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Post by Sprow on Jul 5, 2014 6:16:48 GMT -5
In a flash, Amaya had taken them to another world. When they got there, they would find themselves in a strange center square of sorts. Well, if you could call it that. Amaya released her hold on Arin's hand and took a moment to take in their surroundings. The ground they were standing on was pretty dusty and sandy. All around them, some sort of stone temple or what not stood. On one wall, located next to a large set of open double doors, was a list of some kind.
Curious, Amaya walked over and read them. They were tournament listings and names of who the winners were, labeled as heroes. "Hm, I guess we're at an arena of sorts."
Amaya returned to where Arin was and looked around. Nothing appeared ominous. Not even the two statues that stood well over them. "Well, he's got to be here somewhere."
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Post by Raphael on Jul 5, 2014 13:25:49 GMT -5
Arin looked around the arena, crossing his arms and smirking as he noticed that this world was a place for competition "I'll say, and it's certainly an old fashioned one at that. I mean, look at the structure of this place, it's much different from the Mirage Arena I've been told about by my neighbors."
Arin was silent for a while after that last comment, but the silence didn't last long, as the duo were spotted by a local from the world.
"Hey! What are you two doing in here?"
When Arin looked back to check who was addressing him, he had to look slightly down at the world local. A small, portly Satyr with a scruffy beard was steadily waddling over to them, a not too pleased frown on his face.
"We're in the middle of a tournament, and you two are holding' up the next round of the gaaaaames."
Arin raised his eyebrow a bit when the Satyr dragged out the last part of his sentence, pocketing his hands and looking over at Amaya to see her reaction. He then turned his attention back to the Satyr.
"Sorry for the interruption, we were just looking for someone, and we think he might be here somewhere."
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Post by Sprow on Jul 6, 2014 18:22:58 GMT -5
Amaya looked at Arin confusedly when he mentioned the Mirage Arena. Just what the heck was that? She had never been to an arena, really. Instead, she just gave a shrug. Then, there came the sound of a voice. The voice had been so abrupt and sudden that Amaya whirled on the spot. She was surprised when she didn't see anyone until she glanced down, then she knew who was speaking to them...or rather, what spoke to them. Whatever he was, he didn't look pleased.
What he said next made Amaya furrow her brows in confusion. Amaya exchanged looks with Arin before looking around their immediate area. How were they holding up the games when there wasn't anyone around in sight? As Arin spoke, Amaya turned back, confused.
"Er...no offense, but how are we holding up the games if there's no one around?" It was an innocent question but it could easily be taken as an insult.
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Post by Raphael on Jul 7, 2014 1:33:28 GMT -5
The Satyr crossed his arms when Amaya question him, furrowing his brow as well "Just because there aren't any viewers here, doesn't mean there isn't someone watching the fights, kid. Our star hero is the main attraction, and he fights monsters of all shapes and sizes to prove his worth to his father, Zeus."
Arin tilted his head when the Satyr mentioned someone named 'Zeus' "Zeus? Who is that?" The Satyr jumped slightly at Arin's words, looking at him like a deer staring into headlights "Who's Zeus?! Who's Zeus?! Exactly what rock did you live under, pal? Zeus is the god of thunder, and king of the gods. Not knowing who Zeus is is heresy!"
Arin scratched his head nervously, not sure how to respond to the Satyr's words
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Post by Sprow on Jul 7, 2014 7:12:11 GMT -5
Amaya watched as the Satyr crossed his arms, looking disgruntled. According to him, just because there wasn't someone physically there didn't mean there wasn't anyone watching the games or fights. The main attraction had to fight monsters of all shapes and sizes to prove his worth to someone by the name of Zeus whom was his father. Amaya glanced over at Arin, not sure what to say since she had no idea who Zeus was either. It was her first time being here too.
Arin had questioned the Satyr who Zeus was. Hearing this, the Satyr jumped in surprise stating that not knowing Zeus was heresy. However, he still answered their question about who Zeus was. Apparently, he was some sort of god. As Arin scratched his head nervously, Amaya guessed it was up to her to ease their situation down.
