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As the bear turned its head to attack Loa, the bullet once aimed at its head was now aimed at its torso. Her last resort shot collided with the beast's underbelly, forcing it to unleash an ungodly howl. With an inhuman rage in its eyes, it rolled its head back down to its targets, trampling Eli and continuing to claw at Loa's shadow. With two parties now it such close proximity to the beast, another shot could spell either salvation or disaster for the Red Team.

"Keep it distracted, Loa!" Scott called from the ridge. "If you and Eli can get out of that thing's way, Alice might have a shot at taking it out from a distance with a couple more shots! You think your powers could get the two of you up the rock Eli was climbing? There rest of us will do what we can to keep it distracted!"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
"Not with out crumbling the entire thing!" She shouted over to Cyclops as she scrambled to try and get Eli away from the bear. At this point it was no longer about food or fur, it was about survival. "Get behind me," She commanded making her a wall between Eli and the bear if it decided to attack them again. If it attacks it's going to have one less paw to worry about, Loa thought to herself.

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
[/QUOTE]
"Even if I tried my magic they're still at risk of getting burned..." Alice said, before a frustrated growl escaped from her. This whole situation just plain sucked! Fuck Arcade!

@Sark @Jeremi @Crow @Atomic Knight @Red Team

With Loa's barrier, the bear was no longer able to strike Eli. Hnikar rushes forward, his long, pointed spear extending towards the bear as he charges for its heart. Given how his spear was as long if not longer than his height, the bear would need to overcome a bit of resistance in order to push on.

"You fought well. We will meet in your next life."

@Sark @Jeremi @Crow @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Red Team​




@ConnerKillCrew
"Oh hell yeah!" Superboy cried, disappearing behind a nearby tree in a flash. "I was hoping you'd put on a show, bug brain! I mean, if this thing is being recorded, I'd hate for your quick and boring butt-kicking to not make it to air!"

Taking the trunk of the tree within his arms and ripping it from the earth, Conner began to spin around at a remarkable pace. As soon as he felt as if he had reached a high enough speed, he allowed himself to cut lose, sending the enormous tree trunk hurtling down towards Jaime and his charging blast.

"Batterrrrr Up! Hope you're good at hitting fastballs, man! 'Cause there's more where that came from!"

@York @Crow

The red blast would neutralise the great wooden pillar, reducing it splinters that flew all over, pinning themselves across the ground like needles.

"Two can play at this game..." Beetle responds, uprooting and grasping tree trunks with his hands, then using the extra limbs on his back to grab a couple more, "or four!"

Collision course was in order as these Titans began to clash.

@Sark @York @Crow
 
"Hey, I wanna try!" Jianyu picked up one of the fruits, eating it without really thinking. Her eyes widened at the taste. "Woah...it's like all of mom's cooking rolled into one!"

"Jianyu, don't just eat things without thinking. Those could be poisonous, for all we know." Xiayu frowned, not looking forward to the prospect of having her entire team wiped out on day one.

"Oh, come on! Arcade wants us all to kill each other in a big old bloodbath. Pretty sure he wouldn't try poisoning us like that. It's not as good for TV." Jianyu took another bite of the fruit. "The guy's your typical TV producer. He's gonna probably stage natural disasters or send rabid animals after us instead of letting us go peacefully."

"Jianyu..." Xiayu wasn't all too happy with how nonchalantly her sister spoke of their situation.

"Oh, c'mon, sis! You gotta think like the dude to survive here. A little ol' fruit is the least of our worries."

Xiayu didn't respond, instead turning to the other conversation. "At the very least, it appears that the more...reckless among us are already elsewhere. All of you seem rationable, and I think as long as we all stick together, we may find a few more we can get to join our side and find a way out of this mess."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York
 
Henry Hart/ Kid Danger

Henry wondered if coming into this cave was a good idea for them in the first place. It was a great hiding place, but in all honesty, he was pleased to see the sunlight coming in, remiding them that they were going over the ground and that it was safer then his original plan.

" One, it's Henry and two, leave them be Ratchet. They haven't hurt us and if it just so happens that someone else comes along and kils them, well, then it wasn't our fault. Maybe the things might even lead us closer to victory, I think we should take the left path, sounds like there is water there and honestly, we might need some soon. Don't know about you, but I don't want to die of dehydration."

@dark @Alex Azure @Sark @Purple Team

Billy Batson/ Shazam

Shazam looked over at the ridge and how expansive the area was and how it would be a great place to start off their second day. Tons of water and even places to get some food, it even seemed that there was a place to drink some fresh water, yeah, it wasn't food, but he could wait a day before he got real food. " Jak, I think our best approach is to take some of the water and head into the small cave for the night. If we wondered in this area in the dark, we are going to get lost. Maybe tomorrow, we can head out to the water and get some fish for the day and eat it. Of course, I'm not the team leader or anything, but I think it's the best survival approach that we got for now, especially since it is starting to get darker and we spent a lot of time getting over here. What do you say?" He asked him.

@dark @Alex Azure @Sark @Remaining White Team
 
The red blast would neutralise the great wooden pillar, reducing it splinters that flew all over, pinning themselves across the ground like needles.

"Two can play at this game..." Beetle responds, uprooting and grasping tree trunks with his hands, then using the extra limbs on his back to grab a couple more, "or four!"

Collision course was in order as these Titans began to clash.

@Sark @York @Crow
"Oh Nice!" Superboy cried, ducking and weaving out of the path of the first tree trunk, running across the second and punching through the third. A burst of heat vision sizzled through the core of the forth. "I could go all night, Ro-boy! But I think its time we upped the stakes!!!"

Tumbling towards the ground like a torpedo, Superboy unleashed a stream of heat from his eyes, dead set of either ramming or scalding Jaime.

"Better watch out, pal! I'm going in for a home run!"

@York @Crow
"Even if I tried my magic they're still at risk of getting burned..." Alice said, before a frustrated growl escaped from her. This whole situation just plain sucked! Fuck Arcade!
"After what happened with Laura's magic back at the clearing, I don't know if its worth the risk--" Scott replied "If her teleportation spell went crazy enough to bring us all here, I can't tell what might happen if you cut loose with something more offensive whilst our own troops are so close to the target... we'll have trust them... they'll get out in time... I know they will..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
"Not with out crumbling the entire thing!" She shouted over to Cyclops as she scrambled to try and get Eli away from the bear. At this point it was no longer about food or fur, it was about survival. "Get behind me," She commanded making her a wall between Eli and the bear if it decided to attack them again. If it attacks it's going to have one less paw to worry about, Loa thought to herself.

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
All of a sudden the bear stumbled backwards, the remnants of its paw reeling from Loa's counter attack. With a ear splitting growl, it pulled its wounded arm inwards and began to cradle it along its chest. Huffing, puffing and wincing through the pain, the beast seemed to lose all reason and stumbled backwards for a few moments, its guard crumbling.

"Get out of there, Loa!" Scott cried from atop the ridge "Its hurt! We can fall back and--"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
With Loa's barrier, the bear was no longer able to strike Eli. Hnikar rushes forward, his long, pointed spear extending towards the bear as he charges for its heart. Given how his spear was as long if not longer than his height, the bear would need to overcome a bit of resistance in order to push on.

"You fought well. We will meet in your next life."

SCHUNK!

Hnikar's spear passed right through the torso of the wounded bear and out the other side, coating himself, Loa and Eli in a sudden spray of red. The wound seemed to have narrowly avoided the heart itself, no doubt a testament to the bear's panicked stumble following Loa's attack, but caused enough harm to fell the bear along the way. With a pained cry, the beast began to tumble forward, falling further onto the blade.


Gruuuuughhhhhhh

There it lied, belly down, barely wheezing. Its right eye remained open, stilling blinking and twitching through what one could only imagine was great pain. Brushing the snow from his jacket, Eli made his way back towards the ridge, not caring to thank his team for their effort. He obviously had everything under control.

"You... killed it..."

"What did you expect him to do? Befriend it? It's kill or be killed, Summers. I thought your Scout's Code of Honour would at least allow to kill some dumb animal"

"We could have retreated... Regrouped"

"And then starve to death come morning"

Eli took the flaming torch and knife from Scott's hand before making has way back down the hill and towards the bear. Taking the blade in a reversed grip, he finally finished off the poor create with a swift strike to the head, before preparing to skin it and dry out its furs.

"If you're too weak to kill so much as a bear, Scott, I can't see you surviving out here much longer. Maybe we'd be better off skinning you; At least the bear had the guts to come down from the ridge when things got messy..."

--------------------------------
The walk back to camp was long and arduous, and somehow, even colder than it had been the first time around. As the sun slowly began to set over the Great Ranges and the night began to close in, Eli's smug expression seemed to burn its way into Scott's thoughts. Through the blistering winds and the cruel licks of snow, the furs of the Great Bear were a Godsend, and a blessing they could not turn down. The Read Team, now two members larger than it once been, soon saw the streams of light pouring from their camp stretching through the frozen frees. Clad in ponchos of animal fur and dragging hunks of bloodied meat behind them, one notion haunted Scott Summers; in order to survive the night, Eli had made him and those he had promised to protect into savages.

Once the team arrived back at the camp fire, and their small wooden tents were erected, the sky seemed to light up with a strange blue glow. Already tired and disgusted by all he had seen, Scott remained silent, turning his eyes away from the roasting meat and up towards the footage projected onto the skyline.

"What the..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
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----------------------------
----------------------------
"For now all we'll have to do is survive and work together while we can"~~ Nezumi, Day One
"You all seem rational... as long as we all stick together... we can... find a way to get out of here"~~ Xiayu, Day One
----------------------------
@Lake Team
--------------------------
As the chill of the night began to close in, the Scouts and Foragers would find themselves compelled to return to their camp, their spoils of war in tow. Upon their return they would find that the riverbank had been transformed completely. The area was now sprinkled humble tents built from foraged sticks and centered around a large glowing campfire, complete with seats carved from a fallen tree trunk. Across the campfire sat a boiling pot built from a large shell Terry and found a few meters upstream from Hyakkirmaru's fishing spot, and just below it sat the wooded skewer he had used to fry up the first patch of the fisherman's fish. Across half a dozen humble leaf plates sat their meals for the evening- half a bass and a one of Nezumi's foraged fruits, washed down be a mouthful of warm water. It wasn't much, but their humble campsite was starting to look like home.

"So what do you call this stuff anyway, Nez?" Terry swallowed a mouthful of the strange new fruit. "The way I see it, you discovered the stuff. Makes sense that you should get to name it. You better pick something good, because man. Jianyu was right; this stuff tastes like home"

Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed hard again, and sighed.

"Sorry... guess with all that's happened, I haven't really let myself think of home too much. I guess in the heat of the moment, not dying became more important... but now? I can't help but miss having a bed... and eating utensils... and all that normal stuff I sorta took for granted. And don't get me started on all the people..."

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"Never thought I'd say this... but I'd rather go for 4 rounds with Bane in his prime than go through another 5 days of this... at least if I got my butt kicked back home, I'd have someone to visit me in hospital... but if Arcade's telling the truth about us being forgotten somehow... I don't know... that bugs me a little... hate to be a downer... but its a thought I can't shake..."


"Oh, come on! Arcade wants us all to kill each other in a big old bloodbath. Pretty sure he wouldn't try poisoning us like that. It's not as good for TV." Jianyu took another bite of the fruit. "The guy's your typical TV producer. He's gonna probably stage natural disasters or send rabid animals after us instead of letting us go peacefully."
"Typical!!!???!!!"

A voice tore through the jungle like a razor wind.

"Let me assure you, my dear, sweet Jiayu: there is absolutely nothing 'Typical' about-"

View attachment 3672

In a flash of blue fire, the ground waves began to part, sending the river into a frantic rush. Steam rose from the depths of the bank, and from it, rose Arcade, his tailcoat dancing in the wind.

"Another glorious entrance, right? Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Well, hate to rip the band aid off, kids, but I'm not about to waste my week sipping cocktails in some secret underground lair! No sir-ee! I've got bigger... fish to fry, so to speak. I mean, none of you have heard what out lovely viewers at home have been saying about your performance so far!"

Pulling an obnoxiously long paper list from his pocket with a theatrical wrist flick, Arcade began to read:

"Suzie from Mississippi says: I love that guy with the sword hands. Can't wait for hit to ram them through someone's head later on in the game"

"Me too Suzie, me too"

"Shion from the West District says: Oh no, not the bees! Stop! No! Noooo!"

"Ah, heart warming words spat straight from one of my favourite death traps. Beautiful..."

"Gavrill Kinney from... some dump named 'Warp World' says: my sister's gonna kill you for this you---...."

"Huh. Sorta just fades off into screaming there. Huh. Well, let's home that Gavrill's comments are a little more enlightening... But hey, whilst she's busy in the infirmary, how about we check out some statistics! Who doesn't love statistics!"


-----------------------------------
"Who's got the best odds of taking home the belt today? Who, based on all their actions so far, is most likely to stop you from seeing your loved ones ever again? Who should you try to take out as soon as you can? Well, in a very particular order, it is:

1. Laura Kinney/ Weapon Hex (15%)
2. Nezumi (13%)
3. Xiayu (11%)
4. Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle (9%)
5. Hnikar (9%)
6. Alice Swayne (8.5%)
7. Warren Worthington III/ Angel (7.7%)
8. Alani Ryan/ Loa (7.6%)
9. Billy Batson/ Shazam (7%)
10. Eli/ Liquid Snake (6%)
---------------------------------

"Great stuff, right? Who doesn't love numbers! Now, for the rest of you, who doesn't want to see some of our best bits?"

In a flash, the sky became akin to a screen, projecting footage from the previous day across the entire island. No matter where the remaining teams were, they could see footage of the previous day displayed across the arena:

------------------------------
"Best Play of the Match": Nezumi's Violent Piggyback Ride of Death!

"Best Kill of the Match": Hnikar and his Bear Kebab!

"Best Assist of the Match": Loa's Anti-Bear Barrier!

"Best Villain": Vanitas and his Unversed!

"Best Hero": Alice Swayne, and her expert fire starting!
-----------------------------
View attachment 3675
"Now, its time to hear from our boots on the ground: tell me, Champions: are you still feeling great about your little Great Lakes Alliance? Are you all shocked to hear that the Red Team is... yano... still alive? And the just evicerated one of mother nature's strongest? Gimme your thoughts!!!! Go on! Tell me me!! Tell the crowd!!!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
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Xiayu merely raised an eyebrow at what Steven did to help; definitely unconventional, but it was less gross than she had expected. Spit magic was a lot better than blood magic, honestly. Wincing at the contact at first, she waited patiently to see if Steven's spit really did the trick...

