The Savage Brawl [Round 5: Battletopia]

Originally posted on MSPA by Ixcalibur.

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Beth, part time receptionist at the local radio station situated on the outskirts of Jedesburg, was stressed out. She was manning the phones, which for a start wasn’t really her job but there was never really anyone else around at this time of the morning, well apart from Dave Franks, but he’s the ‘talent’ so god forbid he do anything, plus since when did people call in at half six in the morning? She hadn’t even had time to drink her coffee. And as if that wasn’t bad enough all she was getting was prank calls; reports of blob monsters from space eating people, yeah right, the dead rising from their graves and then doing manual labour, what?, or of giant balls of meat doing something or other, she just put the phone down on that guy. Oh and hey if it still isn’t the worst morning ever Dave, that sleazy old pervert, had started bossing her around like she was his secretary. He needed some records from the storeroom and ‘would she be kind enough to fetch it for him hot stuff?’ As much as she didn’t like to be bossed around, he was the ‘talent’, and if she got him his records then he’d leave her alone and hopefully she could get through the day without killing herself, ugh. Beth opened the door to the storeroom, to find amongst the boxes of old records and miscellaneous junk a corpse in a tattered suit, lying with a sword through his side. Beth stumbled out of the storeroom backwards, almost toppling over, her hands pressed over her mouth in silent shock, then she screamed, and collapsed onto the floor.

Dave had heard the scream and come running, pausing only to start a record; no matter what the matter was with that Beth, Dave wasn’t going to get fired over it, that was for sure. Before he even saw the corpse he was hit by the smell, it was awful, but not exactly the smell one would associate with a corpse. It was more like the smell of a wild animal, and not a very pleasant one at that. Upon seeing the body he rushed to the nearest phone and called the police. Before he’d even finished relating the incident the woman on the other end of the phone bluntly asked if anyone was being murdered at the moment, and when he said that no there was not she hung up on him. Dave was attempting to make sense of the situation when Beth called out for him. When he dashed back to the storeroom he found the dame bent double over the corpse feeling at it’s neck.
“He ain’t dead.” Beth said.
“You sure?” Dave asked doubtfully. “He looks pretty dead to me.”
“He’s still breathing.” Beth insisted.
“Go call an ambulance then.” Dave said. “Police aren’t interested.”
“Not interested?” Beth asked, as she got to her feet.
“Yeah…” Dave said. “I have no idea. Just get a move on and get an ambulance.” Beth did so as Dave took a closer look at the body. Well wouldn’t you know the chick had been right, this guy was breathing. He was in pretty bad shape though. He wouldn’t last long with that sword inside him. Dave grasped the handle of the blade and pulled it free, causing blood to come flowing out of the wound. “Ahh… umm…” He mumbled awkwardly to himself. “Shit.” He flipped the guy over, onto his back in case that helped and dragged him out of the cramped storeroom.
“What are you doing?” Beth asked. “That can’t be good for him.”
“What are you talking about?” Dave responded in a tone that he hoped made him sound authoritative. “He’s got more room out here.”
“He isn’t doing aerobics you dolt!” Beth snapped. “He needs medical attention from someone who knows what they are doing?”
“Oh yeah, like you?” Dave responded snidely. “I have a radio show I have to do, so you’ll have to wait with him for the ambulance. Just don’t touch anything and you should be fine.” Dave dashed off back to the studio.
“Jerk.” Beth muttered under her breath and ran over to watch for an ambulance out of the windows. She failed to see the body open it’s eyes, dip a hesitant finger in it’s own blood and uncertainly mark it’s chest with an arcane symbol, which is a shame because that was something she would probably have liked to have seen. She watched the street and grumbled about how bad a day she was having as the wound knitted itself back together and as the body climbed to its feet.

Ziirphael was not in a good mood, he strode back into the storage cupboard where the idiot had attempted the worst first aid he had ever seen and grabbed the sword from where it had been discarded.
“You’re awake!” The receptionist exclaimed, as he walked back into the office. “Are you okay? How are you walking around?” She walked up to him and proceeded to make demands that she take a look at his wounds. She was bothersome and so Ziir stabbed her, dispassionately thrusting the sword into her chest. She collapsed to the floor, grasping with one hand at her wound and with the other at Ziir’s foot as he stepped over her. She couldn’t scream, it felt like all the air had left her lungs, not that Ziir would have cared if she had screamed. He had had enough of this game, of this competition. His goal of destroying The Cultivator seemed only to get more and more out of reach as time went on. He kept getting distracted by trivial things like alliances or Ekelhaft or the absurd treachery of Diego Red. He would not stand for it any longer. He strode through the empty radio station to the studio where a red light indicated that the idiot was on air. He pushed the big heavy doors open and stepped inside.
“I’m sorry listeners, something’s just come up. I’m going to have to take another moment off air.” Dave said. “While I’m gone why don’t you listen to…” Ziirphael interrupted the DJ with an unexpected stab through the throat, and as he fell to the floor clutching at it Ziir stepped over him to where the microphone hung.

“Cultivator…?” Ziirphael’s voice, one of awful satisfaction, echoed tinnily out of radios across the town. “I know you are listening Cultivator… How could you not be? It would be difficult to be more noticeable in this particular scenario… Are you having a nice day Cultivator…? Have you been having a fun time watching us kill one another for you? Well you best enjoy it while you can Cultivator… I’m going to kill you next… I know how I’m going to do it as well…” He stifled a laugh. “You really don’t stand a chance… The things I am going to do to you Cultivator… You’ll wish you were dead, you’ll hope and pray for death to come and take you into the sweet blackness that lies beyond this life but it never will. It’ll just be me and you forever Cultivator… won’t that be nice?” He paused. “People of this town, my name is Ziirphael and I regret to tell you that your town has been hijacked by a being of incredible power. She has turned your homes into a playground for us awful beings of death and destruction. She wants us to rampage through your town killing you and eventually one another. She is a monster, a depraved coward hiding behind her magic, not daring to show her face. I can all but guarantee that your town will have been sealed somehow to prevent exit by us, and probably by you as well. I offer you three options; the first of which is simple enough: ignore this warning at your own peril, most likely you will end up the victim of one of my competitors. The second is get the hell out of town, the barrier might prevent you but if enough try to leave at once perhaps it can be overwhelmed and you might be able to escape with your lives. The third is to hide, find somewhere secure and stay there, barricade the doors and windows and keep your loved ones close and perhaps you might just survive to see another day. Konka Rar, if you can hear this get in touch with me, I need to talk to you.” He paused again and grinned widely. “Tick tock Cultivator… That’s the sound of your life ticking away…”