"Our apologies. We're not from around here as you might have already guessed. We mean no offense to the er...gods or anyone, really." Amaya gave a nod of her head. "We're just trying to find a friend of our's who is probably visiting this place somewhere. He goes by the name of Dante, a fire user and a Dragoon Warrior."
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Post by Raphael on Jul 7, 2014 20:57:50 GMT -5
The Satyr glanced over at Amaya when she started apologizing for herself and Arin, but raised an eyebrow when she started talking about a friend they were looking for, a fire user and Dragoon warrior. The Satyr turned around and started walking towards the arena exit
"Sorry girl, never seen anybody here like that. You're welcome to stick around and ask anyone that comes by…Just be mindful of who you talk to. Now, if you would be so kind as to follow me so I can get the next round started."
Arin looked over at Amaya, then shrugged his shoulders before following the Satyr out of the arena "Dante has to be here, right? Might as well look around."
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Post by Sprow on Jul 7, 2014 22:57:48 GMT -5
Amaya blinked as the Satyr turned away from her and headed toward what looked to be the exit of the arena. As he went, he said that he hadn't seen anyone here that was like that. They were welcome to stick around and ask anyone that came by. He was careful to warn them to be mindful of who they spoke with. He was urging them to follow him so that he could get the next round started.
Amaya brought her gaze back over to Arin as he simply shrugged. The pair of them followed the Satyr out of the arena. As they did so, Arin spoke to her. "Yes, he has to be. I wouldn't have teleported us here otherwise. It's like the armors call to each other by some means. Mine seems to be able to tell where." A she suggested they should look around, she had given a nod.
Up ahead, as the Satyr walked, a tall and broad figure came into view. Adorned in some sort of brown armor like that statue, Amaya blinked as the man looked down at the Satyr. "What was the hold up, Phil?" the man said. When he asked, he then turned his gaze onto them. "And who could you be?"
"Um...I'm Amaya and this is my friend, Arin."
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Post by Raphael on Jul 8, 2014 12:51:30 GMT -5
Arin nodded in agreement as Amaya explained that the armors called to one another, which further proved Ai's story about their creation "Makessense, they all came from the same source.
As they entered the lobby, they were met with a tall, muscular man in what appeared to be brown, leather armor. As Amaya introduced Arin and herself, he waved nervously at the slightly intimidating man "Hey there." Phil crossed his arms and pointed his thumb at Arin and Amaya "These two were the holdup Herc, just a couple'a kids that came out of nowhere." He started walking over towards some trophies on the wall to the left, hopping up onto a big stone block and polishing the dark blue, slightly demonic one "Listen up you two! You're looking at Hercules, son of Zeus, and a bona fide hero in these parts."
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Post by Sprow on Jul 8, 2014 16:45:54 GMT -5
Amaya gave a nod at what Arin said and left it at that.
The guy was massive, that much was true, but Amaya had a feeling there was no need to be afraid of him. He gave no indication that he was someone dangerous. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't be if provoked. Since they weren't provoking him, they had no reason to be afraid of him. Arin seemed a bit unnerved as he greeted the man and gave a bit of a nervous wave.
Phil, the Stayr, crossed his arms and gestured at them with his thumb as he told this "Herc" that they were the hold up. They came out of nowhere. As he said that, Phil walked over to what looked to be a collection of trophies and began cleaning them. As he started, Phil announced to them who Herc was. Apparently, this was the person that Phil had been speaking of earlier. His name was Hercules and he was the son of Zeus. A hero, according to what Phil had called him. That seemed to make Hercules proud as his chest seemed to swell with pride as he gave a nod and stood poised. He certainly looked like a hero. He was built like one, that was for sure.
"Nice to meet you."
Amaya gave a nod in greeting as well. "Well, nice to meet you as well."
