Palm Brinks. A glory for human civilization back when it was in its hay day, however now, it had turned into a cesspool from monsters, thieves, and all manner of horrible people. Alexander, who had just made it to the outside of the city, looked upon it with a sense of pain in his heart.
"Well this city certainly went to shit." He muttered as his eyes scanned it. There had seemed to be a once large wall surrounding the perimeter of the city, but that wall had since been torn down in multiple places, leaving the wrecked and messy havor weak to the world around it. The buildings looked uncared for, being that some roofs were falling off, some buildings were just collapsed. However, the thing that caught Alexander's eyes the most was not the walls, the houses, or even the monsters that walked the cracked cobblestone streets. His interest was in where the monsters were actually going, which seemed to be a huge Colosseum in the middle of the city.
It was a huge structure, looking like it was crafted from perfectly cut rock and stone, though it was hard for Alexander to see this detail from so far away. As he continued to stare at the structure however, it became obvious that this was a major event that was happening tonight.
"If that's where the action is, I can only assume this Monica girl will be there." Alex spoke softly as he stood up from the small hill he was leaning on, beginning to walk towards the outskirts of the city. Why was he searching for this girl? It was obvious in Alex's head why he was searching for her, simply because it was his only direction.
What more could a lost traveler do than to latch on to one familiar thing and go for it. Nothing. At least that was the conclusion Alexander had come to in his head.
He quickly entered the city, and surprisingly he wasn't absolutely mauled to death by the sheer number of monsters that seemed to be heading towards the Colosseum. To the monsters however, Alexander fit in quite well. His clothes torn and in tatters, his hair sticking up all over the place, and dried blood caking parts of his skin. He wasn't all that different in appearance, and for once, he was happy about that.
He followed the crowd of monsters, knowing that if he was going to get any answers as to exactly where he was, and exactly why he recognized these places ever so slightly, the Colosseum was going to hold those answers.
"Oh look, a human." A monster, who was a snake, spoke in a slightly creepy tongue. The monster slithered in front of him, stopping him from progressing. "Looking forrrr tickettssss to the Tournament of Powerrr?"
"Conveniently yeah I am." Alexander spoke, looking the monster up and down. He began to use his thumb to spin the ring on his right ring finger.
"You are luckkyy boy, I have three ticketssss left. 100,000 Gildasss each." The monster said in a twisted grin. Alexander recognized that name as well, which he didn't like at all. It was obviously money, but he had absolutely none.
"Sorry to say, but I'm broke." Alexander shrugged as he looked at the tickets the monster held in its hand. He could easily grab those tickets, using his power, and get out before the monster knew where he went. However, he knew that would be stupid. A yellow haired human like him would stand out like a sore thumb, even in the crowded stands of the Tournament.
"Then it appearsss you would have to be a fighter to get in." The snake monster chuckled as it slithered past him, laughing to itself as it went to bother other people.
"What a dick." Alex shook his head as he neared the Colosseum. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to get into the stands without doing things to draw unusual attention to himself, so he knew there was only one option.
Draw usual attention to himself.
"Names Cain, Cain Leohart." He confident voice spoke extremely loudly from a few feet away. Alex glanced over and noticed that there was a desk just before the main entrance to the tournament. He noticed the speaker was a fairly well built teen, wearing a torn green shirt, blue pants, and dark brown boots. He also had brownish blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He seemed to be doing a pose while flexing his muscles, which he had a moderate amount of.
"How old are you? You look 14 or 15, legal fightin age is 16 kid." A ram monster spoke as rolled its eyes. Cain's face immediately turned into a scowl as he looked at the Ram, ditching his pose.
"I'm 17 I'll have you know, legal fighting age. Can't you tell by my huge muscles?" He said flexing once more. The Ram, who was literally three times bigger than Cain, and shook his head.
"Whatever Cain Leohart, be careful in there." The Ram spoke as if he were signing Cain's death warrant.
"Haha yeah, that's what I'm talkin about." Cain said pumping his right fist into the hair and walking down a small path to the right of the entrance, which seemed to lead to yet another entrance, around the side of the Colosseum. Alexander immediately took this as the perfect opportunity to walk up to the Ram, who currently had no people surrounding him.
"Name." The Ram said in a bored tone as he didn't even look up from the large amount of paperwork on his desk.
"Alexander Zeno." He said as he leaned on the desk. The Ram looked up as he said his name and sighed deeply.
"Another human wanting to get themselves killed? I thought you were all supposed to be smarter than this." The Ram said in an actually intelligent tone.
"And I thought all monsters were supposed to be stupid killing machines, not paperwork pushers." Alex shot back, making the Ram look up and laugh loudly.
"You got a decent point there kid. I'd love to be out there, tearing you to shreds, but there are going to be plenty of other monsters who'll do that for me." The Ram spoke, sounding like he was semi-serious. He then stamped another piece of paperwork, and wrote Alexander's name down. "Be safe in there kid."
"No promises." Alex muttered with a smile as he followed the same path that the guy before him, Cain, had taken. Alex eventually, after walking some distance, reached a small entrance where a number of fighters were entering. Each of them were dressed in some sort of armor, carrying some sort of weapons.
