Fantasy Avarice:// The World That Never Was (ACCEPTING!)

[SniperBus]

[Patching... 65% Complete]

[Patching... 100% Complete]

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With a subtle click the augmented reality projector whirred to life. It was a strange, perfectly smooth white orb, hovering in the air over a black box lined with gold edges. Laid into the glass floor beneath it were cables extending to each corner and wall of the room, where they then ran up the wall and connected back to each other in the center of the ceiling. Instantly, the orb started radiating a warm glow, and shot beams of light into each wall and each corner of the room. Immediately following, this same orange glow rushed through all of the cables at once, flooding the room in light. Seconds later, he put on his alternate reality goggles, and he was a Spectator on the streets of Avarice.

It felt good to be back.

For the Avatars, they would simply see a small, wispy red orb floating through the air, with a single orange dot in the middle of its "face" that represented which way the spectator was looking. But for spectators, their whole body was rendered in real-time, allowing them to freely move across the world of Avarice, immune to all harms and frights that may come before them. They could mingle with fellow spectators on the streets- which Avatars could hear bits and pieces of- and wander to whenever and wherever they pleased. And, if they were interested, they could immediately warp to any ongoing battle or point of interest in the entirety of Avarice, in a matter of moments. All of this was implemented by Nytech mere days ago as a way to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Avarice, yet it felt as ingrained in Avarice as combat itself. And oh, thought the man, does it feel so good to be a part of it all.

The man walked down one of the side-streets of Avarice's main city, Spectacle, passing billboards, Entities, fellow spectators- everything swirled past him at once. Everyone in Avarice has their own goals, their own missions, their own lives. In a sense, he had been dropped into a second world; it was so hard to imagine that everything he saw before him was simply an augmented-reality projection, that it was all 0's and 1's and everything in between in some massive machine in Nytech Inc. headquarters. It was easy to get lost in the immersion of it all- in a sense, that was the point. Avarice was more than a sport; it was an escape, a place where spectators and Avatars alike could lose themselves in the infinite sea of options and choices. In a word, it was suffocating, but it was suffocating in a way that was so unbelievably stunning and brilliant. He ducked quickly as an Avatar zoomed straight over his head, off into the distance. Immediately, three others pursued after them, ripping through the air on hoverboards. He shook his head and kept walking; he was a man on a mission, after all.

After a few more minutes, he finally caught his eye on what he had been searching for- the main arena of Avarice, in the heart of Spectacle. It was a massive, floating structure, thousands of feet in the air. Around it, clouds swirled quickly, blowing around at high speeds. The Coliseum itself was colossal in a sense that could not be described; it was if an entire country had uprooted itself from the center of Avarice and decided to float in the sky, projecting out battles currently happening at all angles, complete with popularity rankings of the most well-known Avatars, closing scores of recent battles, and all manner of statistics for the casual and hardcore viewers. But in the center of it all, lasered into the sky itself, was printed out plainly: Avarice Anniversary Event, celebrating five years going strong! The man gestured in the air, beckoning some unseen force, and immediately audio started playing next to his head.

"Welcome back to Avarice, Jackhan Hardvon! Are you interested in the Avarice Anniversary Event?"

He nodded.

"Today marks the fifth anniversary of Avarice! As with every year, we're spending the next three weeks celebrating the sport of Avarice with the biggest and most incredible showcase of skill, passion, and beauty in the world: the all-inclusive Avarice World Championship! The rules are always the same: every Avatar, despite popularity, must participate in a series of single-elimination group fights; as soon as an Avatar loses- they're out! After group stages, Avatars that have distinguished themselves or gathered enough wins to move on go on to the double-elimination challenges- and after that, the triple-elimination duels for the finals! This tournament showcases everything we love our beloved sport: the teamwork, the grueling quests, the heart-wrenching battles for victory against all odds, the triumphs, the defeats! And for those three weeks, spectators like you get to soak it all in and watch it all! In fact, we even..." The audio kept playing, and Jackhan stood there, nodding along excitedly. Even though all he did was stand on the sidelines, this whole atmosphere made him feel so.. strong.
---
Vyn looked up, eyes piercing into the words written above the entrance to the corridor. [Avatar Waiting Room]. None too happy about this whole turn of events, he stepped through the doorway, and a red wall of translucent energy phased into existence behind him, blocking him from leaving. He shook his head, sighing, and moved further into the room. He swung his gaze around, catching sight of [Waiting Room 4217B], as well as several familiar faces, the [Fight Sign-up Board], and a myriad of different places to sit while waiting for matches to be called. "Why can't I just relax in my room, watering plants.." He muttered, walking over to the [Fight Sign-up Board]. He angrily started mashing the Board's buttons with mechanical fingers, which caused the sharp sound of metal-on-glass to slice through the room. "I don't get why every Avatar has to be assigned to this stupid tournament, set up just for the sake of grandeur and spectacle..." As he said this, the floor was consumed by a pale-glue glow, and a dull chime sound rang out. On the floor was printed [Avatar ID 0034] & [Avatar ID 33102948] vs. [Avatar ID 1112] & [Avatar ID 7815]. Wordlessly, the four of them left the room, which was briefly filled uncomfortably with the audio of thousands of cheering and screaming spectators, before the sound was killed by the exterior door materializing back into place. "All I gotta do is sign up for a fight I can't win, throw the match anyhow, and then I'm done with this stupid tournament and I can get-" he was practically hitting the board by this point- "back to my life." And with one final punch that shook the wall, he signed up for the first available two-versus-two fight, which was currently empty.

Vyn sunk into the nearest chair, staring at the ceiling while turning his fingers into caricatures of the spokespeople for the Avarice Anniversary Event. "Never before seen battlefields" He mocked, hitting his left hand caricatures with his right hand carica-fist. "New, improved and exciting modes for the fights" He mocked, once again slamming his right metal fist into his left hand. He sprouted a second caricature out of a different finger in his left hand, which promptly said "and don't forget, our new spectating system makes everything feel so much more ali-" And with that, Vyn detached his left hand, angrily throwing it into a nearby wall, where it promptly clunked onto the ground. "I'm so done!" He whispered, shaking his head.

Around Vyn, the room had Avatars of all shapes, sizes, and likenesses. Whenever the Avatars felt ready, or whenever they got to the waiting room, they would walk up to the [Fight Sign-up Board], choose an available group fight, and then wait for their round to be called. Such was the way the World Championship went. If you won enough group phases, you went on- if not, you went on about your life and tried again next year. Though, for most Avatars, it was an incredible opportunity. And again, for most Avatars, it was one they would never really be able to grasp.
--

AVAILABLE FIGHTS
[Free For All] - 3 slots remaining [Solder, ?, ?, ?] Mode: Elimination (last Avatar standing wins!)
[2 versus 2] - 3 slots remaining [Vyn, ?, ?, ?] Mode: Elimination (last team standing wins!)
[Free For All] - 2 slots remaining [Lost Sword, Volleyball King, ?, ?] Mode: Item Capture (get the item through the portal to win- anything goes!)
[2 versus 2] - 2 slots remaining [Dan The Motor Man, Stanley The Steam Elemental, ?, ?] Mode: Search and Destroy (each team has a Metal Reactor Core- destroy the enemies' while protecting your own to win!)

