Execution

After what felt like forever, my fight finally came up. I was hanging out in my room with Sal when I got the notification to make my way to the arena. I picked up my scythe, pocketed my watch, and was about to head out the door when Sal stopped me.

"Hold on," he said grabbing the bottle of APple cider off my bedside table. "Why not have a quick drink before you go out there?"

"I think I'd be off staying sober for this," I said.

"A little buzz won't kill you, will it?" Sal said.

"I think I'll pass," I replied.

"Justin," Sal said, looking me dead in the eye, with a serious expression, as he cracked open the bottle. "Trust me."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the bottle from him. I raised it to my lips and took a couple swigs, tasting the bitter sweetness of it as it spilled down my throat.

"Feel better?" Sal asked.

"Yeah," I said, handing the bottle back to him. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me just yet," Sal replied. "Now get out there."

I began walking to the arena. As I did, I felt a weird sensation in my mind. This wasn't a normal buzz. It took a few moments for me to recognize what I was feeling.

Adrenaline. I was feeling a massive build up of adrenaline. Stronger than anything I had felt in a long time.

I arrived at the arena to find Henry standing across from my. I smiled to my self, as Daniel nervously shuddered inside my head.

Not good, he said to me. We can't win against them.

Quiet, you, I thought back. Enough of that defeatist talk. I can take him.

William stood up, addressing us all.

"The next battle will be between Justin Ferin and Henry Mitchel," he announced. "Begin!"

The platforms began doing their weird elevating thing like it did in the last couple fights. Henry and I stood on the same platform, staring each other down.

"Justin Gremori Ferin," Henry said. "Daniel Xavier Ferris. Your Judgement begins now!"

"Bring it," I said, taking a stance.

He threw one of his hammers, as I had expected. I quickly hooked the head of the flying hammer with my scythe, spun around quickly, and sent it flying right back at him. His eyes widen in alarm, and he barely dodged it. It fell to a lower platform out of his reach.

I took advantage of the momentary distraction and closed the gap between us. I began swinging my scythe up close with rapid, flourishing motions. The blade grazed his arms and shins a few times as he struggled to defend himself. I knew I'd have trouble overpowering him, but if I could get some light damage in, I'd be able to wear him out and leave him weakened.

As I kept it up, I realize that the Eye was locked onto the blade of my scythe, following its every move. As it did, he slowly got better at deflecting my attacks with his remaining hammer.

What's going on? I thought to myself.

I told you, Daniel replied. We can't win. Judgement is watching all of your moves and adapting to them. Add to that the benefits of his Enhancement, and we've got an enemy you can't fight.

The tables turned. Henry became the one attacking, while I struggled to defend against him.

Super strength and the ability to predict and counter your fighting style, Daniel said. We're dead. We are so de-

SHUT UP! I snapped back at him. If predicting my moves is a strength of his, then I just have to be unpredictable!

And then I spat in his gross, glowing eye. And I think I still had some cider on my tongue, so I imagine it must've stung a bit, especially considering his reaction He cried out, dropped his hammer and clutched at his eye, desperately trying to rub the spit out of it.

See, Daniel? I said. Everyone has an Achilles Heel! Speaking of...

I hooked the blade of my scythe around one of his legs, and pulled hard, causing him to fall over. I raised my scythe again, and prepared to bring it down on his head. Unfortunately, he recovered too quickly, and knocked the scythe out of my hand before grabbing me by the skull and slamming me into the side of a nearby platform.

"That stung!" he hissed at me, as the veins protruded in his glowing eye. "Now, that pretty little sis of yours is going to see what the insides of your skull look like."

I suddenly felt one of my hands moving of its own accord. The index and middle fingers straightened out and grew tense, while the other fingers curled back.

What the...? I thought.

Yeah, gonna borrow this real quick, Daniel replied.

"And once I win this bloody tournament," Henry continued, "I'll track that little bitch down and kill her t-"

My fingers shot forward and jabbed him straight in the glowing eye. He cried out in agony and stepped back, releasing me.

What the fuck was that!? I demanded.

An Immortal Man strike, Daniel replied. It's when you tense up your lead two fingers and-

I know what an Immortal Man is! I snapped. Did you just possess my fucking hand!?

Yeah, for a second! He replied. He was about to kill you!

"Damn it!" Henry roared, rubbing at his eye. It starting to swell already, and the yellow glow had shifted to a soft pink.

I think that weakened the Eye's power, Daniel said. At least a little bit. So maybe...

No maybes, I replied. We definitely have a chance. Now less commentary and more planning. I get the feeling you know more about the Enhanced than I do. Weakness?

The heart, Daniel replied.

I suddenly had a vision of an Enhanced man clutching at his chest, as his heart visible beat arrhythmically until it seemed to explode indie his chest, and he dropped to the ground, with blood spilling from his mouth as he took his last, pained breathe.

The human body isn't made to handle the kind of eldritch power Slender Man infuses into the Enhanced, Daniel continued. Slendy might have improved the Enhancement process in the universe, but it's not perfect.

So his heart is vulnerable? I replied. You shoulda said so sooner.

I charged at Henry. He swung, but I blocked it balled up one of my fists, and swung as hard as I could.

Now, you all know from a previous post that my training regimen involves swinging a lopsided barbell around in order to build up muscle and adapt to the weight distribution of a scythe.

That being said, I can hit like a fucking truck.

My fist landed right on his heart, and he stepped back. His dense muscled softened the blow, but damage had clearly been done. A drip of blood poured from between his lips. I charged forward again and got in a second jab, hurting him some more. I reeled back, preparing a third blow, but he vanished, reappearing a short distance away.

How did he do that? I asked.

The Godsway, Daniel said. The domain of the Fears. The Eye is allowing him to access it. Which means they're getting desperate.

Henry's body trembled, and I could see a soft, burning light under his skin, along his muscles.

Unfortunately for him, the human body isn't made for that either, Daniel said. Keep it up! Keep him on the edge!

I charged at him again, and he teleported away again. This time, he appeared where I had dropped my scythe, and he scooped it up, turning back to me. He charged at me, but I'm clearly more experienced in scytheplay than him, and I disarmed him easily and got in another hit to his chest. He teleported again, this time reappearing against a wall, slumping against it. He panted heavily, clutching his heavily beating heart.

"No," He growled. "No. No! NO! I can't let it end like this!"

"It's over!" I said, charging at him.

My torso was suddenly met with his iron fist, and I hunched over, gasping for breath. He struck me again, shattering some of my ribs, then he grabbed me by the hair and threw me to the side. My scythe clattered to the ground beside me. I panted, and raised my eyes to look at him.