"Another human? You and that other one are foolish to come here unarmed." A large ogre with a club spoke in a voice that shook the very ground Alex was walking on. Alex glanced at the ogre, who was at least 4 times the size of the guy, with a look of pure amusement.
"Not everything is how it seems pea brain." Alex said, this was his favorite thing. This was his element. Fighting and banter was something that he absolutely enjoyed doing.
"What did you just say!" The ogre bellowed as they entered a locker room, big enough to support even the ogre's huge size. Flanking the ogre was now what looked to be a giant rat and a clown like person, with his clothes torn in multiple places.
"You best know yah place human." The rat then spat at Alex, who simply stood in front of them, wiping the spit off of his face. He then chuckled slightly, pointing his fist down towards the ground and holding it up as if he were holding a weapon.
"Maybe you shouldn't underestimate me so easily." He said, then a black blade appeared in his hand. It was a simple design: black blade, black hilt, and black grip. The only semblance of design on the whole thing was at the very bottom of the blade, where the name 'Zinex' was engraved. The black, which was only about 3 and a half feet long, didn't quite reach the neck of the ogre, but it was enough to take him off guard.
"You got little magic tricks eh?" The ogre said, not backing down at all after overcoming his surprise. "That ain't gonna do you no favors once this ere tournament starts, and I hope to get a nice fight with you."
"It's a date." Alex grinned, his sword disappearing, and his arms opening wide. In terms of confidence, this fighter had quite a lot of it. In his mind, however, his confidence stemmed from the fact that he had nothing left to lose. His dear friend Artemis was gone, his life had since been left behind long ago, and the only thing he had was a name of some princess and himself.
Speaking of the aforementioned princess, this said princess was in this very Colosseum, however, while Alex was making enemies, she was making herself as small and negligible as possible in the stands of the tournament.
"I don't like this place at all." Monica Raybrandt spoke, wrapping a long coat around herself, trying to make sure she couldn't be recognized nor spotted. She glanced over to her companion, a boy by the name of Maximillian, who also looked very uncomfortable being in a place surrounded by this sheer number of cheering, roaring, and disgusting monsters. Max wore an outfit similar to that of a handyman, simple brown overalls and simple brown boots. He was aged about 16, but he didn't look his age at all. He was quite muscular, which was only natural for a boy who spent his time working hard labor.
"Me neither, all these monsters, they look like ones we've… fought." Max spoke softly as he glanced around the packed stands. He was amazed they had been able to get tickets right in the front row with the amount of popularity this tournament seemed to have. However, being that this was future Palm Brinks, his home in the future, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart seeing what it had come to.
"It's horrible." Monica said in a soft, yet sad voice, as she sat back in the uncomfortable seat. Monica was nearing the age of 20, the age in which she would inherit the Raybrandt throne after her fathers passing 3 long years ago. "But we can't risk making my presence known, I have a feeling I wouldn't be too welcomed here. Not to mention…"
"Griffon…" Max muttered, finishing her thought as an odd person walked into the middle of the battlefield that stood before them. It was a man wearing a pinstripe suit, with skin that was oddly yellow, though he looked more or less human. He had messy hair, and eyes as red as blood itself, which sent chills down both Max and Monica's spines. He seemed to walk with a sort of purpose, speeding his way into the center of the battlefield, then smiling broadly as he looked at the crowd.
"Welcome to the 30th annual Tournament of Power!" The announcer shouted into his microphone revving the crowd up. "That's right folks! 30 grand years of monsters glory, and blood! First off! As always, you know we must lay some ground rules! The tournament committee will not be responsible for any lost, damaged, or stolen items within the Colosseum walls. As well as the committee will not be responsible for any deaths caused by badly aimed blasts, rest in peace the three who were killed last year."
"Did he say deaths from badly aimed blasts?" Max questioned, worry evident within his voice. Monica pulled her black coat further around her as she leaned further down the chair.
"I'm beginning to think we chose the worst seats." She said as she kept her eyes locked on the battlefield.
"But without further ado, we have a great show for you. Blood, Gore, Death. All the things you all love right in one place. NOW! THE FIGHTERS OF THE 30th ANNUAL TOURNAMENT OF POWER!" The announcer yelled as he outstretched a hand towards a large doorway, which looked like it could fit even a full sized giant. Immediately, a bunch of mixed monsters began running out from the doorway raising their arms as the crowd began roaring and cheering. Almost 40 or 50 monsters ran out from the doorway, giving Max an extreme case of goosebumps.
They were all quite armed, and they all looked quite dangerous. He noticed that these monsters looked to be from all over the continent, looking to be the best of the best. The one that caught Max's eyes the most though was a large dragon that seemed to enter first. He wore giant black armor, with the designs of skull embroidered on the armor itself, along with a spear the size of Max. His most dominant feature was his odd coloring. He had deep red skin but ocean blue wings which contrasted very oddly. His expression was smug, as he looked out into the crowd.
