I've got my own..."

His ancestors would probably not approve of what he's doing right now, and they might call him a maniac... should he say that out loud? In front of Thor, the god of thunder? Probably not.

"About the training... this thing right here is mostly carbon fiber, some parts actual weight to give it proper momentum in its swings, but it's really way lighter than it looks."

As a demonstration, Stefan lifts up the battleslab and holds it out to his right, arm perfectly straight. He lasts about twenty seconds before his arm drops from fatigue.

Icarus follows inside and immediately makes an announcement over the intercom. Might as well start extra preparations now.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Grand Opening event will begin shortly. Please leave all moving areas so that preparations for the event can be made safely.

Once he arrives at Thor and Sarah, he asks them:

Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but would you be fine facing off against each other or do you want to stick together?

I DO NOT CARE FOR THE WEAPON! THE HAND WIELDING IT IS WHAT GIVES IT MEANING! LET IT BE LIGHT SO LONG AS YOU STRIKE HARD! he then hears out the little fairy thing that he sees and smiles, purposefully answering the sinister nod with a big grin.

YOU COULD NOT MAKE ME HAPPIER! RAGNARÖK MUST HAVE COME TO BEING AND HERE YOU STAND! LIFE AFTER THE GOD DEATH! HOW VERY GOOD! he attempts to give her a light smack in the back, then glances at Icarus. Sarah decides to be the one to talk!

We'd like to face each other. He wants to help me out with my weapon, don't worry, we'll fight good but we won't fight poor! anddestroythearea Thor, having had his questions answered, pick his nose in boredom.

Kirike accepts the high five with gratitude.

"... uh... where to now?"

Fort Dawnguard

Kirrey arrives some time after things have settled down, greeted with a lone Reyna.

"Whoa, it's just you? What happened?"

"Hell if I know. We had a big battle, the place got nuked, we took the wounded to a hospital, and then when I came back... all the Shepherds had disappeared."

The Reach, Sky Haven Temple

Ben walks into Sky Haven Temple's sleeping quarters, hoping to check up on Aqua and Warrick now that he'd managed to at least partially clear his head.

Sky Haven Temple

Aqua is sitting in meditation with Terra. Warrick is missing... but then again, when was the last time Ben actually saw him in the temple?

Luna turns up the volume while snickering to herself, still hidden out of view for the most part. She's gotten over her previous nervousness by now.

Flandre, upon hearing the announcement decides to summon Laevateinn again to be ready. To her credit, she doesn't stumble from the pat on the back but does get hit with more force than she expected. Unnoticed by her, Laevateinn glows red upon the norse god getting near, seemingly reacting negatively to his presence.

She decides to not mention the fact that she wasn't sure if Ragnarok happened or if the Norse gods simply died out from lack of faith like many other deities. She should see if Patchouli has a book on that.

"Hmm, that should be entertaining to watch. You made quite the display last time." Flandre saysnn.

... I've got no idea, I've heard of a miracle worker of a sort in Hub Centralis! Perhaps she could help? I could bring us here relatively quickly, but I fear something might go wrong.

He scratch the top of his head, embarrassed.

Your choice, Kirike!

...

Reyna?! What just happened?! If Reyna and Kirrey turn around, they'll see Samsara rushing their way, accompanied by a confused Gangrel, who appears to be adjusting his collar because she's dragging him by it. A sphere just engulfed the fort and vanished! What do you mean everybody vanished?!

Gangrel say nothing, hiding what he briefly saw: a vehicle leaving the area, even if briefly.

Lucina, Nicole, Nacho, they're all... they can't be all gone! She immediately runs at the castle, leaving Gangrel behind to watch her go. He briefly looks smug, then the reality must be setting in because he stops smiling.

I'd hate to lose to that pampered little prince they have, he snorts, looking up at the two. But in case you suspect my excellence, Gangrel puts his clawed hand against his chest. I have nothing to do with this! Else I'd just have gone off proper instead of sticking around with pissy pants, wouldn't I? Without these idiots around, I've got no reasons to stay here!

Samsara is lurking in the halls in the meanwhile, seeing for herself the horified sight of a doomed fort: there's no more life in these halls, no more Miriel prowling the halls late at night, no more Lucina sneaking out to train, no more Beruka and Corrin hanging by the corners... No more of her own husband.