He stood there, shuddering, as his muscles throbbed, and blackness began oozing from his wounds.

What is this? I wondered. Some kind of second wind?

Auto-Hallowfication, Daniel said. He's allowing the Enhancement to corrupt his mind and soul as some kind of last resort.

Well, shit, I thought, fighting off the pain and picking my scythe back up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came another voice. A voice I new all too well.

I looked up into the familiar gaze of my old Mentor, Rillek. But he's body was shadowy, and completely translucent. Ghostlike.

YOU! Daniel said. Why are you hear!?

"Ah, yes," the phantom said. "Mr. Ferris. I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago. I truly am."

It suddenly clicked for me.

"You're the Archangel," I whispered.

He smiled, and raised a finger to his lips.

"Only you and Daniel can see me right now," he said. "You opponent is currently wielding the strength of two Fears. Seems a little unbalanced, right?"

As he spoke, Henry's good eye turned solid black, and his possessed eye glowed with a fierce crimson light. The Archangel stepped beside me, placing a hand on my own hand that was gripping my scythe.

"His soul is still intact," the Archangel said, and as he spoke, I became aware of Henry's soul.

I couldn't see it, but I could feel it, like a black mist writhing inside his body.

"For now, anyway," the Archangel continued. "Once he becomes fully Hallowed, there won't be much of a soul left to take."

A soft, gray-blue light appeared around my scythe's blade.

"You'll have to act quickly," the Archangel whispered in my ear, as he faded away. "You know what to do."

I readied my scythe, and Henry and I charged at each other.

"Dread Harvester!" I shouted, as I swung the scythe.

The blade seemed to phase harmlessly through his body, but as it did, it tore away some of that black mist inside of him, and his fell to his knees, shaking.

"What did you do to me?" he asked.

"I tore out a chunk of your soul," I said, as the black mist flowed through my nobody, nullifying my wounds. "For my own consumption."

He looked up at me in horror for a moment, before his expression was replaced by rage. He made a last ditch effort to strike me, but I hit him first, slugging him hard in the face. He dropped to his hands and knees, coughing up blood, mixed with blackness. I placed the edge of my scythe against his exposed throat.

"Embrace the Archangel, motherfucker," I said. "And when you do, give Oceana my regards."

And with a sharp tug, I took off his head. A moment later, William announced my victory. I returned to my room and lay down in my bed. I was tired.

You've met the Archangel before? I asked Daniel

I don't want to get into it, He replied.

Fair enough, I thought back.

So yeah. There's only one fight left of the Semi-finals. The only people left are Sal and Faceless. Wonder how that'll go...

Stabbies

So, the latest fight was that Cerise girl vs Javonir Horak. And I have to say...

Why do all the hot people keep dying?

It was a close fight, but Cerise eventually managed to stab him to death. A shame. He was sexy as hell without that robe.

I feel like I'm getting off track...

There's only 2 fights left of the quarter finals, meaning I have 3 possible opponent's I may be up against.

It could be Sal. I hope not. I'd like us both to proceed to the semis, if at all possible.

Then there's Faceless. I'd love to duke it out with him. Especially since Daniel confirmed that we're "friends" in some other, distant universe. And from what I've heard of him, I think it'd be a fun battle.

But who I'm really hoping for, is Henry. That dude has such a hate boner for me that it'd be disappointing not to fight him. Daniel seems convinced We stand no chance, but the shear risk itself is tantalizing to me. Plus, I've never fought a Judgement before. I'm curious what the Eye exactly does for them.

Also, Malkator seemed pretty convinced that our destinies are about to intertwine, so... I think I'll trust him on that. Finger crossed.

Venom and Fire

The quarter finals have begun. We were all called to the arena for the first fight. I could feel my sister's gaze on me from the family stands above us.

"It is time," William announced, shuffling a small deck of 8 cards. "The first fight of the quarter finals shall begin!"

He drew two cards from the deck, and looked at them. 

"Ah," he said. "The fighters shall be Sera Philips versus Benjamin Malkator!"

Malkator exhaled slowly, and pulled his hood up.

"Enter the arena," William said.

Sera umped out of the stands and landed gracefully below us. Malkator followed, stepping over the edge and floating down slowly. They took their places across from each other.

"I guess we'll get to see her fighting style now," Anthony said. "I feel like I kind of cheated you all out of the spectacle when I threw my fight."

"However she fights, I don't know if she'll be able to hold up against him," I said. "I've never really seen him fight before, but if the stories are true..."

Sera was already in a fighting stance. Malkator, remaining stoic, simply stood still as his sheathed sword appeared in his hand.

"I won't go easy on you," Sera said.

"This fight will only end one way," Malkator said.

"Before we begin," William said, "Let's change things up a  little."

He clapped his hands, and the arena split into multiple pieces, moving up and down randomly, constantly changing the elevation of each part. Malkator and Sera were both standing on the same rising chunk, and while Sera nearly lost her footing, Malkator just kept standing there, calmly.

"Begin!" William announced.

Sera, straightening herself up, darted with shocking speed toward Malkator. She began striking at him rapidly, with graceful, fluid motions. Malkator used his sheathed weapon to casually deflect her attacks. Malkator suddenly vanished, reappearing behind her and gripping the hilt of his blade. In one swift motion, he drew it from its sheath and swung horizontally at her. She noticed him just in time, and managed to step back enough to evade the length of the blade. She then darted forward again, maneuvering to avoid his sword, and hit him in the chest with a strong jab, knocking him off the edge of the platform.

While falling, Malkator stabbed his blade into the side of the platform, grinding his decent to a halt. He kicked off from the wall, landing on a separate portion of the arena. Sera glared down at him.

"That the best you can do?" Malkator asked.

"Just wait 'til I get down there!" She replied.

"Might wanna make that fast," Malkator said, returning his sword to its sheath. "That platform you're on doesn't have much time left."

As if on cue, giant cracks began forming all over the chunk of arena they'd started on, and a harsh red glow burned from beneath them. She realized what was happening and jumped down from the platform as it was consumed in flame and began falling apart.

"It's just like his last fight," Anthony said. "That sword of his can burn anything he stabs it into."

"Looks that way," I said.

"If he gets a hit in with that sword, even a nonfatal one, it'll be over for her," he said.

The platform had now been completely destroyed, leaving several of the surrounding platforms covered in smoldering rock. Sera growled angrily and charged again. She engaged him in close quarters again, unleashing rapid attacks that he continued blocking. He managed to shove her back a couple feet, and reached for the hilt of his sword again. 

