Chapter Text
The Silverscale Lounge Arena
Ep. 38: July 2024
Hosted by Baskerra “Lounge Bitch” Hellmane
All in favor of our Lounge’s Founders
(Pictures of Results at the end of each part.)
(DISCLAIMER: All characters in sexual situations are 18 and over. Just to let you know)
Part 1: The Sierra Madre
(The year is 2281 in an alternate version of the Mojave desert. Most of the place has been rendered a wasteland by nuclear destruction. Still, life goes on and civilization still endures, even though there are mutated monstrosities and various villains roaming the wasteland. Compared to the rest of the irradiated landscape, many residents of the Mojave wasteland say that it’s honestly an okay place to live.
There is a legendary location in this wasteland. The legend of the Sierra Madre casino. Before the Great War, it was built to be not just a casino, but a place in which people could reside near it in a nearby villa. A place in which the residents would enjoy all the technological wonders and entertainment it had to provide, as well as give the residents a chance to begin again.
Now, the Siera Madre casino sits amidst a villa surrounded by a toxic blood-red fog. Prowling this place are nearly indestructible zombie-like creatures known as ‘Ghosts’, as well as unstoppable holograms that have the power to use electricity against those that dare intrude upon the place.
The only reason anybody would come to this ruined location? Apparently, there is said to be untold riches within the abandoned casino, like tons of gold bars, as well as the aforementioned technological wonders such as the item-creating Vending Machines. Many treasure seekers have come here…and never returned.
One man is desperate to discover the secrets of the Sierra Madre. This madman has spent quite a long time trying to break in. He does not care what he must do in order to achieve his goal. Many have died because of his ambition and only three people remain, explosive collars still tight around their necks. These three are a Nightkin with two warring personalities, a ghoul that used to be a lounge singer, and a Circle of Steel Knight on a quest of vengeance.
The 48 combatants are now awakening inside 12 large steel boxes, each one containing four combatants. They’re near the entrance of the villa, the doors behind them locked shut. Crowding around the boxes are the Ghost people. Many Ghost Harvesters, a few Ghost Trappers, and some Ghost Seekers are circling around the boxes, waiting to add the combatants to their ranks.
48 Characters, 12 ‘Teams’. 1 chance for survival.)
“Testing…testing…ah! Finally. Are you all listening? Good.” A raspy male voice echoed throughout the Sierra Madre. A hologram of a middle-aged bearded man would not only show up in each of the metal boxes, but also above a fountain located in the middle of the villa. “From now on, when I talk…you will LISTEN and follow my instructions if you want to live.”
“Play stupid, play clever, or make the mistake of saying ‘no’…and that collar around your neck will go off and take your head clean off.” The man threatened. “I’m aware that most of you possess various powers and skills, but that doesn’t matter. Any attempt to remove the collars will cause them to go off instantly.”
“Now, as for what I want, I’m planning a heist. One too many years in the making. Once you step out of those boxes, your mission will be to find a way to enter the Sierra Madre casino. It’s that large building in the distance. You can’t miss it.”
“To get inside and avoid the traps, one can’t break in alone. You’ll need to work together and protect three locations that are crucial to getting the Sierra Madre’s doors to open. I’d recommend that the majority of you all deal with the creatures patrolling this villa, while some of you seek out the team.”
“They are three other collars like yours. Collars that have more experience with this place. They are Collar 8, 12, and 14. Find them, get them to the fountain, and we’ll talk more.”
“Should you get ANY ideas about killing each-other and trying to take the treasures of the Sierra Madre for yourself…a warning. While the collars between all of you aren’t linked, the ones of the three collars I just mentioned ARE. It is imperative that you keep them alive. I would have linked all of your collars to explode if one of you died, but I didn’t have the time, given how many I had to make. Still, I have my finger on the button. I still have the power to thin your numbers considerably if I decide some of you are becoming a threat to me.”
“But, for the moment, there is the matter of what’s happening right now. I don’t know why, but the…inhabitants of this villa are starting to crowd around you all. I have further instructions, but the doors to your boxes are already starting to open. You’ll have to fight the fiends off until none remain.”
“As for the matter of fighting these…Ghosts…I’m not sure why, but they appear to be able to get back up from wounds that would normally kill a normal person. The only way I’ve figured out of how to dispose of them permanently is through dismemberment. I’d aim for the neck, if I was you.”
“On the subject of weapons, it was not my intention to leave you all completely defenseless. The Sierra Madre’s security system is wired to remove anything they consider a threat. If you’re to enter the Sierra Madre, I had to make sure you didn’t have any weapons or even a trace of radioactivity on you. Still, I provided each of your groups with a Holorifle each. It should do the trick unless you find better weapons scattered around the place.”
“For now, use what I have given you, as well as any other skills you have, to survive the coming fight. After that, we’ll talk further.”
Team #1: Baskerra Hellmane
Applejack was less than pleased to be a part of yet another Arena, but she was even MORE displeased with the fact that there was now an explosive collar around her neck. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remove the thing, despite her great strength.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” The voice said. “I already warned you that any attempt to remove the collars has the chance of causing them to explode.”
Grumbling, the earth pony stopped what she was doing, crossing her arms. “Fine. But know this. I’m findin’ a way to get this thing off and, when I do, I’m puttin’ a stop to this madness.”
“Temper, temper.” The voice warned, the collar starting to beep more readily. “Remember who’s in charge, mutant.”
“Sorry, what did ya’ call me?” AJ’s brow arched.
Meanwhile, a small anthro blue-scaled lizard was pacing the floor, trying to stay calm. “This is bad! What did I do to deserve this?! If I get angry, I’ll…I’ll…”
He bumped into an anthro female raccoon about his size. “Trust me. I’m not thrilled about this either. Bad enough this guy decided to lock us in here…” Coco grumbled, looking around. “But I can’t find my chainsaw! I would have gotten us out of here in no time!” She picked up the holorifle next to her. “Guess this is better than nothing.”
