chapter two: thy dungeon man
Part Two
"Please, be seated." He waved his hands and all twenty of the chairs pulled themselves out.
Superman looked at and through the chairs. They were normal, wooden seats. No mechanical devices inside them, nothing to bind them once they were seated. Exchanging looks with Batman, he strode forward and sat.
Batman gritted his teeth slightly, but followed the Man of Steel's example and sat, stiffly, in the chair next to him.
One by one they all seated themselves. Like before, they situated the younger ones among them, just in case.
Goku looked around him; he surveyed the little old man before him, the ninjas behind him, the young men. Taking into consideration his fellow warriors, he didn't see why they couldn't take them all on. They might have some trouble with Haku and his friend, but he figured they could overpower them pretty easily. But he wanted to see how everything played out before he made a move. He glanced at Trunks, who was also staring around the room; his face was turned away from him. He took a quick look at Carin across the way.
Her greyish hazel eyes were fixated on Dungeon Master, her mouth in a tight, straight line. He couldn't discern her thoughts, but he knew she was on edge – even more so than the others around her.
Carin was indeed tense. Although she stared at Dungeon Master, she only half-saw him. Her thoughts were only partially on the matter at hand; they had wandered back to the Alvarunus universe, to her husband and teammates. Were they alright? Had they been harmed? Were they here, captive in some room she was not aware of?
Dungeon Master's voice yanked her out of her homeward thoughts.
"No doubt you are all puzzled. Perhaps you, Luke Skywalker, and you Jonah Hex, more so than the others, due to your recent arrival." He shifted in his large chair, making himself more comfortable, and folded his hands together. "You are in the Realm, my domain. You were brought here from your respective worlds by magic, as some of you may have guessed—"
"Enough of this gabbin'. I've been waitin' long enough for an answer, and I want one now: why are we here?" Logan growled through his teeth.
Though some of the ninjas shifted irritably at this outburst, Dungeon Master merely smiled. "Very well." He paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect. "You are here to fight your enemies."
An uneasy, abrupt silence filled the room.
"Our enemies?" Hikaru asked loudly, breaking the silence. Then her voice dropped low and she leaned back in her chair uncomfortably. "But…I don't have any."
Samus glanced at Hikaru and leaned forward. "What do you mean, fight our enemies?"
"Exactly that. They are eager to fight you."
"If they were so ready to fight, they could seek us out themselves. Why—" Superman started.
"Here, there is no danger of innocent life being lost."
"And since when did our enemies ever care about innocent life?" Trunks asked, but Dungeon Master seemed not to hear him.
"I still don't get it. Why us? Why you?" David Carter asked, his strange oblong eyes glinting in the light of the torches flickering around the room.
"Because you are some of the greatest heroes the universes have ever beheld."
David let out a shaky, scornful kind of laugh. "Greatest heroes, yeah right. I don't know why I'm here."
"You are David Oosha…you have saved your planet Earth from those who wish to destroy it."
David grew stiff and leaned away as far as he could from Dungeon Master without leaving his chair. His mouth went dry, and it was a long minute before he could manage a quiet, "How did you know about that? That just happ…." He trailed off. "How do you know who I am?"
Dungeon Master's eyes twinkled. "I know many things."
"You still haven't answered his question."
Dungeon Master turned in slight surprise at the gruff tone. "Mrs. Darkstar?"
"You can call me the Blade Rider." She responded, a hard edge to her voice. Her eyes had narrowed, the irises steely.
The little man bowed his head very slightly. "Blade Rider. What question was that?"
She repeated David's question. "Why you?" She uncrossed her tightly-folded arms.
"I have the magical capabilities to bring beings from other worlds and place them elsewhere. I thought I had made that clear."
"You are avoiding the question." Goliath said, his tail squirming in agitation behind him. "She did not ask how, but why. What reason do you have for bringing us all here?"
"You'd better answer the lady. You gotta a lot of tough people in this room." Logan warned.
"Why did you bring us here?" Captain America demanded.
There was a half moment of silence, and then Dungeon Master made a shrugging kind of motion. "I was bored."
"What?!" Harry cried, standing up so violently that his chair crashed to the floor behind him.
The others around him reacted similarly, flying to their feet. The Marines looked ready to pummel Dungeon Master, Ripley had a look of severe detestation on her face, and Luke Skywalker's fists were clenched tightly.
This commotion was overruled by a curious snikt noise and a furious yell. A streak of yellow and blue, and then --
"DARK MAGICIAN!"