But she was ready this time. As he drew it from its sheath she quickly lunged toward his hand and sunk her teeth into it. Malkator, gasping in pain, dropped both the sword and sheath and teleported a short distance away, clutching his bleeding hand.

"Um, that girl is a Lilim, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Anthony replied.

"And aren't Lilim's, uh, poisonous?" I continued.

"No, of course not," Anthony answered. "That would be ridiculous."

"Oh," I said.

"They're venomous," he went on.

"Fuck," I muttered.

Sera rushed toward him, kicking him in the face with a powerful, whip-like motion, sending him flying several yards away. Malkator pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, panting heavily.

"This isn't looking good for him," Anthony said.

Malkator looked up at her, glaring, and raised a hand. Several of the burning rock chunks trembled a bit, before rising into the air.

"What the-?" I muttered.

Malkator thrusted his hand forward, and the chunks of rock went flying directly at Sera, who barely managed to dodge. She angrily rush at him, kicking him again, sending him flying away even further. He rolled onto his pant, coughing up blood.

"It's over," she hissed. "Just lay there and let the venom take you."

Malkator wiped the blood from his mouth and chuckled a bit.

"What?" she asked, taking a worried step backwards.

Malkator calmly sat up, and rose to his feet, looking no worse for wear.

"Did you really think that little dose you gave me would be enough to keep me down?" he asked.

He turned to face her, as his sword reappeared in his hand. I was instantly engulfed in a cyclone of scorching flames. I could feel their intense heat all the way from where I was seated. The flames then soaked into the blade, leaving it with a crimson glow. He swung the sword, and it unleashed a massive blast of superheated wind, that sent Sera flying, slamming into a nearby platform. A lot of her clothes had been burnt away in the blast, exposing the scaled flesh beneath.

Malkator switched the still glowing sword into a reverse grip, and plunged it into the ground. Sera snarled at him, and charged at him yet again. Before she had even made it halfway to him, Malkator looked up and uttered a single word.

"Erupt."

The ground beneath Sera's feet cracked open as intense heat erupted from beneath her. She stopped in her tracks and cried out in agony as blisters began covering her body, and her hair and clothes smoldered. Malkator pulled the blade from the ground and darted toward her with blinding speed.

He now stood behind her, as the glow faded from the blood coated word in his hand. Sera collapsed to the ground, clutching the gash he had left in her gut. Malkator wiped the blood off on his jacket.

"Like I said," he muttered. "It would only end one way."

He sheathed his sword. Flames quickly spread out from her wound, consuming her body and leaving nothing behind. Her parents up in the stands were left speechless.

"Benjamin Malkator is the winner!" William announced. "He will be moving on to the semifinals."

"Sod off, you prick," Malkator muttered, as he made his way to the nearest exit.

"The next fight will begin once we have-," William began, before giving an exasperated pause and continuing. "Once we have, yet again, repaired the damage to the arena."

So yeah. Malkator burnt another hot chick to a crisp. Yikes.

Call

I saw Ciel's post. Good to know Terrence and this Davey dude are alright.

I don't know when the next phase of the finals are gonna start. It's driving me crazy. I've got some serious competition ahead of me.

In other news, I got a call on Anthony's phone the other night. Against my better judgement, I answered.

"Justin?" asked a familiar voice from the other end.

"Jenna," I replied.

"It's been a while," she said.

"I know."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course I am," I replied. "Why?"

"Because your my brother, dumbass," she said. "I worry about you."

"Jenna Grace Ferin, you watch your fucking mouth," I said.

She chuckled.

"Good to know you've still got your humor," she said. "After seeing you fight, I wasn't kind of worried... you know..."

"That I've turned into a heartless killer over the past few years?" I asked.

"I wasn't gonna say that," she said.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"That guy you fought was an Oathbreaker, right?" she asked.

"How do you know about them?" I asked.

"Tony told me," she said. "He's dealt with them before. Says to look out for their symbol whenever I go to the doctors."

"Yeah," I said. "There's other ways to tell, but servant's do love their symbols."

"And what about you?" she asked. "You're... the same, right?"

I let out a sigh and remained quiet. This is why I didn't wanna talk to my family.

"Tony told me," she said. "But I didn't notice any symbols on you..."

"I'm... not as fond of the symbols," I admitted.

More silence.

"Look," she said after a while. "I get that you don't wanna talk about this, but I worry about you. Mom and dad worry about you. Just... Promise you'll be okay, alright?"

"I will," I said.

"I mean it," she said. "I watched those other fights, and I don't like the look of your competition."

"I'll be fine," I said. " I'm not about to die here. I made a promise, and I'm not dying until I've kept it."

"Well, then make me a promise too," she said.

"Fine," I said. "What is it?"

"Stay alive," she said. "And when you make it out of here, give me a call?"

I enhaled slowly before answering.

"Done," I said.

"Good," she said. "Good night, Justin."

"Night, Jenna," I replied.

I hung up, and lay there for a few minutes, thinking of how long it had been since I've spoken those last words.

Hey Justin. Ciel here. Terrence made it back okay. Thought you should know. He was hurt pretty badly from that fight with Henry, but he's made a full recovery.

As for Davey... Uh, he seems to be doing alright.  He hasn't kept his promise to kill me if something happens to Julia, so... That's good? I guess?

Just... whatever you're planning in terms of getting those two back here... Please do it soon. I can't really get a read on that guy, but I think he's really worried.

And more importantly, take of yourself, dumbass.

Hammer Time

Apologies for the lame pun, but I just saw Henry's fight, and... wow.

So we all gathered in the stands, as per usual. Henry was in the arena, standing across from that runner girl. She seemed scared. Normal, I guess. She was just a normal girl in a death tournament, against a hammer wielding buff guy with a bad case of crazy-eye.

"The final battle before the quarter finals shall now commence!" William announced. "Carry Yang vs. Henry Mitchel!"

Huh... could've sworn his last name was McBurnscars… Whatever... Not important.

"Begin!" William shouted.

The runner girl, Carry, drew a familiar looking handgun and took aim.

"Is that...?" I thought aloud.

"One on Lind's guns that he lost during his fight," Sal confirmed, before I could finish my thought. "She must have gotten her hands on it somehow."

That was interesting.

Have I explained what exactly a Runner is on this blog? I don't remember, but they're basically victims of the Fears or their servants who have left their lives behind in order to remain on the move. As such, some runners pick up a few survival instincts. Such as trying to end any confrontation as quickly as possible.

That being said, the first thing Carry tried to do was shoot Henry in the chest. A smart move, as that would generally kill most people, and guns can be pretty hard to dodge.

