Playing For Your Life Chapter 1: Let The Games Begin
Darkness hung in the air like a shroud. All was concealed, hidden within the murky depths. Sounds whispered through on occasion, the whir of a gear here, the moving of wheels across a smooth floor, a muted grunt of discomfort. It was as though reality itself waited for something to be revealed.
It wasn't long before the desires of reality were granted. From somewhere high above a spotlight burst into life, shining a column of light down to tear a pathway through the gloom. Standing within this pillar of illumination stood a man tall in stature and broad in shoulder. He was clad in a suit composed of thousands of small purple gems somehow linked together. When he raised his hand up to slip it through his heavily oiled purple hair, to ensure that his pompadour hair hadn't shifted, the suit cast a scattered barrage of purple rays rushing off into the darkness. Smiling, his teeth shone starkly against his perfectly tanned complexion.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" The man's voice called out clearly through the gloom to echo around him. It was a voice embodying confidence. "Welcome to tonight's very special broadcast, brought to all the Hierarchical Cities for one night only! My name is Ezekiel Solaar, and I will be serving as your host on this most auspicious of evenings. So sit back and enjoy everyone's new favourite show: NOL Is SOL!"
From somewhere within the gloom emerged the cheers, whistles, and hollers of a well-trained studio audience. Allowing himself a few moments to bask in the wonder of it all, eventually Ezekiel raised a staying hand.
"Thank you, thank you. I could savour your fervor all night, but then we'd never even meet today's contestants." Chuckling to himself Ezekiel continued through the crowd's laughter. "So then, let's get right to the introductions.
"Prepare yourselves ladies, for our first contestant is a man to die for. Lord knows enough people already have. With a sword as big as he is, and a bounty on him that's even bigger, you start to wonder if he isn't trying to compensate for something. Then he opens his mouth and you realize it's his people skills and smarts that need the tune up. So get ready to soak in that first look, because once he starts talking the ratings start falling. Put your hands together, for Ragna the Bloodedge!"
Another flare of light erupted to deliver a column upon the aforementioned Ragna. Standing behind a platform displaying a large blank screen and nameplate above it, his right hand was raised to shield his eyes from the sudden glare. After a moment his eyes adjusted and his hand lowered to take the handle of his massive sword.
"Just who the hell are you, and what am I doing here?!" Shouted Ragna. Tightening his grip on his weapon, he lowered his voice menacingly. "You had better have a good answer, and cut the bull shit. Otherwise this will be a short chat."
"How very cruel, you ignored my entire introduction." With feigned disappointment Ezekiel raised the back of one hand to his forehead and swooned backwards. The movement sent a prismatic wave of purple light washing over Ragna. "Because you refused to listen, I no longer feel the need to explain things to you until all of our contestants are revealed."
"I warned you to cut the bull shit. Now, we'll have to do things the way they always go." With a roar Ragna leapt forward, his massive blade trailing behind him.
It was a very short distance that the feared Ragna the Bloodedge, The Grim Reaper, traveled however, reaching just in front of the stand with his name on it. Then, with a blinding flash, a wall of purple lightning crashed down upon him. White hair standing on end, smoke rising from his long red jacket, Ragna was hurled backwards. Behind him another wall of lightning licked against his form, before allowing him to bounce off of it as well to collapse down to the floor behind his pedestal.
An echoing chorus of laughter arose from the gloom, with Ezekiel smiling calmly to himself, a threat gleaming in his deep purple eyes.
"I recognize that lightning," grated out Ragna as he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily upon his massive blade. Smoke still wafted from him, but his mismatched green and red eyes bore a heavy warning. "What have you done with Rachel?"
"Oh, you mean Miss Alucard?" Chuckling to himself Ezekiel paused a moment, appearing to brush a piece of dust from his suit jacket, before finishing his thought. "I had initially wanted to invite her along to serve as a very special guest, or perhaps even another contestant. She refused most vigorously. Luckily for me, I took a little sample of her power with me when I went for a parting gift, and to give her the chance to make up for her rude behavior." With a snap of his fingers an arc of purple lightning swirled around his broad shoulders. "Luckily for me that the lightning goes perfectly with my attire."
