The Garrulous Urgency (Round 1: Rocky Falls)

The Beast growled.

He paced restlessly in a dank little cave, his enormous girth rubbing against the sides of the much-too-small enclosure. He snuffled a little, and threw himself against the glass wall keeping him in. Tendrils of power were unleashed and repelled. With a loud thump of his paw against the floor, the cave transmogrified and rocks flew around in a frenzy, but the glass wall remained. He finally gave up and lied down.

The sinister figure in front of the glass watched impassionately and jotted a few notes.

The Beast brought his fiery glare to the figure, and he spoke.

...Why are you doing this to me?

Still, he said nothing.

You can't keep me in forever, you know. I'll find a way out, no matter what it takes.

Finally, the figure looked up and met the Beast's smouldering gaze. He didn't even flinch. He made to say something, but then he only smiled and walked away.

The Beast roared and slammed against the glass once more. But, as soon as he did so, the figure came back. He continued to claw mercilessly at the glass.

"I have a request for you, from my superiors."

And why should I do what you say?

"Because we'll let you go."

You DARE bargain for my release?!

"You really don't have a choice in this matter."

... What is it.

"My boss would like you to host a grand battle."

That's all? Why couldn't she just do it herself?

"She is already, ah, occupied with another one. And she said this is a test, to demonstrate your powers."

Fine. So be it.

The beast let loose a mighty howl. Eight underlings sped throughout the multiverse, picked up several effigies, and laid them down on the floor. Upon a closer inspection, these effigies would seem to be much more realistic than mere statues, almost as if they were simply frozen people. Which is what they were. They could do nothing but lie, scattered across the floor in awkward poses.

Hello. Can you all hear me? But of course you can. You are all now in a battle to the death. Let us begin introductions. I am The Beast, and you will not fuck with me.

The underlings all barked in glee and avid worship.

First contestant.

An underling picked up an odd pedestal and set it down. It had ornate carvings all over it, and on top of it was a glowing orb. Four silver frogs were carrying it, faces twisted in grimaces by their heavy burden.

This is Auros, and these are the Carriers. Auros is a sentient naked singularity, an entity that constantly produces light and mass. He is worshipped as a god. The Carriers are his loyal subjects, and they would stop at nothing to kill you all.

The underling brought the effigies back, and dispersed in thin air. Another one came forth, carrying what appeared to be a simple shaggy-haired human. However, it had a rather over-sized backpack-like construct on his back. In it was another shaggy-haired human, but much skinnier.

The big one is Les Jambes. The small one is Les Yeux. They are brothers who have been wandering a nuclear wasteland for the past 5 years. The big one can lift anything, and the small one can see everything.

Once again, these specific effigies were brought back, and unceremoniously thrown on the floor of the cave. Another one was brought forth, this time a skeleton. It looked to be humanoid, but it had a tail and a larger head, filled with sharp teeth. It also had ridiculous amounts of jewelry draped all over it.

This is Svangir Grisvr, a lizardman. Alas, he is long dead. He still resides in this body by sealing his soul elsewhere. He can manipulate flesh as easily as water, and will not hesitate to "borrow" your flesh to prolong his life. That is, if you have any flesh on you.

The underling dispersed, and another contestant was brought forth. He was a rather meek, although confident-looking human. He seemed dressed for a tennis match.

This is Fred Jackson. He plays tennis for the glory of his country. In his land, sports are a matter of life and death, literally. He may be a lot better at tennis than you think, so watch out if he decides to play against you.

Underlings swapped effigies, and this one was another meek-looking human. However, his face was locked in a vicious snarl. He was dressed in a hospital gown, and otherwise looked as unintimidating as possible.

This is Michael Richardson, but the poor guy believes himself to be Deathclaw. Deathclaw was a vicious alien conqueror of galaxies, so be wary of this little guy trying to conquer your galaxy. Heh.

The next contestant was brought forth, another human. He was tall, though, and seemed much more confident in himself. He had a scraggly red beard, and a huge sword on his back. Borrowed, of course.

This is Ferdinand Fox-Geselle. That sword of his can produce flames, although it isn't actually his. You see, it was stolen. By someone else, I mean. And Ferdinand here hears the voices of lost things. They all tell him to save them.

The next effigy was much bigger than the rest, and was much plainer as well. It was simply a depiction of a blue sky filled with clouds. The underling brought it forth, carrying it on its shoulders. Then it collapsed and disappeared.

This is Urur. He is the sky. Not just a sky, but the sky. He can control the weather and his own appearance. Whether he is a deity, or a spirit, or something beyond those, I do not know. But you must kill it in order to win this. Best of luck.

The remaining underling searched for the last effigy, which was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he coughed, and hacked up a tiny seed, which rolled over to the Beast. Looking apologetic, the underling disappeared.

Sigh. And this is the last contestant, Ana. She used to be a very lovely woman, but she is now trapped inside of this seed. She is not even aware of us. She can grow into many different kinds of plants, all which are capable of bearing even more seeds.

And that's it. You know what you're up against. As for the first location...

The cave fell away to reveal a steep cliff, riddled with holes and more caves. Lush greenery surrounded its bottom and top, but left it bare in the middle. Occasionally, a giant ant would crawl out of one hole and into another. Here and there, some narrow waterfalls trickled down into a network of rivers.

This is Rocky Falls. This rather beautiful landscape is home to a giant insect community. They are smarter than they look, and they are also angry at your intrusion. This is to ensure you all won't just be happy to live in peace forever. Although I doubt that'd even happen anyways. Happy fighting.

And the Beast disappeared.