V2 Chapter 13 Game On

(How the heck did things turn out like this...?) I asked myself.

"Why are you here?" Decker growled as he stared daggers at the person in front of us.

"I HeArd yOu WerE drOPpiNg bY ANd COuLdN't hELp bUt cOmE tO GiVe My gReetInGs, AfTeR aLl iT's bEEn So loNG SiNcE YOu lASt vIsITed mY FiNe eSTabliShmEnT." The being I now knew was called Chranic laughed with an amused grin.

"And why the hell did you make such a fucking scene out of it?!"

"Oh cOmE nOw DeCkEr mY bOy, YoU ANd I bOTh KnOw ThaT I CAn't giVe Up ThE cHAnCe To pUT oN a ShOw fOR suCH A rAvENouS AUdiEnCe!"

So yeah, the current situation was not exactly ideal to put it simply, in fact it had all been rather awkward and nerve racking for me. Before I had even realized it, Decker and I were dragged along into the Colosseum by Chranic and his draconic looking maid, a fact made worse by the many pairs of curious eyes that watched us as we went.

"By tHe WaY..." The ringmaster muttered, his screens changing to show three somewhat mischievous looking faces. "HOw iS ThAt dELicIoUs PieCe oF cIRCuiTRy E72 DoINg tHeSE dAyS~?"

Hearing the question Decker simply shook his head and hissed. "That's none of your damn business." A fact that caused Chranic to pout somewhat.

"My lord." The maid who was standing off to the side hummed.

"WhAt iS It mY lITtLe RaYa?" Chranic asked with a curious cat-like smile.

The person now identified as Raya gestured toward me before saying. "He did not come alone."

(I'm guessing he didn't even realize I was here.) I sighed internally while feeling somewhat insignificant and small as Chranic turned his attention towards me.

"AnD wHo MiGHt thIS aDoRAbLe lITTlE tHiNg bE?"

"I'm...I'm Carmen." I muttered trying my best not to let my discomfort show.

"My newest charge, she needs to prepare before she heads out on her first expedition." Decker explained with a blank expression.

"OhoH, YoU oNLy JuSt mANifEsteD aND YoU'Ve aLrEAdy DeCidEd tO VenTUrE oUt iNTo OuR cRuEL ANd UnForgiVIng OmNIvErSe?" Chranic grinned with a somewhat sadistic glint in his eyes.

"I suppose so..." 

"AbSoLUtelY mARvellOuS!" He suddenly yelled after a second of eerie silence, a fact that definitely startled me somewhat. "YoU'Re dEFiNiTelY A gO geTteR If I'vE eVEr SeeN ONe, aND WiTh DeCKeR As yOuR MenToR i'M ceRTaIn yOu'LL BeComE a shINinG sTAr In ThE nEaR FuTurE."

"Please stop, if you kiss my ass any harder you'll end up in my mouth." I muttered before realizing I had said that out loud.

For a second I actually worried that I had seriously fucked up by saying that, at least until Chranic started laughing his ass off before saying. "WatCHinG YoU gROw iS GoiNG To bE veRY ENterTaIniNg, I CAn tElL." He chuckled with a massive smile on each one of his three screens.

"NoT oNLy DiD YOu hAvE tHe gUsTo tO sAY SuCh A THiNg To mE Of aLl peOpLe BuT yOU aLSo aRe cOMpleTeLy UnafFeCteD." He muttered, causing me to look at him somewhat confused.

"Unaffected by what?"

"YOu HaVen'T nOTicEd?" He hummed as his grin grew even larger. "FaScinATinG."

He didn't elaborate any further after that however, instead he turned his attention toward Decker. "AnYwAy, pLEaSe aLloW mE To lENd YoU A HaNd My fRieNd." 

"Fine..." The massive bear in question sighed in frustration.

(So they're just going to gloss over that?) I sighed internally before shrugging it off for now.

"So tHeN, WhaT KiNd oF chALlenGes ArE yOu lOokiNg To fAcE thIS FinE DAy." Chranic asked me all of a sudden.

"Something that involves fighting if at all possible." I answered, a fact that caused Decker to glance at me and ask.

"You sure?"

"My species is literally a bio weapon designed to destroy and overrun entire civilisations, so yeah, I should be fine so long as it's nothing too extreme." I explained with a shrug.

"Oh mY, RayA, iS It jUSt Me oR DiD DEckEr jUsT sHOw CoNcERn fOR aNoTHer LivInG bEiNg?" Chranic asked with an exaggeratedly shocked expression.

"That does appear to be the case sir." She answered, causing him to let out an overly loud and clearly fake gasp of surprise.

"To thInK tHe BeiNg WhO wAs ChRiStENed THe SiLvEr PlAgUE aFtEr dEvOUriNg aN eNtIRe sTaR sPaNNinG eMpiRe AnD aSsiMilATing iTS inHaBitANts coUlD ActUalLY haVe THe aBiLity tO cArE fOr aNotHEr lIviNg BEiNg...tRuLy...TrUlY tHIs Is a MoMeNTouS ocCasIOn!" 