The last two to enter however, were not monsters, but rather two humans. Immediately the crowd began to boo at the two of them as they walked semi-near each other. These two were Cain Leohart and Alexander Zeno, who had just met each other only seconds ago.
Cain was holding his arms up in a cocky way, smiling at the crowd as if he were being cheered on. Alexander though was scanning the crowd, looking through the thousands that must have taken the seats, there was absolutely no way he would be able to pick out a human with all these monsters moving and cheering, he would have to wait until things settled down.
"Now as you all know...there are only 8 brackets for this tournament. That means only 8 of you will compete for the title. But since the champion is automatically in the fight, that leaves 7 spots. The only way to figure out who will take these spots is simple, a BATTLE ROYALE! The last 7 left standing will advance to the bracket rounds!" The announced yelled in excitement, turning the boo's into roaring cheers.
"Monica, those two humans-" Max started to say as he glanced at Monica, but she seemed a bit more focused on the battlefield than even he was. She looked to be squinting as she sat up, trying to get a closer look at something. "What is it Monica?"
"N-Nothing, I must be imagining things." Monica muttered leaning back in her seat, looking slightly disturbed and confused. Max couldn't help but question this in his head, but he knew all too well that she wasn't going to tell him much of anything unless she wanted to, and it clearly looked like she didn't want to. "Neither of those two humans strike me as normal at all. I'm not sure why but they...they…"
"Seem suspicious? Do you think one of them is connecting to the dark element?" Max questioned as he looked at the two human, who were standing somewhat away from each other. Cain was still raising his arms to the crowd, winking at various women and grinning broadly. Oddly enough, as Max looked to the other human, he noticed that he seemed to be doing something similar.
Max was taken aback by the odd color of his hair and eyes, never before seeing anything like it. Max had his suspicions about that person specifically, as he seemed so out of place in the crowd of those monsters, even if he was a human. He felt that something about the way he stood, the way he seemed to carry himself, was completely off.
"Now the fighters have been gathered, our gracious champion Garr will take his place in the seat of honor, and I will join next to him." The announcer said as the crowd kept cheering. The champion and the announcer then walked back towards the entrance that all the fighters had come through, and a small platform raised them towards the stands, where a huge seat, the size of a Garr, and a smaller seat sat empty. The two seats were away from the monster crowd, surrounded by various monsters that wore pinstripe suits, keeping the normal monsters from the general area.
"Never thought I'd see that." Alexander muttered to himself as he turned his gaze back towards the battlefield. It seemed every one of the 30-40 monsters were getting ready. Checking their weapons, armor, and gear. He looked at the other human, who had interested him greatly, and he seemed to be standing at one of the walls of the battlefield, trying to talk to a 20 year old girl who was sitting in the stands.
"You're mah first target human." A familiar voice growled at Alex. He turned and saw the ogre that had bugged him before, flanked by his two lackies he had met earlier. Alex laughed slightly, summoning his sword from the small ring on his right hand.
"Oh I'm sure I will be." He said, looking over his sword, then turning back to the ogre. "And I certainly hoped you would."
"NOW FIGHTERS!" The announcer bellowed into the microphone, getting the attention of everyone in the battlefield, and in the stands. "Get to your places!"
"Humans first, eh?" A skeleton warrior questioned to a group of monsters who were walking by Alex, they all roared laughing and nodded their heads.
"Death to humans." They all said as everyone took position in a circle on the edge of the battlefield.
"This is gonna be difficult." Alex muttered as he glanced around at the monsters. He hadn't expected to be in this situation earlier today, in fact he hadn't even been on this world earlier today.
Max felt the same way as well. Earlier today he hadn't even been in this time period, in fact he had been working in Cedric's, his mentors, shop. Monica had come to him so suddenly, three years after their adventure together. He remembered how relieved he had felt to see her again, and he remembered how much he had missed her. But as he had been told time and time again, people should stay in the time they were meant to be in, a fact that Alexander Zeno would come to realize.
"LET THE BATTLE ROYALE BEGIN!" The announcer bellowed, and thus, the Tournament of Power begun.
Teaser log access code accepted, welcome.
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August-2017
Cain: hey there beautiful ladies, I know your reading this-
Zinex: Shut up Cain no one wants to hear your horny advances. Anyway In the next chapter you're going to see things like, random energy blasts, character really seeing each other-
Cain: Oh he's just talkin' bout his dearest-
Zinex: Shut up Cain before I throw you back into those egypt percy jackson rip offs.
Cain: hey wait a minute that's not the same Cain.
"Interesting, very interesting." A voice, cast in darkness, said as the voice memo played. "Again, the name Zinex...Its importance seems to have been lost, though I feel it will soon find itself once again. Cain, oh Cain, how I await the two of you meeting this time. Though, under these circumstances, there are much more interesting meetings to anticipate."
The figure, clouded in darkness, then stood up and reached his arm towards the device that sat upon a dimly lit table. The arm that grabbed the device was covered in a black glove, as well as a black cloth coat, though the arm looked to be quite large.
"I suppose we shall find out soon in this Tournament of Power." The voice muttered.
Next chapter: Tournament of Power