It's all gone, and she can only kneel at that, shaken by despair at her ultimate failure as a tactician! She doesn't cry, but she does stand eerily still, unable to move or so much as think that they all had happy futures she took them away from to fight, until they ended up running out of that dogged luck that kept them running against Galeem, Dharkon and the others.

No....

Ben blows out a sigh of relief, figuring that Warrick must've just gone to his ship and flown off the moment he'd regained consciousness. He makes his way over to Terra and Aqua before tapping the latter on the shoulder.

"Apologies for not checking up on you sooner, Aqua. I had... a few things on my mind I needed to sort out since our last encounter with the Sith."

Once Aqua turns around, he opens his arms and offers her a hug.

"Hey, listen! Look!" Cirno repeats, continuing to raise her voice little-by-little. She's doing a Navi bit.

"Sure, we can go there!"

Kirike runs off in what is probably the wrong direction. Fortunately, unlike Zoro's supernatural power to get lost, Adam has the chance to catch up and stop her.

Reyna shakes her head sadly. "Sorry, I just don't know."

Kirrey groans. "And now you want me to help figure out what happened, save the day, clean up this whoooooole mess..."

"That would be appreciated, yes."

He flips Reyna off.

"Trust me, I know. Terra told me." Aqua opens her eyes, stands up and gives Ben a tight squeeze.

"We must do all we can to rise above our failures and regrets. Instead of lamenting the darkness, we must make light."

We need someone to fix this! Samsara says, running in at the worst time! Bring them back! That isn't right! Bring them back right now! Call Loki, Thor! Ni-she walked in, shit! Samsara finish close to the group, Gangrel himself only laughing at the proceedings.

Pffff, at least things are going to get pretty funny, I guess!

W-will you stop laughing?!

...

Adam coughs and walk in front of her, pointing at the right direction.

R-right there, miss! Don't worry, I get lo... no, huh, that isn't reassurig. I don't get lost anymore, haha.

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 26th 2022 at 11:33:59 AM

Kirrey spits at the ground. "Whoever did this clearly has a bone to pick with you, and I'm done playing the hero."

"Come again?"

"I came to this world to take a goddamn break from being the heroic victim who keeps sticking his neck out and nearly getting it cut off!"

Kirrey gestures wildly in anger, throwing his hands down at the ground and stomping about. "But ever since I got here, all I've done is play nice and lend help! I'm fucking SICK OF IT!"

Reyna readies her bow.

"I'M GONNA BE THE VILLAIN FOR ONCE! SO EAT MY ASS!" Before they can do anything, Kirrey turns around and storms off.

"... He's gonna die," Reyna remarks wryly.

Edited by KiriK on Sep 26th 2022 at 4:34:11 AM

The two watch Kirrey's anger in shared bemusement for one, despair for another. Gangrel even snaps a little laugh as he leaves, just to maybe make Kirrey extra-bitter.

... That's one less ally we could have around, Samsara sighs. I hope he won't die, we could use his help...

Not my problem either way, Gangrel says. I guess the Shepherds wer fun, but I'm heading home now. I just gotta find... a portal, I guess. Oh bother.

... Samsara says nothing. She seems... gone.

Edited by Bolded1 on Sep 26th 2022 at 11:36:52 AM

Ben hugs Aqua back just as tightly.

"I know. Master Zeloai told me something similar not too long ago. Though part of me fears that actually doing as such might be easier said than done."

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Sep 26th 2022 at 3:05:38 AM

Veyolkos looked on at him as he spoke. The birth of religion. Punishment and salvation. Loyalty and sacrilege. A very bright woman. But the other party in his head he could feel was less then amused. Veyolkos knew Ruiini's takes on such figures. But Veyolkos had to at least properly play the role of polite company. He grimaced as he tried to eat the burger, quickly taking it in one bite before gently uncorking his brew, giving it a quaint swig before this helmed man finished his thoughts.

"As lovely as a Viper's Bite..."

The Fleshgait stared at Arad for a bit, a intense stillness in the air as it left off no scent. Beyond... That of sterility. But that couldn't be further from the case. It simply heaved and writhed in place, the humans mouth speaking in low frequency murmurs, and soon the skin-wrapped moose head began to try and speak to, the sound of a tape-recorder playing at first, before it finally spoke.

"This... Place... You aren't... Human..."