"I will kill you." Decker growl causing Chranic to chuckle teasingly 

(He devoured what now?!) I thought to myself with wide eyes.

"MoViNg oN tHoUgH." Chranic said while clapping his hands together. "ConSiDeRIng yoUR cUrReNt RaNk oNLy A seLeCt fEw gAMeS ArE oPeN tO YOu cuRrEnTLy, hOWeVer i tHinK tHAt I HaVe thE PerFeCt LiTTle chAlleNGe iN MinD." 

A second later one of his three TV heads changed to show a 3rd person view of the four of us, however there was one major difference. To my confusion there was a platform underneath our feet, one that was seemingly made out of tv static. I was even more confused when the platform started floating through the inner passage ways of the Colosseum, with all four of us along with it. What was alarming however, was the fact that despite what the screen showed there was nothing actually under our feet in reality, as such we were literally standing on nothing as we hovered through the halls.

Anyway, I took a moment to just admire my surroundings, honestly the architecture that surrounded me was beautiful to say the least. Pillars of crystals covered in glowing magical glyphs that were contrasted by the dark black obsidian surfaces that surrounded them, streams of multi-coloured light that seemed to dance through the air above like an ever shifting aurora and so much more that I only got glimpses of as we floated along.

Eventually though we came to a large room filled with several dozen large sets of double doors with various informative videos playing inside the crystalline walls that surrounded them. These videos seemed to be explaining the various challenges and games behind each one of the sets of doors, however, I was unable to pay much attention to them as we didn't slow down long enough for me to fully inspect them.

As we approached one of said sets of doors they opened to reveal two pathways, it was at this point that Raya turned to me. "Miss, please head into the room down the left corridor."

"And where will you lot be heading then?" I asked 

"We will be taking our seats in the observation room that is just down there to the right."

(Guess that makes sense.) I thought before quickly doing as I was instructed.

After walking for a bit I entered a large square room the size of around three or four football fields. (Bigger than I expected...) I thought before noticing that Decker and the other two were currently up in some kind of observation room built into the top of the right wall.

"So you're just gonna watch? I mean don't you have better stuff to do than watch some weakling fight for your amusement?" I asked with a blank look, and yes, I know I just called myself a weakling but compared to them I definitely was.

"I've lived by a personal saying of mine for as long as I can remember. "Every wound is a production, every struggle is a play and every life, every life is a masterpiece!" To me there is nothing more important than a good show, a good masterpiece just waiting to rise into infamy or fall into obscurity." Chranic answered through what I think was a speaker system.

"I see..."

"Now then, the rules of this game are simple, however please listen closely as I explain." Raya hummed as she stepped forward slightly.

"Alright then, I'm all ears."

"The moment I give the signal for the game to begin two things will happen, first the room you are currently in will change to fit a randomly generated environment. Second, waves upon waves of enemies will begin to attack you, as you advance through the waves the enemies will become stronger and more advanced. Additionally they will also begin to rapidly adapt to any abilities or Gift you may end up using, so please keep that in mind moving forward." Raya explained. "Depending on the strength of these enemies you will be given points when they are defeated, points that you can do one of three things with."

As she continued I nodded along. (Nothing too complicated then, I was honestly expecting something more extreme but I guess it makes sense to keep things simple for those at the lowest ranks.)

"First, you can simply turn them into Reward Points to use whenever you so desire. Secondly, you can use them to buy various unique prizes and rewards from the Colosseum's gift shops. And Finally, you can use them in the Colosseum's many challenges, such as this one, you can use them to heal yourselves, call in allies or various other things depending on the challenge you're currently taking on."

"And if I end up dying in here?" I asked with a blank look.

"If you do end up perishing then you'll simply respawn outside ma'am." Raya answered with a somewhat flat yet respectful tone.

"Got it." I hummed only to have our conversation suddenly interrupted.

"EnOUgh cHiT ChAt mY dEaRs, AfTEr aLL iT's tIMe..."

{Round 1.} 

"Huh?" I yelped as the room began to shift and warp.

The ground shook as the floor began to rise and sink, this ended up creating several dozen elevated and sunken sections of the room. The walls and ceiling quickly began to change as well, a fact that was soon followed by the crystals that made up the whole room began changing both texture and colour. In the span of only a few seconds the once multi-coloured crystalline room had completely changed to resemble a somewhat mountainous and rocky terrain, there was even an artificial sky that seemed to stretch out for as far as the eye could see above me.

Actually it didn't feel artificial at all, I really felt like I was outside and not in some enclosed space, in fact the only reason I didn't believe that I had been teleported somewhere else was because the observation room was still visible. Anyway, before I could really focus any deeper on my surroundings something suddenly caught my attention, that something just so happened to be various humanoid constructs made out of shifting fragmented light that seemed to materialize out of thin air.

{Start.}

"At least give me a heads up first?!"

"LeT's tHe GAmEs beGiN."