Gold Seating

The Gold Seating Area...Hope your comfortable.

Rufus took a seat in one of the gilded chairs-remembering how he had sent Renston here last time in his place. Renston was probably still in shock after narrowly escaping the death trap Mu-Irzik was before-but he did say that the place was definitely to his liking. He looked down at the other competitors and instantly eyed Ikai. "Well...I would'nt have expected less...this will be our second time on the battlefield again-this time we will be on oposing sides." he said, recounting the Beijionese Civil war. "Let the better-or shall I say, the more resourceful man win." he mutters to himself-but smiles a toothless but confident grin.

Tom appeared out of the darkness behind Rufus, staring out at the same sky. "I've done as you ordered...may I ask why her and not him? I always find it intriging that when you can cut your enemys' throats-you go for their chests' their eyes' and their limbs'...you seem to enjoy watching them suffer-much like I." he said with a toothy trademark smile.

A cloud of black smoke filled the presidential box. As a whirl of rainbow light electricity and light filled the room as a black oval appeared in front of Rufus. Steps of ice formed from the oval as Stratus descended into the Presidental Box.

Stratus walked over to Rufus calmly and commented, "It's nice to see that Renston is on vacation he definitely could use it after the last tournament. Have you paid for his medical bill and his retirement? or does he still think he is able to compete in this world as pile of sludge?"

As he finished his comment he motioned for one of the spiritual waiter to bring him a mug of hot choclate...

"Make sure it's my mug or you won't even be a spirit anymore" he gritted to the waiter.

Tom eyes Stratus and his face remains unphased. "Well, isnt it the God of a country that killed my entire race-I feel blessed by your presance." he said his smile never leaving.

Rufus grinned. "He's fine. A little holed'up at home, but fine." he said turning back to the stands. "So where did you go after the last tournament?" he asked. "Or on that count, when you were a DarkSEED soldier working for me. That Silent Assassin Sniper Rifle was worth 5000 gil, and I havent seen you return it to me-I demand compensation." he said half jokingly.

"Me owe you money? When i was a human working for you i was treated like slim. The day i pay you money is the day i get a 2000 trains of pixie stick sugar offered up to me as a sacrifice." Stratus commented taking the mug the waiter offered him upon it's return.

He sipped the Hot chocolate staring at Rufus waiting for a reply, he glanced at Tom and stated, "You look colder then the ice this place is built out of...you might want to warm up that heart of yours."

Tom kept his unphased face and smile, only broadening the sadistic smile as a response. He didnt care what the War God said-he was happy when his blade slid into the flesh of a living organisim-the taste and feel of their blood-and most of all...all the regret, sorrow, confusion, and displeasure they expressed in their eyes as he did it. It was histerical for him most of the time-so it was hard not to smile. "Thanks for your concern Stratus-I'll keep that in mind in due time." he said without looking away from the crimson sky.

"Rufus sometimes i wonder how you get these people under your command. Some of them like Reno and Rude are just plain...odd." Stratus said sitting in a seat next to Rufus.

"Though i have to say that being back here brings back a lot of fun memories...I can't wait for this tournament to begin." Stratus said taking another sip from the hot chocolate.

Rufus sighed. "Strat, even I cant answer that question." he started, shaking his head at the thought of those two fools. He looked up to where Ikai and the reporter and the dragon were. "Hey, where did the dress-code violater go?" he said at random.

"Don't tell me your that slow on the update Ruffy! She totally got swallowed but you can tell that the dragon is going to spit her out once she get's that bloody interview over with...reporters are rather annoying." Stratus said scanning the arena smirking remembering what had occurred here only such a short time ago.

Rufus cocked an eyebrow in confusion in response to being called Ruffy-something he didnt like being called even by his girlfriend. "Yeah-Reporters are a horrible bunch-" he started looking back at the scene. He pulled out a piece of gum and began to chew it. "A lot more lively this year Stratus-compared to Renston's report I mean." he added.

"Reporters are interesting say the least" Tom added. "I do enjoy reading some of the local curiousities every now and then-and how lucky for me-my favorite reporter is here in this very tournament! Oh I really cant contain the shear excitement to get an autograph from her." he said...with a rather truthful tone.

Rufus turned around cocking an eyebrow in curiousity. "Well, I never took you for one to read enquirors T.O.M., the simple things in life one finds out about people; it's almost quaint." he thought. "So Stratus, how secure is the arena? Last time I heard that random outside forces began abducting spectators-" he smiles lightly. "how well is this facility protected to prevent you from killing us all?" he asks smoothly.

"I've noticed that with all the dead spirits around this place the arena has taken on a whole new feel. It seems like they're holding down the fort pretty well. As for protection from me, that only takes following the rules and pixie stick sugar." Stratus stated though he then commented, "As for protection from you...there's more then enough defenses that a whole Darkseed army could attack and they'd be flatten in minutes."

Stratus looked to TOM and simply stated, "Ill informed mongrel is what you are."

Rufus only shrugged. "I love it when your this cheery-you make the world be seen through rose rimmed glasses." he said and yawned. He was feeling tired, and his eyes slowly begin to close.