"You what?" Confusion was written all across Ragna's face. He had never seen anyone use lightning but Rachel, and how could this man have taken that power from her?
"Now, after that exciting introduction we should probably get back to the script." Clapping his hands together Ezekiel turned his full attention back to the void around him. "Our next contestant is a real cutey, especially when in uniform. She'll try to help someone in need no matter how dangerous, and loves to cook. Don't let her love of cooking fool you though folks, the dishes she prepares are just as likely to kill you as her Armagus pistols. If we're really lucky she might even do a bit of a transformation act, and show us what she can do when she's unleashed. And I don't just say that out of longing to see her change of attire. So, give a very warm welcome to Noel Vermillion!"
With a flash the pedestal beside Ragna was illuminated, revealing a blinking and slightly awe-struck Noel Vermillion standing behind it. Her long blonde hair was unbound, with her bright blue eyes watering slightly in the glare. When she looked around, she couldn't hide her surprise at the first person she saw: "Ragna, what are you doing here?!"
"I was going to ask you the same thing, idiot." Ragna turned his attention back to Ezekiel. "You can use me in your sick game if you want, but let the girl go. She's been through more then enough as it is."
"Sorry to say but I can't do that," came Ezekiel's casual response. "We need contestants, and viewer panels show that cute girls make for much better television. Unless you want us to dress you up in Noel's uniform there Ragna, but I fear that might send us into a whole different demographic."
"You can't try and solve this on your own Ragna," shot back Noel. "You're injured already, so you'll need my help. Whatever this game is, I'll win it and free both of us."
"How touching, the forming of teams within a free-for-all game show." Fanning himself with one hand, Ezekiel sobbed once lightly, a single tear gleaming in one of his eyes. With a flash of his head the tear disappeared, as did his sympathy. "It would be touching if it weren't so completely idiotic. Maybe it's about time we brought someone a little big smarter aboard to serve as a contestant. Luckily, we have just the man to raise the average IQ in the room. True, he has a lot of work to do, and he is an NOL representative, but it's not like that makes him a monster or anything. No, it's his nature that makes him a monster. Don't let his sleepy eyes and easy smile fool you, this guy's a real snake, and if you leave eggs within his reach you'll see just how snakelike he can be. Please, give a resounding 'hiss' and 'boo' for Captain Hazama of the NOL Intelligence Division!"
By Ezekiel's commands the sounds of rejection echoed out from the darkness, as Hazama appeared in a flare of light behind a third pedestal. With hat worn low, eyes closed, and hands resting casually in his pockets, he appeared to be completely at ease. The smirk on his face grew all the wider as he took the time to examine his surroundings.
"I have to say," Hazama muttered to himself, sounding entirely disinterested. "This was not the arrangement I expected to find myself in when I awoke." Turning to regard Ezekiel more closely Hazama frowned. "And you are certainly not the man that I expected to be able to get me here. Should you actually turn out to be the mastermind behind this entire plot I will be most disappointed."
Ezekiel clutched at his chest, mock pair twisting his features terribly, his purple eyes never losing their intensity as they remained fixed on Hazama. "You wound me terribly sir. After all the trouble that I went through to gather our exceptional cast of contestants, the thanks I get are threats, insults, and blows against my ego. Except from Miss Vermillion, who has been most respectful thus far, and deserves a reward." With a wave of his hand, the number '100' appeared on the screen below Noel's name.
"Terumi, what are you and this pompous prick planning?!" Having recovered enough to stand unaided, Ragna hurled the question like a weapon towards Hazama. Fingers wrapped tight around his sword, Ragna's entire body was tensed, his muscles ready to react.
"I thought it would be obvious, Rags old boy, that I don't have anything to do with this, and that I am just as much a prisoner as you are." Despite his bored tone, Hazama did draw out one of his butterfly knives, flipping the handle around as he kept his attention focused sharply on Ragna, waiting for him to make the first move.