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Post by Raphael on Jul 8, 2014 17:56:30 GMT -5
Arin finally got over his nervousness when Phil introduced Hercules. A hero is a plus about Herc, at least Arin didn't have to worry about being attacked by this man, who looked like he could snap him in half if the muscular hero wanted. Sighing softly, he gave Herc a nod as well "Likewise…So, I'm guessing you're the 'star' Phil was talking about in the arena? You certainly look the part."
Phil hopped off of the stone block and walked over to stand next to Herc "He certainly does now. But you should'a seen how he looked before I whipped him into shape. Two words; Scrawny. Little. Shrimp. Kinda like you do, blondie."
Arin glared at Phil and bent forward to be closer to eye level with the Satyr, but not succeeding very well considering his head was still a foot higher than Phil's "And what's that supposed to mean?" Phil put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow as Arin's outburst hadn't even fazed him. It was justified, considering Phil compared Arin to Herc, but not necessary.
"Just the way I said it, kid. You just don't scream 'hero material' to me." Arin kept glaring at Phil, who remained unfazed.
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Post by Sprow on Jul 9, 2014 0:38:58 GMT -5
Amaya watched as Arin finally let his nervousness drop. Arin apparently saw this man wasn't a threat toward them intentionally since he was a "hero". As Arin spoke, Amaya remained quiet. She didn't have much to say. Still, it was nice meeting new faces while they were here. She just hoped that the fight with Dante that would take place won't cause a lot of destruction.
"I-" Hercules made to say but Phil had cut in, stating that he hadn't looked like this before. Phil had whipped him up into shape. Before, Hercules had been skinny and tiny. Hercules rubbed the back of his head at that, letting out a light chuckle. "Yeah, I wasn't so big as I am now. I've Phil to thank for tha-Phil!" He gave the Satyr a bit of a shocked look.
However, whatever Hercules had said, it seemed to go unnoticed as Arin reacted to what Phil had just called him. Amaya let out a bit of a sigh. By now, she knew Arin had a temper on him. She had experienced it first hand before they embarked on their journey to kill the Dragoon Warriors. If this continued, Amaya had a funny feeling they might be dealing with a brawl. The Satyr was completely unfazed by the glare Arin was giving him as he had bent down to his level asking him what that was supposed to mean. Phil, unfazed, stated that Arin wasn't screaming hero material to him. Arin continued to glare down at him.
"Well, heroes come in all shapes and sizes." Amaya interjected before walking over to Arin and gently grabbing hold of his shoulder, lightly attempting to pull him away. "We're on a mission of sorts. The reason wy appeared here is because a...former friend of mine has come to this place. I need to find him. He's going to cause a lot of trouble if Arin and I don't. You wouldn't have happened to have seen him?" Amaya asked Hercules since Phil didn't know.
"He wears red armor that looks like a dragon would and uses twin scimitars. He fights using flames."
Hercules scratched his head, furrowing a brow. "I'm sorry but I've not seen anyone like that in my fights."
"Well, thank you two. Once again, we're sorry that we interfered with your games. Good luck!" Amaya guessed leaving them might be a good idea. She had a funny feeling Arin was close to trying to strangle the Satyr. "Come on, Arin." Amaya tried to urge him, gently nudging him to try and get him to go through the other exit ahead of them that would lead out. At least, she hoped so. "Goodbye, Phil and Hercules. We'll see you around." With that, Amaya would head for the way out.
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Post by Raphael on Jul 9, 2014 1:34:36 GMT -5
Arin continued staring Phil down as Amaya was trying to defend him, saying heroes come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. She then grabbed hold of his shoulder, trying to pull him away. Arin growled quietly and crossed his arms, letting Amaya do her business and ask Hercules where Dante might be. It turned out Herc hadn't seen Dante in any of his fights, another dead end.
Arin remained silent while Amaya nudged him gently in the direction of the lobby exit. Phil waved along with Herc, bidding them farewell "So long, kiddo, make sure you keep your hotheaded boyfriend there out of trouble, til he gets some muscle on him."