It didn't work. Henry casually deflected the bullet with one of his hammers, as the other one flew through the air and hit Carry right in the kneecap. She desperately fired another shot as she lost her balance, but it missed, and Henry quickly cleared the distance between them, hitting her in the chest hard enough to send her flying backwards. He kicked his discarded hammer up off the ground , catching it, before dashing toward her again.

He darted behind her, grappling her throat with the heads f his two hammers, and, shifting his weight sharply, he slammed her into the ground. He stood over her for a moment.

William stood up for a moment, examining the situation.

She wasn't dead yet though. She took in a pained breath, and pushed herself onto her elbows.

"Still alive?" Henry said. "I'm almost impressed."

She then raised her gun again, which she had somehow managed to keep a hold on throughout all of that, and fired. But Henry simply shifter his feet a bit, and the bullet passed right by his face harmlessly.

He slammed one of his hammered down on her wrist, giving off a sickly crunching sound. Her gripped loosened, but her gun remained stuck to her palm.

"She super-glued her glove?" Anthony said. "Huh..."

You know, with the amount of firearms that people seem to drop, I'm kind of shocked no one else has tried doing that before. I mean, I suppose it would inconvenient if you needed the free hand, but... still a little bit clever on her part.

Henry, seeming to have had enough, raised his other hammer above his head, preparing his finishing attack. All Carry could do was look up him in horror as he brought it back down again, crushing her skull.

Anthony covered his mouth, looking like he was going to vomit, while Sal simply shook his head. I kept watching quietly.

"The winner of this fight is Henry Mitchel!" William announced. "This concludes the first round of the finals. The quarter finals will begin in the near future. I suggest you all retire for the time being."

"That poor girl," Anthony said, composing himself. "I'd hate to be the next guy to fight him."

"On the contrary," I replied. "Now I wanna face him even more."

Henry, from his place in the arena, turned his attention to me, meeting my gaze with both of his eyes. I could feel Daniel shuddering inside my head, but I ignored it. Henry smirked, and turned to leave. As he did, the eye that was still being possessed by Judgement kept its gaze on me, until they had left.

"You may be in luck," Malkator said. "I was keeping an eye on both of you during that fight. I think your destinies will be entwining soon enough."

So yeah. That's the end of the... octo-finals? Is that the right word? I dunno… But we're down to eight people now. Me, Sal, Henry, Sera, Faceless, Cerise, Javonir, and Malkator.

This'll be fun...

Business

So, Faceless and Hella fought. It was really something. Faceless won, which means I might have to take him on myself in one of the upcoming fights.

And apparently Hella is still alive, is actually named Fien, and is some kind of immortal. So that's a thing, I guess?

Anyway, some time after that, the next fight started up. We were given 10 minutes this time. I got to the stands to notice that Sal wasn't amongst the spectators. Which meant...

"Welcome!" William announced, interrupting my train of thought. "We shall now begin the seventh battle!"

Sal entered the colosseum at one end, and from the other end, his "Business rival" entered. The two of them stood, staring each other down.

"Lind Balint!" William announced. "Vs. Valon Saltown!"

"So that's what it's short for," I said.

I spotted Anthony out of the corner of my eye, whipping out his phone and muttering a quick voicemail to someone.

"Begin!" William said.

Lind made the first move. He drew a pair of pistols and began shooting. Sal teleported out of the way. Lind adjusted his aim, but Sal just kept vanishing. Sal then appeared behind Lind, and raised his sword. Lind turned sharply, and blocked the attack with the barrel of one of this guns.

As the fight went on, Malkator spoke up.

"Why the bloody hell is he holding back?" he said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I know Sal," Malkator said. "He's stronger than this. The fight should have ended as soon as it began."

I was confused too. Sal can keep an entire bar full of opposed servants from murdering each other, and he was having trouble here? With the kind of power I've seen Sal display, this should've been a cakewalk for him.

But I realized pretty quickly what the problem was. Sal's full power only works in places he feels at home, like in his bar. The fact that he can control the terrain here means he still identifies the Board as his home, at least on a subconscious level. And that terrifies and angers him. He was restraining himself, refusing to use his powers, because he refused to accept that this place was still home to him.

Sal kept dodging Lind's gunshots while trying to get a hit in with his blade. One of Lind's guns jammed, so he discarded it and drew a grenade from his belt. He ripped the pin out of it and fired his remaining gun at Sal, who vanished again. Lind turned and tossed it at Sal as he reappeared. Sal smacked the grenade away with his sword and teleported right up close to Lind, having drawn his shotgun. He took aim, and blasted Lind in the chest, throwing backwards. He landed hard on his back, dropping his gun as his grenade exploded a distance away.

William raised a hand in the air, observing Lind's body, before announcing "The fight isn't over."

Lind started chuckling, and Sal stepped back, alarmed. Lind sat up, opening his eyes, which were now glowing with a deep, red light.

"What have you done?" Sal muttered.

"What needed to be done," Lind said, rising to his feet, as drops of his blood began floating in the air around his hands.

"This is one intense business rivalry," I noted.

"I needed power to take you out of the picture once and for all," Lind said. "And if that means giving myself to my Vices..."

Lind's hair shifted to a vibrant red, and his face twisted into a malevolent grin.

"So be it."

He lashed out with one hand, creating a whip out of his blood, that struck the ground at Sal's feet, how managed to dodge just in time.

"And he's a Blood Vessel now," Anthony said. "That's... something..."

"He must've been harboring some of the Red Cap for a while now," Malkator said. "And now he's allowed it to consume him."

Lind continued lashing out with his blood whips. Sal teleported up close and slashed his sword, which collided with the side of Lind's head. But Lind's blood hardened beneath his skin, reducing the impact to nothing.

"Got any more in you?" Lind said mockingly.

"I've never actually fought a Blood Vessel," I said. "But they're supposed to be really hard to wound, right?"

"Yeah," Anthony said. "And the Red Cap tends to grant it's servants a strong sense of masochism, so they end up enjoying whatever damage you do to them. Sal might be in trouble here."

He's no where near as powerful as the other me is, Daniel spoke up. But he's still dangerous.

Lind disarmed Sal quickly and struck him in the chest with one of his blood whips. Sal teleported away, noticeably panting. Lind kept lashing out with his whips, landing a couple more blows on Sal, who dropped to his knees. Lind let up, taking pride in how much damage he'd done. He drew back his arm, preparing another strike.

Do something! Daniel hissed at me.

I stood up and shouted down at Sal.

"Damn it, Sal! I need you alive!" I snapped. "If you keep holding back, he is going to kill you!"

I felt something weird going on with my eyes, but I ignored it, and kept shouting. But I felt something kind of off about my voice as I did.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" I said. "You're a Card! A SPADE! Fucking act like it!"

