A/N: There are probably a lot of things I need to fix, but right now, I'm WAY too tired to deal with the problems. Right now, it's one in the morning where I am.
I've been working on a lot lately…for once. Not only have I been working on this story, I've been working on my other story which I have been neglecting AND been editing Angels of Prophecy finally. I have to say, it's quite awfuland it's even more distressing by the fact that it came from my OWN TWO HANDS! D:
I would like to thank everyone who has given a critique. I've checked through the last chapter and found quite a few mistakes, some that were pointed out and others that I found myself. As you read, it would make me extremely happy if you as a reader would point out any mistakes you see, whether if it's the basic flow of the chapter, the grammar, word choice, spelling (I dearly hope there isn't any! Spelling errors directly prod at a lazy writer in the rib cage!) and/or anything else.
And also, I managed to upload the cover for this story on to Deviant Art. Not the best but I'm just going to have to deal with it. Simply called: 'Prince of Demonbeasts Cover'. Nothing fancy. :)
This chapter includes a few familiar figures from the anime, some that even appeared in the games as well.
Disclaimer: Cosmicgiraffe holds no rights over any of the characters mentioned in this chapter besides Scipio. The rest all belong to their respected owners, including Nintendo and HAL. The plot is fan based by Cosmicgiraffe, who does not hold any third party rights over the Kirby franchise.
-Chapter 2: Reasons Why-
Systems starting up…
Resuming data collections…
Processing…
Meta-K02 slowly awakened, Dark Nebula greeting him with a painful throb. As his body began turning on its components, the lenses in his eyes refocused, adjusting to the near-complete darkness. The unfamiliar surroundings confused him. This was not his birth cylinder.
Before him, only a pale sliver of light shone, streaming down across his face. He stumbled forwards, pressing his warm cheeks to the steel walls.
He let out a soundless gasp as he suddenly heard the sound of metal clink against metal and he looked down, switching lenses to get a better view of the metal encasing that had been secured around him. It was armor, somewhat light in weight but surprisingly strong. He felt faint, unable to breathe as well with the straps pulled taut. It bordered his frame and ran down along his sides, coiling at sharp points at the very ends of his wings. He weighed it, feeling unaccustomed to the excess mass that had been added when he had been unawake. The scratches that ran along his exposed face and arms pointed directly at the one who had fitted it over him: Scipio. Anything that had to do with the strict lizard general was serious.
Along with the armor, white gloves now covered his hands and he blinked as he looked them over. Why was he to wear such useless articles of clothing when it disallowed him to use the sensory chips that had been placed in his hands? He reached to take them off to find that a strap had been woven into its cuff and was tightly fitted around his wrists, indicating that it was to remain on.
Meta-K02 turned back towards the thin stream of light and peered out into the sidings of the large channel the cylinder he was in was moving up along. His eyes automatically changed to scan the framework of the machinery concealed behind the walls. Being incredibly dense, the walls were impenetrable to his vision, only allowing him to see the first layer of the complex network. He stole an upwards glance as sound reached his head. He pressed his head closer to the wall, trying to hear the single voice that came clear over the wave of noise. As if speaking through some type of loud speaker, the words echoed over.
"For three thousand…thousand…seven hundred and forty eight years…years…Lord Nightmare along with his…his…specially selected assistants have…have…designed and shaped what was to be the most powerful…powerful…creation known to the universe, that would be unparalleled to any other…other, that would be granted…granted…the abilities as powerful as the God of War Himself…Himself…
"This design has been…been…rendered through countless prior…prior…experiments, totaling three hundred seventy six failed projects…but the final project, named Project Meta-K02 has…has…prevailed over all…all…we bring you…the Prince!"
Light ruptured into the cylinder, burning the sensitive lenses in his eyes as he immediately switched them back to normal vision, overwhelmed by the sounds of thousands of demonbeasts. He brought his hands to his head, his mind unable to function with the intense wave of thoughts from the demonbeasts that shattered his wall of concentration.
Surrounding him were high walls, towering far above him that enclosed a wide field of rocky terrain. The entire Ring, programmed to appear as a Greek Coliseum, had crumbling stone arches stacked in several rings that drifted along their orbiting path, rotating in non-patterned directions. Mixed in with the stone were wiring systems that powered the strong lighting as well as the large projectors that showed his confused and terrified face for all to see.
The demonbeasts seated in a wide ring around him in stone spectator stands were mostly of animal types. Their speech was taken up by the form of using mind connections to interact, sending thoughts rather than words. Their thoughts pounded through Meta-K02's skull as he was forced to listen to their derisive laughs.
"That's the Prince?"
"This must be some kind of joke!"
"This…this little thing? A representative of the God of War? What a laugh."
"Perhaps there was a mistake…maybe this is only a challenger against the real Prince…"
Meta-K02 looked around him, feeling lower with every comment made by his own people. He turned to hide back within the cylinder to find that it had already folded up and slid back into its opening, disappearing into the floor programmed to appear and feel like dusty gravel. The figure that had spoken through the loud speaker came down on a large floating platform and with a smirk, he raised a hand to place over the lever and the entire device tilted towards Meta-K02 for better acquaintance.