Interrupting them all was a lanky witch with an outfit similar to the one known as Rita Repulsa. Known simply as ‘the Witch’, she looked at the hologram of the bearded man. “Wait! This ‘Sierra Madre’…what kinds of treasures does it have?”
“Ah. The driving force of most of those that enter here. Greed.” The man said with disgust. “Perhaps the fact that there are many gold bars within the vault in that casino should provide further motivation to follow my instructions?”
Letting out a joyous cackle, the Witch grinned at the thought. “Oh, that’s delightful! I almost forgot that it was you that trapped me in this wretched place!” She exclaimed before looking at Coco and Lizard. “At least I have some emergency foods with me.”
“Excuse you?!” Lizard exclaimed.
Coco instantly raised the holorifle. “Yeah, back the hell off.”
“Land’s sake.” Applejack groaned, only for her to hear some really loud gasping sounds. Like something outside was struggling for air while also scratching nails against the metal of the boxes…
Team #2: Chianticat10
If there was anything Vox hated more than anything to do with Alastor, it was the idea of not being fully in control of a situation. His television screen face crackled and glitched as he got in the hologram’s face, his eyes wide with rage. “YOU MOTHERFUCKER! YOU THINK YOU CAN SLAP A COLLAR ON ME AND MAKE ME YOUR BITCH?!”
“I can do whatever I want with you. What I want is for you to obey or be destroyed.” The voice ordered. “So, cease your whining.”
Chuckling insanely, Vox’s body surged with electricity, many spirals appearing in his eyes. “Whining?! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S GONNA BE WHINING FOR MERCY!” When he unleashed a volley of volts at the hologram, they reflected, causing his television screen head to glitch even further, random channels showing up.
Spark, a Formie that was still on a quest to restore his world, watched this happen and looked at his own hands, volts crackling through them before they suddenly fizzled out when they got to his collar. “Well, so much for trying to short-circuit this stupid collar.”
Appearing out of the shadows, Elias Ainsworth sighed. “Again, I find myself stuck in another alternate universe. I thought I was done with this nonsense.” He tugged on his collar, his eyes glowing a bit more. “To think a human could do this to me. It’s…upsetting.”
The last member of this group, the fox anthro known as Ceroba Ketsukane, glared at her own collar. “It’s times like this that I miss my magic mask.” She said before wandering towards the hologram. “Do you promise that you’ll let us go if we do what you say?”
“Of course. I’ll let you all go when this is all over.” The voice replied. He didn’t notice Ceroba clenching her fist, the kitsune anthro hoping to find an opportunity to make the man pay for putting her in this situation.
Elias sniffed the air, coughing slightly. “Peculiar. It’s almost as if death is literally in the air.”
“That would be the Cloud. I would heavily advise against breathing it in.” The voice stated, while Vox continued to glitch and emit more electricity. “I’m not sure where it came from, but prolonged exposure to it is lethal. I’d recommend finding indoor areas when you travel around the villa.”
Spark leaned over Vox when the television demon finally relaxed, his expression utterly annoyed. “So, what’s your story?”
“My life fucking sucks. The end.” Vox replied.
Team #3: Kirby
Brock Sampson was no stranger to getting involved in scenarios that would certainly lead to certain death for most. The fact that he couldn’t tear the collar around his neck off was something that certainly left him more than a bit miffed.
“Sir, you sound like you’ve been working on this plan for some time.” Brock said to the hologram. “But you’d better hope I don’t find a way out of this arrangement. Because if I do…” His eye twitched, only for the sound of a loud guitar strum to interrupt him.
“HEY! BEARDED GUY! I made a song for ya’! It goes a little something like this!” A man wearing a beanie and carrying a backpack filled with suction cups shouted. He started to strum his guitar wildly, starting this song. “I forgot the lyrics! But I want you to know that you’re a fucking dick! A GIANT FUCKING DICK!”
Revy was even less pleased to have a collar around her neck. “Thanks a fucking bunch for making me mess the time I wound up in some monster-infested shithole.” She growled, remembering one time she was sent to the Arena.
The more stoic member of this group, Meia Gisborn, assessed the situation as best as she could. From the looks of it, nobody here was in any position to get out of what the holographic madman was telling them. Taking charge of the situation, she stepped forward. “Stand your ground, everybody. The doors are opening.” She said.
As the doors slowly opened, the sound of metallic raspy breathing got louder, the shadows of the Ghost people moving around. “So, that part about them being ‘ghosts’ is a metaphor, right?” Brock asked the hologram.
“If you’re worried about them being actual ‘ghosts’, then yes. I believe they’re the old workers of this place that succumbed to the Cloud. Deal with them in the manner I described and you should be fine. A man of your strength should have no trouble.”
“Don’t forget about me.” Revy walked over to the hologram, carrying the Holorifle. “Watch closely, asshole. The first chance I get, I’m shoving this thing where the sun doesn’t shine.”
“Threats won’t work on me. Reserve your rage for the Ghosts and any other obstacle that gets in the way of you fulfilling my orders.” The voice instructed, making Revy snarl in anger.
As Meia prepared to fight, Suction Cup Man suddenly realized something as the rasping sound got louder. “Wait a minute.” He laid on the ground, peering through the doors as he saw the Sierra Madre in the distance. “Holy shit! That’s a tall-ass building I haven’t climbed yet!” He got out his suction cups. “Let’s fucking go!”
“Calm down. Stick with me and you’ll be fine.” Meia said, putting up her fists.
“Eh. Sure. What’s the worst a couple of ‘ghosts’ could do? They’re ghosts! All they do is go ‘boo’ and float around.” When he said that, a bear trap was thrown at him from the other side of the doors, clamping into the wall next to him. “…well, shit.”