 

[ShadowHounder]

Cobra fell into the seat with careless boredom. His eyes mindlessly gazed at the ceiling above him... Thinking of lighting a cigar before reminding himself of the rules. It would just have to wait for when it gets outside. He lowered his sight back to earth and found himself looking at a thin woman. Her long hair hid her eyes, with the help of a large book, but it was clear she had been keeping track of something. Her eyes lifted and scanned everytime a small noise echoed in the Waiting Room. Cobra merely shrugged and leaned back, hoping to get a nap before his next fight.

 

[Reytian]

Clinking noise could be heard coming from beyond the doorway and then it suddenly stopped. R3X read the holographic door sign and thought of it as intriguing since he had never seen one of those before. But after a few seconds the hologram lost its charm and so he began to walk through the doorway starting the clinking sound yet again. The six foot man was greeted by an assortment of characters who to him seemed strange or weird, except for a few hand full, so he froze for a few seconds right in front of the red wall looking over at the other combatants. Although some of their outfits seemed ridiculous he was probably on their radar now. Not because of him being intimidating, but because it looked like he went to a party city to get his outfit. Honestly he looked more ludicrous than some of the other contestants, but he didn't care. He wore his scar on the left side of his face that started from the eye brow and down to his cheek, brown cowboy hat, black/red samurai armor, black cybernetic arm, and weapons proud.

R3X looked over at Cobra seeing the man in utter disinterest only made him think it would be infectious and so turned away to not catch a strain. He then looked over at Vyn who also seemed distressed. Two for two, hm didn't seem to good so far. He then looked over at a small lady who glanced at him every time he moved because of his armor making noises. Seeing the contestants just seem to mind their own business and be utterly bored made him wonder just who he was up against. Usually combatants showcase themselves in the waiting room for intimidation but so far no one has done such a thing. Such a strange place this was. So he began walking again this time toward something inanimate that caught his attention. It said [Fight Sign-up Board] and so he happily signed up quickly. The faster he kicked everyone's ass, the faster he can go home. He swiftly signed up for all fights showing everyone in the room that he wasn't afraid but it took a while though since he used his only organic hand since the other was a cybernetic gatling gun, no big deal.

After what took like about five minutes R3X grinned and turned toward an empty seat that had no one to the right or left of it. His armor clinked with every step until he finally sat down. He was about to sit back for optimal comfort but froze and reached for under his foot to find a mechanical hand. He studied it for a few seconds before turning to look at the other beings in the waiting room finally speaking his first words to the others. "To whom does this belong to?"

 

[CherryTart]

Lorette

The young maiden known as Lorette carried herself cautiously a certain nervous aura spread about her, after all is was her first big tournament and she found it incredibly intimidating but her feet persisted taking her towards the doorway a sign overhead let her know it was the avatar waiting room; she put on a toothy smile, took a few deep breaths as she readied herself for what awaited her inside and then took those first few steps into the world of combat.

Upon entering the waiting room she deadpanned it was full of all sorts of strange looking people, she felt slightly out of place with her minimalist look of a simple dress and staff, and thought it was underwhelming she expected tons of hardened warriors, or fresh combatants akin to herself but what she found was a bunch of people quietly waiting like at a doctors office. Well, they are waiting to fight. I guess this makes sense she thought to herself while scratching her cheek awkwardly. She flinched as a hand hit the wall next to her; she was certainly not in the countryside any longer. Then she sighed moodily making her way towards the, thankfully, labeled sign up board. Her eyes glided across the available fights and found that two of them were lonesome fights which essentially equaled her getting brutally beaten down into the ground, so she avoided those two and turned her attention to the team battles one of which was a search and destroy mission instantly turned her away from it. If there was anything she wanted to avoid it was destroying other people's things that was plain rude, and such that left her with a singular option the two versus twos a simple fight of four where she would have a single teammate; her specialty. "Boop! Beep! Boop!" She cheered as she entered her name into the two versus two making noises for the keyboard her merry smile maintaining throughout her input. She had calmed down greatly and now felt the bubble of energy, from anticipation, swell in her chest it was surreal being acknowledged as someone worthy of combat on such a level. If she won maybe there'd be a cool prize in it for her too, and if she lost at least her name would get out there it was a spectacular opportunity for a young lady such as herself.

Lorette took up the space at the sign-up board for much longer than she should have taking more deep breaths to calm herself readying her mind for the battles to come; that day marked the real start to her journey sure she had done some minor work and petty runs before, but now she was truly an adventurer exploring the world for fame, wealth and vengeance. That day she went from farmer to warrior. She turned to the rest of the room her eyes gleamed with determination as she scanned over it until finally she took her seat directly across from a man missing his hand, probably the one that had nearly taken her head off, she scanned the waiting room passing over many avatars; including one that was hiding behind a book. Is she really a combatant? Kinda looks like a bookworm! The thought crossed Lorette's mind quickly as she giggle to herself crossing one leg across the other touching her toes and calmly closing her eyes to think. Although her calm thinking was then interrupted by a, gentleman-like, question of who the hand went to causing her to hurriedly turn her body around kneeling on the seat as she looked over to a man with a Gatling gun on his arm and a hand at his feet. "Wowzas!" She shouted climbing over her chair darting to the cowboy man picking the hand up closely examining it. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Cowboy guy! Do ya think this fist shoots out like a rocket?! Like, kablooey!" Lorette, energetically, asked him making rocket sounds with her mouth as she flew it back and forth like a toy plane in her hand, before turning away from him without awaiting an answer. "Someone lost a hand!! Come get it, or I'm keeping it!" She announced to the waiting room her smile still stuck to her face while she waved the hand up above her head to show it off and although she had saw some guy without a hand earlier that could have just been how he normally looked; no need to judge she presumed.​

Interactions: Reytian
Mentions: ShadowHounder SniperBus

 

[ShadowHounder]

The woman closed her book with an abrupt, yet gentle slam. She stood up and approached the sign up sheet, before placing her name next to Lorette's. This action prompted Cobra to stand up and muttered. "Can't believe I forgot to do that..."

As the petite woman walked away, Cobra placed himself on the free for all elimination fight. Might I suggest Seek and Destroy as well? Your arsenal would be quite effective in such a mission.

"No Monty... Only doing the one fight." Cobra replied to the "voice" in his head. "Guys back at HQ got pissed last time I signed up for more than mission."

That was because you had signed up for six missions and refused wait for repairs. Monty quickly retorted. It took them a considerable amount of them to deal with all the damages.

"Then we'll just do the one for now and see how it goes from there." Cobra remarked, seemingly oblivious to the fact that no one can hear Monty. "Baby step..."

Mentions: SniperBus CherryTart
Is there: Reytian

 

[Elenion Aura]

Where... am... I?
You are in Avarice.
What... is... Avarice?​

This place... Unfamiliar. Unfamiliar... faces. He was here. Why was he here? To fight... For what? The faces in the crowd... All swirled together. Men's faces, women's faces, children's... What's that sound? A low, thrumming, tone? Ah, that was him. The sound he made - that low hum - when he levitated. He was always... Levitating. Floating, like a ship out to sea. What was a ship? He could see one, with his very waking eyes. White sails, billowing, billowing...