"As I have already said, I am the one that brought you hear, your host for the evening, and the sole being that should receive the praise and glory for all events which will transpire here." Towards the end of his response, Ezekiel's control over his voice faltered, having the end emerge as a growl. Clearing his throat, the next words to pass his lips were once more spoken with the greasy slickness of the game show host he was. "Also, please only refer to the other contestants by the names written before them. We can't have you confusing our home audience with all forms of insider jokes and references after all."
With a snap of Ezekiel's fingers a massive bolt of purple lightning fell upon Ragna. Screams issued from the assaulted man's mouth, blade falling from limp fingers as he was bodily lifted from the ground. The bolt continued for a few heartbeats longer, suspending Ragna's twitching form in macabre poses, before vanishing. Ragna fell over his pedestal, smoke rising from his form and air rushing into his lungs in gasps."
An intense look taking her eyes, Noel threw her arms out to the side. Mystic circles and symbols flashed around her fingers before her pair of Nox Nyctores pistols, Bolverk, appeared in her hands. "If you do anything like that to Ragna again you will have to deal with me." Her hands were steady as she swept her arms forward, her aim focused on the very center of Ezekiel's chest.
"Ooh, threatening the host isn't a very good plan in most cases little lady," grinned Ezekiel as he took a step towards Noel. Her determination didn't falter in the slightest, even as Ezekiel's deep purple eyes bore into her. "Well, I must say that I'm impressed at you dedication and caring. Maybe after all's said and done this show will be able to set the two of you up on a date at least."
That suggestion did break Noel's concentration, colour rising in her cheeks as she tried to avert her gaze so that no one would notice. With her eyes, Bolverk also shifted slightly off target.
With a grin Ezekiel allowed himself to continue. "Tell you what, as long as Ragna behaves and plays by my rules, I won't hurt your precious Grim Reaper. You have my word on that." With another wave of his hand the number on Noel's pedestal turned to a '200'. "Ah, I'm such a sucker for the cute young women with fire in their eyes and guns in their hands. I wonder if I have a lollita complex?"
Around them laughter echoed from the hidden audience. Eyeing up their various scoreboards, Hazama allowed himself a slight sigh. "Seems the game hasn't even begun and I start behind. Yes, she may need all the help she can get to try and beat me, but I still feel that as I'm not female I am at a disadvantage at the proceedings."
"Worry not, oh powerful and wise Hazama," gloated Ezekiel with an exaggerated bow. "Just making sure things stay interesting for everyone at home." Turning to face behind him, both arms spread out wide to bask in the applause that greeted his rapid movement. "Time that we introduced our last contestant I wager, since we'll need to break for commercials in a moment. Someone has to front the bill for this gorgeous suit after all."
Laughing, Ezekiel spun on his heels to face the three contestants once more. "This last contestant has a great deal of passion to her. Everything she does she throws her heart into. Assuming she remembers what she started after all, which can sometimes be the biggest battle she has to worry about. Nimble, powerful, flexible, and fluffy, this is the kind of living weapon that all men dream of having tucked away in their closets. So, give us a grand old greeting for Taokaka!"
As the lights shone down on the fourth and final pedestal, behind it stood Taokaka, bouncing back and forth, her hood hiding all her features but her glowing red eyes and right, toothy smile. With a passionate punch into the air Taokaka called out at the top of her voice "Taokaka boom!" The audience members went wild with excitement, hooting and hollering, feet stomping and hands clapping.
Facing the darkness with a smile Ezekiel called out, loudly to be heard above the roar; "And there you have it! Our four contestants will be getting right down to work after these messages from our sponsors. So stay tuned everybody, and be sure you don't miss an exciting moment of…"
Interrupting him came the loud cry from the crowd "NOL is SOL!"