"Greetings, Prince. You may call me Customer Service. I am to explain a few things before you will be tested before Lord Nightmare."
Meta-K02 opened his mouth, wanting to speak but no sound coming out. Regardless of having the ability to speak or not, it would not have been heard over the demonbeast crowds.
Customer Service was based off the design of a business man, complete with a dark striped suit and a tie. His flashing orange glasses seemed to smirk along with his lips as he pushed them up further along his nose bridge.
"You will be fighting against challengers of different skill levels, their arrangement not in any particular order. Your score will be based on technique, special abilities, and time. The entire Enterprise is watching from the screens around the city and Nightmare is waiting to be impressed. Good luck."
Rising, the floating platform whizzed away up towards the highest point of the arena where Nightmare himself was seated in a sandstone throne, gazing down towards him. Meta-K02 felt a cold shiver run down his spine as his master spoke through Dark Nebula.
"It took quite a bit of convincing on Scipio's behalf for me to decide to have you tested without training to see your true abilities. Do not disappoint me and I dearly hope you will not humiliate me in front of my own subjects."
Nightmare stood up and the crowds quieted themselves. A deathly silence hung in the air as the dark emperor leaned forwards, his skeleton hands leaving deep scratches in the stone railing.
"Bring out the first challenger."
In the silence, a computerized voice sounded.
"Challenger One entering Ring."
The floor at the far end of the field suddenly opened, a steel gray cylinder with the likeness of the one he had come from appearing, coming to a halt. Slowly, it opened, not one creature stirring in the stands. For a long moment, nothing happened and Meta-K02 began to wonder if perhaps he would be lucky and be able to go back to his birth cylinder when fog began drifting out of the cylinder, slowly reaching out and consuming the air. Meta-K02 watched as a cloud-like form materialized, its single eye opening. Several golden spikes suddenly jutted from its sides as it expanded, floating into the air as its cylinder disappeared into the ground.
"We…we…bring you…Kracko!" Customer Service announced from Nightmare's side, speaking into the loud speaker.
Kracko turned to gaze down at the cowering figure of Meta-K02. The dark blue puffball slowly came forwards, trying to look brave as he reached out towards its consciousness. The creature lacked thought, its mind completely blank and was almost the same as looking into a deep void. Its empty stare seemed to stab into him when suddenly; the entire arena erupted with light.
Meta-K02 was thrown back as the electricity surged through him. He looked up, a noiseless gasp escaping from him. The cloud demonbeast held great power over electricity and looking down at his arms, he ran his hand along the fresh burn marks. Kracko drew away, building up power for a stronger attack. The puffball scurried away, stumbling over the rocks as the cloud pursued him. Running was something new to him, something he would have to learn fast.
Kracko unleashed a painful zap that knocked Meta-K02 off his feet. He snapped his eyes open, feeling the sharp rocks stab his face. He weakly got up, wiping the blood out of his eyes. He realized what he was to be: a gladiator fighting for his life in an arena where spectators watched for pure amusement.
From the stands, Scipio leaned over the railings, his tongue flicking out.
"What arez you doing? Fight it!"
Another crackle of energy shot past his head as Meta-K02 ducked behind a rock. He turned to see it coming, its spikes glimmering in the light of the electricity.
Dark Nebula gave a painful throb to add to his hurt, its voice shrieking in his mind.
"What a disgrace to Nightmare! Go back and fight it!"
No…no…NO!
Another zap of electricity and the rock was blown apart, throwing Meta-K02 across the field like a useless toy. It only seemed to amuse the demonbeasts in the stands and from the corner of his gold eyes; Meta-K02 could see the deepening frown on Nightmare's face.
He turned, his eyes falling upon the walls. There was no way he could fight this monster…he had to run. Getting up, Meta-K02 stumbled forwards towards the walls of the field, his weak muscles unable to move straight from never having learned to walk, let alone run.
He looked back as Kracko released another charge, destroying the rocky terrain. He turned, his hands reaching for the wall when a sudden zap sent him flying backwards. He glanced back, seeing the high voltage barrier around the Ring restore its film-like surface to a practically invisible state. He could now see that he was trapped…trapped within a dome of the electrical barrier.
Kracko's spikes began to crackle as it gathered up its charge. Inside him, Meta-K02 let out a whimper, his only reaction being normal to a newly created demonbeast: he ducked his head and covered himself with his arms and wings, standing there shivering with fear.
Some of the demonbeasts in the spectator stands erupted with laughter at the sight, only to be hushed as Nightmare shot a death glare towards them. Nightmare sat back in his throne, feeling a deeper mortification fill him. Why wouldn't his finest creation repeat what he had done less than twenty six and a half hours ago? It had been a stunning sight to see this little puffball's true powers…but now with every last demonbeast within the Enterprise watching, he would not do it.
His hands curled around the ends of the arm rests, leaving deep dents in the metal replicating rock. He made a mental note to converse with Scipio later, and everything he wanted to say was not going to be pleasant.