And it...did? Gradually, Xiayu felt no pain at all, and it was as if her arm had never been broken in the first place. Still careful in case it was tender somehow, Xiayu raised it, slowly testing her arm and hand out. "Amazing..." she whispered, in awe. "I've never seen anything like it." She looked to Steven. "I don't know how to thank you. You probably just saved my life."

Jianyu let out a sigh of relief. Man, she really hit the jackpot with this team, huh? No psychos, a kid who could heal...and Xiayu seemed to have a pretty solid team, too...even if it had just been split up. That Nezumi guy helped her sister out, so that was good. "Well, usually in the movies, they try to find drinking water first, right? So...I guess we should do that first?" Ugh, living on this island for a week was gonna suck. No creature comforts anywhere.

@Atomic Knight @Sark @Takumi @York
Loa looked over to the girl and smiled a hiding behind this smile so that she doesn't think about the cold smile. "Thanks, it's a real ice breaker." God, that was terrible. Quick change the subject. "So uh...you look kind of familiar. Are you one of the Hawkeye's? I don't really do much outside the X-Men so I don't really know anyone..." She rubbed her arms to keep a little warm, she hoped someone was going to get that fire going and fast.

@Crow @Takumi @Sark @Atomic Knight



Laura looked over to where Max was wandering off. She knew that look on his face well. To Kara she gave a nod reaffirming her stance. If the group couldn't trust each other then they would all be doomed before the week was done.

@York @Sark @Gummi Bunnies @Everyone
2ef286ffbb9c39435a80cb53e34fcc77.png


View attachment 3663
@Drylands
As Vanitas crossed over into the Northern Drylands, he would start to feel the weight of the burning sun beat down on him. Everywhere he looked, the looked, sand and rocks filled his eyes, the brown plains broken only by small patches of dying grass and the occasional cactus. The heat from above was almost unbearable outside of the shade, burning any uncovered skin in mere minutes and roasting anything covered by metal or class. However, the Northern Wasteland could provide Vanitas with direct passage into the Northern Plains, a region filled with lush plantlife and, more importantly, water.
Should he choose take the time to explore the Drylands, he would discover a Network of Caves, which could help to provide him with shade and a place to lie low. Venturing into the caves would lead him to the last known location of the Purple Team, and an opportunity to eliminate a player. Climbing to the top of a nearby cliff face could provide Vanitas with a better lay of the land and possible reveal further details regarding the region.

@dark @Alex Azure @Gummi Bunnies @Lucky Drylands Team






View attachment 3664
@Water Team
As the Alliance ventured further and further into the Jungle, minutes seemed to melt into hours. Following the damp land would lead the party towards a slow moving river, stretching north as far as the eye could sea. Its flow seemed to wash small sticks and lily-pads southward and out of sight, down towards the [FLOODED PLAINS]. The water itself felt cool and refreshing touch, a pleasant change compared to the humidity of the rest of the Jungle.

"Thank God..." Terry groaned, peeling back his mask and kneeling by the river bank. Cupping his hands, he doused his face with water. He needed this. He really did. A chance to turn his brain off for a few seconds and just appreciate not being dead. Basking in the moment, he released a sign. "Ladies and gentlemen... we've got water..."

Splashing his face over and over without a second thought, Terry smiled a fleeting smile.

"Get a load of all this guys!" A greedily guzzled down a fistful of water. "This is incredible! Now this is the sorta water you don't find back in society! It tastes so... clean!"

@Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi



View attachment 3665
@WallyKillCrew
As the two Champions searched for the Speedster in their own separate ways, they would eventually find they paths crossing. Beetle's aerial recon would have revealed a similar path through the Jungle as the blood trial did, with Wally and Nezumi's path of crushed plants eventually leading the survivors to small clearing void of trees. At its heart sat Nezumi's bloodied knife, and a large paths of dried blood much larger than anything else Max has discovered thus far. Yet this obvious murder scene lacked one integral piece of evidence- a body. All that remained of Wally seemed to be a pool of blood- there were no more footprints, no more burnt shrubs. It was as if he had vanished into fin air.

A close inspection of the bloodied knife would reveal a small ball of white fluff mangled in with the rest of the blood. Perhaps the time had come for the two to put their heads together and begin investigating.

@York @Crow @TheFlashKillCrew



@Snow Team
"This orta do it! This is more like it!" Scott cried, shaving the last sheet of bark from the base of his standing tree and throwing them onto Alice's growing fire, marveling at Loa and Hnikar's displays of power the whole time. With his hands on his hips, Scott took the time to smile in the light of the camp fire's glow. "Great work, Team. We've pulled it together, haven't we? Arcade's gonna have to try harder than this to break us"

Turning back to Alice, his lips beaming, he punched her playfully on the arm. "You pulled through. I knew you had it you, Alice. Thanks to you, we don't have to waste any more time rubbing sticks together and hoping for the best" He allowed himself to laugh for a moment, forcing all thoughts of the death game from his mind. Sitting along Hnikar's fallen tree, he finally let himself catch his breath and enjoy the moment. "We're going to make it, ladies and gentlemen. Hnikar and Loa just brought us enough wood to build a shelter, and he barely had to try; if we stick together- if we work together- we'll be able to have a shelter up and running by sundown"

Soon, Scott found himself taking on the role of the scoutmaster once again, diving out jobs and

"Hnikar, Kate and I can start stripping these trees of their branches with arrowheads, knives and spears. The rest of you can get on with the building. We're going to want to build a nice strong wall facing east to deal with the wind. Eli, you can hold it up whilst..."

Cyclops found himself trailing off. He knew it had been quiet. Too quiet. And there had been a suspicious lack of death threats muttered in the last half hour. It dawned on him. He jumped to his feet and briskly walked a lap of their 'camp'.

"Eli! Where's Eli? He wont last 15 minutes out there alone...The stupid kid... what he trying to prove?!"


Observing their surroundings, the Red Team and Loa would see a trail of footprints leading away from the camp and deeper into the forest, disappearing over a nearby snow dune. Laced in the the steps were flickers of black ash, spat from a flaming stick stolen from the camp.


@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi @Red Team
"For real?" Jianyu joined Terry at the water, trying it for herself. "Woah, you're right! I thought all spring water was super dirty and gross..." Well then again, this place was run by a dude with crazy lava powers, so who knew.

Xiayu would alao take the opportunity to drink, and to wash her face, as well. Cleaning up what remained of her encounter with Wally, it finally felt like it never happened...physically, at least. The mental strain of the encounter was heavy, certainly. Everyone had something they'd kill for...and some were more willing to act than others.

Once finished, Xiayu stood and observed their surroundings. "Greenery everywhere, fresh water...this may be a good location to set up camp. Maybe a few of us can scout out the area so we know what exists here, so we'd have an advantage over anyone trying to attack."

@Atomic Knight @Sark @Takumi @York
"Clean? Perhaps," Laura replied to Terry as she leaned down to inspect the water. "It can still host parasites or other things Arcade would like us to ingest." Despite talking about trust, there was at least one individual on this island she didn't trust. "My healing will protect me, you already ingested it so there's nothing to do...unless that spit of yours can cure maladies from inside the body as well," She spoke off hand to Steven.

She cupped her hands as well and took a drink of the water. Tasted fresh just as Terry said but still... "I believe anything we find here should be ingested at your own risk."

@Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @Sark @Water Team




"You got it!"
Loa smiled a genuine smile now that they had a fire to keep them warm before she went to help the others build the shelter. If only someone like Colossus was here, they could just uproot trees and make a proper fort! Then Cyclops brought up Eli and well...she wanted to let him do whatever it was that he was going to do but, he was still a kid, younger then herself even. "I think someone should go and look for him. Mr Summers' right he wont last long out there."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @Sark @Red Team
"I'll go with the big sis over here then!" Hnikar proclaims as he prepares to join Alice in the little hunt for Eli. "He can't have gone too far..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @Sark @Red Team @Jeremi




"This blood trail... the gap between 'em... they're being left by someone going faster than any vehicle..."

Blue Beetle realised something.

"That means he's away from the lady now, but..."

Blue Beetle redirects his course for the blood trail, going for the path that was mlre likely to stay inside the jungles than head out.

"No, we're too late... but what's this fuzzy thing over here? Did it-"

"Bzzzt!"

The scarab held Beetle back for a bit, hijacking the suit for a bit to scan the aforementioned item.

"So, what is it? Did it belong to something here?"

@York @Sark @Crow @Jungles​

@Lake Team

"Camping out here sounds great, I mean, took around!" Terry exclaimed, wading waste deep into the river, running wet fingers through his hair. "We've got water. We might be able to fish, or find some fruit growing on the riverbank or something. If we're gonna wait the game out, this is the place to do it!"
View attachment 3666
"You guys can go on ahead if you'd like to explore the jungle. I'm happy to stay here and set up the camp. On our way down, I saw some trees with weird fruit a little bit South of here. I have no idea what the other side of the river's looking like, but the river feels shallow enough and calm enough to swim across. Maybe scouting upstream is a good idea too? But hey, its up to you. The camp will be here when you get back"

"The way I see it" Terry replied, slowly making his way back to the riverside. "Everything we do here's gonna be at our own risk. I mean, we're on a messed up island ran by a red haired lunatic... and its called 'Murderworld'. I guess we have to weigh up whether we're gonna risk getting infected with something, or avoid eating and drinking for the next 7 days. I guess we can add disease and dehydration to the things that are trying to kill us..." Hoping over the crumbling backs and planting his feet firmly back onto dry land, Terry rocked his head from side to side, spraying Hex with the last specs of water that still clung desperately onto his hair and shoulders. Taping his neck and reforming his hologram mask, Terry threw a smile of an apology her way. "Maybe... we could boil the water to get rid of any bad stuff? Just in case? I'll get to work on it once the Camp's been set up"
@Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @Jeremi @Water Team

@WallyKillCrew

A closer examination of the fluff on the knife would reveal its true nature; caught on the knife's bloody coating was a small, white feather.

The Scarab would reveal that the feather's composition didn't match those of any natural birds, on Earth or Beyond. The closest thing the feather's chemical composition resembled was that of Human DNA-- Mutant DNA.

As soon as the nature of the knife had revealed itself, a thunderous crack was heard throughout the crime scene. In a flash, trees on all fronts began to fracture and tumble, their mighty trunks tumbling around the Champions. Before they were fully aware of the cause of such destruction, the prison of jagged wood that now consumed all hope of retreat burst into flames in a flash of red light. The wave of heat that burst from their prison threw the pair back into the center of the clear, the smoke burning each and every one of their senses.

"Hate to crash your party, fellas!" A voice called from the skyline. "But I just thought I'd rock up and tell ya that Wally had to bounce. Hurt his back or something. It was a real bummer. Angel picked him up like an hour ago. Started doing some trick with some magic blood or something to help him out. But you know what? The fella's startin' to weird me out. And gross me out. Like man. The dude's gotten weird, man"
View attachment 3668

"But hey, things aren't all bad! While they're play Witch-Doctor and braiding each other's hair, you Dirtbags get to hang around with the One True Superman!"

@York @Crow



@SnowTeam

"It's settled then. We're going to going on a rescue mission..." Scott muttered, following in Alice's footsteps and making and taking a torch of his own and holding it close to his chest-- he needed to keep the heat as close to his core as he could. "No man's gonna be left behind tonight..."

------
Following Eli's fleeting footprints and the black specs of ash would lead the team further and further from the camp. After what felt like a lifetime in the endless white, the wider Red Team slowly began to detect slight changes in Eli's footprints. An hour into their march, Eli's once light footsteps seemed to grow deeper and closer together, as if he had changed his strategy from a slow, wading charge into a frantic, mad sprint

"Tell me I'm not the only person seeing this..." Scott muttered, taking a knee beside the tracks and holding his torch to the footprints. "By... I'm seeing two sets of footprints here... And these new ones doesn't look human... They're bigger... I'm no expert, but I'm seeing claws... strings of hair... or fur..." He looked up from the tracks and redoubled his marching pace. "We need to hurry. If we don't get a move on, there wont be an Eli left to save..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi @Red Team
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❝ ... taught myself. ❞ It took a moment for Hyakkimaru to figure out how to answer that with the limited vocabulary he had. Maybe he appeared that skilled to Terry, but if it helped with surviving, it shouldn't be a problem. Then came the fact that he may have to fish more than he would when it was just him and Dororo back home. He scanned his "sight" over the others present near the riverside. A lot more people judging from their energy signatures, or at least a lot more than two people including himself.

❝ I stay here. River has fish. I can catch. ❞ Hyakkimaru figured he would stick around since catching one fish was too little of a haul to call it quits for the day. With the freshly caught bass stuck through his right arm's sword, Hyakkimaru kept a tight grip on his right arm sheath with his left, then raising his left arm so he could take it that off by biting down on the prosthetic with his mouth to hold it. Doing so, he readied both of his arm blades for more impromptu sword-fishing. If there was no sudden ambushes this early on, he saw this as a breather to prepare and settle at a proposed campsite as suggested.

@Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @Sark
@WaterTeam


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❝ Playing it safe... tch, too much trouble and effort to properly pursue anyone, especially in this location. ❞ Vanitas felt a tinge of boredom for how he could see that various others were simply settling down and mingling by the looks of it. Along with the boredom, it absolutely pissed him off to see things this way. Why? Even he didn't know. Maybe he craved for the adrenaline of battle, the triumph of victory, the amusement of watching someone beg for their life... he craved it all. And if he couldn't get a taste of that soon, it left a numbing pain of frustration in his darkened heart.

Such negative emotions, which followed that with...

A familiar creature's snarl at his side, followed by another similar sounding one.

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The Unversed. Creatures that stemmed from his presence alone. How funny it was to him, that after all this time he could accidentally summon these creatures when his thoughts led to uncontrollable emotions.

❝ Alright... guess I'm not disposing you yet, not when you can do me a favor. ❞ Vanitas spoke to the Unversed, knowing fully well that they could not speak back to him. He only knew what they wanted, because they were essentially extensions of him. Without another word spoke, the two small Unversed sunk into the ground to become shadows, and traveled to where the caves were. From this distance, it didn't take an idiot to realize that someone was there. In a remote place like that, the Unversed could stir up some trouble. It wasn't like anyone appeared to know him personally, and furthermore, not knowing that he was the source of the Unversed.