What was that? That sound, metallic, violent. So loud. Everything was loud here. Loud, and bright. What was his purpose here? A flashing neon sign - everything, flashing - reminded him. With a wish, his body, curled in and around itself, lingering feet off of the ground, floating, began to move. He moved toward the source of the light - the sign. [Fight Sign-up Board], it said. There was a screen here. A screen that went with the sign.

Intuiting what the screen wanted from him, he pressed a long, delicate finger down onto the glass, smooth and cold. [Free For All] - Mode: Item Capture, it said to him. With that done, he turned, and the force of his intention bid his body - still hanging, fetal, in midair - to return to the spot he had previously occupied. He selected no seat, and instead chose an unoccupied section of floor to hover lazily above. There, he waited, bothering no one.

 

[Beebasaur]

Mahogany couldn't help but wince at the clicking of her hooves, one of the few features of herself she was beginning to dislike. Back in her valley it had never been a problem, the grass muffled the sound and considering many of the creatures she lived with had hooves it was never something she really thought about. Of course she was no longer in her valley, she was in a world of stone floors and marble tiles, occasionally there would be the stray carpeted floor, but almost everywhere she went the tell-tale "clip clop, clip clop" of her hooves could be heard. Mahogany knew full well she was something of an oddity, it wasn't like non-humans didn't exist, on the contrary the world of Avarice seemed to be made of mostly non-human creatures. No, the strange thing about her was how normal she actually was, by non-human standards. She'd met a few other fawns — only one of which she actually liked — and they all seemed to have one thing in common: their exaggerated features. Of course, she could have just met the few weirdos in what might be a group of perfectly normal non-humans.

Shaking her head and pulling her mind out of her thoughts, Mahogany refocused at the task at hand: signing up for a fight. Puru, her trusty familiar, hovered lazily beside her shoulder, not really focused on anything in general as he hummed gently to himself. Puru was almost always humming, in fact you'd be hard pressed to find a time where he used words and not melodies to convey his feelings. It did happen, occasionally, but he spoke almost exclusively to herself.

Trying to be as light as possible, Mahogany made her way to the sign up board, her ever constant clip clop noises interjected with the occasional "Sorry," and "Just passing though," as she slide through the growing crowd. As she finally reached the sign up board, pint pointing it due to the large glowing sign, where a strange creature to say the least had just finished writing before hovering off to a quieter section of the room. While Mahogany wasn't normally one to judge other's on their physical appearance that creature was, well, strange. Giving her head yet another shake she forced herself to refocus on the task at hand, firmly approaching the sheet and signing herself up for team battles. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the team battles, one of which was already full. Weighing her options Mahogany decided the safest bet for herself would be the search and destroy, even though her weapons and skills were more geared towards actual combat. Hopefully she'd end up with a strong team mate, or they could be in trouble. Finishing up her id and name with a swirly flourish she returned the sheet to it's spot, before glancing around for the creature she had seen earlier.

Mahogany was a curious Avatar by nature and she had never seen anything like that Avatar. Checking to make sure Puru was still by her side, she followed after the strange being, eventually finding them hovering a above the ground. Unlike Puru who while he hovered you could see his wings beating, this creature seemed to have nothing keeping it up except maybe a magical source.

"Excuse me, I...well. I didn't want to intrude but, um..." Mahogany floundered, there really was no polite way to ask what they were, and she knew that for a fact. "Well, I'm Mahogany," she finally stated, taking a chair nearby the creature's spot and giving her best smile. Puru settled himself on her lap, still humming contentedly to himself.

Interacting with: Elenion Aura

 

[Reytian]

R3X blinked a few times thinking that he imagined the robotic hand being taken away. Before he could utter a word of confusion R3X saw how childish she was, playing with it like a toy rocket. This made him grin for a few seconds before depressingly looking back down at the floor. 'Don't get attached, these are your enemies, not your friends,' he disliked thinking about it but he had no clue why he was here. But he's very good at one thing, and that thing is fighting. So he had no clue what this 'Aviarce' was but it must have to do with fighting or his masters wouldn't have gotten a pretty nice penny on having him partake in this....well whatever this is. Though....he should enjoy himself. He was the best in the gladiator tournament holding the #1 spot for five years in a row. Maybe a worthy challenge awaits him beyond the waiting room. So perhaps for now he should enjoy these moments for it may be the last.

So he stood up from his seat walking over slowly to the Lorette while his armor would clink with every step. That is until he got sidetracked and saw that Cobra was talking to himself which made him raise an eye brow. 'Is he crazy? Do they have an earpiece? Perhaps a telepath? Will I bathe in the blood of a telepath? Eh just pretend like you didn't see it' Wait if he can read minds then they just......I'll...just stop thinking now...' R3X kept on walking until a levitating being went right past him which he thought was a nice piece of furniture at first do to it not being on a seat and lack of sound or movement. How innovative this place was, having a creature like that should put on a good show. It could pretend to be a coffee table and once R3X puts his tea down it will strike. Yes, truly a terrifying enemy, tabs are indeed marked on this one.

He undermined what he just saw and finally made it to Lorette "Though that may not belong to you or I, you shall unhand that hand or shall I invoke the 'finders keepers' rule upon you" he asked gesturing for her to put it in his hand. He wasn't sure how old she was but if she acted like a kid then no harm in playful chatter. Which in the background was accompanied by a rather vivid 'clip clop, clip clop'. R3X then looked over at Vyn guessing that this hand belonged to them.

Interactions: CherryTart
Mentions: Elenion Aura ShadowHounder Beebasaur

 

[SniperBus]

AVAILABLE FIGHTS
[Free For All] - 2 slots remaining [Solder, Cobra, ?, ?] Mode: Elimination (last Avatar standing wins!)
[Free For All] - 0 slots remaining [Lost Sword, Volleyball King, Starchild, Lucidity] Mode: Item Capture (get the item through the portal to win- anything goes!)
[2 versus 2] - 0 slots remaining [Dan The Motor Man, Stanley The Steam Elemental, Mahogany, Two] Mode: Search and Destroy (each team has a Metal Reactor Core- destroy the enemies' while protecting your own to win!)

"To whom does this belong to?"

Ah, oh, for the love of Nytech. Vyn thought, standing up and rolling his shoulders. This action opened up the vents that lined his shoulders and ran all the way down along his spine with a grating metallic noise. Seconds later, steam began to billow out slowly before the vents shut again with a sssshhhuck. As he stood in the steam, he lifted his chin and raised up one corner of his mouth in irritation, proclaiming "It's min-" but then he stopped. "Someone lost a hand!! Come get it, or I'm keeping it!" Proclaimed some short, rather human-looking woman with a huge smile plastered on her face. In response, Vyn lowered his chin again, making a mockery of the smile on his own face. "Oh, really, you're going to keep that?" Vyn said, stepping forward towards her. As he did, he rolled his neck, this time sending steam shooting out of the vents on his neck.