Arin was about to say something, but was nudged out of the building. Just as the doors closed shut with a loud thud, he let out a loud shout, venting out his anger as he started walking faster, and passing Amaya "At least I'm not some short, portly goat-man who probably can't even protect himself!"
He stopped suddenly as the tall doors at the other end of the sandy entrance to the coliseum began to open, a tall, slim man with dark blue skin, matching blue robes, and blue flames for hair stepped his way out, clapping softly as he slowly approached the pair "My my my, quite the temper you've got there. Lemme guess, outworlders, right?"
Arin narrowed his eyes slightly at the mysterious figure, crossing his arms as the man immediately was able to label them as outworlders. What surprised him was that not many people knew about other worlds than their own, and those that did were very important in their worlds "…Who wants to know?"
The tall man smirked and placed his hands up defensively "Woah there, take it easy, there's no need for hostility. The name's Hades, lord of the underworld, and you two are looking for someone, am I right?" Hades twirled his hand a couple of times, before a fiery statue of Dante in his armor hovered over his open palm "The kid's a natural, gone up against some of my most dangerous monsters and he just doesn't die. Though he's running out of opponents that give him a challenge anymore, Interested in trying your luck at the title?"
Arin looked back at Amaya, confirming from her if it was Dante or not, then back at Hades with a raised brow "First we hit a dead end with our search, then you suddenly come here offering to let us fight someone we came here for…What's the catch?"
Hades looked over to see a woman with a pink robe and long brown hair running into the coliseum lobby, smirking "No catch at all kid. But if the offer's too good for you, I can just let the kid keep fighting…I was thinking of sending him up here to fight some new opponents, see how well Blunder Boy fairs against my prized fighter." Snapping his fingers, he produced a black piece of paper with greek trim and greek lettering ordained on it from a plume of fire "Here's an invitation, in case you have a change of heart. See ya around kids." Arin took the parchment, just as Hades burst into smoke, and vanished
Arin held the paper in his hand, turning to face Amaya "…What do you think?"
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Post by Sprow on Jul 9, 2014 2:04:50 GMT -5
Amaya could hear Arin growl a bit as she gently pulled him away. Certain that Arin had backed off a little, Amaya had proceeded to ask Hercules if he might have seen Dante. When Hercules said that he hadn't, she was a little disappointed. Maybe they came to the wrong place after all? No, he had to be here. There was only one way to find him and that was to move on and question more people.
Gently, Amaya nudged Arin towards the exit as Phil bade them farewell. What she did not expect was for Phil to refer Arin as her boyfriend. Amaya's face flared up as she gave a nod, nudging Arin entirely out of the room before he could say something in return to Phil in his anger. Which, she noticed, had boiled to the point where he had completely missed what Phil had just called him. Well, that saved her some awkwardness as they finally stepped out into the light. Arin passed her as he fumed about Phil. Amaya allowed him to vent. It wouldn't do good to have him bottle it up.
Then, the doors ahead of them opened up and out walked a...well, Amaya wasn't really sure if he were a man. He had a sickly appearance about him. His hair was...well, it was a blue flame yet he didn't appear to be in any pain. His skin, on the other hand, reminded her of people that have been dead for a while. He had no color to him. Everything was blue. He spoke to Arin, asking if they were outworlders. Amaya raised her brows as Arin crossed his arms and asked him who wanted to know. Amaya listened as the man introduced himself as Hades. So this man was a god of some sort as well? That explained the deathly look about him. Already, he asked them if they were looking for someone and Amaya nodded.
Then, Hades gave his hand a bit of a twirl and in his open palm appeared a fiery replica of none other than Dante. Amaya's eyes seemed to give away that the statue replica was indeed the person that they were searching for as Hades went on to talk about him. Dante was a natural. He went up against Hades most dangerous monsters and has become his best fighter and was running out of opponents to challenge him. It didn't take long before Hades had asked them if they were interested in trying their luck for the title.