For several seconds Ezekiel stood beaming into the darkness, the waves of cheers, predictions, and hopeful cries of "I love you!" sounding all around him. Then all at once his smile fell from his face, and he snapped his fingers. Light bathed the entire chamber around them, driving all the shadows into oblivion.
As they looked around, the four contestants saw that they were within a large domed room. The floor and ceiling were divided into interconnecting hexagons of silver, gold, or copper. Occasionally one would lift up slightly with a whirring of gears, before settling back to form a smooth surface. Cameras stood on trolleys at various angles from the floor, and also hung from the ceiling. The most shocking observation was the lack of anyone else in the room except for Ezekiel, Ragna, Noel, Hazama, and Taokaka. What appeared to be serving as their studio audience was simply a collection of intricately carved and painted masks supported on the stands scattered around the edges of the chamber.
"Well, at least one of you four knows how to play to the audience," muttered Ezekiel as he pulled a cigarette from one of the inside pockets of his suit. With a snap of his fingers the cigarette was lit, Ezekiel deeply inhaling the smoke, then allowing it to pour from his nostrils as he exhaled. Rising past his eyes, the smoke did nothing to hide the disdain within his purple orbs. "Have you any idea how hard it is to keep people's attention on an event like this, especially when you have to conjure up the resources for it yourself? You have no idea the Ars that I had to manipulate to air this to all the Hierarchical Cities, and you first three are just dull. Yes, the lightning, the cute, and the bored superior attitude all have their own niche audiences, but I need more from you all. Everyone except you Taokaka, you did exactly what we agreed upon, so here's your first payment."
A grilled salmon appeared in the air before Taokaka, herbs stuffing its belly and a delicious smell pouring off it. In a fluid motion the front half of the fish vanished within Tao's maw. Amidst chewing, biting, and the occasional near choke, Taokaka talked. "Thanks Purple Man! Tao knew that coming to do this show would be a good way to spend time. And now Tao gets to see Good Guy and Lacking Lady again. Tao didn't think you would be here."
Under her breath Noel began muttering "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," as she crossed her arms to conceal her modest bust. Ignoring Noel's plight, Ragna turned to face Taokaka. "Tao, what do you mean you knew it would be a good idea to come here? Were you invited?"
"Of course, Tao was told that she would make the perfect comic relief for this game show thingy, and that if I did everything that Purple Man said I would get lots of food and get to have lots of fun!" With a fierce chomp Taokaka engulfed the remained of her grilled fish, a content sigh rising from her mouth.
"Great, I'm trapped with a pair of idiots and a stupid, furry cat," grumbled Hazama to himself as he glared around the room. "Only that cat would be dumb enough to actually want to be a prisoner voluntarily."
Snapping out of her self-criticizing mindset, Noel turned to face Tao. "Wait. Tao, did you just say that you are getting food if you do exactly what Ezekiel told you to do? What did he tell you to do, and how is it that you can remember? Normally you forget things right away." Under her breath she muttered "Except that stupid nickname for me." A light sob followed that comment.
"Oh, well I have a piece of paper on this table thingy that I read to remember what is going on." Leaning her face in really close, Taokaka began reading off a number of rules recorded there. "Number 1: Say 'Taokaka boom' whenever possible, the fans love catch phrases. Number 2: Don't try to beat up anyone unless Purple Man says I can."
"I wrote 'Ezekiel' on the instructions and she still insists on calling me that." Shaking his head, Ezekiel ground out the butt of his cigarette. "The rest of the rules will have to wait I'm afraid, it's show time again."
A confused "meow?" was all the response given before the red lights on all the cameras burned back into life.
"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen," called out Ezekiel with his old enthusiasm returned. "Now that you've met the players, its time to meet the game. NOL is SOL is broken down into three event categories. The rankings for the first category helps to determine advantages and disadvantages for the second category, which determines further advantages and disadvantages for the third category, which is winner takes all. Therefore it can still be anyone's game come the end, but you'd better try your hardest all the way through if you don't want to suffer to reach the finish line. So light the fires and pour yourself a stiff drink because round one is coming at you in three, two, one!"