Just as he got to the woman holding his hand, some other Avatar- a man standing roughly six feet, with a cybernetic arm, who then demanded that the lady give him Vyn's hand. "No, that simply won't do. The hand, it goes to me. I'm Vyn." He said, sticking his metallic hand towards Lorette. "May I have my hand back? And, what's your name?" Then Vyn turned his head towards R3X, "And you, I appreciate you trying to return the hand- what's your name?" With this, another robotic arm came out from Vyn's chest. At first glance, the casual onlooker might've assumed this spare arm was a pipe, or tube of some kind, but then it cleverly unfolded and twisted, sticking out towards R3X with an open palm. Vyn himself was an amalgamation of metals; while his voice was that of a semi-irritated british human, his body was entirely steel and other sorts of alloys and electrical components. Even with just a glance, he looked like an extremely complicated machine- covered in what appeared to be motors, pipes, servos- but even that seemed to be deceiving, just given that an arm seemingly formed from nothing from his chest. His head was a sort of metallic imitation of skin; stretched tight over a frame of rods and joints. When he spoke, or made a face, the metal sheet parted and moved in the way a face would, forming whatever facial expressions would be necessary.
---
A dull chime rang out through the room, and the walls and floor were washed through with a pale blue light. A female, robotic voice sounded over speakers hidden in chairs, ceilings, and the floor: "New fight ready. [Avatar ID 00015], Vyn and [Avatar ID 20195703766204], R3x vs. [Avatar ID 984417], Caster and [Avatar ID L0_5], Lorette please go through the arena door." With this, the room was once again filled with the noise of cheering as the Arena Entrance sign started glowing red. "Again, all involved Avatars, please make way into the Arena."

Reytian CherryTart ShadowHounder

 

[ShadowHounder]

Cobra's cynical chuckled echoed in the distance. "What great way to mock a bunch of machines fighting to the death... So, Vyn was it? How does it feel to be a literal tin can of parts?"

He approached the man with a coy slid of his cheek. He slowly moved his hand to offer it to Vyn... Only to have a familiar slender lady pull him away by the shoulder. Caster turned her disappointed look at the soldier briefly as she remarked, "We should get going soon... Wouldn't want them to get impatient."

This is an interesting predicament. Monty murmured from inside Cobra's head. Her alloy is not on my databanks or the General's cloud system. From the looks of it, it's some from of mesh. I would advice cautious when speaking with her.

"Fucking smartass." The soldier muttered under his breath as he stood up to watch Caster exit the room.

Interacting with: SniperBus Reytian CherryTart

 

[CherryTart]

Lorette
While enjoying playing around with the intriguing metal hand Lorette found herself spacing out her sporadic swinging of the thing slowed down to a gentle waving of it as she awaited the owner to bring them self to her; if not she would love to keep the object as a memento, but alas she heard a clinking sound as if a robotic person was approaching her from behind. That must have been the owner of the hand arriving to take it back from her, which did send a slight tinge of annoyance through her scalp as she glanced back at the cowboy once more.

Oh, just him. Who's freaking arm is this? She wondered lightly tossing it up and then catching it like a baseball. The silence of the room other than her excursion and the clicking of, what sounded like high heels, someone's movements gave her a feeling of unease as the cowboy spoke to her talking down as if she was some small child. Without thinking, as if on instinct, she turned back to him holding the hand out atop her own like a pedestal with the other clasped firmly against he waist; her eyes made contact with his own and a smirk crossed her face. "Take my hand and I'll take yours." She regarded letting her eyes drift down to his one good hand, at least good for out of combat use. Then, she changed her smirk allowing it to evolve into a wide child-like grin letting a giggle escape through it "Just kidding! I'm only tryna find the hands owner big guy, don't treat me like a little kid!" Lorette called his actions out and would go to poke the larger figure's chest a few times laughing the whole while. The young woman tended to find joy in only the most childish of things, teasing, joking, playing and simply goofing off were her favorite notions although every so often the slight inkling of her old self seeped through revealing a much more sinister nature akin to that of a con-woman than that of an innocent child. "I'm, like, uhm... actually I can't really remember how old I am. That's weird." She went to explain she was no child and in fact a grown woman, but the details were vague to her as if she was meant to know them but didn't. It was the strangest feeling to her like an important detail had been erased from her mind, even when she thought of her family and past it was blurry undetailed nothing was concrete. She shook her head as her thoughts were intruded by a scary looking man, of course the cowboy was just as scary to her but scary was the unknown and the unknown was interesting and interesting excited her, with steam burrowing out of a few pipes on his neck.

The bundle of energy nodded rapidly tossing the hand at the, literally, steaming man. "Take it! I was kidding! You people don't get jokes nope nope nope!" She remarked shaking her head at a similar pace to her earlier nodding; she had herself stood between the two behemoths and felt rather awkward crushed between them at her minuscule size of five feet she really did look like a child next to adults and that notion bounced around her head giving a feel of relief that she might be able to sit back and relax for a few moments and let the real adults do all the heavy lifting as she had for so many years.

Life's back to normal! Adults do my work and I laze about!... I wish.

Once she was able to drag herself back from her thoughts into the conversation she answered the question, although hesitated. Her mouth felt dry "I'm Lorette." saying her own name was like the burn of cough syrup down her throat. Luckily for her the announcement echoed in the room "New fight ready. [Avatar ID 00015], Vyn and [Avatar ID 20195703766204], R3x vs. [Avatar ID 984417], Caster and [Avatar ID L0_5], Lorette please go through the arena door." With an overly dramatic gasp she smile towards Vyn "I'm fighting you!" She cheered happily showing her teeth off in a bright smile as she bounced up and down on her feet overjoyed at speaking to an opponent outside of combat. "That's so weird huh?! Don't break my bones, please!" She made the simple request then went skipping off towards the arena, not before turning back around a slight tinge of a blush on her face as she grabbed her staff, then skipped back out into the arena staff in hand.​

Interactions: Reytian SniperBus
Mentions: Beebasaur

 

[Reytian]

When Lorette turned, R3X grinned at the small lady. But seemed indifferent from her dismissing the threat as a joke and her proceeding to poke him. Honestly it didn't bother him since it's pay back for him talking to her as if she was five. "I meant no offense to you my fellow mechanical hand invested combatant. No matter what age you may or may not be," R3X said in a polite tone with a grin still on his face.

R3X then turned his attention over to the robot called 'Vyn' that noisily exhaled steam. His assumptions had been correct on who the hand belonged to which honestly made him a little bit happy to know another robot has their hand again. The man took the chest hand with his organic one and shook it "Ah no worries, I figured you could use a hand. You may call me R3X," he assessed the robot from top to bottom. "I know a thing or two on missing a hand as well and figured I could help," he gestured with his gatling gun even though his human cybernetic arm wasn't equipped right now. Then he heard the chime along with who will be fighting next.