Slowly, Nightmare raised his hands to his head as he closed his unseen eyes, focusing on Dark Nebula. The star blinked, hearing the call of its former body…
Meta-K02 watched from the corner of his eyes as Kracko came looming overhead, the cloud demonbeast searching for him as it slowly checked behind each. Dark Nebula beated wildly in his chest, making him worried that the challenger would hear it.
Some demonbeasts in the crowd seemed to have developed a slight amount of pity for the sorry state of the terrified puffball, who would more than likely fail like the many others and never live to know the true meaning of life. The rest of the demonbeasts were calling out to Kracko, trying to show it where he was hiding so they could watch the puffball dart out again and perhaps make a more entertaining spectacle.
Suddenly, he felt a stab of pain in his chest. Meta-K02 clutched at his armor, slowly falling to his hands before collapsing to the ground. The crowds watched as his entire body began twitching. He gasped out, his wings crumpling behind him as he twisted in pain. The dark blue puffball looked up towards his master whose face remained impassive. Slowly, he turned back up to the cloud demonbeast, his breaths coming out shallow.
During this time, no one moved. Even Kracko had stopped, sensing a changing mood surround the puffball. The demonbeasts manning the recording cameras lowered their platforms, trying to get better footage that would appear on the screens across the metropolis. Nothing happened and everyone waited…waiting to see whether the dark blue puffball died of fright or something similar.
Then, Meta-K02 rose into a standing position, his eyes gazing at the ground and away from everyone watching. He was completely still; frozen in place with not even the slightest movement of breathing shown. Kracko drifted forward, sensing that it was supposed to be continuing the fight when the dark blue puffball's hand shot into the air, holding it out towards the cloud demonbeast. Meta-K02's head lifted, his eyes a lustrous blood red.
Nightmare leaned forward as the demonbeast spectators gasped out, all crowding around the front stands to get a better view. Kracko writhed, the vessels in its single eye snapping and the white of its eye becoming bloodshot. Its entire body began to twist horribly under the power of Meta-K02. If anyone had been standing nearby, they would have seen the growing grin that smeared itself across the puffball's face, one that could easily have matched Nightmare's.
Kracko looked down towards Meta-K02, its entire body seeming to scream. Inside his chest, Dark Nebula beated wildly, sensing dark intents in the puffball and it began forcing more blood through him. Meta-K02 could faintly recall the wonderful feeling of power the last time he had used his gifts…but now, all that he could think was getting back at the cloud demonbeast, to make it suffer for hurting him. He wanted…he wanted to let his power be felt…to be feared…to dominate…
With a flick of his wrist, Kracko was thrown across the field, slamming against the barrier where Meta-K02 pinned it down. Although it already held some passable level of power over electricity, the electrical charges that were running through the cloud demonbeast were overpowering. Kracko had not been created to withstand a voltage power greater than its own.
The entire Ring lit up with fantastical displays of Kracko being electrocuted to death. The bewildered and horrified eyes of the onlookers reflected the light.
Meta-K02 came forwards, his wings opening behind him like a rich robe of violet, the thin membranes stretching out for its first time. His wing bones fell into place, having been created to be ready for flight in a moment's notice. His steps no longer came freely as they once had…he was no longer in control of his body.
He was a marionette, controlled by a greater power through the mechanical heart embedded within his chest.
Running forwards, Meta-K02 kicked himself up over the edge of a crumbled rock and his wings were greeted with wind. Higher and higher he raised as he shot forward, coming straight towards the struggling figure of Kracko. The air…it felt so natural…too natural…
His hands closed around the cloud demonbeast, just under its eye and began strangling it. The electricity entered his body, running from his hands, following the curve of his body, before returning to Kracko. But something was different this time…he felt his chest tighten as his body took in the voltage power…absorbing it…his entire body seemed to rearrange accordingly to the electrical current…as if it was an instinct…
Kracko gave a final resistant fight before it slowly began evaporating into steam, disappearing under Meta-K02's grasp. He released his hold, hovering in the air just before the barrier, watching the vapor rise before it was gone.
Only one spectator stood up at that very moment, a smirk replacing the once solemn expression.
"Bring out all of the challengers at once."
The computerized voice could not be heard as hundreds of cylinders suddenly rose out of the programmed ground, opening to reveal the demonbeasts within. Like an army advancing upon him, they clacked their weapons, their fangs, and their claws against the ground, ready to fight.
Meta-K02 turned, his glowing red eyes narrowing as he landed back at the very center of the field. Had he not just destroyed that other demonbeast? Who were these? His wings flared out as he sensed potential threat to his position. No…he would exterminate these inferior creatures…
He spread his feet apart, gaining an offensive position ready as the demonbeasts closed in on him. His gloves began to crackle with its new power over electricity,
All at once, he struck out, sailing from one challenger to the next. Dark Nebula seemed to smile from within his chest, its single eye glowing brightly to reflect the power of the aura that seemed to surround him. His wings flew for the first time, already seeming to know exactly how to without the need of being taught. He sprang from the beheaded body of one challenger to the next, kicking away its saber and cracking its skull. He jumped down, neatly back flipping as a demonbeast viciously swiped at his feet. He rolled under the creature, knocking it down. Taking a fearsome hold on its leg, he began to whirl it around, faster and faster, using his new weapon to attack the rest of them.