Which gave him an idea.

The masked boy had big intentions to make way to the small buildings that he viewed from that cliffside. He didn't intend on staying with any of the groups, and well, no one would really agree with what he had planned. With how unbearably hot it was in this region, Vanitas figured not that many people would come around. It was almost perfect in a way.

The perfect breeding ground to summon the Unversed, cultivating them to become stronger, killing them himself to become stronger. It would be a gradual process, as it did eventually become a strain to summon that many Unversed in one sitting.

He liked this idea.

@Sark
"I'd be willing to join a scouting group, if it will give us more of an advantage," Xiayu said. But for now, she crossed her arms, expressions more obvious now without her mask. "I do wonder...if there are more than one of us left at the end of this week, how does he decide who survives? Will any of us survive, in that case?"

"Oh, please!" Jianyu scoffed. "We're still gonna find this guy and force him to send us back! As if we're all gonna kill each other..." Okay, yeah, maybe if Xiayu or someone here got threatened, then she might get a liiiiittle bit violent. But come on. With their nice little camp, that was totally not happening. "Anyway, if we got Terry setting up the camp and Hyakkimaru fishing, I can go scouting, too." That way she could both stay with her big sis AND avoid doing physical labor! Yes!

@Sark @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York
A roar of thunder emerged from Hnikar's bodyn likely loud enough to turn the bear's attention to him. Once more, the divine, thundering Hnikar appeared to replace the meeker one. Sparks scattered from his glowing, electrically-charged body.

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"This son of man is merely submitting to the instincts given to him by the circle of life, as are you, I assume," Hnikar speaks, assuming a battle stance, "if you crave a meal with energy most boundless, have at thee!"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Sark @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi





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"Let's just see who's slowing who down then," Beetle says, forming a blaster on one hand and aiming it at Superboy. It charged a red energy up, preparing to fire...

@Sark @York @Crow
Oh God...Loa reacted on instinct and tried to get through the snow as fast as she could. If this was the only way to rescue Eli then she'd have to do it. As she got close she reached out towards the bears head in an attempt to use her powers against it. Eli was right they will be needing more than just the fire to keep them warm, so disintegrating the head should keep everything else in shape, right?

Ugh...why did this happen to her?

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @Sark @Red Team




"While getting all of us together would be the best outcome, I don't think that will happen,"
Laura replied to Terry. "What I believe we should be doing is finding the means to somehow rescue all of us from this island. Some way to find Arcade's hiding place. While he might possibly entice others to his side, he is still the biggest threat to us. He is no doubt watching us right now. That might also be a priority after we settle in. To eliminate prying eyes."

@Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @WaterTeam
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"Hm. This is...not natural at all." Nezumi said as he looked down at the fruit. Taking a bite after a short time studying it, he let it sit in his mouth for a minute to see if it effected him in anyway, and if it was somehow poisonous he'd immediately try to spit it out.

@Sark @Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Yun Lee @Water Team

---

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Alice pulled out her gun, aiming for the bear's head, only for Loa to charge in then and the blonde hesitated a moment.

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"Tch. No clear shot." She grumbled, though if Loa and Hnikar somehow didn't succeed she'd be ready to take the shot.

@Crow @Atomic Knight @Sark @Jeremi @Red Team
"That... cool" Terry muttered, pulling his stick from the sand and making his way back to the shore. Before Terry could finish his work, Hyakkimaru would have caught a further two bass, one large and one small. "Good talk, man. Good talk. I'll go... Er... finish that fire"

@Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York @Yun Lee @Takumi @Sark @WaterTeam

"Hate to be a downer, but my guess would be that he plans on killing everyone who sticks around come the end of the week. Unless there's one winner, of course, but I doubt that whoever takes home the belt in the end is going to be anything like the person they were when they arrived" After a minute of absent mindlessly smashing two rocks together, Terry had a spark, igniting the bundle of dried grass that sat between his legs. 'I guess that's what Arcade's plan's all about. Either you die for Arcade, or you kill for Arcade and then become Arcade. I guess the only other way would be to kill Arcade, but even that would play into his hand" Staring into the fire with tired eyes, Terry sighed, slouching further into himself. "I guess if you look at it that way, Arcade has already won..."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York


"You're right... Didn't he mention something having hidden cameras? And having viewers on top of that? I guess that must mean he can hear us too. Its gonna be hard to plot against him whilst he's still looking over out shoulders, that's for sure..." Terry seemed to shudder under the weight of the idea of being watched. For a man who spent half his time in the field under an advanced cloaking device, he couldn't help but feel exposed by the whole situation. "Wait... define 'eliminate'... and define 'prying eyes'... you think he's got spies about the place or something?"

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @York

The moment the fruit touched his tongue, Nezumi would find himself overwhelmed by the greatest sensation he had ever experienced. It tasted amazing. It was like eating all his favorite foods at once, yet somehow they mixed and merged together in a way that neither clashed with nor contradicted each other. In short, it was delicious, and the tree didn't seemed to lack for fruits, to say the least.

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi
"Oh Nice!" Superboy cried, ducking and weaving out of the path of the first tree trunk, running across the second and punching through the third. A burst of heat vision sizzled through the core of the forth. "I could go all night, Ro-boy! But I think its time we upped the stakes!!!"

Tumbling towards the ground like a torpedo, Superboy unleashed a stream of heat from his eyes, dead set of either ramming or scalding Jaime.

"Better watch out, pal! I'm going in for a home run!"

@York @Crow

"After what happened with Laura's magic back at the clearing, I don't know if its worth the risk--" Scott replied "If her teleportation spell went crazy enough to bring us all here, I can't tell what might happen if you cut loose with something more offensive whilst our own troops are so close to the target... we'll have trust them... they'll get out in time... I know they will..."

All of a sudden the bear stumbled backwards, the remnants of its paw reeling from Loa's counter attack. With a ear splitting growl, it pulled its wounded arm inwards and began to cradle it along its chest. Huffing, puffing and wincing through the pain, the beast seemed to lose all reason and stumbled backwards for a few moments, its guard crumbling.

"Get out of there, Loa!" Scott cried from atop the ridge "Its hurt! We can fall back and--"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

SCHUNK!

Hnikar's spear passed right through the torso of the wounded bear and out the other side, coating himself, Loa and Eli in a sudden spray of red. The wound seemed to have narrowly avoided the heart itself, no doubt a testament to the bear's panicked stumble following Loa's attack, but caused enough harm to fell the bear along the way. With a pained cry, the beast began to tumble forward, falling further onto the blade.


Gruuuuughhhhhhh

There it lied, belly down, barely wheezing. Its right eye remained open, stilling blinking and twitching through what one could only imagine was great pain. Brushing the snow from his jacket, Eli made his way back towards the ridge, not caring to thank his team for their effort. He obviously had everything under control.

"You... killed it..."

"What did you expect him to do? Befriend it? It's kill or be killed, Summers. I thought your Scout's Code of Honour would at least allow to kill some dumb animal"

"We could have retreated... Regrouped"

"And then starve to death come morning"

Eli took the flaming torch and knife from Scott's hand before making has way back down the hill and towards the bear. Taking the blade in a reversed grip, he finally finished off the poor create with a swift strike to the head, before preparing to skin it and dry out its furs.

"If you're too weak to kill so much as a bear, Scott, I can't see you surviving out here much longer. Maybe we'd be better off skinning you; At least the bear had the guts to come down from the ridge when things got messy..."

--------------------------------
The walk back to camp was long and arduous, and somehow, even colder than it had been the first time around. As the sun slowly began to set over the Great Ranges and the night began to close in, Eli's smug expression seemed to burn its way into Scott's thoughts. Through the blistering winds and the cruel licks of snow, the furs of the Great Bear were a Godsend, and a blessing they could not turn down. The Read Team, now two members larger than it once been, soon saw the streams of light pouring from their camp stretching through the frozen frees. Clad in ponchos of animal fur and dragging hunks of bloodied meat behind them, one notion haunted Scott Summers; in order to survive the night, Eli had made him and those he had promised to protect into savages.

Once the team arrived back at the camp fire, and their small wooden tents were erected, the sky seemed to light up with a strange blue glow. Already tired and disgusted by all he had seen, Scott remained silent, turning his eyes away from the roasting meat and up towards the footage projected onto the skyline.

"What the..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
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"For now all we'll have to do is survive and work together while we can"~~ Nezumi, Day One
"You all seem rational... as long as we all stick together... we can... find a way to get out of here"~~ Xiayu, Day One
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@Lake Team
--------------------------
As the chill of the night began to close in, the Scouts and Foragers would find themselves compelled to return to their camp, their spoils of war in tow. Upon their return they would find that the riverbank had been transformed completely. The area was now sprinkled humble tents built from foraged sticks and centered around a large glowing campfire, complete with seats carved from a fallen tree trunk. Across the campfire sat a boiling pot built from a large shell Terry and found a few meters upstream from Hyakkirmaru's fishing spot, and just below it sat the wooded skewer he had used to fry up the first patch of the fisherman's fish. Across half a dozen humble leaf plates sat their meals for the evening- half a bass and a one of Nezumi's foraged fruits, washed down be a mouthful of warm water. It wasn't much, but their humble campsite was starting to look like home.

"So what do you call this stuff anyway, Nez?" Terry swallowed a mouthful of the strange new fruit. "The way I see it, you discovered the stuff. Makes sense that you should get to name it. You better pick something good, because man. Jianyu was right; this stuff tastes like home"

Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed hard again, and sighed.

"Sorry... guess with all that's happened, I haven't really let myself think of home too much. I guess in the heat of the moment, not dying became more important... but now? I can't help but miss having a bed... and eating utensils... and all that normal stuff I sorta took for granted. And don't get me started on all the people..."

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"Never thought I'd say this... but I'd rather go for 4 rounds with Bane in his prime than go through another 5 days of this... at least if I got my butt kicked back home, I'd have someone to visit me in hospital... but if Arcade's telling the truth about us being forgotten somehow... I don't know... that bugs me a little... hate to be a downer... but its a thought I can't shake..."



"Typical!!!???!!!"

A voice tore through the jungle like a razor wind.

"Let me assure you, my dear, sweet Jiayu: there is absolutely nothing 'Typical' about-"

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In a flash of blue fire, the ground waves began to part, sending the river into a frantic rush. Steam rose from the depths of the bank, and from it, rose Arcade, his tailcoat dancing in the wind.

"Another glorious entrance, right? Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Well, hate to rip the band aid off, kids, but I'm not about to waste my weak sipping cocktails in some secret underground lair! No sir-ee! I've got bigger... fish to fry, so to speak. I mean, none of you have heard what out lovely viewers at home have been saying about your performance so far!"

Pulling an obnoxiously long paper list from his pocket with a theatrical wrist flick, Arcade began to read:

"Suzie from Mississippi says: I love that guy with the sword hands. Can't wait for hit to ram them through someone's head later on in the game"

"Me too Suzie, me too"

"Shion from the West District says: Oh no, not the bees! Stop! No! Noooo!"

"Ah, heart warming words spat straight from one of my favourite death traps. Beautiful..."

"Gavrill Kinney from... some dump named 'Warp World' says: my sister's gonna kill you for this you---...."

"Huh. Sorta just fades off into screaming there. Huh. Well, let's home that Gavrill's comments are a little more enlightening... But hey, whilst she's busy in the infirmary, how about we check out some statistics! Who doesn't love statistics!"


-----------------------------------
"Who's got the best odds of taking home the belt today? Who, based on all their actions so far, is most likely to stop you from seeing your loved ones ever again? Who should you try to take out as soon as you can? Well, in a very particular order, it is:

1. Laura Kinney/ Weapon Hex (15%)
2. Nezumi (13%)
3. Xiayu (11%)
4. Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle (9%)
5. Hnikar (9%)
6. Alice Swayne (8.5%)
7. Warren Worthington III/ Angel (7.7%)
8. Alani Ryan/ Loa (7.6%)
9. Billy Batson/ Shazam (7%)
10. Eli/ Liquid Snake (6%)
---------------------------------

"Great stuff, right? Who doesn't love numbers! Now, for the rest of you, who doesn't want to see some of our best bits?"

In a flash, the sky became akin to a screen, projecting footage from the previous day across the entire island. No matter where the remaining teams were, they could see footage of the previous day displayed across the arena:

"Best Play of the Match": Nezumi's Violent Piggyback Ride of Death!

"Best Kill of the Match": Hnikar and his Bear Kebab!

"Best Assist of the Match": Loa's Anti-Bear Barrier!

"Best Villain": Vanitas and his Unversed!

"Best Hero": Alice Swayne, and her expert fire starting!
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"Now, its time to hear from our boots on the ground: tell me, Champions: are you still feeling great about your little Great Lakes Alliance? Are you all shocked to hear that the Red Team is... yano... still alive? And the just evicerated one of mother nature's strongest? Gimme your thoughts!!!! Go on! Tell me me!! Tell the crowd!!!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
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Kara In-Ze
@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @Yun Lee

Kara looked relieved upon finding that stream, though she didn't join the others in drinking from it just yet. Argonians didn't need to drink, did they?

Well, granted she liked her share of junk food, and ate with others out of courtesy... And of course she needed to breathe like any other. Even Clark himself couldn't avoid that one, but... She never really had been stuck in a survival situation until now.

Regardless, she'll drink when she was thirsty.

Instead, she too, began to wonder about how things will go from here. Max and Beetle had run off in pursuit of Kid Flash, the former seeming to have this look of killing intent in his eyes.

While she had initially wanted to follow suit, she instead figured it was better to remain behind.

Right now, she was idly watching Hyakkimaru fish, contemplating whether or not her heat vision could be used to properly cook something. Though hey, if Clark used his to shave, maybe she could figure something out, right?

It was around the time Terry mentioned going to start the fire that Kara decided to follow.

"I'll go help. Heat vision, you know?" She said, somewhat dismissively.

Though even she knew that this alone only helped start a fire. Tinder, and keeping it going, as well as contained? That was a whole other story. Really, she was only following Terry because she didn't know what else to do at the moment.

That and she wanted to keep an eye on the group, because who knows what might happen.

It was however around the time the topic of hidden cameras, and ways that Arcade might be observing them popped up that she suddenly thought of something.

"Wait! Does that mean we can't get ANY privacy around here?!" She exclaimed suddenly, her cheeks flushing a little red.

Her eyes began to dart around frantically, as she used her x-ray vision, coupled with her heightened senses to try and see if she could spot anything like a camera, or some other viewing/listening device around her.