"AHA! Vyn! we are now brothers in combat!" he was so excited! His first fight! Oh wait doesn't one of those name sound familiar? And like that he saw Lorette run out into the arena. He looked down at his organic hand. Back at Lorette running in the arena. Then finally back at Vyn "I promise you that we'll walk out of this with both of our hands Vyn," the man then walked over to the entrance, with his armor clinging like always, but froze when Cobra uttered the word 'machines'. He turned his head for his right eye to gaze at the soldier before fully turning back walking past Caster who tried to dismiss it. R3X got face to face with Cobra "Bite you tongue telepath, or I will bite it off for you," was Cobra a telepath? No. Did R3X think that he was? Yes. He then turned back to the exit but stopped yet again to make one last remark. "I'm a man with a cybernetic arm. Just ask you mother last night. She seemed to love me and the extra features I carry," and like that the gladiator walked toward the arena with a grin. Not because of what he said but because of the thrill of battle.

R3X looked over at the two women who he assessed on what their outfits contained such as weapons and supplies. He wanted to talk strategy with Vyn and so looked for the machine in order to devise a plan for the battle that awaits them. "Vyn! Quickly! What are your capabilities? I shall accommodate for your weaknesses to the best of my abilities. For we shall be victorious," R3X said in a confident yet stern tone. Confident that they'll win but stern because you never underestimate your enemy. Once in the ring, R3X is a changed man. If you're his enemy, he's hell bent to win in almost anyway. It's just business and he hoped everyone knew that. Because right now, it's game time.

Interactions: CherryTart SniperBus ShadowHounder
Mentions: N/A

 

[Sludge]

//Two
//Waiting room

"Fucking smartass." The soldier muttered under his breath as he stood up to watch Caster exit the room.

"She is giving me the creeps too," someone casually placed an elbow over Cobra's shoulder "tilting people before the start... That's not a good sport at all!"

To the right of the aging soldier stood a young looking avatar. Her bright red and acid green costume was clearly designed to attract attention. Yet, she had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Whether Cobra shook her off at this moment or not, she was going to ignore it.

After an awkward pause, the girl turned her head and winked at him. "Hey, the name is Two. I'm a big fan. Seen a few of your battles, bud, really good stuff!"

She then crossed her arms and sighed "but such a shame, such a shame. I was looking forward to seeing you trash that tin man. Never thought that our so called Legendary Mercenary is such a weak willed pantywaist. Joining the girl scouts soon, huh, big man?"

The last remark contained some clear cut mocking notes. Or maybe it did not. Actually, it was probably one of those light jabs that funny people do to break the ice. That's when Two's face broke into a smirk and, "phtoo!" a well aimed spittle landed onto one of Cobra's shoes. Some of the other avatars had picked up on what was going and were already gawking at the sight.

ShadowHounder
///

Earlier,

Two arrived to the waiting room and signed up for '[2 versus 2] - Search and destroy'. She then left towards one of the corners of the room where quietly observed other entrants for quite some time before someone picked her interest.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

If all the hubris in the world could coalesce into a form even more self-absorbed than eve the supermega black-hole that lies at the center of the galaxy, it would look something like the person walking down the digitized annals of the grand arena of Avarice today. Lucidity hobbled his way, in the most dignified manner a cripple could, down the long hall filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of waiting rooms. So confident and focused inward, that he didn't even bother opening his eyes to move along. To his credit, it was partly because there was no need. He was blind, to a degree, after all. Well, at least, to everything that didn't touch his oh-so personal sensory bubble. It was like being at the bottom of the ocean, hearing only vague sounds when they echoed close enough and seeing only when shapes enter and warp the waves. Surrounding him was the buzzing of avatars excited over the upcoming tournament. All shapes and sizes resided here in Avarice. It almost impressed him the creativity he witness. Almost. He shook his head, practically laughing out loud at their innocence. If only they knew...

But there was really only one thing he was looking out for. Heads and eyes turned due to his odd appearance, something he reveled in. Whether they liked it or not, that was not important. It was their attention that was what mattered.
The long, swirled silvered cane struck the ground with even clicks, signifying his appearance long before he actually appeared beneath the arches of [Waiting Room 4217B]. This was it.

The skinny, placid man was donned in his usual frivolous neo-gothic attire, except today, perhaps he tried even harder to appear more like a self-absorbed asshole. A new set of manicured long navy blue nails graced his thimbly, ringed fingers. And he wouldn't leave the private salon until they finished painting each stiletto to the design he 'envisioned' in his notebook during last night's dream. He kept each of them within this select book, a hefty black tomb that was embedded in the symbol of a swirling eye, that hung by his side on a spiked chain. He believed each dream of his were, in fact, visions of his divine form connecting to the cosmos. And it was his duty to interpreted and transcribed them. Thus, not a single mistake could be tolerated. Only perfection can be enough to represent something so 'sacred'. Because of this detail, that was the reason for his tardiness.

Not that he cared. But of course, all the greatest acts only perform after the opener has properly warm up the stage for them.

The moment he was about to enter, Lucidity whipped back his hair with a free hand and made a grin as he spotted an observer following him. He could tell they were a fan by the insignia they used to flag him, a signature symbol of a swirling black eye engulfed within a dying star. The very same that adorned his tomb. Complicated, but fitting, he always thought.

Lucidity flashed his most daring smile, but couldn't do much else aside from sweeping his arm to the side in a short bow.
He was already exhausted from the long walk, as much as he'd like to not admit.

Now if he had his way, Lucidity would've move the walls out of his way to hasten his trek. Perhaps even churn the ground beneath his feet to have it push him along, so he didn't have to walk at all. But of course, casual use of powers within the city limits was restricted. Something about preventing unwarranted disruption and chaos from running rampant in the streets. He couldn't be bothered to listen to the whole list of grievances and complaints the first time around. It was completely backwards, in his opinion. What was the point of such great power if one wasn't able to flaunt it? Wasn't this supposed to be a place of Spectacle? Isn't the point of all this to draw in more and more viewers? It was the damned name of the city, for mercy's sake.

"Accursed regulations. They are simply excuses, to limit my greatness. I will have another word with that up-stuck constable, regarding my special privileges. " he muttered, before clearing his voice and speaking to the red orb trailing him. Lucidity had a way of overly emphasizing and pausing between words. Perhaps he thought it gave his sentences weight and drama.

But to most people, more often than not, it was just outright annoying. At least someone seemed to appreciate it. Whether a genuine fan or memeing troll, one can't be quite sure.

"I see you are a person of utmost taste! But, of course, how could you not acknowledge such greatness when you see it? I shall not disappoint you, twined watcher." ducking his head, and turning his shoulder to have his furred shawl flutter, "I have reviewed the past acts for this yearly tournament in my short time here. And I see clearly now... that I was born to elevate this place. Be honored, for you shall witness divinity today. The Hollow Eye witnesses all."

He smiled as they flashed his symbol once more, before disappearing.

Lucidity cared not to address anyone else, not that he really could, even if he wanted to. He didn't see anything outside of his perception range. He barely noticed those who were being called up for the next round with a smirk, hearing the sound of the buzzer only when the waves reached his so-called 'bubble'. His pale eyes moved only slightly as he hobbled passed, hardly acknowledging them. He even stepped between two who were in the middle of talking, two female avatars from the looks of it. He didn't even bat either of his black mascara eyes, treating them the same as someone would a speck of dirt, or a wandering ant.

The gothic man approached the sign-in terminal with a incredulous glare.