Lind was momentarily distracted by my interruption, but he brushed it aside, and turned his attention back to Sal. As he did, two slabs of the stone floor burst up on either side of him and pressed in. He quickly threw his arms out, managing to hold them off from completely sandwiching him. Sal had risen to his feet, now looking determined.

"Justin," Anthony said, handing me a mirror. "Your eyes."

I glanced at my reflection, and realized I had the same weird goat-eyes that Daniel has. As soon as I blinked, they were back to normal, but in that moment, I realized what had happened to my voice. I wasn't the only one speaking. Daniel had made himself heard as well.

Lind snarled angrily and charged toward Sal, breaking out from between the stone slabs. He swung a fist, hardening his blood for maximum damage, but Sal effortlessly caught his fist. The ground beneath Lind crumbled and began rising up his shins, holding him in place. Lind tried to swing his other fist, but Sal struck first, hitting Lind's collar bone and shattering it, immobilizing Lind's free arm.

"I'm sorry, Lind," Sal said. "I've always respected you, despite your hatred of me."

The ground beneath Sal's discarded sword shifted, and began pulling the sword back to him. He gripped it in his free hand tightly.

"But, as intent as you are on ending my life," Sal said, "I'm afraid I have no choice here."

"That sword didn't hurt me last time," Lind said. "What makes you think-"

In one shift motion, Sal cut off Lind's arm, letting it fall to the ground. Lind backed away, crying out in pain.

"How!?" Lind demanded.

A pillar of stone shot up beneath Sal's shotgun, sending it flying back into his hand, and he shoved the barrel into Lind's mouth.

"No more restraint," Sal said, before pulling the trigger.

Lind's lifeless, one-armed body fell to the ground, with a big hole in the back of his skull. William began clapping enthusiastically.

"Congratulations, Valon," he said. "You've won your fight."

Sal glared back at William, and sheathed his weapons.

"My name," he snarled, "Is Sal.

And with that, Sal turned and left the arena, as the Diamonds appeared to clean up all the damage he had done.

Another fight down

Sal and I were pouring over some more of Anthony's notes when the announcement went out that the next fight would take place in twenty minutes.

"Go on ahead," I told Sal. "I'll put all this away and catch up."

"Alright," Sal said. "See you in the stands."

After he left, V spoke up.

"Sal isn't fighting yet?" she asked.

"I figure he would've been visited by one of the cards if he was," I said. "I'm guessing this is someone else's fight."

"Sal's a card himself, isn't he?" V asked.

"Yeah," I said. "But he's different from the others. They were all human at some point before being changed by the Game Master. Sal was born a Card, which is pretty rare according to him."

"Oh," V said. "And you trust him?"

"He's one of the only people here I do trust," I said.

"What about me?" she asked.

"What?" I asked. "You mean do I trust you? Of course I do. Now hang tight. I'll be back after the fight's over."

I headed to the arena, where Anthony and Sal were waiting for me.

"And now, for the next fight!" William announced. "Javonír Horak versus Mackenzie Virtanen!"

I recognized them. Horak was the blonde dude in the heavy robes, and Virtanen was the girl who had the first aid kit.

"Begin!" William announced.

Virtanen immediately drew a pistol and fired at Horak, but he managed to dodge it and quickly close the distance between them, knocking it out of her hands. She started throwing punches at him. She seemed surprisingly competent, given how shaken up she was the first time I saw her.

"She's going after weak points," Anthony noted. "She seems to have an understanding of anatomy."

"But that robe of his is dampening her attacks," Sal said.

"And slowing him down," Anthony said. "Why would he fight in something that restrictive?"

"For the same reason I train by swinging around a lopsided barbell," I answered.

Anthony's eyes widen a bit.

"Muscle building," he said.

"That's right," I said. "He's wearing a weighted training robe."

The two of them continued trading blows, until Horak evidently got annoyed and shoved her away from him. He then quickly undid the ties of his robe and let it fall to the ground. Underneath, he was wearing a pair of black slacks, and nothing else. I let out a long whistle upon seeing his body.

"Damn," I said. "Dude's ripped."

"Really?" Anthony replied, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked. "I'm allowed to be turned on."

The fight didn't last much longer. Having removed his weighted clothing, Horak was now a lot faster. He deflected all of Virtanen's attacks, got in some quick jabs that I'm pretty sure broke some of her bones, then he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her body off the ground. She struggled for a short while before losing consciousness. He dropped her to the ground, and a card appeared to examine her, before announcing that she was definitely unconscious.

"Javonír Horak is the victor!" William announced.

Horak got his robe back on and picked up Virtanen's discarded gun. But rather that keep it, he slip it over to Virtanen's body and walked away.

"Huh," I said. "He seems neat."

"Think you could take him?" Anthony said.

"Probably," I said. "But I think he'll pose a challenge."


We all got ready to leave, but Anthony pulled me aside and handed me a cellphone.

"What's this?" I asked.

"One of my old tracphones," he said. "Your sister's number is on it."

He then walked away, leaving me alone with it. I sighed, and shoved it in my pocket. It's sweet of him to try and reconnect me with my family, but it's just not happening.

The Good Doctor

I had been up all night reading Anthony's notes to V so that she could memorize when one of he Cards teleported into my room. I quickly slapped the folder closed and turn to him.

"What are doing here?" I demanded.

"You're fight will begin in 5 minutes," he said. "Prepare yourself and head to the arena. If you are not there by the time the 5 minutes has passed, you will be teleported there."

"5 minutes!?" I snapped. "Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"I suggest you hurry," he said, before vanishing.

I then heard William's voice fill the halls, informing everyone else that the fight was coming up.

"Shit!" I said, running to grab my scythe and thinking quickly of anything else I might need. I still had Sal's APple cider, but I couldn't think of how that could help, so I ignored it. I grabbed the stopwatch off the dresser and stuffed it into my pocket. I hadn't managed to figure its power out yet, but who knows, maybe it could come in handy.

"Justin, are you sure you wanna go out there?" V asked.

"No like I get a choice," I said. "They'll just warp me there if I don't comply, and I don't have time to come up with a clever surrender strategy like Anthony did."

"You're sleep deprived," V reminded me. "You won't last two minutes in that ring."

"Then I'll just have to win in one," I said, walking out the door.

On my way to the arena, I considered who my opponent might be. Malkator, Sera, and Dalia/Cerise/whatever had already progressed to the quarters, so they weren't a possibility, and Anthony was out of the tournament, so that left... a lot of people...

Sal was a possibility, I was hoping it wouldn't be him. We need each other. If I do fight him, I still have no intention of losing to him, but I'll need to beat him without killing him (and I kind of hope he's got the same thoughts about fighting me).