When Arin had looked back over at Amaya, the light in her eyes clearly showed recognition. It was Dante. Arin turned back toward Hades. He asked the obvious question. Just what was the catch? Hades claimed there wasn't a catch and that if the offer was too good for them, he'd just have Dante continue fighting. He had the idea to bring Dante before Hercules here. With a snap of his fingers, Hades produced a piece of parchment that was black in color written in flames. Honestly, the guy gave her bad vibes as he handed them the invitation stating that they had that in case they changed their minds. With that, he bade them farewell and was gone in a puff of smoke.
As soon as he had left, Arin had turned to her to ask her about it. Amaya was quiet for a bit before answering him. "I think...if we don't...well, you heard him. Dante doesn't die. He has likely killed many already. Could we just let him continue and probably kill Hercules or others?"
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Post by Raphael on Jul 9, 2014 2:21:01 GMT -5
Arin sighed and nodded, his mind back on track and thinking logically as he knew too well what Amaya meant. Dante was a tough one, that much was obvious from what Hades had said. He turned his attention back to the still open doors of the coliseum gates, a dark portal emanating from the doors. "We can't waste any time questioning it then, I think this door might bring us to Dante."
"And just where do you think you two are going?" Arin groaned quietly, his head tipping forward as the last voice he wanted to hear was ringing in his ears. He turned to see Phil, Hercules, and some woman approaching them. Arin glared at Phil, but turned away to look at Herc and the new woman. He didn't even bother to hide the invitation in his hand "…We got a lead on where who we were searching for might be…"
Phil waddled over, crossing his arms "You aint fooling anybody with the cryptic response, kid. We know you two were talking with Hades, Meg came in and warned us." Arin turned and glared at Phil "So what? That's not a crime, is it?"
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Post by Sprow on Jul 9, 2014 2:33:34 GMT -5
Amaya gave a nod in response as Arin turned toward the still open gates. Where it lead to, it was...forbidding. Amaya didn't want to go down there but she knew that they had to. As Arin spoke, she gave a nod. "Yeah, it seems like it." She didn't sound thrilled about the whole idea.
Then, they were interrupted by a sudden voice. A familiar, gruff voice. Amaya whirled around to find Phil, Hercules and a woman standing there. As Arin answered Phil, Amaya gave a nod in response. "Our friend is a fighter for Hades."
It didn't take long before Phil stated that Arin wasn't fooling them with the cryptic response. They knew that they were talking to Hades. The woman had to be Meg. Amaya looked between them all. Did they think they were up to no good? Or was there something about Hades tat they were concerned about? As Arin spoke, Amaya let out a sigh as she stepped forward to try and stop Arin from exploding.
"Hades just told us that he's using Dante to fight against challengers. Knowing Dante...it doesn't sound good. He's running out of challengers and...well, I'm fairly certain they're not left alive. Hades said he might bring Dante up here to fight...and we don't want him to take anymore lives."
"Even still. You shouldn't deal with Hades. Going to the Underworld is dangerous for mortals."
"What do you mean?"
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Post by Raphael on Jul 9, 2014 3:10:00 GMT -5
Phil stepped forward when Amaya inquired about the underworld being dangerous for mortals. "The underworld drains the strength of anyone who goes down there, except those that have died, or who serve Hades. Walking down there is like throwing your life away. So we can't in good conscience let you go down into the underworld, not unless you're protected from its effects."
Arin looked at Phil, less irritated, and more curious "Hang on, you said you wouldn't let us go into the underworld unless we were protected. What do you mean by that?" "Sorry kid, but that's not exactly something that can be told about to just anyone."
Meg stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her waist "Come on Phil, I think they should know about it. They're likely going to go even if we tell them not to." Arin confirmed this with a nod of his head "We're here for Dante, and even if you say no, we're willing to take the risk to make sure no more people are hurt." Phil put his hands on his hips, closing his eyes and thinking "…This might be above my head. Herc, I'm leaving this decision up to you."
Meg looked back at Hercules, curious to what his decision will be "What do you think we should do, Wonder Boy? They're going either way, so why not make sure they're not walking to their deaths?"