"This is it?" he scoffed, "I suppose they can't have the preliminary rounds too challenging. To ease the masses into the final acts. Hm. I suppose this seems to be the most interesting... "
He merely flicked his wrist, signing his name under the [Free for All]: Item Capture Mode.

...

Mentioned: Lorette, R3X, Vyn, Caster

 

[ShadowHounder]

Cobra gave Two the face of pure boredom, caring little of her snark or mockery. "Hey Monty... Got anything on half-pint at least?" The man asked just loud enough for Two to hear.

Sir... Are you sure such commentary is an advisable recommendation? The secondary AI asked in a sarcastic manner.

"Less big words and more answers buddy." Cobra muttered with the same bored expression. "And while you're at it... Who made Mister western bitch? I wanna know the stupid backstory they programmed into him."

You appear to abnormally rude today sir... Might I suggest some relaxing voltage therapy after the fight?

"I've been decommissioned for three years and you think a couple hundreds volts of electricity will calm me down?" Even with his accusative remark, Cobra held a cocky smile.

My programming does not allow the level of sarcasm required to answer. For now, I must remind you their is a reason I am in your subconscious when we are both labeled as failures.

"Glad to know you never changed..."

Interacting with: Sludge
Being knowledge scanned by Monty: Sludge Reytian
Mentioning: SniperBus
Nearby: Elenion Aura Euclid Leaf

 

[Sludge]

//Two
//Waiting room

"Hey Monty... Got anything on half-pint at least?" The man asked just loud enough for Two to hear.

"Oho..." Two shook her head in anticipation of smack talk and potential witty comebacks she could use but... She had no idea what she was getting into.

The soldier proceeded to mutter to himself for quite some time and, as he did, Two's excitement gradually winded down into confusion, worry and then fear. Whatever it was that she had said earlier, it either had no effect at all or it worked explosively well. He broke! She broke an avatar. Rats!

Two already had a questionable history of going too far when messing with her opponents. Especially after what happened when she had battled Sir Cat Fantastic for his unique fluff armor set that that later ended up in the hands of now infamous avatar named Hentaiwizard... Her popularity rating could not take another hit like that.

"Less big words and more answers buddy." Cobra muttered with the same bored expression. "And while you're at it... Who made Mister western bitch? I wanna know the stupid backstory they programmed into him."

"I've been decommissioned for three years and you think a couple hundreds volts of electricity will calm me down?" Even with his accusative remark, Cobra held a cocky smile.

"Glad to know you never changed..."

She interrupted Cobra's muttering,

"I am~ I am sorry for what I have just said." Two energetically bowed at her waist and then carefully placed a hand on Cobra's back. She attempted to guide him towards a tech support terminal in the room.

"I was just doing it for fun, you know? I had no idea you had such circumstances! To think that you were one of those..." She continued in tone that somebody would use when, say, trying to calm down a naked old man who says he must touch the first three steps of every porch in the neighborhood before the sharks come. It was of genuine concern, but somehow still extremely irritating. In fact it could be easily mistaken for a second act of mockery.

ShadowHounder

 

[ShadowHounder]

"Would you believe me if I said I had another voice in my head? Who also happened to be an advanced targeting A.I.?" Cobra asked with an empty tone, continuing without an answer. "Of course you don't. Kind of ironic that you're name is Two... When you hate working with people. Was that intentional? Or something happen to ya? Either way... I could care less. I'm just here for the fight anyway." For most of his talk, it was unclear if he was being serious or condescending... As his tone would shift between the two rapidly. After standing for a while, Cobra step to the side of Two and sat back down. "Listen here, halfpint. I'm not one for quips and cheesy insults. So if you're looking for a speak off, you got the wrong Avatar."

I still would recommend voltage therapy, sir.

"Monty... Please shut up about the voltage therapy." The soldier lazily snapped. "Not in the mood today."

Sludge

 

[Sludge]

//Two
//Waiting room

"Would you believe me if I said I had another voice in my head? Who also happened to be an advanced targeting A.I.?" Cobra asked with an empty tone, continuing without an answer. "Of course you don't. Kind of ironic that you're name is Two... When you hate working with people. Was that intentional? Or something happen to ya? Either way... I could care less. I'm just here for the fight anyway."

At loss after hearing an unexpectedly cool headed response with some unwelcome intel in it, Two stood still as she was looking for the right words.

"Hmph, one... is enough for Two because Two is two in one."

After standing for a while, Cobra step to the side of Two and sat back down. "Listen here, halfpint. I'm not one for quips and cheesy insults. So if you're looking for a speak off, you got the wrong Avatar."

Two pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a long sigh "Fine."

It's no fun when is when there is no winner. It's worse than a loss. At least a loss is an opportunity to grow. She felt like she was robbed of that right, even if just for a way to kill time.

Two shoved the lower part of her coat out of the way as she sat down on the edge of a nearby seat, legs stretched out, hands down.

"Haa... Look, that thing I said about your battles? It was for real. Nice reads, mixups right on point and the playstyle is just about aggressive enough to keep the evasive types at bay. A real treat to watch," she said before very quietly muttering to herself "though you spam ranged items."

"But hearing you say these things makes makes me wonder. Are you not enjoying it? You know, winning, losing," she rolled her eyes. "All of this?"

ShadowHounder

 

[Elenion Aura]

Where... did I... come from?
You came from me. I am your creator.
My... creator?​

A voice... Whispered in the shadows. Speaking... Speaking to him? He must find the source of this voice... There. You. He - was he a ‘he’? - knew her face... His eyes, wide by nature, widened. Pupils, slitted, became knife-edged. The skin around his face tightened, pulled taught around his skull, spiderweb-like vessels bulged from beneath its surface. I know your face... I know your face...

Wait... No. This creature is... unfamiliar. His features relaxed, softened. He felt the tension fade. Its limbs, which had naturally uncoiled, returned to their natural positions: legs crossed, knees pulled close to his abdomen, arms folded across his chest, hands grasping his shoulders. Its words... Her... words. What was she saying? Speak clearly. Finally. A declaration. I am Mahogany. It was a name. Did he have a name? He had an identifier. Were they the same?

He heard another voice. His voice, yet his mouth did not move. It was a hollow sound, low and raspy. Wheezing. Nothing like her’s, sweet like rain, like a meadow of grass. What was he saying?

”Ma... ho... ga... ny.”

Her name. Repeated. He had nothing else to say. Staring... Too long, staring. Curious... Curious being. He pointed with a finger - how many fingers did he have?... Three - at the being in Mahogany’s lap.

What is that? The gesture said, or, tried to say. He did not know... If his message was received. His head, suddenly heavy on one side, tilted. He recognized... This expression... This expression of his. It was quizzical, curious, and feline. He pointed again to the tiny creature resting on her thighs. That.

mentions: Beebasaur​

 

[CherryTart]

Lorette

The bouncy young woman teemed with excitement as she swayed back and forth standing beside her partner awaiting the other team; it was her first ever fight and the anticipation racked her causing not only tingly excitement, but also degrading fear. It didn't help that there was a crowd with an impatient desire for combat, yet it was only her and her partner standing around awkwardly in that arena. Of course, Lorette was the most impatient of them all considering it had only been, a minute at most, moments since the announcement that the match was to begin with the avatars that she had skipped out of the waiting room expecting her combatants to do the same, but she shrugged it off after all she knew it herself that she was an impatient brat, so it came as no surprise to her that she was trying to entertain her need for distraction only after moments of true waiting.