Demonbeasts flew in every direction, the closest ones to the spinning cyclone receiving the heaviest blows. It was not long before only three remaining demonbeasts stood, all waiting for their chance to fight. Sensing that this would make a great time to advertise these final challengers, Customer Service held the loud speaker up to his smirking lips.
"Remaining challengers are…are…our very own…own…never before defeated gladiator champion…pion…Bugzzy!"
Meta-K02 watched as the stag beetle-like demonbeast clack together its mandibles, raising its mallet and saber out threateningly.
"…the wild cat from…from…the deepest inferno…Fire Lion…Lion…!"
The great fearsome figure of figure uncurled its body, its fiery mane shaking out glowing embers as it roared out, much to the crowd's enthusiasm. Its body was hot enough to scorch the wiring system beneath it, making its footprints colorless as it burned through the holographic mechanism and revealed the real metal beneath it.
"And finally…the strongest…est… demonbeast to have…have… lived; now battling for…for…that position…Masher!"
This was the demonbeast that received the most cheers from the crowds, being a favorite for its mass strength and power. Meta-K02 had to tilt his head back to see its very top. Like a large iron cauldron, the demonbeast was complete mechanical, in its hands was the largest mace he had ever seen, its spikes could easily impale him.
Meta-K02 growled, facing all three of them. He was the Prince! Nothing was more superior than his power! Nightmare had said so!
Behind him, electricity still in his veins crackled. His gloves began glowing, the currents racing through his body as he watched the challengers charge. Had it been from fighting Kracko that he received this power? Or was it merely something that had been hidden within him, only to awaken by the power of the cloud demonbeast?
He crouched lower to the ground, his wings flared up as the shadows of Bugzzy, Fire Lion, and Masher engulfed him. Then, like an erupting volcano, Meta-K02 shot out from them as they closed in, his wings stretched out magnificently. He sailed past the crowd's heads, up past Nightmare's stand, flying up towards the very top of the Ring where the barrier met at a single point. Then slowly, he came to a halt, far above everyone. He placed his hand on the barrier, closing his eyes.
Immediately, he felt the voltage power burn through his gloves but he did not remove his hand. He slowly opened his eyes, which were now glowing pure white. A wide, malicious grin spread across his face. The electricity began to absorb into him, the power highest at the very top. Sparks flew from where he was as the electrical currents surrounded him.
Then, he drew away, his arms tingling with power.
Bugzzy, Fire Lion, and Masher were all gazing upwards, waiting for his electrified body to fall to the ground so they could all return to their birth cylinders when a streak of light flashed by their faces. They all turned dumbly, in awe as Meta-K02's body shimmered like a celestial comet.
Suddenly, Meta-K02 struck out at them, too fast for anyone to see what was happening.
He selected his first target: Fire Lion. Flying forwards, Meta-K02 released a powerful electrical charge. However, he watched as the wildcat seem unaffected by it. In turn, Fire Lion slashed out at his face, the fire scorching his flesh as he was knocked out of the air. Landing heavily on the ground, Meta-K02 looked up as Masher swung its mace. Ruthless pain erupted in his body as he slammed into the barrier, not getting the chance to absorb the energy and instead suffered it.
The dark blue puffball got up, charging forwards to meet his challengers head on. He leapt into the air, just skimming over the gleaming blade of Bugzzy's saber, pushing himself upward on the gladiator demonbeast's arm and smashing its skull into the ground. Its wings opened, throwing him off of it. Meta-K02 turned towards Masher, who was running with its body in a full tilt to unleash its mace. The Prince sidestepped, feeling renewed power return to him as his eyes glowed bright red.
The mace crashed forwards, sending the rocks flying in a wave around it when it was caught. The demonbeasts in the crowds were on the edge of their seats as they watched the little dark blue puffball hold the mace that weighed over hundreds of pounds over his head as easily as if it had been made of cardboard. Masher looked down just as its own weapon came flying back towards it, clashing into its body and knocking it over as it was plowed through the ground, the rocks forced aside when it crossed through the barrier. Unable to move, its body was electrified until each of its vital wires was burned through, all programmed disks overloaded. Its chest exploded open as black smoke billowed out, defeated.
Fire Lion sprang forward, tearing through his wings. Meta-K02 pulled away, only for its massive paws to slam down on him like a cat catching a mouse.
The fire seared over his body, and his mouth opened to scream, not one sound coming from his mute mouth. The wild cat lifted its paw, leaning its head forward. Meta-K02 looked down to see that the armor had kept most of his body unburned, its metal not made of iron like he had previously thought but instead of some fire resistant material.
Meta-K02 rolled to the side as Fire Lion swiped away at the terrain with its brutal power, just missing him as he got back on to his feet. Gritting his teeth, he was about to charge forward for another attempted attack when a shadow fell across him. He looked up, his eyes flashing orange in surprise as Bugzzy's club swung down. The crowds fell silent, expecting that this was the end of the unfortunate tale of Project Meta-K02, the failure…when they watched Bugzzy's arm sway, his arm forced upwards as its club began lifting, a rather flattened Meta-K02 exerting his full unnatural strength that had been given to him. Using his back to give more support to his efforts, the heavy stone club slowly lifted into the air and off of his body, raising it high above his head. Bugzzy's eyes widened, using both arms to combat the dark blue puffball.