The sudden revalation that Arcade was invading her privacy didn't seem to be sitting too well with this poor Argonian.

...

Regardless of what happened in the aftermath of her little outburst, Kara was just happy to settle down with the rest of the people setting up camp, though she seemed a little hesitant to bite into her food.

While it was plentifull, she wasn't so sure she needed it yet, so maybe she should save it for later?

And besides, with Terry talking about home, she couldn't help but be reminded of how much she missed home herself. And to be potentially forgotten by her loved ones was too painfull to think about.

Like Terry, she too seemed a little down, at least for now.

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"You know... I'd take Smallville over this any day. I hated living being cooped up on that farm, but hey! At least I didn't have to figure out ways not to kill people, right?" She said, a distant look passing over her as she spoke.

It almost seemed like she was in a trance, like the situation itself was just too surreal for her right now.



Max Griffin
@Sark @Crow

Max laughed at Beetle's proposition to work with Superboy, though... In the end, that attempt wouldn't bear fruit anyways, even if he had decided to join the two. Superboy seemed to be on Kid Flash's side in this department, which meant that he was going to be a liability, an obstruction.

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"I work alone now... I don't need help from you, or anyone." He said, leering at Superboy and Beetle, though... The former right now was the bigger threat, so for now, he decided not to attack Beetle yet.

Piecing together what he discovered as he was trailing Kid Flash, it was obvious someone else had picked up his slack. An 'Angel' apparently, one that Superboy was obeying the orders of for now. Or perhaps he just enjoyed a good fight, as he saw from his fight with Beetle, in either case, he didn't care.

Max saw an opening as Blue Beetle distracted Superboy, giving him time to strike without warning. He didn't care about making the battle 'fair' or anything, just about winning.

That had always been the case ever since he had lost Layra all those years ago now...

A blue light suddenly flared up in his stone, gathered some kind of kinetic energy in his hands, growing in strenght, and temperature as he carefully lined up his attack... And then, he unleashed it.

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A wave of what looked to be blue, searing light hurtled towards Superboy, with enough force to destroy a reasonably sized aircraft. Max seemed to be focused on moving this wave of light, directing it to compensate for any movements Superboy made, but it was hard to say how well he would do against a Kryptonian.

After all, while Max had faced many powerfull foes during his time on Alledia, he had yet to face someone as powerfull as Superboy... At least as far as he could remember.​
 
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Jianyu settled in nicely to the little camp, grateful that Terry did all the dirty work. Guys sure were useful...well, the ones who weren't power-hungry and making you their mind-controlled puppets of death. As she greedily scarfed down her portion, she nodded.

"Believe me, I am right with you. I've always hated roughing it. There are so many labor-saving devices out there, y'know? We shouldn't let them go to waste!"

Xiayu smiled at her sister, but the other thing Terry said took her humor away. "That doesn't sit right with me, either. That, and the fact that he knows so much about the people back home." She shuddered. "Those girls he mentioned this morning...he knows about their mental state and I..." She looked down into her lap, clenching her fist in her lap. "...I know we can't let him get to us, but-"

Oh, fantastic. Speak of the devil indeed.

Xiayu had no comment on anything, not even how highly he ranked her on his survival list. If he wanted a reaction so badly from them, he certainly wasn't going to get one from her. When he was done, she turned her attention to her food, eating in silence.

The same could not be said for Jianyu, though, who rolled her eyes in irritation. "Oh, great. It's you. It's almost like you were waiting for someone to mention-"

WUMP!

"Ow!!" Jianyu gripped her calf, glaring at her sister. Xiayu merely crossed her ankles and innocently kept on eating.

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York
 
From the two shadows that lingered, one emerged from the ground once close enough, but it was greeted with a cold icy attack instead. It didn't seem like a lot of effort was needed to combat the small physical shadow, fading away in a weak mass of darkness before fully becoming nothing. The other Unversed remained in it's shadow form from within the ground, appearing as a similar shadow that bore no physical form. It passively tailed them, especially after one of its kind were defeated like so.

@Lucky @dark @Alex Azure @Sark
@PurpleTeam


❝ ! ❞ Vanitas didn't know why but he felt pain. It wasn't that he didn't know where that pain came from, he knew very well that a single Unversed was defeated out there. It was more that he didn't know why he felt pain form that when he knew that he was extremely familiar to this pain, and that he should be used to it by now. Night was taking over at this time, which mean he might as well keep on going until he could find a suitable place to rest and train himself for when he made the move on attacking whoever.

For a moment, he felt the need to breathe to ignore the pain he felt, feeling the loose strands of darkness find its way back to him. The loose remnants of the single defeated Unversed. It bothered him only a little, being bombarded with this feeling again. He needed to forget, to ignore, to push away this feeling. So he saw no reason to take off his mask, it wasn't like he had to keep this mask on, but it was something he grew up with after all.


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❝ Just a little further... I have to prove myself, or what's the point. ❞ He muses to himself as he made his way to the small mountainside buildings in the drylands. He mostly drowned out the supposed highlights that Arcade was projecting to the rest of the island through the sky. However, he gritted his teeth at the moment of himself and his Unversed. Suppose that wasn't a surprise anymore.

@Sark
@Drylands


Hyakkimaru was only munching at a piece of the fish he caught when Arcade showed up right near their campsite. The boy felt all sorts of emotions wanting to burst out, mainly hatred. He mentally restrained himself from lashing out, considering that this man was the sole reason he wasn't home right now, unable to protect the very little family he had left. He remained eerily silent when something about him was mentioned, crudely referring to his prosthetics. For now, he pretended that he didn't hear Arcade. He already couldn't actually see other people so pretending that he lacked hearing wasn't that hard off.

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @York
@LakeTeam
 
"Oh Nice!" Superboy cried, ducking and weaving out of the path of the first tree trunk, running across the second and punching through the third. A burst of heat vision sizzled through the core of the forth. "I could go all night, Ro-boy! But I think its time we upped the stakes!!!"

Tumbling towards the ground like a torpedo, Superboy unleashed a stream of heat from his eyes, dead set of either ramming or scalding Jaime.

"Better watch out, pal! I'm going in for a home run!"

@York @Crow

"After what happened with Laura's magic back at the clearing, I don't know if its worth the risk--" Scott replied "If her teleportation spell went crazy enough to bring us all here, I can't tell what might happen if you cut loose with something more offensive whilst our own troops are so close to the target... we'll have trust them... they'll get out in time... I know they will..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

All of a sudden the bear stumbled backwards, the remnants of its paw reeling from Loa's counter attack. With a ear splitting growl, it pulled its wounded arm inwards and began to cradle it along its chest. Huffing, puffing and wincing through the pain, the beast seemed to lose all reason and stumbled backwards for a few moments, its guard crumbling.

"Get out of there, Loa!" Scott cried from atop the ridge "Its hurt! We can fall back and--"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi


SCHUNK!

Hnikar's spear passed right through the torso of the wounded bear and out the other side, coating himself, Loa and Eli in a sudden spray of red. The wound seemed to have narrowly avoided the heart itself, no doubt a testament to the bear's panicked stumble following Loa's attack, but caused enough harm to fell the bear along the way. With a pained cry, the beast began to tumble forward, falling further onto the blade.


Gruuuuughhhhhhh

There it lied, belly down, barely wheezing. Its right eye remained open, stilling blinking and twitching through what one could only imagine was great pain. Brushing the snow from his jacket, Eli made his way back towards the ridge, not caring to thank his team for their effort. He obviously had everything under control.

"You... killed it..."

"What did you expect him to do? Befriend it? It's kill or be killed, Summers. I thought your Scout's Code of Honour would at least allow to kill some dumb animal"

"We could have retreated... Regrouped"

"And then starve to death come morning"

Eli took the flaming torch and knife from Scott's hand before making has way back down the hill and towards the bear. Taking the blade in a reversed grip, he finally finished off the poor create with a swift strike to the head, before preparing to skin it and dry out its furs.

"If you're too weak to kill so much as a bear, Scott, I can't see you surviving out here much longer. Maybe we'd be better off skinning you; At least the bear had the guts to come down from the ridge when things got messy..."

--------------------------------
The walk back to camp was long and arduous, and somehow, even colder than it had been the first time around. As the sun slowly began to set over the Great Ranges and the night began to close in, Eli's smug expression seemed to burn its way into Scott's thoughts. Through the blistering winds and the cruel licks of snow, the furs of the Great Bear were a Godsend, and a blessing they could not turn down. The Read Team, now two members larger than it once been, soon saw the streams of light pouring from their camp stretching through the frozen frees. Clad in ponchos of animal fur and dragging hunks of bloodied meat behind them, one notion haunted Scott Summers; in order to survive the night, Eli had made him and those he had promised to protect into savages.

Once the team arrived back at the camp fire, and their small wooden tents were erected, the sky seemed to light up with a strange blue glow. Already tired and disgusted by all he had seen, Scott remained silent, turning his eyes away from the roasting meat and up towards the footage projected onto the skyline.

"What the..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
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a5ecedfa5cde97f8cf4bc8f81c7fb9c0.png

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----------------------------
"For now all we'll have to do is survive and work together while we can"~~ Nezumi, Day One
"You all seem rational... as long as we all stick together... we can... find a way to get out of here"~~ Xiayu, Day One
----------------------------
@Lake Team
--------------------------
As the chill of the night began to close in, the Scouts and Foragers would find themselves compelled to return to their camp, their spoils of war in tow. Upon their return they would find that the riverbank had been transformed completely. The area was now sprinkled humble tents built from foraged sticks and centered around a large glowing campfire, complete with seats carved from a fallen tree trunk. Across the campfire sat a boiling pot built from a large shell Terry and found a few meters upstream from Hyakkirmaru's fishing spot, and just below it sat the wooded skewer he had used to fry up the first patch of the fisherman's fish. Across half a dozen humble leaf plates sat their meals for the evening- half a bass and a one of Nezumi's foraged fruits, washed down be a mouthful of warm water. It wasn't much, but their humble campsite was starting to look like home.

"So what do you call this stuff anyway, Nez?" Terry swallowed a mouthful of the strange new fruit. "The way I see it, you discovered the stuff. Makes sense that you should get to name it. You better pick something good, because man. Jianyu was right; this stuff tastes like home"

Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed hard again, and sighed.

"Sorry... guess with all that's happened, I haven't really let myself think of home too much. I guess in the heat of the moment, not dying became more important... but now? I can't help but miss having a bed... and eating utensils... and all that normal stuff I sorta took for granted. And don't get me started on all the people..."

View attachment 3670
"Never thought I'd say this... but I'd rather go for 4 rounds with Bane in his prime than go through another 5 days of this... at least if I got my butt kicked back home, I'd have someone to visit me in hospital... but if Arcade's telling the truth about us being forgotten somehow... I don't know... that bugs me a little... hate to be a downer... but its a thought I can't shake..."



"Typical!!!???!!!"

A voice tore through the jungle like a razor wind.

"Let me assure you, my dear, sweet Jiayu: there is absolutely nothing 'Typical' about-"

View attachment 3672

In a flash of blue fire, the ground waves began to part, sending the river into a frantic rush. Steam rose from the depths of the bank, and from it, rose Arcade, his tailcoat dancing in the wind.

"Another glorious entrance, right? Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Well, hate to rip the band aid off, kids, but I'm not about to waste my weak sipping cocktails in some secret underground lair! No sir-ee! I've got bigger... fish to fry, so to speak. I mean, none of you have heard what out lovely viewers at home have been saying about your performance so far!"

Pulling an obnoxiously long paper list from his pocket with a theatrical wrist flick, Arcade began to read:

"Suzie from Mississippi says: I love that guy with the sword hands. Can't wait for hit to ram them through someone's head later on in the game"

"Me too Suzie, me too"

"Shion from the West District says: Oh no, not the bees! Stop! No! Noooo!"

"Ah, heart warming words spat straight from one of my favourite death traps. Beautiful..."

"Gavrill Kinney from... some dump named 'Warp World' says: my sister's gonna kill you for this you---...."

"Huh. Sorta just fades off into screaming there. Huh. Well, let's home that Gavrill's comments are a little more enlightening... But hey, whilst she's busy in the infirmary, how about we check out some statistics! Who doesn't love statistics!"


-----------------------------------
"Who's got the best odds of taking home the belt today? Who, based on all their actions so far, is most likely to stop you from seeing your loved ones ever again? Who should you try to take out as soon as you can? Well, in a very particular order, it is:

1. Laura Kinney/ Weapon Hex (15%)
2. Nezumi (13%)
3. Xiayu (11%)
4. Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle (9%)
5. Hnikar (9%)
6. Alice Swayne (8.5%)
7. Warren Worthington III/ Angel (7.7%)
8. Alani Ryan/ Loa (7.6%)
9. Billy Batson/ Shazam (7%)
10. Eli/ Liquid Snake (6%)
---------------------------------

"Great stuff, right? Who doesn't love numbers! Now, for the rest of you, who doesn't want to see some of our best bits?"

In a flash, the sky became akin to a screen, projecting footage from the previous day across the entire island. No matter where the remaining teams were, they could see footage of the previous day displayed across the arena:

------------------------------
"Best Play of the Match": Nezumi's Violent Piggyback Ride of Death!

"Best Kill of the Match": Hnikar and his Bear Kebab!

"Best Assist of the Match": Loa's Anti-Bear Barrier!

"Best Villain": Vanitas and his Unversed!

"Best Hero": Alice Swayne, and her expert fire starting!
-----------------------------
View attachment 3675
"Now, its time to hear from our boots on the ground: tell me, Champions: are you still feeling great about your little Great Lakes Alliance? Are you all shocked to hear that the Red Team is... yano... still alive? And the just evicerated one of mother nature's strongest? Gimme your thoughts!!!! Go on! Tell me me!! Tell the crowd!!!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
----------------------------------
-------------------------------------​

After the bear had been felled and they set up camp properly she noticed Cyclops looking rather furlong and was going to comfort him. "You know when my powers first manifested it was to defend myself and my dad against a group of great white sharks. It just fell into pieces as it went through me and well...it didn't feel great, but my dad's life was on the line. It's the same here, if we didn't hunt it we'd not actually get any food today and leaving a wounded animal to just wander around is just cruel."

This wasn't as comforting as she had originally planned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...we just need to do what we can to survive an- what's that?" Looking up to the sky she'd see the broadcast emerging. Wonder what it was going to reveal?