Then there was that Hella girl. Anthony convinced me to check out a couple blogs, and from what I've seen of hers, she seems like a serious threat that I could definitely use a nap before facing. Same with Faceless and Henry. As much as I'd love to fight them, I was in no condition to at the time. So yeah, 4 people I was not eager to fight.

And then there were the rest of the random schmucks. Fingers were crossed that I'd be facing one of them.

I made it to the arena before the time was up. My opponent was already there. IT was the Oathbreaker. Great.

The stands willed with the other fighters and the families above them. I kept my gaze held on the Oathbreaker before me.

"Our 4th fight will be between Justin Ferin...!" William announced.

I heard Anthony cheer briefly from the stands. Sal might've said something too. I'm not sure. And... I think I heard my sister calling to me. Shouting some words of encouragement.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head and focused on the fight.

"...And," William continued, "Luigi Helthead!"

Luigi got less cheers. He might've had a brother or something up in the stands... I dunno…

"Begin!" William said.

We circled each other, sizing each other up. I had a grip on my scythe, ready to strike the moment he made a move. He drew a scalpel in one hand and a small vial in the other.

"You know," he said. "I've heard of you. What you did to my brethren out West."

I remained silent. I wasn't about to humor this prick by responding to his casual banter.

"You caused quite some strife for use," he said. "You even got the Thorned Prince to come out of retirement."

I don't know who the fuck that is, but okay. Whatever.

Luigi dripped a few drops of whatever was in that vial onto his scalpel. Not a good sign. His eyes briefly darted up to the stands before returning to meet my gaze.

"You know," he said. "You take after your mother."

I tried not to tense up at that.

"But you have your father's nose," he said. "And... brown eyes? Interesting. They both have blue ones."

He stopped his circling, and I followed suit. He switched his grip on the scalpel and smirked at me.

"This fight is going to go one of two ways," he said. "Either I'm going to kill you, and avenge my fellow Oatthbreakers. Or..."

He relaxed his stance a bit, letting his smug grin grow a little bit smugger.

"...You'll kill me," he said. "And your parent's and sister up there will see you for the viscous murderer you really-"

Relaxing his stance was a mistake. I charged, and as panic replaced his smirk, I darted behind him, caught his throat in the arc of my scythe, and pulled hard, taking his head clean off. Then, to demonstrate how annoying his speech was, I quickly stabbed the tip of my scythe into the mouth of his still airborne head. I then raised the scythe above my head, and smashed his stupid head into the ground, smashing it into a decently sized splatter of blood, flesh, and gray matter. The rest of him hit the ground with a satisfying thud.

A deafening silence filled the stands above. I mean, I guess it's not every day you see a mans head get lopped off and then smashed like a pumpkin, but I've had my fair share of exciting Saturday nights.

I calmly walked out of the ring as William announced my victory. I made my way back to my room.

"Justin?" V asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Fought an Oathbreaker," I said. "Killed him. I need sleep..."

So I plopped down on the bed and passed out a few minutes, all while V bombarded me with questions I wasn't really paying attention to. I think some of it might've been in Japanese. I dunno...

Extermination

So, the next fight is out of the way now. We were notified 45 minutes in advance this time. The preparation time seems weirdly inconsistent in this tournament.

Anyway, it was between Faceless's friend Dahlia or Cerise or whatever, and the woman who was carrying around that big jug. Apparently her name's Mumina.

The fight started off with Mumina opening her jug and releasing a shitload of flying insects out of it.

"The Intrusion," Sal muttered.

"Is she their servant or something?" I asked.

"Seems likely," Sal said.

Intrusion is a hivemind of creepy-crawlies. I don't think I've ever seen them in person before, but it's possible that any bug you come across could be a part of them.

The insects began attacking Cerise, who panicked and dropped her flamethrower. She managed o pull herself together long enough to set off a smoke grenade to debilitate them, then went for her flamethrower and turned it on Mumina who avoided the flames while some insects distracted Cerise just long enough to get roasted by another shot of the flame thrower. Mumina got close and tried attacking with her jug, and they clashed briefly before Cerise got Mumina by the throat and pulled out a knife, ready o kill her, but the insects that had been caught in the smoke explosion came to and flew at them. Cerise drew another grenade, but the insects flew a Mumina instead.

"What are they doing?" I wondered.

I got my answer quickly. The bugs seemed to fuse with her, and she mutated into some kind of monster-bug-woman. Cerise wasted no time in throwing her grenade at the thing and then torching it with the flame thrower. It died and Cerise won.

"Did you know the Intrusion could do that?" I asked Sal.

"Yes," Sal said. "But you don't see it too often."

"At least it's dead now," I said.

"Either way," Anthony said, jotting some stuff down in a notepad. "This has been a learning experience."

Chat

"Your plan is idiotic and is probably going to get us both killed," Sal said.

"Hi, Justin Ferin, have we me?" I replied. "You in or not?"

"We'll need to rethink some of it," he said. "There's no telling what we'll be in for."

"I know," I said. "But the Wooden Girl's got my hands tied on this."

"This won't be easy," Sal said. "I'd say we need help, but I don't know who here we can trust."

"Well, we do have someone on our side," I said, opening up my laptop. "Wake up, sweat-heart."

The laptop started itself up and started running an audio program. Rapid Japanese speak began pouring from the speakers.

"You're still speaking Japanese," I said.

"Gomen'nasai," the voice replied. "Is... is this better?"

"Much beer," I said. "Sal, I'd like to formally introduce you to V."

"Kon'nichiwa!" V said.

Sal stared a the screen for a moment before saying "It talks now...?"

"Yes," I said. "She does. The software is similar to what's used with Vocaloids. Allows her to create a purely synthetic voice for herself."

"I see," Sal said, rubbing his chin and considering this for a minute. "This... changes things. Getting the Thoughtborn involved could make this work..."

"My thoughts exactly," I said.

"Well, I'm going back to my room to think," Sal said. "We'll talk about this some more later."

Sal got up and walked to my door, opening it and revealing Anthony on the other side, with his fist up, ready to knock.

"Oh, um... hi," he said awkwardly. "I was uh... needing to talk to Justin..."

Sal grunted and pushed past Anthony, walking away.

"Hey man," I said. "Didn't realize you were still around."

"Well, the Game master did say surviving losers are allowed to stick around to watch the tournament continue," he said.

"I see," I said. "You know that puts you at risk, right? Since you're no longer a competitor in the finals, none of the remaining players are under any obligation to leave you alone."

