Chapter 3: The Cruise From Hell

At about 11:30 they were all at the designated spot, waiting for the supposed boat to wherever it was they were to compete. It had not arrived yet, though.

"He stood us up. And just when I was getting amped to kick some poser ass." Takaan said sleepily yet excited.

"Chill out, little man" said Arne- you see, Takaan was only a couple of inches taller than Inaryu- "We've still got half an hour before we leave. It'd be nice if you'd just take your Ridilin." He added, slightly annoyed.

TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

"Don't you love it when I'm right?" Arne cooed at Takaan.

As soon as Reishi was able to pull Inaryu off of Arne, they boarded the ship. Whe the five newly acquainted friends got on board, they were in shock. The only other passengers did not look at all like martial arts types. Quite the opposite. The other passengers were senior citizens with canes, walkers, and wheel chairs. Others included little girls with pigtails holding teddy bears, and babies crawling around.

"You've got to be kidding me." Kakome demanded.

"Maybe this is the daycare-slash-retirement section. The real fighters are probably in the back." Arne suggested.

"Excuse me, Deary, what did you say?" an short, old lady had overheard Arne. "It sounded like you don't think that I'm a real fighter."

" I'm sorry Ma'am, I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought we were going to be fighting people who are… well… younger, and um… in better shape to fight." He replied in an apologetic tone.

"WE'LL JUST SEE WHO'S IN BETTER SHAPE TO FIGHT!" she roared as she began to grow and pulsate. She was transforming into a monster.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't realize you were in disguise! Please, don't hurt me!" Arne pleaded.

When the woman was through transforming, she had become a ten foot tall demon with six tentacles, two arms, four legs, and three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Hurt you? I'd never do that, Deary! After all, no one likes bruised meat!" she cackled in a new, deeper, more demon-like voice.

" I'm gonna have to fight her, aren't I?" Arne asked Kakome in a panic-stricken voice.

"Not alone, you won't!" she answered, unafraid. "Am I right, guys?"

"How should I know if you're going to help him?" Takaan answered, unaware that she meant all of them.

"She means all of us." Inaryu told him in a monotone voice- the same in which he spoke at all times, in all states of emotion.

While this little argument was going on, Arne was running for his life around the ship.

"I DON'T CARE WHO HELPS ME, JUST GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME!" Arne screamed, trying not to get eaten by the demon grandma.

His teammates took the hint. They all drew their weapons and sprinted toward their friend's assassin.

Reishi tried to fling the weight at the end of his chain at the demon's stomach, but the demon swatted it away with ease.

Inaryu drew his scimitar- a sword with a curved blade-, and prepared to slash of one of the beast's tentacles. But he did this to no avail; the demon swatted him like a fly in mid air.

"Our weapons won't work, guys. We have to use Spirit Energy!" Kakome told them.

"Easy for you to say, my shadow powers will only make her stronger!" Inaryu remarked.

"I've got an idea. Arne! Distract her!" Takaan commanded.

"WHAT!" Arne demanded as he did what he was told.

"Reishi I'm going to set your chain on fire." Takaan noticed (through body language; Reishi was hard to read, seeing as he wore a mask) that Reishi did not at all like this idea. "Don't worry, I'm a Flame Apparition. I can set it on fire without burning it. Just trust me."

Reishi gave Takaan his chain, who threw it in the air. Takaan clenched both fists at chest level, and he started to glow instantly. His aura was a red-orange blaze, and it danced around him the way fire would. He thrust both arms in the air, palms out, and the chain caught fire.

As the chain began to fall, Takaan pointed his finger at the demon lady. The chain began to fly towards her, as if on command from Takaan.

The fiery chain went straight up in the air, and then began to go into a dive. Upon this dive, it formed a fiery point on the weighted part, and went straight through the demon's chest. The demon began shrieking in pain, and the chain, still in her chest, began to circle around her again. When it reached her front side again, it flew up, and shot down her left side, slicing off three of her tentacles and one of her arms. The demon had had enough.

"I surrender!" she wailed as she fell on her back. "I surrender!"

"You're in no position to call the shots, demon wench." Inaryu hissed, holding his blade to her throat. "Tell us! Why are you here, competing in a human tournament? Tell us!"

"'Human tournament?' You have no clue where you're headed, do you?" she cackled, choking on what was either black blood or disgustingly filthy saliva. "The Dark Tournament is no ordinary tournament. It's a bloodshed. And as for the human part, humans rarely dare to compete; and only two have ever survived!" she coughed up more black liquid. "No, you're up against purebred demons, mostly youkai. Mark my words: you'll be murdered! Mauled! Obliterated! AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

And with those horrid cackles, she was dead.

"Was she serious?" Arne asked desperately.

"I doubt it. Never trust a woman, especially when that woman is a demon." Inaryu uttered.

"She was telling the truth." Reishi stated. "I have heard of this 'Dark Tournament'. It is nothing but a chance for demon warriors to vent their anger by killing each other. We have been brought into something more than an innocent hobby of Mr. Karokita's. This is… indirect murder."

"Murder? Why would Mr. Karokita want us dead?" Takaan demanded.

"Think about it, Takaan. We were the only ones who ever beat his Battle Simulator. That made him look bad. So he decided to get rid of us." Kakome noted, in disbelief herself.

"I'm not so sure this was just a matter of sending us off." Arne said, deep in thought. "He had to have hired someone to keep us from leaving, unless…"

"Unless what, Arne?" Takaan inquired impatiently

"Unless he plans to kill us himself. He wants to fight us in the tournament…"