Team #4: Davidci Codex
This wasn’t the first time Chief Bogo and Isabelle had been sent to an Arena, but this Arena was, so far, one they especially didn’t like. “You know, it’s quite fitting that you literal animals have collars around your necks.” The voice spoke. “In all honesty, this is how it should be. Animals following the orders of their superiors.”
“How could you say that?!” Isabelle exclaimed. “That’s the cruelest thing I’ve ever heard!”
Nick Wilde was trying to pick at his collar, using a claw to fiddle with the wiring, only for the beeping to get louder. His boyfriend, Renato, was rubbing his fingers against his temples, trying not to lose his temper. “Stay calm…stay calm…”
Clearing his throat, Bogo stepped forward towards the hologram. “Fine. We’ll do what you want. But make no mistake. If anything happens to these people-“
“Whatever happens to your team won’t be on my head. It’ll be on yours.” The voice warned. “Make sure to listen to everything I say and your chances of keeping everybody around you alive will increase. I will be nothing but honest about the many dangers of this place. For example, there’s a certain…flaw about the collars I should mention.”
“Flaw? Everything about these things is messed up!” Nick exclaimed.
“It’s the ultimate way of ensuring that people do what they’re told without the flaw of free will getting in the way.” The voice replied.
Leaning towards Renato, Nick did a swirling finger gesture around his own head. “Yep. Whack-job.”
“If you’re DONE with your mockery, listen carefully. I’ll be telling this warning to the others, as well.” The voice stated. “Around this place, music was meant to be played. Radios and speakers scatter the place, but they don’t play music. Rather, due to their signal degrading, they emit a frequency that has a chance of interfering with the frequency of your collars, leading to a premature detonation.”
“Oh, dear…” Isabelle moved her hands around her collar, shuddering at the idea of that detonation happening.
“It’s an unfortunate side-effect, yes. One I was unable to correct before you all arrived. But you’ll have to make do.” The voice continued.
“Make do?! You just told us our heads could explode because of freaking radio static! HUGE oversight!” Nick shouted.
“There’s a solution for every problem, my vulpine friend.” The voice replied, irritated. “Some radios and speakers can be destroyed from a distance. Others are protected by a strong shield, so you’ll have to find a way to shut them down or just avoid those areas entirely.”
“Thanks for the advice…I guess.” Isabelle sighed, picking up the Holorifle. “Well, as long as we stick together, we should be fine, right?”
“She’s right.” Bogo crossed his arms. “The faster we get this over with, the sooner we can figure out where to go from here.”
Renato’s tail started to twitch, the anthro panther turning around as everybody heard the metallic rasping noise around them get louder. His claws came out, ready to fight his way out of this mess. “Well…it’s all uphill after this…right?” Nick chuckled nervously.
Team #5: Karma Fates
The voice of the hologram tried to give further advice to this team, but a fight was already breaking out in the middle of the place. Cleopterix was here, her talons tightly wrapped around her spear. “Let’s finish this!” She shouted at Belladonna, another returning combatant. “Remember the last time we fought?”
“Yes! I’ve looked forward to plucking your feathers out of your wings one by one!” The feline demon shouted, her claws glowing with pink energy.
“You think you can win?! Well, you’d have a better chance of winning if you played ‘RAID: SHADOW LEG’-“
“ENOUGH!” Another spear nearly struck Cleopterix. One that was the same spear as the Skinwalker was holding. “This is not the time for fighting!”
Turning to the combatant, Cleopterix blinked several times in confusion. “Wait…is that…me?” She clutched her head, remembering her time trapped in the void she was exiled to alongside Draka. “My life is a lie…NO! Everything is clear! ‘Raid: Shadow Legends’ is all that matters! I…I…”
Belladonna’s brow arched, looking at both Cleopterix and the Alternate version. “So…are you from another universe or something?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we share a common goal.” Alternate Cleopterix said, moving her hand towards the collar around her neck. “We both want to survive this horrible situation, so we must work together.”
“You seem a lot more reasonable than the Cleopterix I know.” Belladonna said before glaring at her own collar. “You’re right that this situation is utterly awful! It’s all that mortal’s fault!” She pointed to the hologram. However, she saw another sight that made her claws dig into the ground. “And then there’s YOU!”
Draka turned to her, his body looking like it had crawled out of a massive inferno. Most of his body was covered in ash, his eyes glowing with green flame as he stood in front of the hologram. “Oh. It’s you.” He turned back to the hologram. “Ignore them. Just know that I haven listened to your instructions and we know what to do.”
“Excellent. See to it that you bring order to this chaos. You’ll have a higher chance of survival that way.” The voice replied.
Cleopterix stopped grasping her head, finally noticing Draka’s presence. “My old ally! What has happened to you?”
“It’s a long story, but we have more pressing matters.” Draka pointed to the doors, the sound of raspy breathing getting louder around them.
Any hostility between each combatant here would have to wait. An army of terrifying fiends was awaiting them…
Team #6: SomeAngstyDude
The tension within this particular box was so great that even the hologram within could feel it. “I don’t know what’s happened between you four…” The voice began. “…but you’ll have to drop it if you want any hope of surviving.”
Kazuya Mishima’s ire was focused on his father and his son. The man had lost the power of the Devil Gene to Jin, but he never forgot his hatred for Heihachi. As for Jinpachi, he was feeling impartial.
“Well? Is somebody going to make the first move?” Kazuya asked.
“Are you blind?!” Heihachi shouted, pointing to his collar. “I’d gladly fight for old time’s sake, but these ensure that we have no choice…but to put aside our hatred.”
“And how do we know you won’t betray us in an instant?” Jinpanchi asked, the tall muscular one crossing his arms. “Like you betrayed me?”
Closing his eyes, Heihachi sighed. “Because…I have seen the error of my ways. The pain that I’ve caused. You have nothing to fear.”
His son just clenched his fist. “You expect us to believe a word of what you’re saying?!” Kazuya shouted.