There was a flash of light, and Logan came hurtling backward, bowling over Captain America, Alex and Necro.
Three long, razor-like blades on each of Logan's hands retracted back into the spaces between his knuckles.
Hikaru peeked around Superman's cape, wide-eyed.
David had tripped over his chair and fallen into Samus and Jonah Hex, and all three looked in wonder at the scene before them.
The tall purple-armoured man stood half-crouched, five feet in front of Dungeon Master, his still-glowing staff pointed directly at Logan's chest. The wild-haired youth stood behind the armoured man, before Dungeon Master, a card poised in his fingers.
Haku was at Dungeon Master's side, his hands in odd positions as if in the middle of a spell. His hands now relaxed, and he straightened.
The youth replaced the card into the deck in his other hand and strode forward. He touched the armoured man's elbow, and he lowered his staff and returned to his standing position.
Dungeon Master looked more or less unphased. "I've forgotten to present my assistants. You've already met Kohaku, or Haku, as he likes to be called, but I don't believe you've been introduced to the Pharaoh."
"Ain't never heard a' no pharaoh." Jonah Hex said, getting up and waving his hat as if to clear it of dust.
"Atemu once ruled the Earth country of Egypt as king. He knows many magic arts and his Duel Monsters – especially ones such as the Dark Magician -- are quite dangerous, as you have just witnessed firsthand, Wolverine."
A grunt came from Logan and he hefted himself up on one elbow. "I'm quite dangerous too, bub."
The Pharaoh's violet eyes flickered, and he put two of his fingers to the top of his deck, to draw.
"We don't wish to harm you," Haku said, placing himself between Logan and Atemu. "Please, calm yourself."
"You want us to be calm?" Necro shouted. "This man brings us here for amusement!" He then uttered something Russian, revulsion clear in his voice.
"You've brought us here to play a game? To entertain you?" Samus shouted.
"Dju ta leizuus sil aia." Carin snarled.
"Disgusting I may be, Blade Rider," Dungeon Master said loftily, "But none of you may leave until you take part."
"In what?" Hikaru piped up from behind the Man of Steel, who moved aside so Dungeon Master could see her.
"A tournament."
"I can't believe we're listening to this." Master Chief's hoarse, deep voice came.
"You don't really have much choice," Johnny Cage said from the back of the room, his voice holding the echo of a snigger, "It's all fixed."
"I'll fix your face." The Chief asked, turning. He did not shout the retort; his voice was deathly quiet, full of malice.
"One more comment like that Cage, and I'll allow him to do so," said Dungeon Master, fixing the ninja with a stern eye.
Cage's grin ran away from his face, and he fell gravely silent.
"Excuse Cage. But he is right, in a way. You must participate in this tournament."
"Or what?" Luke Skywalker asked. "What happens if we refuse?"
"Pain. Sorrow. I do not wish to go into detail, Jedi." Dungeon Master's eyes became strangely hollow and empty, as if imagining things that he had no wish to take part in. "Please, do not choose that path."
"How would this tournament work?" Goku asked rather abruptly, folding his arms and cocking his head slightly.
Some of the others stared at him oddly – from the tone of his voice, he almost seemed interested.
The little man turned to the Saiyan. "You would be divided into groups of two or three and taken to a stage where you would fight your enemies."
"What are the guidelines? If we fall out of the ring do we lose?" Goku asked.
"There is no ring. I believe this will be unlike any other tournament you've ever participated in."
"No ring? Where do we fight then?"
"I cannot reveal more to you now," Dungeon Master said. "Do you accept the challenge?"
Goku's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned to the others.
"Can we talk it over?" Captain America asked.
"Of course."
Those who were still sitting now stood and all twenty of the warriors gathered together.
Dungeon Master, Haku, Atemu and the ninjas all waited patiently. From the huddle came whispers, gestures and – once or twice – shouts that were immediately hushed.
Finally, the group unfolded and Carin walked forward. "Alright, Dungeon Master. We'll play your game. But you have to do two things for us."
"And what is that, Blade Rider?"
"First, promise us that none of the young ones will fight alone. I mean Harry, David and Hikaru will not be paired with each other unless one of the others is with them."
Dungeon Master nodded. "I will hold to that."
"Next, you must promise us that our families, friends and teammates will not be harmed while we are here."
Dungeon Master smiled. "I promise—"
"Swear."
"I swear—"
"On the River Styx."
The little man's eyes widened slightly, then a strange, almost thankful expression came over his face. "I swear upon the River Styx that your loved ones, friends and colleagues will not be harmed while you are in the Realm."