Meta-K02 swung the club outward, smacking into the gladiator demonbeast's side and knocking it over. He flew into the air, twirling the club above him as Bugzzy got up and held its saber out, clacking its mandibles together.
As if it had been a baseball bat, Meta-K02 released his charged blow, slamming it over Bugzzy's head and cracking its exoskeleton. It slashed out at him, each of its futile swipes missing him. Then, Meta-K02 backed away, drawing the club behind him, his glowing red eyes focusing in on its figure. Suddenly, he struck out, the club striking Bugzzy's lower back and bringing it into the air. Its body tightened into a ball, its only able response. It sailed clear across the field, becoming paralyzed as its body was electrified on the barrier, a fly on a bug zapper. It was dead in seconds, its corpse collapsing to the ground and crumpling, its sword falling from its limp hands.
Grabbing the fallen blade, Meta-K02 held it in the air like a champion above his head, its steel catching the auburn glow from Fire Lion's blazing body. The wildcat crouched down, its tail moving like a steady snake as dark embers fluttered down from its mane.
Without waiting, it charged forwards, leaping into the air. Holding the saber back, Meta-K02 threw its blade in a wide sweep, feeling power within his hands. Nightmare's shades reflected the brilliant arch of light that brushed through the air, growing in size as it went. Fire Lion roared out as the light severed off its limb, its body radiating even more intensely.
It turned to look back, gaping at its wounded body when Meta-K02 stabbed downward into its throat. Its deafening roar filled the Ring as it thrashed under the point of the blade. Meta-K02 held his hand out, letting its heat warm his gloves. He watched as flames began licking the bottom of his hand, almost as in a greeting before he closed his eyes, letting the feeling sweep over him. Fire began to fill his veins as he absorbed the power, burning its way in a long current entwining with electricity. His eyes snapped open, glowing with his added strength. He pressed downwards, finished Fire Lion off. It crumbled away into ashes, the little fires put out gradually by the open, silent wind.
Meta-K02 looked down at his path of destruction, his eyes as red as the flames that ran through him. He finally realized that he had not simply 'taken' the powers from both Kracko and Fire Lion, it had run through his blood from the very beginning, only needing to be awakened in him by the voltage of electricity and the burn of fire.
He finally collapsed on top of a large, flat rock, his head throbbing. As if waking up from a bad dream, his body was shaky, his eyes becoming gold again. His breaths gradually slowed to a calmer rate, taking in as much oxygen as possible. Above him, he watched as demonbeasts all around him roar out in approval, every one of them standing up. Never before had he ever felt like this. A small smile formed across his face, feeling like he did something right. But soon, every spectator fell silent as numbers began appearing on the scoreboard just under Nightmare's stand.
5…9…0
He remembered what Customer Service had said, the score was based on technique, special abilities, and finally time. Something told him that the final score was quite poor in contrast to other scores in the past and it was quite evident in the expressions of the demonbeast spectators that his suspicions were true.
He slowly let out his breath, now feeling worthless. For all of his efforts, he only received a 590...out of a thousand…but it had not been fair, he had been terrified. Any points that could have gone to his time score had been used up when he had fought Kracko…but still…his powers had been enough to impress his master…
Nightmare slowly sat up, placing his hands on the railing.
"There's still one more challenger…why hasn't the last cylinder opened?"
Meta-K02 turned, for the first time seeing the massive steel cylinder that loomed behind him. This one was only slightly smaller than the demonbeast Fire Lion's had been. The panels appeared to be stuck, possibly why it would not open.
Nightmare frowned, Scipio caught the glance and making his way through the crowds, searching for some guard to fix the problem. The older, more experienced guards immediately began to move away from the commander, but one unfortunate newly trained one did not understand what was happening and was lifted by the throat and tossed over the railing. The barrier opened up, creating a small breach in its perfect film-like surface before closing up, the guard screaming as he landed on the rocks.
"Go and fix the panelz this instancez!" Scipio commanded, pointing a sharp claw towards the tombstone-like cylinder.
Everyone watched as the guard scampered forwards, unwillingly making his way towards the cylinder. Getting to the back side of it, he began pulling it, trying to get it to move. It remained jammed in place. The guard tried several other places, away from the very front while Scipio continued to yell, before finally, the guard slowly came up to its opening and standing to the side, exerting his strength. The metal began to grind open, first only a small channel of the complete darkness revealed before the guard stood quivering before the foot-wide opening, too terrified to move.
Suddenly, a black form snatched the guard by his legs, pulling him into the void in less than a split second. His screams were cut off by a sickly snap of bones before only silence remained. Everyone watched as the cylinder began to open, the horrible creature emerging.