“Enough.” Jin spoke up, putting down his fists. “I never thought I’d say this, but Heihachi’s right. Until we get these collars off of our necks…we’re temporarily working together.”
Jinpachi sighed. “You bring up a good point. Any fight we have between ourselves will only end in that madman activating these wretched collars.”
“I’m listening to everything you’re saying, you know.” The voice reminded. “Now, be prepared! The doors are opening! Save your family squabble for later and focus on the task I’ve given you!”
As the doors opened, Kazuya looked towards the Holorifle on the floor and stomped on it, crushing it as he got into a fighting position. “Let’s get this over with.” He said to himself. The others also got into fighting positions, ready to take on the army of the Ghost People.
Team #7: Meow
The sheer rage within Black Hat’s was immeasurable. The fact that a mere mortal had managed to collar him with an explosive collar that couldn’t be removed was so unfathomable that he suspected something of a supernatural nature must have helped the mortal with that task.
But he didn’t let his rage show. Instead, even as his eye twitched, he gave the hologram in front of him a toothy smile. “Very well. We have a deal. You’ll have access to the Sierra Madre very soon.” He was, of course, lying through his teeth. If he saw a chance to get out of this situation and exact a terrifying revenge upon the bearded man, he would take it.
He was interrupted when a large winged pink creature bounced over to the hologram. “Dude! This is so uncool! I know my puzzles can be a bit messed up, like that one maze I made with all the knives and traps and stuff, but still!” Richard the Athenian shouted.
“Think of this as a game, then. If you manage to do what I say, you win.” The voice replied.
“I mean, I guess, bro.” Richard shrugged. “I’m just saying. This is still totally uncool.” He then turned to two humans in the room, waddling over to them. “But, on the plus side, new friends! Do you guys also think this is uncool?”
The first of the two, Frisk, just stared blankly at him, looking around before picking up the Holorifle. They threw it to the side, not desiring to hurt anybody. They wandered over to Black Hat, looking up at the tall figure.
“YECH! So much goodness and kindness. Get away!” He hissed, tentacles sprouting from his body. Frisk didn’t react much to them. They just wandered over to Richard.
The second human, Chara, kept an unnerving smile that started to make Richard feel uneasy. “Uh…you doing okay, bro?” He poked them a bit with his stubby hand, but all Chara did was look towards Frisk, their glowing red eyes getting brighter.
Black Hat rubbed his chin, observing this. “Hmmmm…that human isn’t just a mere human. They seem more than they seem.” The more he looked at Chara, the more he felt like the void behind the human’s eyes was staring back at him. Like that void was looking through the eldritch creature’s MANY sins.
“DUDES! Look!” Richard pointed to the doors, the raspy sounds of the Ghost People getting even louder. “I’m guessing these guys don’t like puzzles much, right? Well…” He suddenly transformed into his Galore form, standing taller than anybody in the metal box. “Let’s see how they handle me when I’m backed into a corner!”
“Do what you have to do.” The voice stated. “Just be prepared to listen to further instructions after you’re done fending off the Ghosts.
Team #8: Plebian Garbage
A humongous plume of pure fire smashed against the doors, nearly turning the whole place into a microwave. Ilulu absolutely hated being caged like this and she REALLY didn’t like the collar around her neck, too. She stepped back, her breasts sizzling with heat. “Are you quite done?” The voice replied, the hologram sparking slightly from the damage it received.
“Ugh, fine! We’ll get your stuff. Just promise that this won’t be boring, okay?” She replied, trying to make the most of what was going on.
“It won’t. Trust me.” The voice stated. “That fire breath ability of yours could also prove very useful. Thank goodness that the Cloud isn’t flammable.”
Panting heavily, an alternate version of the musician known as Aphex Twin wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Geez. Are you some kind of dragon or something?”
Having transformed into her more draconic form, Ilulu flexed her large claws, turning to the human. “How’d you guess?”
“I dunno. The flames coming out of your mouth tipped me off.”
Another musician, the one known as MK DOOM (may the real version of him rest in peace) was absolutely livid at the fact that there was a collar around his neck. He stayed silent, his hateful gaze never leaving the hologram of the bearded man.
The last combatant of the group was an anthro fox priestess with a rather revealing outfit. She was sitting on the ground on her knees, her eyes closed as her face twisted into one of discomfort and disgust. Her hands started to clench into fists.
“Boop.” Ilulu poked one of her claws against the fox anthro’s nose.
Daji woke up with a surprised yip, her two fluffy tails standing on end before she composed herself. “Oh! My apologies! I was just trying to reach out to the water! Only…it’s all corrupted by whatever this ‘Cloud’ is. It’ll take a great amount of my magic to heal it from the pollution.” She gave a small smile, standing up. “How can I help you?”
The doors started to open, the raspy breathing of the Ghost People getting louder. “Got anything that can help against zombies? Because it sounds like we’re about to become protagonists in a zombie movie!” Ilulu shouted, her claws burning with heat as she prepared to fight.
“Can’t you just use that flamethrower attack or something? We should be out of this mess in no time.” Aphex Twin replied.
MK DOOM noticed that Ilulu was already preparing to unleash more of her flames. “Shit’s about to get interesting.” He said, the doors opening as, suddenly, the dragon coughed heavily.
“Augh! Stupid Cloud!” Ilulu muttered.
“Oh, dear.” Daji fanned her face with her fan, the sound of the Ghost People making her ears flick.
Team #9: Buddhe
Husk was familiar with having a collar around his neck. Having a second one nearly made him lose his temper completely. “Well…shit.” He sighed, scowling at the holographic bearded man.
“First time?” Poppy O’Possum wandered up to him, just as unamused at the situation as he was. “I mean, this is MY first time both getting sent here AND having a damn bomb wrapped around my neck.”
“Got any tips?” Husk asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.