@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam




Laura had sat quietly listened to the others talk when Arcade made his appearance. She showed no emotions as he played out soundbites from what she could only assume was his captives. Though she smiled hearing her sisters words. I will save you she thought to herself. She was also happy to see that the Red Team seemed to still be alive, good. No more deaths to her conscious just yet at least.

As Arcade gloated above them she only gave him the briefest of glances before looking back over to the lake. He was just playing games and Laura would have none of it.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
 
Last edited:
Kate was far from in the mood to give Arcade's little show any attention. He was getting little in the way of actual killing, so that was all she really cared about. She decided to join Loa and Scott, feeling a bit drained from working in the cold all day.

0DBCrty.png


"She's right," Kate said after a sigh. "We didn't have much a choice in the matter, you know? Sometimes we get put into... these impossible situations that really suck, honestly. All we can do is try and keep our dignity and integrity going forward." That sounded a bit cool, right? Kate cleared her throat and moved closer to Loa. "Hey, we got a bit interrupted before. You asked if I was one of the Hawkeyes? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am and all."

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Crow



Steven wasn't having any of this.

BfptlUz.png


"It's great that they're still alive!" he said, giving Arcade a dramatic finger point. "We're gonna team up with them and show you that what you're doing is completely wrong! We're all good people deep down... and we're all way stronger than you think!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam
 
Kate was far from in the mood to give Arcade's little show any attention. He was getting little in the way of actual killing, so that was all she really cared about. She decided to join Loa and Scott, feeling a bit drained from working in the cold all day.

0DBCrty.png


"She's right," Kate said after a sigh. "We didn't have much a choice in the matter, you know? Sometimes we get put into... these impossible situations that really suck, honestly. All we can do is try and keep our dignity and integrity going forward." That sounded a bit cool, right? Kate cleared her throat and moved closer to Loa. "Hey, we got a bit interrupted before. You asked if I was one of the Hawkeyes? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am and all."

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Crow



Steven wasn't having any of this.

BfptlUz.png


"It's great that they're still alive!" he said, giving Arcade a dramatic finger point. "We're gonna team up with them and show you that what you're doing is completely wrong! We're all good people deep down... and we're all way stronger than you think!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam

"Oh I just...I just like watching your show,"
She smiled. "Me and a few others are supporting it since Quire's there, even if he's a huge asshole, got to support mutants on TV, right? Also," She patted Kate on her shoulder. "Sorry you didn't get someone better."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow
 
Jianyu settled in nicely to the little camp, grateful that Terry did all the dirty work. Guys sure were useful...well, the ones who weren't power-hungry and making you their mind-controlled puppets of death. As she greedily scarfed down her portion, she nodded.

"Believe me, I am right with you. I've always hated roughing it. There are so many labor-saving devices out there, y'know? We shouldn't let them go to waste!"

Xiayu smiled at her sister, but the other thing Terry said took her humor away. "That doesn't sit right with me, either. That, and the fact that he knows so much about the people back home." She shuddered. "Those girls he mentioned this morning...he knows about their mental state and I..." She looked down into her lap, clenching her fist in her lap. "...I know we can't let him get to us, but-"

Oh, fantastic. Speak of the devil indeed.

Xiayu had no comment on anything, not even how highly he ranked her on his survival list. If he wanted a reaction so badly from them, he certainly wasn't going to get one from her. When he was done, she turned her attention to her food, eating in silence.

The same could not be said for Jianyu, though, who rolled her eyes in irritation. "Oh, great. It's you. It's almost like you were waiting for someone to mention-"

WUMP!

"Ow!!" Jianyu gripped her calf, glaring at her sister. Xiayu merely crossed her ankles and innocently kept on eating.

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York
From the two shadows that lingered, one emerged from the ground once close enough, but it was greeted with a cold icy attack instead. It didn't seem like a lot of effort was needed to combat the small physical shadow, fading away in a weak mass of darkness before fully becoming nothing. The other Unversed remained in it's shadow form from within the ground, appearing as a similar shadow that bore no physical form. It passively tailed them, especially after one of its kind were defeated like so.

@Lucky @dark @Alex Azure @Sark
@PurpleTeam


❝ ! ❞ Vanitas didn't know why but he felt pain. It wasn't that he didn't know where that pain came from, he knew very well that a single Unversed was defeated out there. It was more that he didn't know why he felt pain form that when he knew that he was extremely familiar to this pain, and that he should be used to it by now. Night was taking over at this time, which mean he might as well keep on going until he could find a suitable place to rest and train himself for when he made the move on attacking whoever.

For a moment, he felt the need to breathe to ignore the pain he felt, feeling the loose strands of darkness find its way back to him. The loose remnants of the single defeated Unversed. It bothered him only a little, being bombarded with this feeling again. He needed to forget, to ignore, to push away this feeling. So he saw no reason to take off his mask, it wasn't like he had to keep this mask on, but it was something he grew up with after all.


3KIpKfi.png


❝ Just a little further... I have to prove myself, or what's the point. ❞ He muses to himself as he made his way to the small mountainside buildings in the drylands. He mostly drowned out the supposed highlights that Arcade was projecting to the rest of the island through the sky. However, he gritted his teeth at the moment of himself and his Unversed. Suppose that wasn't a surprise anymore.

@Sark
@Drylands


Hyakkimaru was only munching at a piece of the fish he caught when Arcade showed up right near their campsite. The boy felt all sorts of emotions wanting to burst out, mainly hatred. He mentally restrained himself from lashing out, considering that this man was the sole reason he wasn't home right now, unable to protect the very little family he had left. He remained eerily silent when something about him was mentioned, crudely referring to his prosthetics. For now, he pretended that he didn't hear Arcade. He already couldn't actually see other people so pretending that he lacked hearing wasn't that hard off.

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @York
@LakeTeam
After the bear had been felled and they set up camp properly she noticed Cyclops looking rather furlong and was going to comfort him. "You know when my powers first manifested it was to defend myself and my dad against a group of great white sharks. It just fell into pieces as it went through me and well...it didn't feel great, but my dad's life was on the line. It's the same here, if we didn't hunt it we'd not actually get any food today and leaving a wounded animal to just wander around is just cruel."

This wasn't as comforting as she had originally planned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...we just need to do what we can to survive an- what's that?" Looking up to the sky she'd see the broadcast emerging. Wonder what it was going to reveal?


@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam




Laura had sat quietly listened to the others talk when Arcade made his appearance. She showed no emotions as he played out soundbites from what she could only assume was his captives. Though she smiled hearing her sisters words. I will save you she thought to herself. She was also happy to see that the Red Team seemed to still be alive, good. No more deaths to her conscious just yet at least.

As Arcade gloated above them she only gave him the briefest of glances before looking back over to the lake. He was just playing games and Laura would have none of it.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
Kate was far from in the mood to give Arcade's little show any attention. He was getting little in the way of actual killing, so that was all she really cared about. She decided to join Loa and Scott, feeling a bit drained from working in the cold all day.

0DBCrty.png


"She's right," Kate said after a sigh. "We didn't have much a choice in the matter, you know? Sometimes we get put into... these impossible situations that really suck, honestly. All we can do is try and keep our dignity and integrity going forward." That sounded a bit cool, right? Kate cleared her throat and moved closer to Loa. "Hey, we got a bit interrupted before. You asked if I was one of the Hawkeyes? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am and all."

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Crow



Steven wasn't having any of this.

BfptlUz.png


"It's great that they're still alive!" he said, giving Arcade a dramatic finger point. "We're gonna team up with them and show you that what you're doing is completely wrong! We're all good people deep down... and we're all way stronger than you think!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam
Kara In-Ze
@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
@LakeTeam

Steven's retort sparked this fire within Kara, her initially mopey mood suddenly dissipating as she caught her second wind.

2BQuKNW.png


"Yeah! You tell him Steven! Like it or not Arcade, we're getting through this together!" She shouted triumphiantly.

Perhaps it wasn't the wisest of moves considering Arcade might be able to kill her or Steven at any moment, but right now, she didn't seem to remember that just yet.

She locked eyes with Isabeau, and the others gathered here right before she continued.

"Who's with me? Say 'I'!!!"

It looks like Kara was trying to raise the morale a little further, but... Perhaps drawing attention to herself like this was a mistake. Just one that she didn't consider too much in the heat of the moment.​
 
"Oh Nice!" Superboy cried, ducking and weaving out of the path of the first tree trunk, running across the second and punching through the third. A burst of heat vision sizzled through the core of the forth. "I could go all night, Ro-boy! But I think its time we upped the stakes!!!"

Tumbling towards the ground like a torpedo, Superboy unleashed a stream of heat from his eyes, dead set of either ramming or scalding Jaime.

"Better watch out, pal! I'm going in for a home run!"

@York @Crow

At the blink of an eye, Blue Beetle's entire coating had transformed into a reflective surface, with Superboy's heat vision bouncing off, scattering to decimate nearby trees and a good fraction of it reflecting back at him. During this, Beetle would rush forward to deliver a high-powered punch to knock him back.

With nighttime coming, Beetle knew he'd have an advantage.

Durinf his dash, various slits opened throughout his suit, each of them releasing a red glow. Without the morning sunlight to block out all other lights, these red lights emerging from him would be the dominant lights, shining with enough radiance to illuminate a hundred rooms.

Superboy might soon realise that these red lights were red sun radiation.

"Nice lightshow you got there, how do you like mine?"

With that quip, the punch was ready to connect...

@Sark @York @Crow



"After what happened with Laura's magic back at the clearing, I don't know if its worth the risk--" Scott replied "If her teleportation spell went crazy enough to bring us all here, I can't tell what might happen if you cut loose with something more offensive whilst our own troops are so close to the target... we'll have trust them... they'll get out in time... I know they will..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

All of a sudden the bear stumbled backwards, the remnants of its paw reeling from Loa's counter attack. With a ear splitting growl, it pulled its wounded arm inwards and began to cradle it along its chest. Huffing, puffing and wincing through the pain, the beast seemed to lose all reason and stumbled backwards for a few moments, its guard crumbling.

"Get out of there, Loa!" Scott cried from atop the ridge "Its hurt! We can fall back and--"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi


SCHUNK!

Hnikar's spear passed right through the torso of the wounded bear and out the other side, coating himself, Loa and Eli in a sudden spray of red. The wound seemed to have narrowly avoided the heart itself, no doubt a testament to the bear's panicked stumble following Loa's attack, but caused enough harm to fell the bear along the way. With a pained cry, the beast began to tumble forward, falling further onto the blade.


Gruuuuughhhhhhh

There it lied, belly down, barely wheezing. Its right eye remained open, stilling blinking and twitching through what one could only imagine was great pain. Brushing the snow from his jacket, Eli made his way back towards the ridge, not caring to thank his team for their effort. He obviously had everything under control.

"You... killed it..."

"What did you expect him to do? Befriend it? It's kill or be killed, Summers. I thought your Scout's Code of Honour would at least allow to kill some dumb animal"

"We could have retreated... Regrouped"

"And then starve to death come morning"

Eli took the flaming torch and knife from Scott's hand before making has way back down the hill and towards the bear. Taking the blade in a reversed grip, he finally finished off the poor create with a swift strike to the head, before preparing to skin it and dry out its furs.

"If you're too weak to kill so much as a bear, Scott, I can't see you surviving out here much longer. Maybe we'd be better off skinning you; At least the bear had the guts to come down from the ridge when things got messy..."

--------------------------------
The walk back to camp was long and arduous, and somehow, even colder than it had been the first time around. As the sun slowly began to set over the Great Ranges and the night began to close in, Eli's smug expression seemed to burn its way into Scott's thoughts. Through the blistering winds and the cruel licks of snow, the furs of the Great Bear were a Godsend, and a blessing they could not turn down. The Read Team, now two members larger than it once been, soon saw the streams of light pouring from their camp stretching through the frozen frees. Clad in ponchos of animal fur and dragging hunks of bloodied meat behind them, one notion haunted Scott Summers; in order to survive the night, Eli had made him and those he had promised to protect into savages.

Once the team arrived back at the camp fire, and their small wooden tents were erected, the sky seemed to light up with a strange blue glow. Already tired and disgusted by all he had seen, Scott remained silent, turning his eyes away from the roasting meat and up towards the footage projected onto the skyline.

"What the..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
-----------------------------
a5ecedfa5cde97f8cf4bc8f81c7fb9c0.png

----------------------------
----------------------------
"For now all we'll have to do is survive and work together while we can"~~ Nezumi, Day One
"You all seem rational... as long as we all stick together... we can... find a way to get out of here"~~ Xiayu, Day One
----------------------------
@Lake Team
--------------------------
As the chill of the night began to close in, the Scouts and Foragers would find themselves compelled to return to their camp, their spoils of war in tow. Upon their return they would find that the riverbank had been transformed completely. The area was now sprinkled humble tents built from foraged sticks and centered around a large glowing campfire, complete with seats carved from a fallen tree trunk. Across the campfire sat a boiling pot built from a large shell Terry and found a few meters upstream from Hyakkirmaru's fishing spot, and just below it sat the wooded skewer he had used to fry up the first patch of the fisherman's fish. Across half a dozen humble leaf plates sat their meals for the evening- half a bass and a one of Nezumi's foraged fruits, washed down be a mouthful of warm water. It wasn't much, but their humble campsite was starting to look like home.

"So what do you call this stuff anyway, Nez?" Terry swallowed a mouthful of the strange new fruit. "The way I see it, you discovered the stuff. Makes sense that you should get to name it. You better pick something good, because man. Jianyu was right; this stuff tastes like home"

Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed hard again, and sighed.

"Sorry... guess with all that's happened, I haven't really let myself think of home too much. I guess in the heat of the moment, not dying became more important... but now? I can't help but miss having a bed... and eating utensils... and all that normal stuff I sorta took for granted. And don't get me started on all the people..."

View attachment 3670
"Never thought I'd say this... but I'd rather go for 4 rounds with Bane in his prime than go through another 5 days of this... at least if I got my butt kicked back home, I'd have someone to visit me in hospital... but if Arcade's telling the truth about us being forgotten somehow... I don't know... that bugs me a little... hate to be a downer... but its a thought I can't shake..."



"Typical!!!???!!!"

A voice tore through the jungle like a razor wind.

"Let me assure you, my dear, sweet Jiayu: there is absolutely nothing 'Typical' about-"

View attachment 3672

In a flash of blue fire, the ground waves began to part, sending the river into a frantic rush. Steam rose from the depths of the bank, and from it, rose Arcade, his tailcoat dancing in the wind.