"I'm aware," Anthony said, closing the door and taking a seat. "The only reason I accepted the Game Master's invite was for research purposes. I can potentially learn a lot from the upcoming fights. So I'll take my chances. Besides, I'm a big boy. I can handle myself."

"Research purposes, eh?" I said. "Is that why you were eavesdropping a second ago?"

"So you noticed?" he asked.

"Wasn't hard to figure out," I said. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything," he replied. "You're probably gonna die if you go through with that plan of yours."

"A Timberwolf doesn't fear death," I said. "We fear failure."

"I see," he said, opening up his satchel and pulling some folders out.

"What are those?" I asked.

"Information," he said. "Some of it might help you."

He set the folders on my bed and got up.

"I should be going now," he said.

"Why are you helping me exactly?" I asked.

"Why do you think?" he replied, before casually leaving.

"What kind of information is here?" V asked.

"Dunno," I said, opening o a random page. "Lots of numbers..."

I go up to check outside the door. The hallway outside seemed empty, but I wasn't about to take any chances. I closed the door, locked it up, and stuffed my jacket in the crack underneath, hoping to block out as much sound as I could. I sat on my bed, pulled V closer, and opened one of the folders.

"I'm going to start reading," I whispered to her. "I want you to transcribe as much of it as you can. IF Anthony thinks it'll be useful, then we should both try to memorize some of it."

Forfeit

So it's been a while since the first fight. I don't know what took so long for the second fight to happen, but it finally did. William's voice filled the whole place, informing us that the next match would take place in 30 minutes, and to come to the colosseum.

On my way there, I got sopped by Anthony in the hallway.

"Hey man," he said. "You gonna be in the stands?"

"Yeah," I said. "Why?"

"I was worried you might be my opponent," he said.

"Wait, you're fighting?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I was informed so in private, but I have no idea who I'm up against."

"Well, you'll find out soon enough," I said. "Pretty high odds that it won't be anyone merciful, though."

"I know," he said. "I'm gonna have to play this just right."

"Well, good luck out there, man," I said.

"Thanks," he said.

We parted ways, and I took a seat in the stands. The families were already in their seats above us. I have no idea where William is keeping them the rest of the time, but it seems he's gonna make them watch every fight. Bastard.

I spotted Julia up there. I had promised her I'd save her brother, but now I needed to find a way to save her too. And on top of that...

I glanced down at my wrist, where I could still feel the tightness of her invisible thread there. I had to complete the mission she'd given me on top of everything else, otherwise she'd take my hand. Bitch...

Sal took a seat besides me.

"Any idea who's fighting?" he asked.

"I know Anthony is," I said. "Not sure who he's up against yet."

"One everyone gets here, we'll know based on process of elimination," Sal said.

"Good point," I said. "By the way, we need to talk in private after this."

"Fine," he said. "I figured you'd want to."

He nodded up at the families.

"That family up there is staring a you," he said. "Especially the young girl."

"I know," I said.

I had felt my parent's eyes on my the whole time, but I was trying to avoid meeting their gaze. I haven't spoken to them in years. How the fuck am I supposed to look them in the eyes now? Especially after everything I've done since then. And my sister... I know she's been in contact with Anthony, but I have no idea what he's told her about me.

"They're your family, right?" Sal asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"They're worried about you," he said.

"Nice observation," I replied.

"Don't wanna talk about them?" he asked.

"Nope," I said. "What about you? You got any family up there?"

"Not up there, no," he said.

"Don't wanna talk about it either?" I asked.

"Nope," he replied. "I think everyone's here, now."

I looked around. All the other players were seated now. Except for...

"The lilim," I noted.

"Yep," Sal said. "Your friend has his work cut out for him."

William addressed all of us with that booming voice of his.

"It is time for the second fight of the finals!" he said. "My apologies for the delay, but I now bring you Anthony Helioson versus Sera Philips!"

Anthony and the lilim girl entered the colosseum and stood across from each other.

"Begin!" William said.

Sera got into a fighting stance, while Anthony quickly raised his hand to her.

"Um, can you give me a sec before we start this?" he said innocently.

She raised an eyebrow and relaxed her stance a bit. Anthony turned his attention to William.

"Um, William, sir?" he said. "Is it all right if I call you William?"

William exhaled slowly and folded his arms behind his back.

"You are to address me as the Game Master," he said.

"Right, right, of course," Anthony said. "Mr. Game Master, sir."

"What is he meaning of this interruption?" William demanded.

"Um, it's about to no surrendering thing," Anthony said.

"What about it?" William demanded.

"Are you sure?" Anthony said. "I mean, I don't really feel comfortable taking her on."

"Yes, I am sure," William growled. "Under no circumstances are either of you to surrender."

"I'm sorry sir," Anthony said. "I just think it should be a valid option. I'm just saying that maybe you should consider, you know... reconsidering?"

William thought for a second before realizing what Anthony was up to.

"You're stalling." William said.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Anthony said, making sure to draw his words out. "Noooooooooooo. Why on Earth would I do that?"

"You are!" William snapped angrily. "Why? What are you stalling for!?"

"Sir," Anthony said. "I assure you that I am absolutely, positively not trying to waste your time in any way."

"Helioson…," William growled.

"Look," Anthony said. "I promise that I'm not trying to stall in any way. I would never, under any circumstances try to- oh! There it goes..."

And then he collapsed on the ground. William stood dumbfounded for a bit, before tensing up in visible frustration.

"DAY!!" he exclaimed.

One of the cards, the Ace of Hearts, judging by her mask, appeared in the arena and examined Anthony.

"He drugged himself, my lord," she said. "Prior to the match."

William covered his masked face with his hands and exhaled slowly.

"Clever bastard," I muttered to myself.

"The match officially began," Sal said. "Which means..."

William seemed to compose himself, and addressed us all again.

"Anthony Helioson has lost consciousness," he said, through gritted teeth.. "The winner of this match is Sera Philips."

He turned to leave, but before exiting, he looked over his shoulder and added one more thing.

"From now on, NO DRUGS!"

So yeah. No drugs. My plan to get stoned before all my fights has been crushed. Damn.

I'm sorry Justin. That Ace of Cups bitch and her healer showed up. We tried to fight her off, but they got Julia. They also hurt Keran, but she didn't go down without a fight. She managed to blast the Ace with lightning. I would be proud if we had actually managed to protect Julia.

I'd have made this post sooner, but I've had Davey to deal with. He showed up not long after that fight, wounded. Multiple broken bones, some minor internal bleeding, contusions everywhere. wasn't easy, but I've managed to handle worse.