The color drained away from Meta-K02's face as his eyes came across the bottom of the guard that limply hung at the side of the shadowy creature's mouth before suddenly; the monster rose up on to its hind legs and began drinking. The horrible sound of sucking filled the Ring as the monster, as if drinking through a straw, sucked everything out of the guard, from his blood, his intestines, his mechanical workings, until the guard was nothing but a dry, empty husk. Expanding its mouth, the rest of the guard disappeared forever into the blackness that greeted him. The monster dropped back down to the ground, slowly raising its terrible head.
All around it, Meta-K02 watched as its black particles dripped off of it, burning through the ground like acid. The programmed ground melted away, the evil black particles leeching off of the energy that powered the Ring. The area not directly under it was drained of its gravel tan, replaced by a hologram of a cracked, gray earth.
The monster's glowing eyes brightened intensely as it spotted Meta-K02's shaking body, and slowly, the creature left its cylinder for all spectators to see its true horror. Like leeches, its veins hung outside of its body, pulsing with black particles and sometimes erupting to let fluids drip down on to the ground. Its head, though small compared to its body, was lined with a fearsome row of teeth. With every move, parts of its body fell apart, turning to acid as it sizzled into steam. As it moved forward, a large clump from its abdomen suddenly poured down from its body, more of the vile fluids swelling out of the new opening before the black particles sealed itself.
Customer Service had not announced the name of it; perhaps this horror had no name. From way above him, Meta-K02 could hear the loud speaker drop from the business man's hand. The only figure in the entire Ring that stood up was Nightmare, who bent over the railing, watching intensely.
Without the need of a loud speaker, Nightmare's voice was easily heard far and wide within the Ring as not one living creature stirred.
"Both fighters that stand before us have been brought to life with the very same element: pure negative energy…" He said, his skeleton hand taking a small handful of the blackness from under his cape and allowing it to sift between his fingers and disappear into the air. "While the Prince's heart has been created with this energy, his challenger's full body is made of the very same material. But who is stronger…that is something that cannot be told until victor rises."
Meta-K02 turned back, alarmed to see that the monster was now drawing closer, its shadow falling upon him. Where was that powerful fury that had lent him strength only minutes before? Everything…had deserted him…leaving him only with the deep reservoirs of fear.
With a mighty crash, the creature charged head first, using its thick skull to smash away at the coloring draining terrain. Meta-K02 was thrown off his feet, his head cracking against a hard rock. He scrambled up, climbing up and behind the safety of another as the creature stood up on to its hind legs, searching.
Meta-K02 pressed his back as far as he could into the shadows of the rock, his wings twitching with pain as they were scraped against the rough underside. Cautiously looking behind him, he found that the monster had disappeared. He stopped, unable to breathe. Then, he looked up as loose fragments of rock tumbled down over his shoulders. He gasped, running out as the black particles came crashing down where he had been, the monster turning as it relocated his position and movement.
Meta-K02 had not made it far when he watched a dark circle appear under him, moving in front of him when the monster materialized, emerging out of the ground and stopping him in his tracks. He fell backwards, his eyes flashing orange with surprise.
Slowly, the monster advanced forwards, Meta-K02 leaning back as far as he could as its hideous face came closer, black particles dripping off of its body like some ghastly mutant from a swamp.
Meta-K02's eyes darted for an opening to escape from. The creature had already had him backed up against a rock and it was closing in on him. The only way was rolling underneath it…
The monster suddenly raised its terrible head and lunged forwards. Only one second to act.
Meta-K02 tucked his body as close together, his wings wrapped tight around him as he sprang up into the air, using the rock for an extra boost. He flipped through the air, the tips of his wings just missing the deadly fangs of the shadowy monster before he crashed into the ground, coming to a stop just under its chest. He looked up, flipping on to his front as the black particles spilled out of its body, a few flecks of the acid burning through his arm.
As if from a cannon, Meta-K02 shot out from under it, fighting back tears from the pain as he ran…but as he ran out from under it, the claws on his wings tore at its underside, more black particles dispersing.
It was at that moment, when the black particles thinned out did Meta-K02 stop. He watched as the limp form of a paw disappeared back into the shadowy monster. His mouth hung open slightly, not able to process the thoughts that suddenly flooded his mind. This was not a monster he was fighting; he was fighting the host of the monster, the black particles feeding off of the demonbeast trapped within. This…this must have been a mistake…
Reformed again, the shadowy creature lunged forward, its jaws snapping at him. He rolled to the side, throwing his body out of the way as the monster slammed into the rocks. Meta-K02 flipped back on to his feet, facing the creature. Something in him doubted what he saw. Nightmare would never do such a thing…or would he?
Holding his hands out, he cupped them as he concentrated on the fire within him, his gloves glowing bright red. Instantly, a great ball of flames formed, rotating under his power and leaping forward, he threw it with his full strength.
The fire sphere plummeted downward, the black particles sizzling into steam as they were cooked by the heat. Again, Meta-K02 could make out traces of magenta red fur before it disappeared by the particles that were now spacing themselves out to keep the captive demonbeast hidden.
Meta-K02 gritted his teeth, jumping back as the monster slashed out towards him, his armor preventing him from being sliced. He was about to call out electricity when he remembered that it would kill the demonbeast inside if he tried. He dismissed it, turning back when he was flung into the air viciously, smacking against the barrier and getting zapped. He peeled off like a fly on an electrified fence and collapsed among the rocks.