And then there was her partner. To say the least Lorette was horrified of the battle that awaited them after seeing Vyn, the only challenger she knew the name of, and the cowboy she had expected a monstrous ally that had giant canons for hands and a laser mouth, but instead she got stuck with what she had labeled as a bookworm. Her excitement of meeting yet another new person diminished the second she laid eyes on her ally. We're so screwed! was the first thought that ran through her head with a tiny weakling like herself and another plain-looking person there was no telling how poorly it could go for them. She already had made the assumption Vyn alone could take both of them down in half a second; he had a rocket fist! Although, she had only assumed that part. With a few more deep breaths to calm herself she cast a smile to her ally. "Hi! I'm Lorette! Nice to meet'cha! What's your name?" She spoke with a single breath rapidly pushing through the sentence as she leaned forward towards Caster putting her hand out for her to shake. "Let's stratergize!" Lorette suggested, attempting, to poke Caster's arm a few times to make sure she had her full attention. "You look kinda like a bookworm, can you really hold your own in a fight?"
​

Interactions: ShadowHounder
Mentions: N/a

 

[Beebasaur]

Mahogany wasn't sure what to think about the creature, it was so alien to her. It was a new feeling for her, even entering the world of civilization wasn't as strange as this, she had watched that grow from a distance. No this was completely new, and Mahogany wasn't sure if she liked it yet. Completely discarding the announcement, it didn't say her name anyway, and focused all her attention on the being in front of her, goat like eyes intently focused. They seemed to be human-ish, though what they were supposed to be was completely lost on the fawn. As the creature tensed up, she did as well, bracing herself for anything. She was almost positive Avatars couldn't really hurt each other in waiting rooms, course, she'd never actually tried.

Luckily enough she didn't have to find out today, and as the being once more relaxed, wrapping their limbs back around their body, and Mahogany let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. An awful sounding voice came from the creature, her sensitive ears tingling at the horrid noise.

”Ma... ho... ga... ny.”

That was her name wasn't it, it was strange to hear such a familiar word come out of such a strange creature. She was glad it had stopped speaking, but her curiosity had yet to be satiated. The being slowly unfurled one of it's arms, the movement was so fluid, and pointed directly at her little familiar who had yet to stop his song. No word's left the creature's mouth, and yet despite their alien appearance the creature's expression implied something she knew quite well: Curiosity.

Carefully she pointed towards Puru, her fingers thin yet rough from a lifetime spent outdoors, trying to make her voice clear and her words concise. "Puru, he is my familiar," she stated, not quite sure if she should go into more depth. She couldn't tell how intelligent the creature she was speaking to was, or even if they understood her words, but she was determined to learn. She'd find some way to communicate if they didn't understand English, she knew many languages after all. If needed she would even draw out words for the being, but hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that.

Interacting: Elenion Aura

 

[ShadowHounder]

Cobra listened to Two's remarks with the same bored expression. He didn't say a single word until the question went his way. He stared up at the void filled ceiling as he thought about his position. "I wouldn't know for sure. Been out of touch for so long, guess you could say I stopped caring. I was designed to be a soldier... Not a hero."

Sludge
-----

Caster followed her new ally into the arena, examining her movements. Her eyes sketched her battlefield into her brain as the impatient child's finger bounced off of her unnatural skin. Without making eye contact, the "bookroom" spoke. "My name is Caster. Vyn is a large target... So tagging him should be easy enough. My primary concern with him is his makeshift body. No telling what else he has trapped in there. As for Rex... He appears arrogant enough that we can set up a trap for him. Depends on how quickly he'll take the bait."

CherryTart
Mentioning: SniperBus Reytian

 

[SniperBus]

"So, Vyn was it? How does it feel to be a literal tin can of parts?" Without moving, Vyn shot out another short burst of steam from his shoulders. Vyn's head slowly rotated towards the man that hurled the insult, and right before he could open his mouth to respond, a woman pulled the insulter away by his shoulder. "Ah, I see, they have to keep you on a short leash." Vyn said, narrowing his eyes before rotating his head back toward R3X and Lorette, who were in the middle of having a joking exchange. Suddenly, Lorette turned towards Vyn and tossed his hand at him. "Take it! I was kidding! You people don't get jokes nope nope nope!" She said, shaking her head frantically. Vyn simply moved his arm with the missing hand towards the hand in the air, and it landed perfectly on the stump with a metallic click. "I appreciate it." He said wryly.

"I'm fighting you!" The small woman said, looking up at him and smiling. Before he could respond, she continued,"That's so weird huh?! Don't break my bones, please!"

"Interesting. I'll think about it." Vyn said, then smiled back in in a wolfish manner.

"Ah no worries, I figured you could use a hand. You may call me R3X," R3X said.

"R3X, huh? Nice to meet you." Vyn said, and with that, the arm in the middle of his chest folded back on itself several times and pressed back into his chest, disguising itself among hundreds of similar-looking pipes, tubes, rods, and cables. With that, the chime sounded, and Vyn turned to leave the room alongside R3X.

"AHA! Vyn! we are now brothers in combat!"

"It seems that way." Vyn said, looking R3X up and down. He could obviously handle himself in a fight, and the gatling gun mounted on his arm was fairly impressive. His partner was a fighter for sure, and that was pretty reassuring- not like their two opponents looked like much trouble, in Vyn's opinion. Though, that was one of Vyn's major flaws- always underestimating his opponents. "You know, I see an easy victory ahead of us." He said, nodding.

"I promise you that we'll walk out of this with both of our hands Vyn" R3X said, right before walking into the arena with him.

"Interesting." Vyn replied, wholly uninterested.

The two then stepped through the arena door, which then materialized back into existence behind them. They stepped onto an entirely blank, black plane that stretched for several hundred feet in a circle. Above them was a similar, entirely black dome, behind which were thousands of floating red orbs staring at the Avatars as they walked into the field. For now, the crowd was silent. As soon as R3X and Vyn were standing next to each other on opposite sides of the battlefield from Lorette and Caster, the battle began. A blue light shot down from the top center of the dome, filling the entire arena with a piercing light. Immediately, the ground started to rumble and rise beneath the Avatars, and the arena started to take shape before them. They were now standing on a slightly hilly grassy plain, directly across from each other, but the two groups' sight of each other was soon cut off by a large plateau that formed between them. For each team, there was a ramp leading up the plateau, the top of which was easily one-hundred feet in the air. On either side of the plateau were sparse woods with low shrubs, where careful hiding might allow for concealment. On the top of the plateau, out of view, was a large pond- roughly thirty by thirty feet- from which a stream poured across and down the side of the plateau, then leading through the forest to where it ended at the wall of the arena.
----
A dull chime rang out twice throughout the room, and the walls and floor were washed through with a pale yellow light. A female, robotic voice sounded over speakers hidden in chairs, ceilings, and the floor: "New fights ready. [Avatar ID 015150], Lost Sword and [Avatar ID 20195], Volleyball King vs. [Avatar ID 3042001], Starchild and [EFV - 102B99 ], Lucidity please go through the arena door for your Free For All: Item Capture, you will be teleported to the arena. [Avatar ID 1111232], Dan the Motor Man and [Avatar ID 0___0], Stanley The Steam Elemental vs. [Avatar ID 852373], Mahogany and [Avatar ID #A2], Two please go through the arena door for your 2 Versus 2, Search and Destroy, you will be teleported to the arena." With this, the room was once again filled with the noise of cheering as the Arena Entrance sign started glowing red. "Again, all involved Avatars, please make way into the Arena."