Apparently he'd been attacked by Emissaries as well, but he had a bit better luck in fighting them off. He said he'd managed to escape, and promptly came to check on Julia. He was too late, unfortunately.

So yeah, between patching up Keran and Davey, and relocated to new, hopefully more discreet hideout, I haven't had a lot of time to post. But yeah. I fucked up. I'm the reason Julia's trapped there now. I'm sorry.

Benjamin

I found him in the Mess Hall and decided to go talk with him.

"Hey," I said. "So you're him, huh? Malkator?"

"Yes," he said. "And no. Whatever stories you've heard of me are likely false."

"Well, yeah," I said. "The fact you're alive and well tipped me off."

We sat in silence for a couple seconds.

"So, what's the deal with those stories, anyway?" I asked.

"Another version of me from another universe," he said. "His story seeped into our world."

I see. More of that multiverse crap.

"But I'm not him," he continued. "He's some self-proclaimed 'eccentric chess player' whose willing to sacrifice his stronger pieces for his pawns."

"And that's why he sacrificed himself, right?" I asked. "To save humans?"

Malkator nodded.

"I can't do that," he said. "Unlike him, I have something to live for. I have a family. I have to survive. For her."

We sat in silence for another minute. After a while he sighed, and let his hood down. He had stringy, light brown hair that fell down to his shoulders. This was my first time seeing it.

"Not much point in hiding now that William's exposed me," he said. He then reached up and removed the collar he had been wearing He coughed a couple time, and then said, in a much different voice, "Much better..."

I stared blankly at him for a moment before speaking.

"Holy crap," I said. "You're British?"

"The collar applies pressure to the vocal cords," he explained. "Alters the volume and pitch of the wearer's voice."

I raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound like enough to hide a British accent," I pointed out.

"Nope," he said. "That was mostly just willpower. The collar still makes it easier."

"Huh," I said. "So why doesn't your sister have an accent?"

"Stop asking questions," he told me.

He stood up and turned his back to me.

"I like to think of us as friends, Justin," he said. "But I'm going to win this tournament. For my sister. No matter who my opponent is, I will fight, and I will defeat them."

He began walking away, but I had one last thing to say to him.

"Did you know that when you get a pawn to the opposing edge of the board, you can swap it out for a piece you've already lost?" I asked.

He paused.

"What the hell are you getting at?"

"That's why that other Malkator was willing to sacrifice himself for humans," I said. "Because he could see their potential. You claim to have good eyesight, but you must be pretty fucking blind compared to him."

He glared over his shoulder at me.

"Sod off," he said.

Then he kept walking.

The First Fight

We were all called to the colosseum earlier. It was pretty big. The Game Master sat in a large, isolated section of the stands, along with the two Cards he had keeping an eye on us before. I'm guessing those were his right hand goons. There was also a separate circle of seats, completely empty and levitating high above us. The Game Master stood and addressed all of us.

"The rules shall  change going forward," he said. "There will be no surrendering. Once a fight has started, it will continue until one fighter has been killed, or has lost consciousness. In the latter case, the loser will be free to return home, or stick around to view the remaining fights. However, knowing some of our finalists, I doubt we'll be seeing much of that occurring."

He chuckled to himself, and I heard a couple people in the stands join him.

"The winners shall move on to the quarter-finals," the Game Master said. "Now, I will decide the first of our fighters."

He conjured up a small deck of cards and shuffled them extravagantly (show-off...) before drawing two of them. He snapped his fingers, and two of us vanished from the stands and appeared in the middle of the colosseum. One of them was the Chinese Enhanced girl I'd seen Henry speaking to before. The other was the Hooded Guy.

"I present our first competitors!" the Game Master said. "He Mizushima!"

The Enhanced girl raised a fist in the air proudly.

"And, her opponent," The Game Master said, and while I couldn't see his face through that mask of his, I could almost feel him grin evilly as he spoke his next words. "Benjamin. Malkator."

I gasped, and I think I heard a few others do so as well.

I've heard that name. Plenty of times. I'm pretty sure most servants and some runners have heard of him. various stories of him get passed around. So many that it's hard to know which of them are true. But they all have an ending in common.

His death.

Benjamin Malkator is said to have died stopping some sort of cataclysmic event. And yet here his was, alive and well, and about to take on an Enhanced.

"Before we begin," the Game Master said, "I believe the stands feel painfully empty for such an event. Let's liven this up a bit."

He snapped his boney fingers, and the stands levitating above us were suddenly filled with panicked faces.

"I present," The Game Master continued, "Your families."

Our families?

I scanned the crowd above us quickly and saw them. My parent. My sister. They were here.

And then Julia caught my eye. Just a few feet from my family, she was there, looking sadly down at her brother in he ring, and I saw mouth the word "Ben",

I looked back at the Hooded Guy. His body had tensed up in... anger doesn't do it justice. This was rage. Pure, unbridled, murderous rage. His sheathed wakizashi appeared in his hand, and he turn to face Mizushima.

"Now," The Game Master said. "Begin!"

Mizushima charged, ready to end Malkator's life. She didn't get a chance. It was a blur of movement as Malkator drew his sword. Next I could see, he was crouched down, back to her, with his blade held in a reverse grip, and plunged into her torso. He pulled it out and rose, beginning to walk away from her.

She fell to her knees for a second, but rose to her feet again, growling at him.

"You think that's enough!?" she demanded. "You can't bring down an Enhanced that easily! Get back here and fight like a fucking man!"

Malkator kept walking, and spoke a single word, an order, that seemed to echo through the stands.

"Burn."

Mizushima froze in place, as a red light glowed from her sword wound. She then screamed in agony as flames rapidly consumed her body from the inside out. She fell to the colosseum floor moments later, as nothing more than a pile out ash.

Some of the families above us cried out in fear, and an Asian man, I'm guessing her father, shouted what I can only assume were Chinese expletives down at Malkator.

Malkator stood there for a few seconds, giving the panic some time to die down. As silence fell over the arena, he turned to the Game Master, and pointed his blade directly t the tall, skeletal sociopath.

"That was only the first," Malkator warned. "I'll cut through every opponent you send my way. And once I'm finished with them, William..."

The Game Master seemed to tense up a bit upon hearing that name.

"I'm coming for you!" Malkator finished.

The Game Master stood quietly for a few moments, before letting out a deep, slow chuckle.

"You sent chills, Benjamin," he said, before snapping his fingers. "Clean up his mess for me, will you?"

A couple of diamond masked people appeared to clear up the ashes.

"You are all free to go until the next match," the Game Master (or William, I guess?) said to us.

So, uh... yeah. That all... happened...

I'm gonna go to the mess hall and see if I can find Malkator there. I need to talk to him...