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Post by Sprow on Jul 10, 2014 8:29:48 GMT -5
Amaya listened as Phil explained that going down into the Underworld was dangerous because it drained the strength of those who tried to go there that didn't serve Hades or hadn't been dead. Going down there was like throwing one's life away. That was why they couldn't allow them to go without them being protected by the effects of the Underworld.
"Great...so how are we going to get down there then?" Arin had asked what Phil meant by protection from the world's effects. Phil responded by saying that he couldn't just tell anyone. The girl from before stepped forward and coaxed Phil into telling them. As Arin spoke, Amaya gave a nod at this. They had to stop Dante from killing others. Phil stated that it may be a decision above his head and that he was leaving the decision up to Hercules. He looked troubled as Meg turned her attention onto him.
"...Since they are going either way, it would be best to let them have the Olypmus stone...but I'm coming along. We can't just let them walk down there by themselves and face his games. What if they were to die down there? The stone would remain with them and then no one would be able to use it again."
Amaya looked over at Arin. What did he think about Hercules coming along? Arin didn't like Phil, of course, but it felt like they were being supervised like children. "I um...thank you." She wasn't really sure what else to say to that. Right now, her mind was just set on getting this situation done and over with. The sooner that Dante was disposed of, the sooner they could get off this world. No offense to the locals here but Amaya wasn't feeling very sociable knowing what had to be done. Once again, she would be killing off not just a friend to set them free but also a piece of herself. Her friends were pieces of herself. They had been like family. It wouldn't be easy. After having killed Stella the first time, Amaya wondered if she could handle killing Dante so soon. She may just need a mental break after this.
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Post by Raphael on Jul 10, 2014 16:57:02 GMT -5
Arin listened to Meg and Herc debate whether or not to give them something called an 'Olympus Stone' which apparently could shield Amaya and himself from the Underworld's life draining effects. Inevitably, Herc was willing to lend it to them, but he had to come along. If they died down there, the stone would be lost forever.
"Trust me Herc, Dying is out of the question for us. But we appreciate the help." He looked over at Amaya and saw the weary and distant aura she seemed to be projecting, and could tell she was still hurting from the last endeavor. He almost had a feeling that killing Dante might be too much for her all at once, he might have to take over sooner than they had agreed on.
Placing a hand on Amaya's shoulder, he tried to get her attention "Hey, you alright?"
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Post by Sprow on Jul 10, 2014 21:09:17 GMT -5
Amaya seemed lost in thought as Arin replied to Hercules's coming along with them. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden touch of someone's hand on her shoulder. Snapping out of her thoughts, Amaya looked over to none other than Arin. He was asking if she was alright.
"I'm fine."
With that, Amaya walked toward the gates leading downward. She turned to them. "You guys coming?" Amaya stated as she waited for them to catch up.
"Well, here I go. See you two later." With that, Hercules headed over to where Amaya and Arin would be and would go with them.
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Post by Raphael on Jul 11, 2014 1:30:22 GMT -5
Arin watched Amaya perk up again, and head toward the doorway to the Underworld, saying that she was fine. Still, Arin had his doubts, but he would keep an eye on Amaya to make sure she wouldn't get affected too badly from the experience, and would step in if he noticed anything out of the ordinary. Arin followed behind Amaya, pocketing his hands "Let's get this over with quick. We might need to take some time to rest after this."
Meg gave Herc a small peck on the cheek before watching him follow Arin and Amaya into the doorway "Stay safe you three." Phil stood beside Meg, watching the three walk into the dark portal "I just got three words of advice for you three: Kick that kid's butt!"
Arin rolled his eyes as he walked into the portal, finding himself standing in a dark, gloomy walkway of sorts, the floor was blue and black, and had an eerie feel to it, and the sky above was a dark black, as if there were no sky. In the far distance was a coliseum of sorts, with high beams shining through into the black sky.
After getting a good look around, he then started feeling the effects of the underworld starting already. Glancing back at Hercules, he gave a brief nod. "Whenever you're ready, Herc, it's already starting."
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