Weakly supporting himself with his arms, he sat up, gasping as he watched the monster charging towards him. His first reaction was to back away, stopping at the last moment to remember that if he took another step back he would be cross the barrier once again and further burn himself.
The monster pounced, its front claws stretching out to sink into his body. Meta-K02 ducked, curling into a ball as he rolled under the creature, out into safety when the monster smashed into the barrier. He watched as electrical charges crackle around it as the creature leapt back. Its body swayed from the force when one of its legs gave away, the rest of the monster falling to the rocks along with it.
Meta-K02's eyes focused in on the heavily bleeding limp paw that once again appeared. He ran forwards, grabbing it. Then, he began to pull, pulling the demonbeast out with all of his unnatural strength. The black particles seemed to hiss at him, coiling around his arms as he pulled. Using the back of his feet to gain more ground, he stepped back one foot at a time. The demonbeasts in the crowd gasped, crowding around the front stands as they watched the paw appear, followed by a furry arm, a head, and slowly, the body. The demonbeast was a wolf of dark red fur. Spikes protruded out of its back, gleaming with blood. The entire demonbeast was bleeding, appearing to have been slashed over and over again repeatedly. Its emerald gem that was embedded into its forehead faintly glowed, more and more of the glass-like surface darkening. Around its closed eyes, fiery markings were etched, burning to the touch. Finally, with a final heave, the demonbeast collapsed to the ground with a wild gush of fluids that all spouted out along with it, the black particles still clinging to its body.
Meta-K02 let his eyes scan over it, analyzing status and identification number.
Category: A-382…Status: 0.83…Identification number: 38292940…Gender: female…
He stopped because the demonbeast slowly opened her eyes, her voice coming out weakly.
"My pups…my pups…" The wolf said, choking out blood that was darkening with every moment. "My poor babies…"
Meta-K02 ran his hand through her fur, feeling the rise in her chest lessen before the wolf fell silent, her eyes clouding over. The large emerald gem set in her forehead faded, a large crack tearing its way down its center. He watched as the black particles disperse from out of her body, their host no longer providing the essential conditions they needed to thrive and leech off of others.
Guards suddenly appeared from every entrance in the spectator stands, herding the demonbeasts out. Not one of them said a word and the only sounds were the scuffling of their feet as they bustled out. They knew it…they knew the reason why…but they all silently went away, without a second glance at a demonbeast that once stood alongside each and every one of them.
Meta-K02 watched them. He did not understand. Why? Why did they disregard such a devastating end to this demonbeast? Was it because they were too remorseful to turn back, or was there something more…something that each one of them feared?
He glanced up towards Nightmare's stand to find it vacant. Nightmare was gone; having left the moment he watched his finest creation do something unspeakable in front of live recording cameras that his entire empire would see: revealing the hidden side of Nightmare Enterprises that displayed what had happened to all the missing demonbeasts.
As the final demonbeasts exited the Ring, Scipio came up to the railings of the front stands and flicked off a large switch. The barriers gave a long 'blitz' sound before they vanished. The lizard jumped down, landing with a heavy blow, his tail slamming against the rocks before he came forwards to the unmoving dark blue puffball.
"Aboutz time you finally show your true abilitiez," Scipio remarked before disappearing into the shadows.
The body was removed within a matter of moments, the blood stained area around the lifeless wolf bleached and wiped away. The programmed rocky terrain, now so clean that someone could eat off of it, held no trace of death.
Meta-K02 watched the crew of demonbeasts wearing their heavy masks and bodysuits take away the body to be burned and remove all evidence. He remained sitting on a flat rock, his eyes staring down at the ground. Now that he thought about it, he had not been given his true score after the final demonbeast…but it would not have raised his pitiful five hundred and ninety points any higher, more likely turning it to a complete, unloving, unfriendly, strict zero.
He slowly bent down and scooped up a handful of the sediment rock, letting it slide back to the ground like blowing sand. He did not understand…it had not been a mistake. That demonbeast was intentionally kept as a prisoner, used as a mere pawn before it finally fell, no longer able to serve...
Dark Nebula only cackled from inside of his chest.
"That demonbeast was asking for it. All who fail to satisfy our great lord will be placed back into service…as this. They all know it, so there is no place to plead for their life before the noose."
Behind him, a guard stamped the ground with the flat end of his spear, giving a quick bow to the Prince before speaking.
"Prince, Lord Nightmare is waiting. You are to follow me."
Nightmare was indeed waiting, but rather impatiently as Meta-K02 followed the guard up the long set of stairs and onto a wide landing platform where a black carriage-like transporter was set. Incredibly close to resembling a horse-drawn carriage, it copied a fancy shield of arms, a large 'N' written at its very center. Inside, he could see plush seats hidden behind a thin, dark curtain. The only thing that it lacked was an actual horse. Instead, an orb of light took its place, and it slowly rotated within a sphere-like cage that closed around it.