Beebasaur CherryTart Elenion Aura Sludge ShadowHounder Euclid Leaf Reytian
----
Description of Arena for Elenion Aura and Euclid Leaf

The four Avatars start on platforms of Earth raised up above a central basin. The platforms have a sloping path leading down, which is too steep to walk down, as well as a 50-foot sheer drop to the basin below. The basin is a sloped, upside-cone shaped indention in the earth, that goes down to a hole in the center. In the middle of this hole is the glowing, pulsating purple portal the item must go through. There is an alternate portal directly above it, one-hundred feet above, floating in the air. Between the two portals is a raised earthen platform covered in grass, floating directly between the two, with a single green tree growing from it. Hanging from the tree is a large, golden gem. For every Avatar, this gem is radiating reddish energy, and says "CAPTURE" in bold font above it. This earthen platform holding the item also is accessible through hanging ropes coming off of the side of the platform, as well as two large, red launchpads in the ground that (presumably) would launch the Avatars towards the Capture objective. This fight has begun.
---
Description of Arena for Beebasaur and Sludge
The two teams of avatars start across from eachother in abandoned buildings, on the second floor. They can see each other directly through a series of small, broken windows set in the wall directly in front of them. They are in warehouses, with several floors, with rusting floorpanels and non-trustworthy staircases. Everything looks in shambles, like it could fall apart at any moment. The Search and Destroy objectives may be moved anywhere, and weigh roughly 20lbs and are the size of bowling balls. Rust hangs in the air, and the entire place smells of coal and smoke. Between the two warehouses is an elliptical road connecting them, which has abandoned cars scattered around, some of which look usable. In the middle of the street are several lampposts, with electrical wires- that look surprisingly sturdy- connecting the roofs of the two warehouses. This fight has begun.

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

Cosmo
Spectacle Arena Waiting Room


The city of Spectacle had lived up to the name. There were wonders on every corner, from the different shapes and sizes the Avatars of Avarice took, to the various Entities branded with company logos or repeating well-rehearsed slogans with deceiving enthusiasm, and even the establishments advertising entertainment of all kinds lining the streets seemed welcoming in a debauched sort of way. It was all a far cry from the simplicity of the isolated little city that Cosmo had been lying low in, so it took him quite some time to finally make his way to the waiting rooms.

He hadn't entered with the flair, nervousness, excitement, boredom or the rarely seen bloodlust that some of the other Avatars were giving off. Instead, he merely entered with nothing but a calm stride and the ghost of a solemn smile nearly making it's way onto his face. The first thing of note was that some of the occupants of the room were already making their way towards the Arena Entrance sign to one side of the room. The second was the appearance of the Avatars now around him - every one seemed different in one way or another. While there had been diversity amidst the Avatars roaming the streets, these ones broadened that spectrum significantly. His eyes darted to and fro, both studying them as potential allies or foes, and admiring the creativity behind it all.

Cosmo himself hadn't dressed to particularly impress that day; he wore black from head to toe. A bowler cap obscured the top of his head and the stark white hair beneath. Wrapped around his shoulders was an unbuttoned coat that drifted almost all the way to the ground, and it could be seen that he wore even more layers beneath, from the dark jacket, to the vest, and there was somehow a button-up shirt hidden beneath that. A pair of black trousers and black derby shoes completed the set. If there was ever a mobster, noir-esque character to roam Avarice, Cosmo currently resembled it.

"Magnificent," he murmured to himself in a voice that was a low baritone, but held a softness to it, similar to the distant rumbling of waves. Speaking to himself was something he seldom did, though it was a habit he was trying to shake. "Seems as though I managed to be late."

Without wasting any more time, Cosmo wove his way through the remaining assembled bodies toward the [Fight Sign Up Board]. One finger twitched down by his side as he approached and it'd be hard to notice what had happened unless someone had been specifically looking for the change, though the end result was satisfying enough. The sign now read: [White Wine Aboard]. The alteration was mild and interesting enough to bring forth a full-fledged grin to the man's face, though it did falter slightly at the sight of the remaining option. "Free For All elimination..." he echoed the words aloud. Perhaps the unluckiest of options for him left, but it wasn't enough to deter him. A few deliberate taps against the board and Cosmo was officially on the list for the fight. The next moment he was leaning back against a nearby wall with his arms folded neatly over his chest, awaiting the call to the arena while his mind drifted.

Truthfully, the idea of going up against veterans and fighting spirits alike was unsettling despite the cool attitude he'd managed to uphold. He quite frankly had no experience to speak of facing Avatars, even though he'd seen a fight or two break out due to questing heroes over the past year. Then there was the matter of Mk-1, who'd somehow convinced him to attend the event in the first place during their last "talk".

"Show them to me... Show me to them."
Mk-1 hadn't explained what it meant by the words or why it wanted to be seen, but Cosmo had every intention to do anything but bring anyone into The Cosmos. At least, he hoped.

 

[Reytian]

The sudden shift in the arena made R3X glance at the surroundings. Not wanting to move in case something were to happen to him was the only reason he stood still. But once everything was finished moving into place the tall gladiator raised his organic hand in order to shield him from the blinding light that seeped through the trees. He could hear the distant birds and insects simultaneously causing a ruckus as if they truly were in the natural world. "Oh...well this is new...." the fighter was used to beating the snot out of his foes in an arena with only sand and blood but an actual environment that you could find in the real world.....not so much. He was out of his element but it still had the same foundation. Beat the enemy before they beat you. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting brother in combat Vyn. Let us make this swift and painless now. The one called Lorette seems kind while the other defended us four from that man in the waiting room. So aim for a submission," R3X truly did not love killing good genuine people, or any people in that matter, but he wasn't sure of how this place works so best to try not killing before you actually do it. "But if they don't submit then just aim for the head. Quick and painless for the ladies," the man attempted to say that last part in a lighter tone but in all honesty it was morbid.

Without a word the man began to walk up to a tree with his armor filling the silence along with nature. He felt the rough bark and all of it's bumps before nocking on the tree to see if it was hallow or not. To his surprise he saw that it was like an actual tree. He then looked around to see what was near them which was just more trees and in the distance some hills. Kneeling down only to feel the soft grass which felt soft and moved with each stroke of his fingers. R3X then grabbed a handful of grass and ripped it off the ground to see if it would disappear or stay. His gaze then made its way to the gigantic plateau that was between the two teams. "How fast can you run Vyn?" he asked without letting his eyes linger while standing back up. "For I have a plan," a slight grin formed.