“Yeah. Give it all you got. That’s what I always do.” Poppy replied before looking at the hologram. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I have friends and family I want to help through this Arena, I’d punch you in the face SO hard right now.”
“You’re threatening a hologram. You know that, right?” The voice replied. “Then again, I don’t expect a slightly more intelligent mammalian relic of the pre-war days to understand that.”
“I know you’re a hologram. My girlfriend’s all about inventing amazing tech.” The anthro possum balled up her fists, glaring at the hologram.
The voice then sounded slightly confused at what she said earlier. “What do you mean ‘Arena’? Are you also implying that this isn’t your first time being here? Explain yourself! Maybe it could explain why, suddenly, there were 48 unconscious people, yourself included, near the entrance of this place?” The voice paused after getting no response. “Nevermind. Time is running out. The doors are already starting to open.”
The masked crook known as Dallas got up from listening to what the voice had said, grabbing the Holorifle. “Alright. We’ll pull this heist off for ya’. I’m all about getting shit done. You can count on me.” He hid his rage at being forced to do the voice’s bidding at a minimum, happy that his mask was hiding his expression of fury.
“Excuse me!” The Followers of the Apocalypse researcher known as Arcade Gannon raised his hand. “First off, I don’t think I got your name.”
“I’d rather that you focus on the task at hand before we get to formal introductions.” The voice stated.
“Then, let me get right to the point. Don’t you think it’s…disturbing that you’d rather use your inventing skills and clear knowledge of this place to place people in life-threatening situations simply because you want something in that casino?”
“You’re a scientist, aren’t you?” The voice replied. “If you knew what was inside the casino, you would be just as desperate to get inside as I am. The only difference between you and me, it seems, is that I have the resolve to do whatever it takes. Now, enough talk. Get ready to fight. The Ghosts are already closing in.”
Indeed, the raspy noises of the Ghost People were getting louder. “Get behind me. I’ve got this.” Poppy punched her fist into her hands.
“If anybody’s got this, it’s ME.” Dallas leaned down. “I’m the guy with the post-apocalyptic rifle. You’re a talking pot-bellied rat. Get the picture?”
Everybody froze up when Poppy suddenly punched a sizable dent into the nearby wall, her fist clenched. “What was your point again?” She asked, giving a slight smirk.
“Well…this should be interesting.” Arcade remarked.
“You got that right.” Husk nodded, his wings spreading out as he prepared himself for the attacking horde of undead fiends.
Team #10: GenericoThrow
Getaway had already panicked internally at the fact that, once again, he had been transported into the Arena. Having an explosive collar around his neck did little to calm him down. Instantly, he had agreed to everything the voice had told him, hoping this would save his hide.
“So, I do whatever you say and you’ll met me go, right? I promise I’ll drive away from here and never come back.” The Autobot assured the hologram.
“I had a feeling that a machine like yourself would understand the logic of following my orders. I’ve always preferred working with machines than with other humans. Humans are just so…imperfect. Too much free will. Too much chaos.”
“We are NOT just machines.” Gali, the Toa Nuva Mistika of Water, walked forward. Though she didn’t have her blaster with her, she had replaced it with the Holorifle. “Also, free will gives people the chance to make their own destiny. I see you’ve decided that your destiny is to hurt those around you.” She gestured to the collar around her neck. “How could you be so cruel?”
“I’m not with her! I’m 100% with you!” Getaway pushed her out of the way. “Pleasedontblowupmyheadthankyou!”
“Don’t blow up my head either! I’m here too!” Bender Bending Rodriguez exclaimed, pushing him out of the way. “You want whatever’s in that casino? You can have it! Long as I get to keep everything else that isn’t nailed down. Actually, can I also have the nailed-down stuff too?”
Gali couldn’t believe her ears. “How could you let greed lead you at a time like this?” An evil feminine chuckle caused the Toa to tense up. “You!”
“Yes, Toa. Me.” Roodaka, the former queen of the Visorak Horde, stepped forth. “Don’t give me that look. We’re all in this together, are we not? The Toa are all about ‘unity’, aren’t they?”
Instantly, Bender liked the seductive appearance of the Vortixx woman. “Whoa! Nice software, lady!”
“Roodaka!” Gali exclaimed, aiming the Holorifle at her. “The only reason I don’t end your evil right here is because…you’re right. We ARE in the same situation. If we’re to survive, we must work together. That means no deception. Is that clear?”
“Hardly my nature, but very well.” Roodaka shrugged, looking at the hologram and trying to hide her disdain. “You have my word that we’ll do our best to retrieve what you desire.”
“Excellent. For now, survive the hordes of Ghost People surrounding your box. Best of luck.” With that, the voice vanished, the hologram emitter soon destroyed when Roodaka slammed her claw against it.
“Arrogant FOOL. He’ll pay dearly for putting this on my neck.” She felt around her collar, her eyes narrowing into a hateful glare. She calmed down when she turned to the others. “So…who wants to take on the hordes first? Who wants to show me how mighty they are?”
Getaway sighed. “It’s only a bunch of zombie Terrans. How bad could this be?”
“Oh, yeah! The zombies! I’ll bend them! I’ll bend them all! Just like I’ll bend this stupid collar right now!” The robot nearly wrapped his hands around the collar around his neck, only for Gali to rest a hand on his shoulder.
“No! You’ll only set it off if you do that. Focus on the fight ahead!” Gali readied her Holorifle, the doors opening as the rasping sounds of the Ghost people got louder. She turned her head to Roodaka, narrowing one of her optics. “I’ll be watching you every step of the way.”
“By all means. Just don’t forget to keep your eyes on the ravenous creatures ahead of us.” The former Visorak Queen warned.
Team #11: Malice
Cayde-6 sighed. “I always knew I was a terrible gambler. Now, my life is on the line because SOMEBODY wants me to raid a casino that’s smack dab in the middle of a post-apocalyptic landscape.”
