Battle Royale! Game Complete!

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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The four contestants first heard, then saw, the crowd in the casino. They numbered perhaps fifty or so, mingling quietly; all were wearing formal evening wear. Quite a few more men than women, but all human.

Or, at least, if you were going to just take in the rough outline and shape of everyone present, they would all qualify as human - albeit an outlandishly styled bunch for such a posh establishment. A lot of them carried weapons, but none seemed ready just yet to use them; swords and knives were popular, one monocled toff had a cane. A lot of suits had wild colours - Whit noticed one very popular, bearded gentleman whose right sleeve was purple, engaged in a flamboyant conversation with a bejeweled rogue wearing a dashing blue coat; a man with only one green eye and a bone-white right sleeve to his suit sneered at Zeke's attire in passing.

There were other little features, also off... Too many mad grins and blank eyes in the crowd. Itzal saw one hulking man with an unbelievably plain face, but his vest and rolled-up sleeves revealed a dragon tattoo on each arm. A few people had masks; some had several and seemed to enjoy alternating between them. If one were to concentrate, you'd notice nearly twenty people who were so nondescript they managed to completely fail to leave an impression.

Mike was contemplating taking on a man in a greatcoat and trilby, and his sullen, silent, dark-haired female companion, when the crowd's attention shifted to an inaccessible balcony that overlooked the whole casino floor. Moments later, a lady in a midnight-blue evening gown emerged and called out to the crowd. There were no visible means of amplification of her voice, yet everyone in the room heard it as if she stood beside them in a quiet room. Two men, one built like a tank and wearing gauntlets, one smaller and clutching what looked like the handle of a broken tool, ceased their feverish discussion and paid attention, motioning for Mike to do the same.

"Welcome, one and all, to Monte Casino! For one night only, I can personally guarantee you will find nowhere else with higher stakes than what we offer you today."

Next to Itzal, a petite woman in a pink dress sighed dreamily, gazing adoringly up at the Composer, who was now stating the expected behaviour of the patrons tonight. Her spiel was halted by someone in the crowd asking what the ante was on the tables. Smiling, the Composer replied, "I'm certain someone could demonstrate. How about... you?"

Mike thought he was being pointed at, but the roving light was trained on the man behind him - the one holding a broken-off handle. Turning with some trepidation to ascertain it was him being selected, he walked over to a craps table, placed his tool in the spot normally reserved for tokens, and cast the dice.

"Snake Eyes," called the stickman. Nobody heard as an agonized scream drowned him out. The gauntleted companion of the unlucky patron grabbed his fallen friend and carried him out of the spotlight. Blood streamed from between the fingers of the shrieking man as he clutched his eye. All eyes were dragged back to the Composer, though she had done nothing to call their attention back.

"Well, that was a rather accurate example of what goes on here. I trust you'll have more luck. Now, go forth!" As she departed, a sort of spell broke, rousing the guests out of their docility. They looked around at the various games on offer, seeing the first man's misfortune not as a warning, but encouragement. If that was what you could lose, what was there to gain?

SpoilerShow

Hmm, had a fair bit of trouble writing that out... hopefully it makes sense. You're in a casino where the stakes range from bullets to bone marrow. It's up to you guys to play this by ear and not make it a huge series of arse pulls. If you think somebody's gone too far, too early, then for Pete's sake don't try top it; we can have a civil discussion about it and reach a compromise.

Oh, and your fellow guests. If you got the references, they are, indeed, all "humanized" versions of other Grand Battle characters. Their powers do not exceed those of a normal human being, but this could change if things get violent, so explore the world a bit before breaking out into a huge scrap :insolent:
Oh, and as far as they're concerned, they're just regular joes in a rather oddball casino. You could try persuade them there's a series of multidimensional massacres going on, or you could not. It's your call.

And if you're stumped for ideas, then PM me and I might point you in an interesting direction. But you're the final four for a reason, so feel free to not need this xD