"Another glorious entrance, right? Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Well, hate to rip the band aid off, kids, but I'm not about to waste my weak sipping cocktails in some secret underground lair! No sir-ee! I've got bigger... fish to fry, so to speak. I mean, none of you have heard what out lovely viewers at home have been saying about your performance so far!"

Pulling an obnoxiously long paper list from his pocket with a theatrical wrist flick, Arcade began to read:

"Suzie from Mississippi says: I love that guy with the sword hands. Can't wait for hit to ram them through someone's head later on in the game"

"Me too Suzie, me too"

"Shion from the West District says: Oh no, not the bees! Stop! No! Noooo!"

"Ah, heart warming words spat straight from one of my favourite death traps. Beautiful..."

"Gavrill Kinney from... some dump named 'Warp World' says: my sister's gonna kill you for this you---...."

"Huh. Sorta just fades off into screaming there. Huh. Well, let's home that Gavrill's comments are a little more enlightening... But hey, whilst she's busy in the infirmary, how about we check out some statistics! Who doesn't love statistics!"


-----------------------------------
"Who's got the best odds of taking home the belt today? Who, based on all their actions so far, is most likely to stop you from seeing your loved ones ever again? Who should you try to take out as soon as you can? Well, in a very particular order, it is:

1. Laura Kinney/ Weapon Hex (15%)
2. Nezumi (13%)
3. Xiayu (11%)
4. Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle (9%)
5. Hnikar (9%)
6. Alice Swayne (8.5%)
7. Warren Worthington III/ Angel (7.7%)
8. Alani Ryan/ Loa (7.6%)
9. Billy Batson/ Shazam (7%)
10. Eli/ Liquid Snake (6%)
---------------------------------

"Great stuff, right? Who doesn't love numbers! Now, for the rest of you, who doesn't want to see some of our best bits?"

In a flash, the sky became akin to a screen, projecting footage from the previous day across the entire island. No matter where the remaining teams were, they could see footage of the previous day displayed across the arena:

------------------------------
"Best Play of the Match": Nezumi's Violent Piggyback Ride of Death!

"Best Kill of the Match": Hnikar and his Bear Kebab!

"Best Assist of the Match": Loa's Anti-Bear Barrier!

"Best Villain": Vanitas and his Unversed!

"Best Hero": Alice Swayne, and her expert fire starting!
-----------------------------
View attachment 3675
"Now, its time to hear from our boots on the ground: tell me, Champions: are you still feeling great about your little Great Lakes Alliance? Are you all shocked to hear that the Red Team is... yano... still alive? And the just evicerated one of mother nature's strongest? Gimme your thoughts!!!! Go on! Tell me me!! Tell the crowd!!!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
----------------------------------
-------------------------------------​

"... even if Eli is not easy to agree with, his words hold some truth. Either way, what is done is done, and there is little we can do if we wish to undo our actions."

Hnikar followed the group back to their camp.




Hnikar had long reverted back to his 'unawakened' self when they had returned to camp, looking up to see Arcade's screens in the sky.

umt2RhT.png

"Is that a good thing?" Hnikar ponders as he sees the video of him skewering the bear, his expression a bit astonished, as if he didn't remember doing it. "It's presented like it's a good thing, but..."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
 
Steven wasn't having any of this.

BfptlUz.png


"It's great that they're still alive!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam
"Still alive?" Arcade sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, they're alive... for now.... actually, you know what? That's the sorta behavior that adds more bees to a bee trap, you know? How about we double the number of bees going after Shion. No, wait. Let's triple that figure again. And for good measure, let's things up further. Let's add acid to Greg's death trap and.... maybe some flaming razor blades. Let's see how long they Daddy-Dearest lasts under those conditions..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam
"We're gonna team up with them and show you that what you're doing is completely wrong! We're all good people deep down... and we're all way stronger than you think!"
Steven's retort sparked this fire within Kara, her initially mopey mood suddenly dissipating as she caught her second wind.

2BQuKNW.png


"Yeah! You tell him Steven! Like it or not Arcade, we're getting through this together!" She shouted triumphiantly.

Perhaps it wasn't the wisest of moves considering Arcade might be able to kill her or Steven at any moment, but right now, she didn't seem to remember that just yet.

She locked eyes with Isabeau, and the others gathered here right before she continued.

"Who's with me? Say 'I'!!!"

It looks like Kara was trying to raise the morale a little further, but... Perhaps drawing attention to herself like this was a mistake. Just one that she didn't consider too much in the heat of the moment.
"Oh, put that finger down before you take someone's eyes out" Arcade groaned, gliding across the river until he reached the shore. His feet planted themselves in the dirt with a crunch. "You all want your shot at me? Fine. Take it" He took a fish from the skewer, he took a large bite out of its flesh. To his surprise, it really was beautifully cooked. "See what happens. Prove to me that you're stronger than I think. Go on. I don't plan on spending my night out here..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva

Laura had sat quietly listened to the others talk when Arcade made his appearance. She showed no emotions as he played out soundbites from what she could only assume was his captives. Though she smiled hearing her sisters words. I will save you she thought to herself. She was also happy to see that the Red Team seemed to still be alive, good. No more deaths to her conscious just yet at least.

As Arcade gloated above them she only gave him the briefest of glances before looking back over to the lake. He was just playing games and Laura would have none of it.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
Hyakkimaru was only munching at a piece of the fish he caught when Arcade showed up right near their campsite. The boy felt all sorts of emotions wanting to burst out, mainly hatred. He mentally restrained himself from lashing out, considering that this man was the sole reason he wasn't home right now, unable to protect the very little family he had left. He remained eerily silent when something about him was mentioned, crudely referring to his prosthetics. For now, he pretended that he didn't hear Arcade. He already couldn't actually see other people so pretending that he lacked hearing wasn't that hard off.

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @York
@LakeTeam
"Why so silent, good friends?" Arcade smiled, stretching his arms out wide. "Go on. I'm sure that the two of you would love to gut me like one of those beautiful bass. You can thank me for those, by the way. Its just like I told you all this morning; I'm a provider, aren't I? But of course--- join you 'allies'. Bite the hand that feeds you. Cut me down to size, just like you've been planning. Don't keep me waiting"

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva

"...I know we can't let him get to us, but-"
"That's it, Doll! Keep the morale of the camp up! They're rooting for you at home! They always love to see the nice ones die horribly. Or even better, become something even more horrible" A chuckle escaped his lips. "I can't wait. For the moment it finally happens. That evolve or die moment... and trust me when I tell you, it's coming... better prepare..."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
"I work alone now... I don't need help from you, or anyone." He said, leering at Superboy and Beetle, though... The former right now was the bigger threat, so for now, he decided not to attack Beetle yet.

Piecing together what he discovered as he was trailing Kid Flash, it was obvious someone else had picked up his slack. An 'Angel' apparently, one that Superboy was obeying the orders of for now. Or perhaps he just enjoyed a good fight, as he saw from his fight with Beetle, in either case, he didn't care.

Max saw an opening as Blue Beetle distracted Superboy, giving him time to strike without warning. He didn't care about making the battle 'fair' or anything, just about winning.

That had always been the case ever since he had lost Layra all those years ago now...

A blue light suddenly flared up in his stone, gathered some kind of kinetic energy in his hands, growing in strenght, and temperature as he carefully lined up his attack... And then, he unleashed it.

A wave of what looked to be blue, searing light hurtled towards Superboy, with enough force to destroy a reasonably sized aircraft. Max seemed to be focused on moving this wave of light, directing it to compensate for any movements Superboy made, but it was hard to say how well he would do against a Kryptonian.

After all, while Max had faced many powerfull foes during his time on Alledia, he had yet to face someone as powerfull as Superboy... At least as far as he could remember.
"Oh CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP"

Superboy's words trailed off the moment the blue wave struck him, its power searing through him. Magic had always packed a punch against his kind; it was one of the few things a couple of dozen gallons of sunlight couldn't account for. The strength of the stone, illusive as it was, sent Conner hurtling backwards through the jungle, striking down 4 large tree trunks before he could finally regain some composure.

"Ow. Just... Ow..."

Groaning and shaking the grogginess from his head, Superboy floated from the crater he had began to hammer into the 5th tree from the clearing .

"You broke my glasses! What the hell was that for, dirt-bag? You don't just rock up to another fella's party and break his glasses! Low blow dude, low blow!"
View attachment 3680
"Those glasses were iconic! I-C-O-N-I-C!" The Kryptonian cried, charging up his heat vision to its very limit and closing the distance between the fighters as a red and black blur. "Mess with them, and you mess with the S! And when you mess with the S, you get torched.....Dude!!!!"

@York @Crow

At the blink of an eye, Blue Beetle's entire coating had transformed into a reflective surface, with Superboy's heat vision bouncing off, scattering to decimate nearby trees and a good fraction of it reflecting back at him. During this, Beetle would rush forward to deliver a high-powered punch to knock him back.

With nighttime coming, Beetle knew he'd have an advantage.

Durinf his dash, various slits opened throughout his suit, each of them releasing a red glow. Without the morning sunlight to block out all other lights, these red lights emerging from him would be the dominant lights, shining with enough radiance to illuminate a hundred rooms.

Superboy might soon realise that these red lights were red sun radiation.

"Nice lightshow you got there, how do you like mine?"

With that quip, the punch was ready to connect...
View attachment 3682
Superboy threw crossed his arm across his chest to parry Blue Beetle's attempted counter, the clashing titans sending an earth shaking shock-wave across the northern jungle. Shaken by the shockwave, the trees damaged by Beetle's counter finally tumbled to the ground around the three fighters.

"Urgh, there gonna have to start calling you the Blue Cockroach or something---- why won't you just curl up and die already? Why does this have to be so much work?"

Heat vision was off the table, and, with his powers still not fully developed, so was brute force. He had to use another one of the power the Old Superman had given him... or maybe one juice bonuses the bald fella gave him.

Stretching across their clashing fists, Superboy wrapped his free hand around Beetle's Scarab, closed his eyes, and used his telekinesis to rattle the alien machine from the inside out, hoping to knock something lose and trigger a system restart.

"Ya not the first machine-man-thing I've given the whammy to, yano! The last one was a machine-kryptonian-thing, and if this trick worked on his--- it should mess you up nicely too, FreakFace!!"

@York @Crow

After the bear had been felled and they set up camp properly she noticed Cyclops looking rather furlong and was going to comfort him. "You know when my powers first manifested it was to defend myself and my dad against a group of great white sharks. It just fell into pieces as it went through me and well...it didn't feel great, but my dad's life was on the line. It's the same here, if we didn't hunt it we'd not actually get any food today and leaving a wounded animal to just wander around is just cruel."

This wasn't as comforting as she had originally planned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...we just need to do what we can to survive an- what's that?" Looking up to the sky she'd see the broadcast emerging. Wonder what it was going to reveal?
Kate was far from in the mood to give Arcade's little show any attention. He was getting little in the way of actual killing, so that was all she really cared about. She decided to join Loa and Scott, feeling a bit drained from working in the cold all day.

0DBCrty.png


"She's right," Kate said after a sigh. "We didn't have much a choice in the matter, you know? Sometimes we get put into... these impossible situations that really suck, honestly. All we can do is try and keep our dignity and integrity going forward." That sounded a bit cool, right? Kate cleared her throat and moved closer to Loa. "Hey, we got a bit interrupted before. You asked if I was one of the Hawkeyes? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am and all."
"I guess that's what he wants" Scott muttered, poking at their humble fire with a stick. "He wants us to throw out our morals to stay alive... it starts with a bear and where does it end? With him? With the other teams? With each other? Getting swarmed by sharks... that was a horrible situation... but... that was a survival decision you made on your own. It was your own choice. But that bear? We were set up. Arcade knew that we would kill it... he's trying to groom us or play us... to make us play his game..."
View attachment 3683
"But... Maybe you're right. Maybe we had to put it down. Maybe we do just have to knuckle down and soldier on. That's what we're gonna have to do... but I don't plan on liking it..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

"... even if Eli is not easy to agree with, his words hold some truth. Either way, what is done is done, and there is little we can do if we wish to undo our actions."


Hnikar followed the group back to their camp.




Hnikar had long reverted back to his 'unawakened' self when they had returned to camp, looking up to see Arcade's screens in the sky.

"Is that a good thing?" Hnikar ponders as he sees the video of him skewering the bear, his expression a bit astonished, as if he didn't remember doing it. "It's presented like it's a good thing, but..."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
giphy.gif

"Told you so" Eli laughed, a smug look glued to his face. "Look at us. We've got thunder. We've got lightning. We've got bows, guns and knives. Noone can stop us. Nothing can stop us. We're gonna win this game. Anyone who's too weak to do what's needed what's needed for us to win? They'll be left for the dogs..."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
❝ Just a little further... I have to prove myself, or what's the point. ❞ He muses to himself as he made his way to the small mountainside buildings in the drylands. He mostly drowned out the supposed highlights that Arcade was projecting to the rest of the island through the sky. However, he gritted his teeth at the moment of himself and his Unversed. Suppose that wasn't a surprise anymore.
As Vanitas made his way across the wasteland, he would note a flickering image in the distance. As he began to approached the ghostly mirage, it seemed to take on a similar appearance, one he would recognize from Arcade's clearing.
giphy.gif

Hovering just outside the perimeter of the mountainside village hovered the Green Team's missing member, the boy known Tretij Rebenok. With a blank expression, he simply stared at the Masked Boy, unflinching and unshaken by the arrival of a potential new friend or foe. He simply breathed rhythmically, the cuffs of his straight jacket occasionally drifting from side to side in the wind.

@Gummi Bunnies
 
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"Hey, I wanna try!" Jianyu picked up one of the fruits, eating it without really thinking. Her eyes widened at the taste. "Woah...it's like all of mom's cooking rolled into one!"

"Jianyu, don't just eat things without thinking. Those could be poisonous, for all we know." Xiayu frowned, not looking forward to the prospect of having her entire team wiped out on day one.

"Oh, come on! Arcade wants us all to kill each other in a big old bloodbath. Pretty sure he wouldn't try poisoning us like that. It's not as good for TV." Jianyu took another bite of the fruit. "The guy's your typical TV producer. He's gonna probably stage natural disasters or send rabid animals after us instead of letting us go peacefully."

"Jianyu..." Xiayu wasn't all too happy with how nonchalantly her sister spoke of their situation.

"Oh, c'mon, sis! You gotta think like the dude to survive here. A little ol' fruit is the least of our worries."