Suddenly, a Deathclaw’s tail rammed into his side, slamming him against the wall as the monstrous creature let out a furious roar. He almost tried to tear the collar off, but he was too focused on attacking those around him, like the scimitar-wielding Drow trying to avoid his blows.
It had been a while since Drizzt Do’Urden had found himself in the Arena, but, right now, he was focused on trying to survive the onslaught of the furious Deathclaw. “I understand your rage, creature.” He said calmly, the reptilian beast circling around him. “I’m not very fond of the current situation, too.”
“You’re telling me.” A man simply known as Ranger walked past him, holding the Holorifle and letting out a disappointed sigh. “I’m more of a fan of being quick on the draw. A weapon like this? Not really my style. Still…I’ll make due.” He gave a cocky grin, aiming the Holorifle at the Deathclaw.
Roaring at him, the reptilian one turned around to ram his body against the doors, causing the holographic bearded man to sigh. “I had a bad feeling that this would happen. Normally, this is the part where I activate the collar and remove the risk of being torn apart by a rampaging Deathclaw…but I think its brute strength will be needed for what’s to come.”
“Oh, you mean the zombies outside?” Cayde-6 asked. “Right.” He turned to Drizzt and Ranger. “So, got a plan, guys? Because I normally just wing it when it come to life-or-death situations, but, right now, I’m completely for having a plan!” He then looked to the drow’s swords. “Quick question. How come this city let you keep the swords?”
“I’m not sure, but I promise you that I’ll do my best to keep you all safe.” Drizzt stated.
“I’m more of a solo act, but I guess tagging along wouldn’t hurt.” Ranger admitted. The breathing of the Ghost People was getting louder, causing him to raise his Holorifle. “So, who’s ready to start the show? I know the big guy there is.” The gestured to the Deathclaw, the creature backing away from the doors as he prepared to pounce.
“Ready yourselves!” Drizzt shouted.
“With what?!” Cayde-6 shouted, only to see a Cosmic Knife Spear poking through the opening in the doors. “Oh, yeah. YOINK!” He ripped it out of the hand of the Ghost Person on the other side, gripping it tightly as he prepared to fight.
Team #12: Nighthawk87
“OHHHHHHHHHHH! How could ya’ do this to me, ya’ flea-bitten old-timer?!” Yosemite Sam yelled, furious at not only having a collar around his neck, but also no longer having access to any weapons apart from the Holorifle. “Whatever’s in that casino had BETTER be worth it!”
“Oh, believe me. It will. Now, focus. Don’t lose your head.” The voice reminded.
“Was that supposed to be a joke?!” The mustached one shouted, only for another cowboy to walk past him, carrying the holorifle. “Hey! That there’s mine! I saw it first!”
Instantly, the Outworld mercenary known as Erron Black turned towards the smaller cowboy, his finger on the trigger of the Holorifle. “Don’t matter to me. Now, stand back and let me handle this job.”
“Okay.” Yosemite Sam squeaked. Once Erron turned away from him, he grumbled loudly, stomping his feet as he tried to think of ways to get out of here soon.
A man wearing a metal red helmet leaned against the wall, also trying to keep his rage in check. Jason Todd (or Red Hood, as he was usually called by friend and foe alike) hated the situation he was in, especially since he had lost all access to his weapons. Still, he managed to get away with having a knife or two, so he wasn’t completely defenseless.
The idea of being forced into a heist had made him start to think of every chance he could have to get out of this situation. His attention would soon go to the doors starting to open, causing him to get out one of his knives as the sound of raspy breathing got louder. “Fine. We’re doing this first.”
“Yep. We sure are.” The final combatant stepped out of the shadows, his glasses shining as he gave a fanged smile. Alucard had made himself known, his eyes glowing as he started to summon a large fanged canine-like beast next to him.
“What in tarnation?!” Yosemite Sam shouted, cowering behind Erron as the cowboy focused his Holorifle at the Ghost People about to enter.
For the Outworld mercenary, nothing surprised him anymore. Same with Red Hood, the man already readying himself for the upcoming fight.
The stage was set. All of the giant metal boxes were starting to literally fall apart, leaving the combatants with no choice but to fight their way through the hordes of the undead attackers.
3...
...2...
...1...
THE GHOSTS ARE ON THE PROWL!
PART 2: The Ghosts of the Sierra Madre
(Battle Theme 5-Fallout: New Vegas)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YZORJbWDe8
The very minute that AJ’s team was forced to fight against the Ghosts, Lizard let out a furious roar, growing to tremendous size and becoming more like a Godzilla-like kaiju. The one known as Lizard-Lizard. “Whoa!” Coco exclaimed.
“Intriguing!” The Witch exclaimed, before a bear trap was thrown at her. “How dare you!” She shouted, the Ghost Trapper lunging for her before AJ’s hoof smashed into its face, causing its mask to break and for white liquid to pour out, the body falling to the ground.
Lizard-Lizard tried to swat at the many Ghosts trying to attack him, but he was now tall enough for the Cloud to affect him. He coughed violently, his body getting stabbed in many different places by the horde. Unable to handle this for much longer, he fell to the ground, the Cloud taking him out completely.
Drizzt leaped over the tail of the defeated beast, his swords slicing through the Ghosts like a hot knife through butter. “More are coming! Everybody! Spread out!” He shouted, swinging his blades like a whirlwind as Holorifle blasts sailed over his head.
Frisk kept dodging several spears, while Chara outright grabbed one and moved so quickly that the Ghosts didn’t notice what was happening before their heads fell off. “HEY, BROS! INCOMING AWESOMENESS!” Richard shouted, barreling through the hordes with his sheer bulk before summoning several knives out of nowhere.
They began to rain down on the Ghosts, one Seeker finding his grenade punctured by one of the knives. It caused an explosion that defeated many more of them, but the noise was attracting several others to replenish their ranks. “You all wanna play? Well, come on, guys! Let’s all play!” Richard exclaimed.