Tom mearly kept his unphasable grin and continued to stare out into the stands-watching the Dragon spit-up Ami.

"Have fun with your nap Rufus...the tournament won't be beginning for awhile. The competitors are only just amassing now. We must wait for at least an even number of competitors before this tournament can begin." Stratus remarked to the drowsy Rufus.

Stratus took another sip of Hot Choclate and asked, "TOM would you care for hot choclate, coffee, anything at all? I mean you're in the Presidental Box you might as well take advantage of it."

When Stratus was about to take another sip from his cocoa-he got nothing but air. T.O.M. could be heard slurping something from behind the War God. But before Stratus could really react-the cup was back in Stratus's hand again-appearing from a small cloud of smoke similar to when T.O.M. shadow-shifts; but this time the cup was empty. "I'll keep that in mind too." he said still smiling.

"Tom your days are declining in length...soon you won't be able to drool." Stratus commented coldy as he stared at his empty mug. His eyes slowly targeted Tom an instant later Stratus was smashing the mug on Tom's head.

"Never touch my mug!" Stratus angrily yelled as he regained his cool and walked over and sat next to Rufus.

Tom had smashed his cup-on Demianu Sigara-who was in Tom's place when the mug smashed acrossed his head causing it to bleed. Demianu went wide eyed-they eyes dazed. "Demianu Sigara is my name-I lost my wife to fortune and fame...ughh..." he said before passing out-and disappearing within the shadows again.

Stratus just looked at Demianu and shrugged, "I don't care Tom...no matter how many times we have to go over this poofing into the guys locker room just isn't right." Stratus laughed outloud, "You realize that by bringing him to the arena he can't leave right? It's part of this arena's charm, once someone is summoned here they can't leave."

Rufus was running-bleeding and hurt-hell it hurt to run. Rufus was in a third person view-and it was disturbing to see yourself run without being able to stop whatever advisories chased him. He could see that the blood was from a buckshot wound to the chest-it was surprising that Rufus was still alive. He looked on-trying to call out to himself-but it wasn’t getting through to the bleeding Tenik. Rufus slammed his back against a wall past a semi-destroyed corridor, grunting from the pain in his chest. Shaded figures were running after him with shaded weapons. Their voices were garbled-and Rufus couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Damn…why did it come to this…” Bleeding Rufus said softly-pulling out his only weapon left-a large stainless revolver with gold adornments and a black barrel. Rufus had never seen this weapon before, and before he could try to move in for a better look-the shaded figures noticed Bleeding Rufus; and their weapons fired in garbled waterlogged explosions. “They’re guns…men with guns…where am I?” Rufus thought as he watched the rest of the scene play out before him as if he was watching a movie. The bleeding Rufus then began to discharge his weapon.
The powerful booming noises that it made-and the near tremendous recoil that sent his arm back looked as though the gun had thirty times the power of his Eastwood. Two shots fired-and two of the shaded figures fell-a third popped up and began to fire his weapon-and the injured Rufus tried to dodge but was horribly hit despite his attempts. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! RUN!” he called to his injured body with an echoing tone-but the other Rufus just didn’t take notice. The injured Rufus finally started to run-and he ran with such agility despite his wounds, and received two more to his back.
Rufus blinked. “The white lotus-it’s not working…that stuff is like heavy armor…why is it failing?” He thought as he began to follow his injured body.
Injured Rufus made it to a T-intersection and was suddenly blocked off by all three sides. About 9 or 12 shaded figures were blocking his path-each raising their weapons. The bleeding Rufus aimed helplessly-unable to fight them he began to back up-coming to an edge of the hallway-Rufus noticed that his bleeding counterpart was backing up into a jaggedly cut away part of the Hallway-it was as if it had been blown away in some previous attack. The injured Rufus sighed, bringing the gun behind him-holstering it in some unseen holster behind his waist-and then he pushed off the edge-falling back into the pure white light that radiated from that jagged edge-disappearing in the blinding white light that evaporated the entire scene and the shadowy adversaries-and then there was nothing.

Rufus woke up in a cold sweat… he was breathing heavily and looked around-noticing that he was still in the Presidential Box. "That was one hell of a dream...what the hell did I eat before I went to sleep?" he thought, blinking as he calmed down and his breathing regulated again.

"Rufus you may want to lay off the rum before sleeping..." Stratus said as he continued to watch the events from the Presidental Box.

"These fools think they understand how the world works i can't wait for the day that i'm not the only wargod that makes an appearance on this planet...then they'll know what real misery is. Wargods have a knack for having to making explosions and disaster follow in the quake of our battles." Stratus thought to himself.

"I'll remember that the next time I drink..." he said with slight irritation before sighing. He didnt fully understand what he saw-but it bothered him...even for a dream. "It's probably nothing at all. Just a passing vivid and yet vauge dream. If I look this startled, how am I going to face the arena; knowing that I look like Reno." He smiled at the humorus thought, clearly himself again as he sat up and gazed out to the arenas. "So tell me Stratus: when the world is turned to ash and brimstone, where will you be?" he asked with a grin, believing he already knew the answer.