Bet

Dorian opened his eyes; he looked around in the deep blackness. I'm still alive, he said to himself. No, it's gluttony; he's lashing out there. Was this what they wanted??

She's been kind to me so far, he remembers Victoria's smile. But they poisoned me.

The doctor's words echoed again

No, I can't let it hurt them; I've got to find that eye; I've got to go deeper.

Dorian tried his best to move faster, and to his surprise, it was a lot easier than he expected; he found out he was in control of everything here.

He let himself fall into the abyss, to the very depths of his psyche; he could hear gluttony growling, and his rage penetrated deep into the blackness.

****

Three light arrows hit the raging monsters on the chest they exploded on impact forming into a blast of energy, that sent him flying out

"I'm such a great shot," Connie said.

"Has the eye formed yet doctor," Cheshire said test swinging her mallet.

The doctor was hovering far above using some black disc shape tool, it helped him stay as far away from harm's way as possible.

"No, I'll take more time; you know it when you see it; he hasn't gone deep enough. From the few records about it, only In a perfect form does it show but this is more a force transformation. Just keep the monster occupied, I'm sure he'll find his way to it."

Gluttony came back for Connie. She shot a couple of arrows at him, but his force was so great this time they barely slowed him down.

He's getting faster! Connie thought with glee in her eyes. I'm really loving this guy. "Let's get married, gluttony!"

In a flash, Hercules swoops in and swings her right fist at his head, shattering the towering monster's jaw on impact, but gluttony doesn't relent; he delivers his own hit.

A devastating blow to the ribs, a blow so powerful, you could hear them crack. It throws the war mother a few feet away and before the raging monster could catch her breath Cheshire sends her giant hammer crashing down on his head.

His neck breaks on impact, and he has a couple of bones treading through his throat and bursting through his jugular, but seeing the little war mother still in mid-air, he swings his claws at her; she pulls herself back, floating away from him with an uncanny control of gravity.

"At his most primal state, he is nothing but a beast now and incarnate of the most primal human urge, the product of millennials of evolution, the hunger of ages."

"Shut up, up there! or I'll drag you down; you're getting on my nerves, ya stupid nerd!" Connie yelled at the doctor. "Incarnate my ass, all I see is a big fat target."

Gluttony was still healing and so was Victoria. "Are you alright Victoria," the doctor asks.

"I'm fine I let my guard down, I didn't think he could move that fast"

"Well, you better be careful, he could damage your core, and worse, he seems to be getting fast."

The war mother, Victoria, pushed up her glasses and smiled; her black hair still looked neatly pinned, and her face, despite the few scratches, still looked lush. She contemplates her next

"You should fly higher, doctor," she said.

"Don't tell me! Not here, I'll get too hot in here. You know how I am with temperature"

"Fly away, now, it's your last warning"

"Hey, bulkhead! Over here." Connie yelled; she had arrows set to fire; she had specially made this one just for him, and a bright confidence shone in her gleeful smile.

Gluttony had fully healed in no time; he looked around him and saw he was surrounded by them; even Hercules was back on her feet.

"You shouldn't hit ladies you know," Hercules said.

"But you can hit her all day cause she's an ogre," Cheshire said and Hercules turned her attention to

Oh my, she has that face, Victoria said. The doctor had seen it, and immediately, he flew even higher.

Hercules frowned. She balled her fists, and the red brass knuckles got even bigger; her eyes turned blood red, and Cheshire gulped. She seemed not to notice the over-six-foot-tall black monster in front of her.

"Nine, ninety-nine strikes short stack"

"Hey! You skip like a hundred"

"One thousand!"

Cheshire panics. Is she gonna kill me or not? We already have our plates full of this guy; oh, I'd really love a plate full of guy's fried rice, my favorite restaurant. Wait, I'm about to die! Why am I thinking about rice now?

In a flash, gluttony pounced on the closest war mother to him; it was the angry Hercules. He swung his claws at her, and in a flash, a green surge of his tainted blood burst out the back of his head; she had blown his brains out with a punch to the jaw.

"Oh man, I blew his brain out, but he's still on his feet; I kinda like him. Connie, he's yours, take him down!"

"Hey, I wanna do it, pick me," Cheshire yelled. Then Hercules growled at her, and she shrunk in fear.

Connie stepped forward, took aim, and fired her special arrows. They were made of a golden light, that she manifested out of her very life force.

Life force manipulation was how most people wielded powers, whether through manipulating their own or that of others.

She released the arrows, and they struck him dead in the chest; they exploded with a powerful golden blast that blew away the monster, sending him crashing into the wall of the arena and falling on his face. He lay there motionless.

"Is he dead," Cheshire ask

"No, idiot! He's obviously not; hey, wanna bet, Herc, how long do you think I'll be till he wakes up."

"Damn it, lunch would have to wait, Cheshire said. I really hate Mr sin"

"I don't know, five minutes I guess," Hercules says

"Five?Really? That's pretty low"

"Yeah"

"Alright, I'll wager for seven and over, for a thousand woloons."

Victoria watches the motionless sin very closely, she hadn't taken her eyes off him since he fell

"Two thousand, five minutes you have to raise yours," Hercules said.

"Ten thousand, three minutes," Victoria cuts in."

"What! That's too much, you don't have the money,"

"What does it matter? You'll be the one paying anyway."

She is always so sure of everything; she could be right, Connie thought. But she doesn't gamble; this is my domain; I'm gonna cook her up.

"Hey can I get in this," Cheshire says

"No! You're too young," Hercules said. She turned to her in rage and screamed,

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Then she saw the look on Hercules's face, and her rage turned to fear, with the words one thousand strikes echoing in her head.

"Okay, ten thousand it is; I'm in," Connie said. How about you Herc, still in"

Sure, why not, but if she wins we split the bill, fifty, fifty."

"No way she's mine; you knocked him out good, and my arrows are just too powerful; we'll be out for at least fifteen minutes."

"Hey look his getting up, Connie said"

"Exactly three minutes to the dot, the doctor says; you're as accurate as ever, Victoria."

"Remind me never to gamble again," Hercules said.

"Guys, get ready, guys," Victoria said. "the immortal eye. It's formed."