Husk flew through the skies, holding his breath as the Cloud got thicker the higher he flew. This would leave him at the mercy of several Ghosts throwing spears and grenades at him, the resulting explosions knocking him out of the sky and onto a nearby building. “Dammit.” He growled, digging his claws into that building.
A Ghost Person was atop it, the Harvester about to grab him before something wrapped around his foot. “Hey! Asshole! I’m trying to climb this building here!” Suction Cup Man shouted, pulling the Ghost Person’s leg down so that he would fall onto the floor, where some of Elias’ thorn plants would entangle the fiend. “I’m gonna climb over EVERY building here!”
Getting back on the ground, Husk grabbed a nearby spear, rushing towards a random Ghost and spearing him through the arm, though that didn’t seem to stop the fiend’s rampage.
Elias was moving through the shadows at great speed, his thorns tearing through some of the Ghost People. A random grenade blinded him, causing him to get pounced by one. Thankfully for him, Yosemite Sam was riding atop the Deathclaw, ramming through many of the creatures. “WHOA! WHOA!” He cried out, unable to control the rampaging reptilian one.
Nick was holding onto the beast’s tail, his body smacking into several of the Ghosts before he let go and found himself wrapped around a Seeker. “I’ll be borrowing this.” He said quickly as he snatched a grenade from the fiend, throwing it at several other Ghosts before he pounced away from the ensuing explosion.
Several Ghosts jumped on top of Poppy, seeing her as little more than food. However, they all wound up getting punched into the air, her fist extended upwards. “Is this how you welcome everybody?! No wonder none of you get guests!”
Grabbing a nearby spear, Ceroba focused some leftover power within herself to create balls of energy on the tip of the spear. Whenever she swung it, those balls would skyrocket towards those around her, pushing back the fiends. Despite the damage done to their bodies, they just kept coming, shrugging off the damage.
Revy leaped into the fray, shoving a Holorifle against one’s head and vaporizing it with a single blast. At first, there didn’t seem to be anything that could stop her rampage. “You think I’m gonna die in some shithole like this?! You’ve got another thing coming!”
Before this moment, some of the Ghost People had already laid traps out for the combatants. Among those traps were trip-wires that, once activated, would explode. While pinning a Ghost person down, Revy accidentally activated one, giving her only a second to react before an explosion destroyed a nearby building, taking her with it.
Shrapnel from the explosion struck Dallas, causing him to kneel and drop his Holorifle. “AUGH! I need a medic bag!” He shouted, only to get a Cosmic Knife to the face, breaking his mask and swiftly ending him.
Panicked beyond belief, Getaway pushed past some of the combatants. “That does it! I’m getting out of here! TRANSFORM!” He shouted, instantly turning into his vehicle mode and attempting to drive out of the place.
“Sweet! A ride out of here! See ya’ later, losers!” Vox jumped not the seat of the car, only for another grenade to blow up, causing one of Getaway’s wheels to be destroyed and make him swerve into a entire group of Ghost People.
The impact broke Vox’s screen, making him grumble as he slowly got up, only for a Trapper to fall down in front of him, holding a bear trap. “Oh, fuck no!” He grabbed the Trapper’s face, overloading his head with electricity before running off.
“Wait! Don’t leave me here! I’m trapped!” Getaway shouted, unable to get out of the mound of rubble he had created in his escape attempt. Already, the Ghost People were stripping away his parts, leaving him only able to scream in terror as he was slowly destroyed.
“Hmph. Pathetic.” Roodaka picked up the Holorifle Dallas had dropped, her amazing aiming skills serving her well as she switched from one Ghost to the other, killing each attacker with a single shot.
Bender noticed this while he was bending a Harvester in half. “She just gets sexier and sexier! Hey, lady! Wanna fog up the windows at the nearby hotel when this is done?” He was interrupted when Renato pounced on another Ghost person, knocking him away as the panther anthro tore into the fiend with his claws.
Isabelle made sure he wasn’t attacked by any other Ghosts, her skill with the Holorifle proving quite adept. “We can’t keep this up for much longer!” Bogo shouted, one of his horns goring one of the Ghosts and causing white fluid to leak onto his head. It sizzled against his fur, causing him to throw the Ghost to the side.
Despite the injury it had gained, it still got back up, only for Jinpachi to punch it into the nearest wall, which caused it to crumble and reveal more Ghost People. “Stand and fight, everybody! Even if there’s 1000 of them, we will not falter!” His fists crackled with volts, only for one of them to hit his collar.
The resulting malfunction caused his collar to explode, destroying his head and causing his large body to collapse onto a random Ghost. Heihaichi saw this, snorting before punching a Ghost Person so hard that he collided into several others. “I would have preferred to have one final match with you, father. Damn these collars.”
Much to their mutual chagrin, Jin and Kazama were fighting back to back, avoiding the spears and beating back the many Ghosts. One of the grenades was even kicked back, causing yet another explosion.
Spark focused his electricity into his hands, careful not to activate his collar after what happened with Jinpachi. “You know, fighting these guys isn’t so bad! They go down pretty easily!” He said, only to nearly step on a bear trap.
“Don’t get so cocky! They have numbers on their side!” Meia shouted, kicking away a Ghost Trapper before a Seeker attempted to lunge at her.
Brock just charged at him, using him as a battering ram while going through several of the buildings. Throughout this charging attack, the Seeker was reduced to just a torso, white fluid leaking onto the ground. Right now, the Venture bodyguard was utterly annihilating the Ghosts, his brute strength easily taking care of the fiends.
Cayde-6 noticed that happening, his hands locked with a Trapper before he headbutted him and grabbed one of the bear-traps. “Return to sender!” Hew threw it at the Trapper’s chest, causing the fiend to be immobilized while the Deathclaw from earlier trampled onto it.