Xiayu didn't respond, instead turning to the other conversation. "At the very least, it appears that the more...reckless among us are already elsewhere. All of you seem rationable, and I think as long as we all stick together, we may find a few more we can get to join our side and find a way out of this mess."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York

"I was trying to see if it was poisonous but of you insist, then I can't stop you." He chuckled. "Any other fruit we come across though, should be treated with caution." He added as a light warning.

"I have to agree with her, what way to get viewers than to make the deaths as gruesome and dramatic as possible? Poisoning isn't going to cut it, not now anyway." Nezumi said his piece on the matter. "We can expect one hell of a headache however." Arcade seemed to be just spending a lot of unnecessary amounts of money for this, and he had to wonder if any No. 6 officials were somehow still alive and had a hand in it...that or someone else.

"Oh Nice!" Superboy cried, ducking and weaving out of the path of the first tree trunk, running across the second and punching through the third. A burst of heat vision sizzled through the core of the forth. "I could go all night, Ro-boy! But I think its time we upped the stakes!!!"

Tumbling towards the ground like a torpedo, Superboy unleashed a stream of heat from his eyes, dead set of either ramming or scalding Jaime.

"Better watch out, pal! I'm going in for a home run!"

@York @Crow

"After what happened with Laura's magic back at the clearing, I don't know if its worth the risk--" Scott replied "If her teleportation spell went crazy enough to bring us all here, I can't tell what might happen if you cut loose with something more offensive whilst our own troops are so close to the target... we'll have trust them... they'll get out in time... I know they will..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

All of a sudden the bear stumbled backwards, the remnants of its paw reeling from Loa's counter attack. With a ear splitting growl, it pulled its wounded arm inwards and began to cradle it along its chest. Huffing, puffing and wincing through the pain, the beast seemed to lose all reason and stumbled backwards for a few moments, its guard crumbling.

"Get out of there, Loa!" Scott cried from atop the ridge "Its hurt! We can fall back and--"

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi


SCHUNK!

Hnikar's spear passed right through the torso of the wounded bear and out the other side, coating himself, Loa and Eli in a sudden spray of red. The wound seemed to have narrowly avoided the heart itself, no doubt a testament to the bear's panicked stumble following Loa's attack, but caused enough harm to fell the bear along the way. With a pained cry, the beast began to tumble forward, falling further onto the blade.


Gruuuuughhhhhhh

There it lied, belly down, barely wheezing. Its right eye remained open, stilling blinking and twitching through what one could only imagine was great pain. Brushing the snow from his jacket, Eli made his way back towards the ridge, not caring to thank his team for their effort. He obviously had everything under control.

"You... killed it..."

"What did you expect him to do? Befriend it? It's kill or be killed, Summers. I thought your Scout's Code of Honour would at least allow to kill some dumb animal"

"We could have retreated... Regrouped"

"And then starve to death come morning"

Eli took the flaming torch and knife from Scott's hand before making has way back down the hill and towards the bear. Taking the blade in a reversed grip, he finally finished off the poor create with a swift strike to the head, before preparing to skin it and dry out its furs.

"If you're too weak to kill so much as a bear, Scott, I can't see you surviving out here much longer. Maybe we'd be better off skinning you; At least the bear had the guts to come down from the ridge when things got messy..."

--------------------------------
The walk back to camp was long and arduous, and somehow, even colder than it had been the first time around. As the sun slowly began to set over the Great Ranges and the night began to close in, Eli's smug expression seemed to burn its way into Scott's thoughts. Through the blistering winds and the cruel licks of snow, the furs of the Great Bear were a Godsend, and a blessing they could not turn down. The Read Team, now two members larger than it once been, soon saw the streams of light pouring from their camp stretching through the frozen frees. Clad in ponchos of animal fur and dragging hunks of bloodied meat behind them, one notion haunted Scott Summers; in order to survive the night, Eli had made him and those he had promised to protect into savages.

Once the team arrived back at the camp fire, and their small wooden tents were erected, the sky seemed to light up with a strange blue glow. Already tired and disgusted by all he had seen, Scott remained silent, turning his eyes away from the roasting meat and up towards the footage projected onto the skyline.

"What the..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
-----------------------------
a5ecedfa5cde97f8cf4bc8f81c7fb9c0.png

----------------------------
----------------------------
"For now all we'll have to do is survive and work together while we can"~~ Nezumi, Day One
"You all seem rational... as long as we all stick together... we can... find a way to get out of here"~~ Xiayu, Day One
----------------------------
@Lake Team
--------------------------
As the chill of the night began to close in, the Scouts and Foragers would find themselves compelled to return to their camp, their spoils of war in tow. Upon their return they would find that the riverbank had been transformed completely. The area was now sprinkled humble tents built from foraged sticks and centered around a large glowing campfire, complete with seats carved from a fallen tree trunk. Across the campfire sat a boiling pot built from a large shell Terry and found a few meters upstream from Hyakkirmaru's fishing spot, and just below it sat the wooded skewer he had used to fry up the first patch of the fisherman's fish. Across half a dozen humble leaf plates sat their meals for the evening- half a bass and a one of Nezumi's foraged fruits, washed down be a mouthful of warm water. It wasn't much, but their humble campsite was starting to look like home.

"So what do you call this stuff anyway, Nez?" Terry swallowed a mouthful of the strange new fruit. "The way I see it, you discovered the stuff. Makes sense that you should get to name it. You better pick something good, because man. Jianyu was right; this stuff tastes like home"

Realizing what he had just said, he swallowed hard again, and sighed.

"Sorry... guess with all that's happened, I haven't really let myself think of home too much. I guess in the heat of the moment, not dying became more important... but now? I can't help but miss having a bed... and eating utensils... and all that normal stuff I sorta took for granted. And don't get me started on all the people..."

View attachment 3670
"Never thought I'd say this... but I'd rather go for 4 rounds with Bane in his prime than go through another 5 days of this... at least if I got my butt kicked back home, I'd have someone to visit me in hospital... but if Arcade's telling the truth about us being forgotten somehow... I don't know... that bugs me a little... hate to be a downer... but its a thought I can't shake..."



"Typical!!!???!!!"

A voice tore through the jungle like a razor wind.

"Let me assure you, my dear, sweet Jiayu: there is absolutely nothing 'Typical' about-"

View attachment 3672

In a flash of blue fire, the ground waves began to part, sending the river into a frantic rush. Steam rose from the depths of the bank, and from it, rose Arcade, his tailcoat dancing in the wind.

"Another glorious entrance, right? Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? Well, hate to rip the band aid off, kids, but I'm not about to waste my weak sipping cocktails in some secret underground lair! No sir-ee! I've got bigger... fish to fry, so to speak. I mean, none of you have heard what out lovely viewers at home have been saying about your performance so far!"

Pulling an obnoxiously long paper list from his pocket with a theatrical wrist flick, Arcade began to read:

"Suzie from Mississippi says: I love that guy with the sword hands. Can't wait for hit to ram them through someone's head later on in the game"

"Me too Suzie, me too"

"Shion from the West District says: Oh no, not the bees! Stop! No! Noooo!"

"Ah, heart warming words spat straight from one of my favourite death traps. Beautiful..."

"Gavrill Kinney from... some dump named 'Warp World' says: my sister's gonna kill you for this you---...."

"Huh. Sorta just fades off into screaming there. Huh. Well, let's home that Gavrill's comments are a little more enlightening... But hey, whilst she's busy in the infirmary, how about we check out some statistics! Who doesn't love statistics!"


-----------------------------------
"Who's got the best odds of taking home the belt today? Who, based on all their actions so far, is most likely to stop you from seeing your loved ones ever again? Who should you try to take out as soon as you can? Well, in a very particular order, it is:

1. Laura Kinney/ Weapon Hex (15%)
2. Nezumi (13%)
3. Xiayu (11%)
4. Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle (9%)
5. Hnikar (9%)
6. Alice Swayne (8.5%)
7. Warren Worthington III/ Angel (7.7%)
8. Alani Ryan/ Loa (7.6%)
9. Billy Batson/ Shazam (7%)
10. Eli/ Liquid Snake (6%)
---------------------------------

"Great stuff, right? Who doesn't love numbers! Now, for the rest of you, who doesn't want to see some of our best bits?"

In a flash, the sky became akin to a screen, projecting footage from the previous day across the entire island. No matter where the remaining teams were, they could see footage of the previous day displayed across the arena:

------------------------------
"Best Play of the Match": Nezumi's Violent Piggyback Ride of Death!

"Best Kill of the Match": Hnikar and his Bear Kebab!

"Best Assist of the Match": Loa's Anti-Bear Barrier!

"Best Villain": Vanitas and his Unversed!

"Best Hero": Alice Swayne, and her expert fire starting!
-----------------------------
View attachment 3675
"Now, its time to hear from our boots on the ground: tell me, Champions: are you still feeling great about your little Great Lakes Alliance? Are you all shocked to hear that the Red Team is... yano... still alive? And the just evicerated one of mother nature's strongest? Gimme your thoughts!!!! Go on! Tell me me!! Tell the crowd!!!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva
----------------------------------
-------------------------------------​

"Home?" Nezumi responded, thinking for a moment. Only one person came to his mind when it came to home, but he wondered if it was alright to name it after someone special-this island was made to murder people after all.

tumblr_inline_pe50xxiwA81sfrtcl_100.png


"...Shion." He spoke up, and while the name was one of a flower, the fruit itself reminded him of his companion's cooking. With that he started eating his share.

Then Arcade showed up, and while Nezumi ignored him initially something he said caused him to stop moving, head jerking up almost immediately.

Kate was far from in the mood to give Arcade's little show any attention. He was getting little in the way of actual killing, so that was all she really cared about. She decided to join Loa and Scott, feeling a bit drained from working in the cold all day.

0DBCrty.png


"She's right," Kate said after a sigh. "We didn't have much a choice in the matter, you know? Sometimes we get put into... these impossible situations that really suck, honestly. All we can do is try and keep our dignity and integrity going forward." That sounded a bit cool, right? Kate cleared her throat and moved closer to Loa. "Hey, we got a bit interrupted before. You asked if I was one of the Hawkeyes? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am and all."

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Crow



Steven wasn't having any of this.

BfptlUz.png


"It's great that they're still alive!" he said, giving Arcade a dramatic finger point. "We're gonna team up with them and show you that what you're doing is completely wrong! We're all good people deep down... and we're all way stronger than you think!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam

"Still alive?" Arcade sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, they're alive... for now.... actually, you know what? That's the sorta behavior that adds more bees to a bee trap, you know? How about we double the number of bees going after Shion. No, wait. Let's triple that figure again. And for good measure, let's things up further. Let's add acid to Greg's death trap and.... maybe some flaming razor blades. Let's see how long they Daddy-Dearest lasts under those conditions..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam


"Oh, put that finger down before you take someone's eyes out" Arcade groaned, gliding across the river until he reached the shore. His feet planted themselves in the dirt with a crunch. "You all want your shot at me? Fine. Take it" He took a fish from the skewer, he took a large bite out of its flesh. To his surprise, it really was beautifully cooked. "See what happens. Prove to me that you're stronger than I think. Go on. I don't plan on spending my night out here..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva



"Why so silent, good friends?" Arcade smiled, stretching his arms out wide. "Go on. I'm sure that the two of you would love to gut me like one of those beautiful bass. You can thank me for those, by the way. Its just like I told you all this morning; I'm a provider, aren't I? But of course--- join you 'allies'. Bite the hand that feeds you. Cut me down to size, just like you've been planning. Don't keep me waiting"

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva


"That's it, Doll! Keep the morale of the camp up! They're rooting for you at home! They always love to see the nice ones die horribly. Or even better, become something even more horrible" A chuckle escaped his lips. "I can't wait. For the moment it finally happens. That evolve or die moment... and trust me when I tell you, it's coming... better prepare..."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva

"Oh CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP"

Superboy's words trailed off the moment the blue wave struck him, its power searing through him. Magic had always packed a punch against his kind; it was one of the few things a couple of dozen gallons of sunlight couldn't account for. The strength of the stone, illusive as it was, sent Conner hurtling backwards through the jungle, striking down 4 large tree trunks before he could finally regain some composure.

"Ow. Just... Ow..."

Groaning and shaking the grogginess from his head, Superboy floated from the crater he had began to hammer into the 5th tree from the clearing .

"You broke my glasses! What the hell was that for, dirt-bag? You don't just rock up to another fella's party and break his glasses! Low blow dude, low blow!"
View attachment 3680
"Those glasses were iconic! I-C-O-N-I-C!" The Kryptonian cried, charging up his heat vision to its very limit and closing the distance between the fighters as a red and black blur. "Mess with them, and you mess with the S! And when you mess with the S, you get torched.....Dude!!!!"

@York @Crow


View attachment 3682
Superboy threw crossed his arm across his chest to parry Blue Beetle's attempted counter, the clashing titans sending an earth shaking shock-wave across the northern jungle. Shaken by the shockwave, the trees damaged by Beetle's counter finally tumbled to the ground around the three fighters.

"Urgh, there gonna have to start calling you the Blue Cockroach or something---- why won't you just curl up and die already? Why dos this have to be so much work?"

Heat vision was off the table, and, with his powers still not fully developed, so was brute force. He had to use another one of the power the Old Superman had given him... or maybe one juice bonuses the bald fella gave him.

Stretching across their clashing fists, Superboy wrapped his free hand around Beetle's Scarab, closed his eyes, and used his telekinesis to rattle the alien machine from the inside out, hoping to knock something lose and trigger a system restart.

"Ya not the first machine-man-thing I've given the whammy to, yano! The last one was a machine-kryptonian-thing, and if this trick worked on his--- it should mess you up nicely too, FreakFace!!"

@York @Crow



"I guess that's what he wants" Scott muttered, poking at their humble fire with a stick. "He wants us to throw out our morals to stay alive... it starts with a bear and where does it end? With him? With the other teams? With each other? Getting swarmed by sharks... that was a horrible situation... but... that was a survival decision you made on your own. It was your own choice. But that bear? We were set up. Arcade knew that we would kill it... he's trying to groom us or play us... to make us play his game..."
View attachment 3683
"But... Maybe you're right. Maybe we had to put it down. Maybe we do just have to knuckle down and soldier on. That's what we're gonna have to do... but I don't plan on liking it..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi


giphy.gif

"Told you so" Eli laughed, a smug look glued to his face. "Look at us. We've got thunder. We've got lightning. We've got bows, guns and knives. Noone can stop us. Nothing can stop us. We're gonna win this game. Anyone who's too weak to do what's needed what's needed for us to win? They'll be left for the dogs..."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

As Vanitas made his way across the wasteland, he would note a flickering image in the distance. As he began to approached the ghostly mirage, it seemed to take on a similar appearance, one he would recognize from Arcade's clearing.
giphy.gif

Hovering just outside the perimeter of the mountainside village hovered the Green Team's missing member, the boy known Tretij Rebenok. With a blank expression, he simply stared at the Masked Boy, unflinching and unshaken by the arrival of a potential new friend or foe. He simply breathed rhythmically, the cuffs of his straight jacket occasionally drifting from side to side in the wind.