Nightmare did not even look at him and he silently turned towards it, a servant opening the coach's door. Meta-K02 stood there, unsure of what to do when a guard nudged him forward with the blunt end of his spear. He slowly walked up the red carpeted path and up the small stairs, sitting down across from his creator. The door closed and with a small lurch, the coach began moving.
Meta-K02 could not help but immediately stand up, pressing his hands to the small window as he watched the city of Nightmare Enterprise pass by. The coach had been set along a thin track that crossed over the width of the city from the Ring to the looming tower at the very center of Nightmare Enterprise, giving Meta-K02 a view that left him in awe.
This world…was larger than he had previously imagined. How far did it stretch, he did not know. The endless black dome of twinkling lights seemed to answer it for him.
"Sit down," Nightmare hissed, between clenched teeth.
Meta-K02 slowly tore himself away from the window and sat down, cowering under the continuous gaze of Nightmare who suddenly had the interest to criticize him for everything he did. He shifted uncomfortably as a full minute went by in silence.
"When you sit, you sit still. No fidgeting, no slouching, no leaning. You are the High Prince, not some low level, inferior boy!"
Outside, the buildings below them were passing by at an even quicker rate, but surprisingly, the coach was completely still, as if it had not been moving at all. Meta-K02, in that silence, could feel the anger that swarmed around his creator. Nightmare was upset.
"You had some nerve to do what you did back there…in front…of….my…empire!"
Had he been able to speak, he would have let out a quiet apology, but seeing the anger fume out of his master, there was no asking for forgiveness. He was trapped in a dangerous position, any response likely to get him punished...but one thought would not leave his mind and it slipped through his grasp, ringing like an echo through his mind.
Why?
Nightmare stopped, reading his thoughts. Meta-K02 pressed himself as far back as he could into the plush cushions as he watched his creator close his fist tightly, his dark shades flashing. Nightmare suddenly leaned forward, his sharp claw-like fingers scraping against the puffball's armor as he lifted him up clear out of his seat.
"Why? You dare ask me why?" Nightmare shouted. "You impudent little thing!"
In his grasp, Meta-K02 began to cry silently, his body trembling. A violent shudder ran along his back as Nightmare raised his voice.
"The demonbeasts look at you as a representation of me. So don't you dare cry nor do anything foolish before my subjects!"
Meta-K02 was dropped harshly and he quivered in the corner of the seat, covering his head with his wings. Slowly, he wiped away the fluids that were coming from his eyes and looked down to see his glove now red. His tears…they were made of blood…
Neither he, nor Nightmare said a word for the rest of the time before the coach came to a halt, arriving at the central tower of Nightmare Enterprise.
A servant was waiting on the landing platform and immediately after the coach came to a full stop, the demonbeast opened the doors and stood back, allowing the two to step out on to the wide platform leading to the central tower of Nightmare Enterprises. The dark blue puffball kept his distance from Nightmare from fear of being yelled at, but as soon as he looked up, Meta-K02 could not help but stop, gazing up to the very top of the fearsome monarch-like structure that ruled over all other buildings in the world that Meta-K02 knew. Nightmare turned, his dark shades flashing.
"Do not waste my precious time," He hissed once again, this time seemingly less hostile, though that only made the dark blue puffball more nervous. "You test my patience."
Meta-K02 tottered forwards, his walking becoming stiff. Nightmare waited until the dark blue puffball was in front of him before he placed his frigid hands on Meta-K02's shoulder to ensure that he would not try to run away.
But no matter Nightmare could ever try, Meta-K02 continued to expand his knowledge of the true definition of: world. It seemed so long ago since when he had first thought that this cold, unfriendly world only consisted of his test tube and its room, perhaps only slightly larger than that. Seeing the Ring had only enlarged his grasp of a possibly larger world. Nothing he had imagined came close to what he was seeing now. Perhaps out there…even further than Nightmare Enterprises…there were more places…even larger than the city…even more spectacular…
They entered the tower, the heavy metal doors slowly opening by themselves. The doors themselves towered far above them, heavily adorned with designs. Two guards, both in full armor, were waiting as they approached them. The guards were so still that if there had been any wind, it could have blown them over.
Nightmare slowly pointed at Meta-K02, his skeleton-like hands like a knife positioning itself to be stabbed into a victim.
"Lock him in the high tower room," His voice edged with anger and threat. "He needs to learn his manners; such improper displays shall be ceased."
A/N: Ooh…that doesn't sound too good for Meta-K02…
For some reason, I don't think the flow was very good…ugh…looks like more editing to do.
Customer Service…Kracko…Masher…Fire Lion…Bugzzy…more characters from the anime to expand this story. I selected Kracko and Fire Lion as challengers for a very specific reason which shall be revealed later on.
Not exactly the most original idea to have Meta-K02 fight like a gladiator in a Coliseum, but hey, it was cool enough. I think it made for a good scene to begin learning his powers and it especially goes well with demonbeasts like Bugzzy since Bugzzy is a gladiator type demonbeast. He also now has his signature gloves that he will continue to wear for the years to come.
This is probably all I'm going to be able to update for a few days because I'm finally returning home after a month's stay in China. The fourteen hour airplane flight is definitely something I will not look forward to.
Please review! Constructive criticism highly requested! Beta readers as well!