Ranger zipped through the crowd of Ghosts, swinging his Holorifle around as each blast he fired destroyed a Ghost each. The only reason he wasn’t ambushed by some of the fiends was that Red Hood had also found a discarded Holorifle, causing the energy blasts to increase in number. The two found themselves covering each-other, their marksmanship abilities working great together.
Gali flew over them, also using the Holorifle to great effect. As she flew around, she witnessed Black Hat’s shadowy tendrils ripping through the Ghosts, the evil one looking bored as he crushed on Ghost into pulp with some of his tentacles. “So much malice.” She said softly, only to have to swerve out of the way when a spear was thrown at her.
As Black Hat continued to tear through the hordes, he was suddenly sliced by a Cosmic Knife, others starting to rush in and attempt to swarm him. “Get your hands off of me, you wretched-“
CHOMP!
Alucard’s canine-like spirit companion ripped through the fiends, causing burning white liquid to be spread all around. “Yech! Never doing that again.” The vampire said. “By the way, nice hat. I think I’ll keep it if you don’t make it.”
“You’re welcome to try. If you dare, that is.” Black Hat warned, dusting himself off. The feeling of being left vulnerable by this Arena was turning his foul mood into an even fouler one. For now, he used another tentacle to spear through several more Ghosts, ignoring the sizzling sensation he got from that.
Arcade was hiding behind the fountain as this happened, Aphex Twin also joining him. “Crazy stuff happening, am I right?” The latter said.
“Yes. To put it ineloquently, shit is fornicated.” Arcade replied. When a Ghost Harvester lunged at him, he grabbed a nearby spear and threw it with great skill at the fiend, taking the head off and causing white burning liquid to spread everywhere.
“Nice shot! Where did you learn to throw a spear like that?” Aphex Twin asked.
“Honestly, I’m surprised myself that I managed to pull that off. Let’s hope lightning strikes twice.” Looking for another weapon, the man had to leap over the fountain as a Ghost Trapper nearly threw a bear trap at his face.
While fending the Ghosts off, Erron had ran out of bullets in his Holorifle. He didn’t let that stop him from slamming his weapon against the attacking fiends, sometimes causing their suits to rupture from the blows. “I’ve only been in this town for less than five minutes and I’m already pissed off. That’s one hell of an accomplishment.”
Struggling to find a clean source of water, Daji once again closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Slowly, water started to rise from the ground, but it was utterly polluted, nearly making the fox anthro throw up from just being near it. “Focus…focus…” She kept telling herself, eventually using her hydrokinesis to slam several Ghosts into the walls.
However, she was quickly pounced by a Trapper, the Ghost trying to hold her own as others joined. “Help!” She cried out, her concentration over the water fading as more began to swarm her.
As this happened, Draka was unleashing a stream of flames, nearly setting the entire villa ablaze. “Wait!” Alternate Cleopterix shouted, flying above the fiends as she swung her spear. “We must help her! She’s in danger!”
“No! Focus on winning!” Cleopterix shouted, only to grasp her head. “For all that matters…is…’Raid…Shadow’…”
Instantly, she found herself flinging her sharpened feathers into the Ghosts attacking Daji, causing their suits to rupture and for air to escape the suits. They let out agitated rasping noises before Belladonna ran past them, slicing through their arms and causing them to fall to the ground, finally dead.
Daji held a hand to her chest, relieved that she had been saved. “Thank you so much! I promise to repay you somehow!” She exclaimed.
Cleopterix looked at her wings, wondering what she just did. “I could have just left her there and continued on my way to win…but…”
She and the others were interrupted when a humongous burst of flames rushed towards an entire group of Ghosts. Ilulu’s fire caused Cleopterix and the others to get out of the way, many of the Ghosts starting to retreat as this continued. “Hell yeah! That’s a true inferno!” MK DOOM shouted, having used his helmet as a bludgeoning tool against the fiends.
Ilulu continued to utterly ignite the place, finally driving the rest of the Ghosts back before the fountain suddenly emitted a hologram of the bearded one’s head and upper torso. “Congratulations. Most of you survived.”
“Yipee…” Nick weakly raised a fist in triumph before cuddling against Renato’s chest, the panther anthro holding him close. “I feel so much safer now.” He said genuinely, causing Renato to smile.
“Was that all of the creatures?” Meia asked.
“And what do we do now?!” Coco asked, her Holorifle still smoking.
As she asked that, the Deathclaw ran past them all, finally bucking Yosemite Sam off of his back. “You lousy lizard! When I say ‘whoa’, I MEAN ‘WHOA’!” He shouted before looking to the hologram. “Now what?!”
Once everything had settled down, the hologram continued. “Now? You find the other three collars. I’d suggest dividing yourselves into teams of three. There is strength in numbers and, given that there are still more Ghosts, teamwork is essential.”
“And how do we find these collars? This place is pretty huge.” Nick said.
“You can either ask me for advice or you can pay attention to the signal I’ve installed in your collars. It’ll emit a soft hum when you get closer. It’s only when it starts beeping do you need to look for radios and speakers.” The voice replied.
“One more question!” Gali landed next to Richard and Roodaka. “What is your name?”
“You know, come to think of it, we never got it.” Daji admitted.
The voice sighed in irritation. “Fine. It’s Elijah. Are you happy now?”
“A little.” Isabelle admitted, while Vox flipped the hologram the double-bird.
Normally, there would be more talk amongst the massive group, but time was already running out. Impatient and eager to see his plan succeed soon, Elijah had caused the collars to start beeping louder, causing everybody to scramble as they looked towards the three paths around them.
As they left the center of the villa, Elijah’s hologram began to flicker. “Soon…all of those years of planning, waiting, and being trapped in this wretched place…will be worth it.” Once his hologram flickered away, he was replaced by a beautiful singer. The one known as Vera Keyes. Her hologram continued to repeat the same greeting over and over again, her words echoing across the villa.