@Gummi Bunnies

tumblr_inline_pepuns95VO1sfrtcl_100.png


"Hey kid, you're wasting your breath on a man like him." Nezumi hissed sharply without even looking at Steven, his mind racing with jumbled thoughts the moment Arcade spoke about Shion being in a bee trap of all things. There was no use trying to even speak with a man like Arcade. Though the chance to attack him was something he'd jump on quick if he had the means to, he didn't know the extent of this man's weird powers, or what he might have up his sleeve. Didn't mean he didn't want to beat the shit out of him any less. No, something about this encounter felt wrong, but he was too angry to see it. He didn't move from where he sat, studying Arcade for a moment while he tried to calm himself down to think more clearly, eyes holding contempt.

If he wanted a rise out of them, he got one for a split second from Nezumi. Once calm enough, he didn't move and wouldn't until Arcade got out of his sight.

@Sark @Atomic Knight @Yun Lee @Minerva @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @York @Water Team

---

The moment the bear was finally dead Alice put her gun away. With Eli badmouthing Scott however is when she had enough of his shit. She brought her fist down on his head.

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"Eli what the fucking hell?! Instead of risking your life like that you could of told us or something then you would of had someone watching your back a lot sooner! Your recklessness os going to get you killed and if it's someone like me telling you this then that's pretty fucking bad." She exclaimed. Sure they got meat and furs now but that didn't excuse the fact that things could of gotten real ugly and went wrong if they didn't realize he was gone as soon as they did.

She didn't pay too much attention to the little broadcasts of the day Arcade put up, too busy chewing Eli out to really care about that.

@Crow @Atomic Knight @Sark @Jeremi @Red Team
 
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Jianyu rolled her eyes. "He's lying," she said. "He doesn't have anyone we love locked away and is just trying to get us to snap. Well it's not going to happen, typical TV producer."

"Jianyu!"

"What? He called you a Doll, and I warned him about running his mouth. Anyways, if you're not staying here the whole night, you can go now. No gritty massacre is happening here tonight."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Jeremi @York @Gummi Bunnies
 
"Oh CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP"

Superboy's words trailed off the moment the blue wave struck him, its power searing through him. Magic had always packed a punch against his kind; it was one of the few things a couple of dozen gallons of sunlight couldn't account for. The strength of the stone, illusive as it was, sent Conner hurtling backwards through the jungle, striking down 4 large tree trunks before he could finally regain some composure.

"Ow. Just... Ow..."

Groaning and shaking the grogginess from his head, Superboy floated from the crater he had began to hammer into the 5th tree from the clearing .

"You broke my glasses! What the hell was that for, dirt-bag? You don't just rock up to another fella's party and break his glasses! Low blow dude, low blow!"
View attachment 3680
"Those glasses were iconic! I-C-O-N-I-C!" The Kryptonian cried, charging up his heat vision to its very limit and closing the distance between the fighters as a red and black blur. "Mess with them, and you mess with the S! And when you mess with the S, you get torched.....Dude!!!!"

@York @Crow


View attachment 3682
Superboy threw crossed his arm across his chest to parry Blue Beetle's attempted counter, the clashing titans sending an earth shaking shock-wave across the northern jungle. Shaken by the shockwave, the trees damaged by Beetle's counter finally tumbled to the ground around the three fighters.

"Urgh, there gonna have to start calling you the Blue Cockroach or something---- why won't you just curl up and die already? Why does this have to be so much work?"

Heat vision was off the table, and, with his powers still not fully developed, so was brute force. He had to use another one of the power the Old Superman had given him... or maybe one juice bonuses the bald fella gave him.

Stretching across their clashing fists, Superboy wrapped his free hand around Beetle's Scarab, closed his eyes, and used his telekinesis to rattle the alien machine from the inside out, hoping to knock something lose and trigger a system restart.

"Ya not the first machine-man-thing I've given the whammy to, yano! The last one was a machine-kryptonian-thing, and if this trick worked on his--- it should mess you up nicely too, FreakFace!!"

@York @Crow

"Bzzzzt!"

The Scarab did not take kindly to the telekinetic intrusion, and before Superboy could hit any internal weak spot, the Scarab reversed the telekinetic waves, hitting Superboy with his own medicine, right in the mind! This also caused a creation of distance between the two parties.

"Whatever you're doing, I'm sure you'll be successful after ninety-nine or so times," Beetle taunts as the glowing slits on his suit changed from a sunny red to a very familiar radioactive green. "I think you already figured, but unlike the augmentations of that Cyborg Superman guy I think you're talking about, my friend here knows how to fight back."

RDDxC5W.gif

Blue Beetle formed some kind of wave blaster in his hand. These glowing slits dimmed as the very same radiation that previously exuded from them, now in a more concentrated form, was aimed for Superboy!

@Sark @York @Crow
 
Henry Hart/Kid Danger

Henry groaned at the fact that they had managed to keep two of them and then one of them was frozen by Ratchet. It wasn't that he wanted to be a leader, but it would help if his team would actually listen. He groaned and decided since there were two of them and one of them was lingering in the shadows, he pulled out his laser remote and shot at the shadows, avoiding his teammates. " Go away for the love of anything- I just want to take this path and avoid fucking trouble," he said. He paused, realizing that this was the first time he had uttered a curse. Not that he hadn't thought them before, but he had never said them and if he tried, it would never come out or change to something more family friendly.

@Sark @Alex Azure @dark @Gummi Bunnies @Purple Team

Billy Batson/ Shazam

Shazam listened to the stats and when he noticed he was ninth in the possible winning order, he knew that he was in trouble. Everyone had seen his Shazam form at some point, but seeing as he had turned pretty early, very few knew what he looked like as Billy. There was maybe one or two, but it might be safer to go back to his other form. " Shazam," he mumbled in the cave. The lightning would strike him and he was back to being regular old Billy Batson and pulled up his hoodie.

View attachment 3685

"I think it might be best if i lay low for now, nobody really pays much attention to me in this form and though Arcade gave both my names, I can just say I'm a diferent name. Just call me Billy for now."

@Alex Azure @Sark @dark @The White Team

 
"Still alive?" Arcade sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, they're alive... for now.... actually, you know what? That's the sorta behavior that adds more bees to a bee trap, you know? How about we double the number of bees going after Shion. No, wait. Let's triple that figure again. And for good measure, let's things up further. Let's add acid to Greg's death trap and.... maybe some flaming razor blades. Let's see how long they Daddy-Dearest lasts under those conditions..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @LakeTeam


"Oh, put that finger down before you take someone's eyes out" Arcade groaned, gliding across the river until he reached the shore. His feet planted themselves in the dirt with a crunch. "You all want your shot at me? Fine. Take it" He took a fish from the skewer, he took a large bite out of its flesh. To his surprise, it really was beautifully cooked. "See what happens. Prove to me that you're stronger than I think. Go on. I don't plan on spending my night out here..."

@Atomic Knight @Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva



"Why so silent, good friends?" Arcade smiled, stretching his arms out wide. "Go on. I'm sure that the two of you would love to gut me like one of those beautiful bass. You can thank me for those, by the way. Its just like I told you all this morning; I'm a provider, aren't I? But of course--- join you 'allies'. Bite the hand that feeds you. Cut me down to size, just like you've been planning. Don't keep me waiting"

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva


"That's it, Doll! Keep the morale of the camp up! They're rooting for you at home! They always love to see the nice ones die horribly. Or even better, become something even more horrible" A chuckle escaped his lips. "I can't wait. For the moment it finally happens. That evolve or die moment... and trust me when I tell you, it's coming... better prepare..."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva

"Oh CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP"

Superboy's words trailed off the moment the blue wave struck him, its power searing through him. Magic had always packed a punch against his kind; it was one of the few things a couple of dozen gallons of sunlight couldn't account for. The strength of the stone, illusive as it was, sent Conner hurtling backwards through the jungle, striking down 4 large tree trunks before he could finally regain some composure.

"Ow. Just... Ow..."

Groaning and shaking the grogginess from his head, Superboy floated from the crater he had began to hammer into the 5th tree from the clearing .

"You broke my glasses! What the hell was that for, dirt-bag? You don't just rock up to another fella's party and break his glasses! Low blow dude, low blow!"
View attachment 3680
"Those glasses were iconic! I-C-O-N-I-C!" The Kryptonian cried, charging up his heat vision to its very limit and closing the distance between the fighters as a red and black blur. "Mess with them, and you mess with the S! And when you mess with the S, you get torched.....Dude!!!!"

@York @Crow


View attachment 3682
Superboy threw crossed his arm across his chest to parry Blue Beetle's attempted counter, the clashing titans sending an earth shaking shock-wave across the northern jungle. Shaken by the shockwave, the trees damaged by Beetle's counter finally tumbled to the ground around the three fighters.

"Urgh, there gonna have to start calling you the Blue Cockroach or something---- why won't you just curl up and die already? Why does this have to be so much work?"

Heat vision was off the table, and, with his powers still not fully developed, so was brute force. He had to use another one of the power the Old Superman had given him... or maybe one juice bonuses the bald fella gave him.

Stretching across their clashing fists, Superboy wrapped his free hand around Beetle's Scarab, closed his eyes, and used his telekinesis to rattle the alien machine from the inside out, hoping to knock something lose and trigger a system restart.

"Ya not the first machine-man-thing I've given the whammy to, yano! The last one was a machine-kryptonian-thing, and if this trick worked on his--- it should mess you up nicely too, FreakFace!!"

@York @Crow



"I guess that's what he wants" Scott muttered, poking at their humble fire with a stick. "He wants us to throw out our morals to stay alive... it starts with a bear and where does it end? With him? With the other teams? With each other? Getting swarmed by sharks... that was a horrible situation... but... that was a survival decision you made on your own. It was your own choice. But that bear? We were set up. Arcade knew that we would kill it... he's trying to groom us or play us... to make us play his game..."
View attachment 3683
"But... Maybe you're right. Maybe we had to put it down. Maybe we do just have to knuckle down and soldier on. That's what we're gonna have to do... but I don't plan on liking it..."

@Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi


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"Told you so" Eli laughed, a smug look glued to his face. "Look at us. We've got thunder. We've got lightning. We've got bows, guns and knives. Noone can stop us. Nothing can stop us. We're gonna win this game. Anyone who's too weak to do what's needed what's needed for us to win? They'll be left for the dogs..."

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi

As Vanitas made his way across the wasteland, he would note a flickering image in the distance. As he began to approached the ghostly mirage, it seemed to take on a similar appearance, one he would recognize from Arcade's clearing.
giphy.gif

Hovering just outside the perimeter of the mountainside village hovered the Green Team's missing member, the boy known Tretij Rebenok. With a blank expression, he simply stared at the Masked Boy, unflinching and unshaken by the arrival of a potential new friend or foe. He simply breathed rhythmically, the cuffs of his straight jacket occasionally drifting from side to side in the wind.

@Gummi Bunnies

The silent treatment continued from Laura. While the others might feel inclined to feed his ego she wasn't going to be one of them. Besides, men like him lost some of his power if you decided to ignore them. Even still they were still stuck on this island with him pulling the strings potentially with their loved ones in his grasp. They needed to figure something out and soon.

@Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Atomic Knight @York @Hahli Nuva @Minerva @Sark




Loa didn't really know what to say to comfort her future headmaster. "People hunt for food, I bet Mr Logan does that a lot when he's out and that doesn't make him a bad person, right?"

To Eli Loa just shot a glare. "If you want to be the guy who tries to kill everyone go for it, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to at least get anyone of us to help you, and I'd like to see you get a drop on that Weapon Hex girl all on your own too." She realized that whatever they said and did he was still going to try his darnedest to follow what Arcade had set out for them to do, but that didn't mean none of them should actually help him do it.

@Sark @Takumi @Atomic Knight @Crow @RedTeam @Jeremi
 
Henry Hart/Kid Danger

Henry groaned at the fact that they had managed to keep two of them and then one of them was frozen by Ratchet. It wasn't that he wanted to be a leader, but it would help if his team would actually listen. He groaned and decided since there were two of them and one of them was lingering in the shadows, he pulled out his laser remote and shot at the shadows, avoiding his teammates. " Go away for the love of anything- I just want to take this path and avoid fucking trouble," he said. He paused, realizing that this was the first time he had uttered a curse. Not that he hadn't thought them before, but he had never said them and if he tried, it would never come out or change to something more family friendly.

@Sark @Alex Azure @dark @Gummi Bunnies @Purple Team

Ratchet frowned and turned "Look if I didn't do anything. They could have attacked both of us. He stepped out of the way of the laser shot and frowned. "I'm coming."

@Lucky @dark @Alex Azure


"Shaz-?! He frowned only to hear Arcade mention something about his teammate's name and frowned, "I agree, we law low longer. He's trying to pick out who he thinks will survive. Doesn't mean it's true. He eyed Shazam now who was just a kid. ".. Sorry I didn't know but that makes us both a target now."

"If we both lay low and avoid grabbing attention, we might survive this thing."

"Plus we both need to eat something."

@Alex Azure @dark @Lucky
 
Henry Hart/Kid Danger

Henry would try to hide the fact that he was rolling his eyes. " They could have also left us alone, the shot was for the other unversed, not for you though. Though, you might want to stay out of the way of the laser, it has been known to knock people out," he replied.

@Sark @dark @Alex Azure @Purple Team


Billy Batson/ Shazam

Billy would look over at him and nod. " It might be a good idea to do just that. That is definitely the truth of the matter, we are both targets and I'm sorry about that. I didn't intend to put a target on your back so early in this sick and twisted game. I know you want to go back home to your family....as for me- I guess I do, but I'm honestly not sure. We do need food, it looks like there is some not too far. I still think we should wait until thhe morning to avoid danger. But one good thing came out, it sounds like Scott might be alive. That's good."

@Sark @dark @Alex Azure @The rest of the white team
 
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