Board Thread:What Would You Do?/@comment-35898511-20180808135508/@comment-28718853-20180922134958

Oh what a day. What a lovely day today! A competition and a chance to win a prize! Other men stand at my side as we prepare for the gate to fall and allow us into the arena. Except that the arena is more of a large environment complete with forests and buildings for a colossal game of hide and seek. In this case the seekers are mamono.

I take a look at the men alongside me. Some wear faces of excitement while others seem slightly more nervous. Me? I was looking forward to the challenge. Not getting a wife early on, but a good challenge nonetheless. "You bastards better not screw me over!" one of the men warned. "Hang by me and I'll keep us safe!" another man offered. "Are you guys weak or strong?" asked another who was eager for some answers and perhaps even a friendly rivalry.

Unfortunately, none of the male participants were allowed to see their competition before the game started, so we had no idea of who we would be up against. From what I've heard though, the mamono in this game were supposed to be a step up from the regular types.

My body trembles with both fear and excitement. Will the game start already!?

Just then, I hear the Siren's amplified voice announce, "Alright ladies and gentlemen!  I hope your ready because the game is just about to start!"

This is met with thunderous cheers and applause.

"Glad to see that you are all pumped up!" the Siren shouts as she continues, "You've seen the mamono who have entered and you have seen the men that have entered, but neither group has seen each other...yet!"

The crowd roars with hype and anticipation.

"Oh man, this is it!" says a man among us.

"Now remember, the men have a five minute head start and are allowed to use whatever is found in the chests scattered throughout New Vonsaria to fend off their opponents!  The mamono that will be chasing them will also be allowed access to what the chests contain in order to help them catch their man!  They all have only one hour to achieve their goal!  Now without further ado, let us start the countdown!"

The audience triumphantly shouts, "Five...!"

I feel my heart rate speed up.

"Four...!" my feet and legs enter the running position.

"Three...!" someone in our group wishes everybody luck.

"Two...!" I take a deep breath.

"One!"

I'm off like a fireball. The trail I take brings me into a small village named Reqbick. A few men that have accompanied me break into the nearby cottages to search for chests. I do the same and step into a yellow cottage that had two floors.

My skills aren't combat oriented, but my speed and agility more than make up for it being a messenger and all. I scour the entire building for a chest, but no luck. The front window shows me three men leaving separate cottages. One is empty-handed like me, but the other two have a club and a hand axe. Both weapons are made of Demon Realm Silver.

One of the armed men points to the unarmed participant laughing and boasts, "No luck on your first house huh!?"

"It's still early you Wurm head!" the other man grumbles as he dashes to the next house. I climb out of a side window and race to the next cottage. Like a ninja I leap through the window and perform a roll. Hopefully my search here brings up better results than the last place.

Outside I can hear the two men eagerly discuss how they're going to work together to win the game. Fortunately it wasn't winner-take-all, so it was good to hear that some friendships were forming even if they were possibly temporary.

One thorough search later I'm back in the main room still armed with nothing. I look down the street toward my next destination, a blacksmith. There is still some time left, so I exit the cottage and jog down that way.

As soon as I get there the Siren announces, "One minute warning!  Better get ready!"

I burst into the blacksmith and scan the immediate room for a chest. Once again no such luck. I notice a downstairs in the corner and take it. The smell of hot metal lingers in the air, but I could hear the angels sing when I spot a chest sitting in the center and ripe for the taking.

What could be inside? Hope it was something good!

Like a child excited to open his present I pop open the chest and...find a potion in there. It held a foggy blue liquid and there is a label in front of it that reads in fancy letters, "Potion of Invisibility".

Well, it's better than nothing I suppose. Still wish it was a weapon of some kind, but hey there may still be unopened chests scattered around the arena. I take the potion and drop it into my sack. Just then I hear the Siren yell, "Here come the girls!  I hope you're ready!"

Unfortunate that I wasn't fully prepared, but there is no time to fool around as the mamono are now coming. I race back up the stairs and see the unarmed man running down the street with a panicked expression on his face. My fist clenched. Now begins the ultimate test of luck and skill.

I leave the blacksmith and make use of my parkour abilities to climb to the top of the building. With a decent vantage point I watch a Manticore dive toward the unlucky man. The mamono fires a spine from her tail and I can see it pierce the target in his lower left leg. The man yelps and tumbles into a nearby inn where the Manticore enters after him. Most likely he will be the first casualty.

More mamono are approaching the village and I need to move. I hop across to a rooftop that is on a slightly lower level and the Siren announces, "Looks like Mills is the first man to fall prey to the cunning Herlinde!"

One down, nineteen more to go. I get to the other side of the building and drop to the highest windowsill, but instead of descending I navigate to the rear of the building and jump across to the watchtower behind it. I wobble a little, but I maintain my grip. Hiding in the watchtower would be a deathwish, but...is that a chest up there?

The top of a chest barely edges over the entry into the top of the tower. Excitement takes hold and I rush up the stairs to the lookout. I open it up and find...a potion with a dark orange substance that is called fruit juice. Thanks. That will definitely be handy if I ever get thirsty during the game.

A tapping sound from below grabs my attention. I peek down and see a Werewolf racing up the stairs toward me. The fruit juice is collected, but I don't jump out of the tower immediately. A quick glance to make sure that the area is clear and the Werewolf is in the same spot as me.

I leap out of the wooden structure and hear my pursuer cry, "No!"

My feet land on the framework and I easily drop to the ground below. "Hey, come back here!" I hear the Werewolf furiously shout. I'm already dashing for the white cottage ahead of me just as I her the wolf girl land behind me.

"Crap crap crap!" a man shouts and just off to my right I see him pass between buildings with a Cheshire Cat hot on his heels.

"Some of these chases are HOT!" shouts the Siren.

The window on the left is open, so I jump through it with ease and race up the stairs. "You're not getting away from me!" the Werewolf screams as I hear her enter the house. I run into a bedroom and shut the door behind me. There's no time to lock it as I can already hear her pounding on it from the other side.

Another window sits across from me, but it's closed. "Open up you coward!" the Werewolf shouts as she begins twisting the doorknob followed by her trying to force her way in. I hold her back with all my might, but I know that it's only a matter of time until she prevails and breaks in.

With haste I take out the fruit juice and pop open the cork. I prepare myself for the big risk and release my hold on the door. The Werewolf barges in with a triumphant, "HA!" and soon receives a splash of fruit juice.

She screeches and backpedals from the surprise and I use the opportunity to open the window and climb out, dropping the remainder of the refreshment behind me.

"I'll milk you dry boy!" the werewolf screams as I ascend onto the roof of the structure.

"Ooooohhh, that strike is gonna leave the Satyros out for a while, and it seems like Werewolf Rosette is really determined to get her man Dillon!" the Siren commentates. Dillon of course is my name.

"You get your wimpy butt back here!" Rosette shouts as she climbs out of the window and starts to make her way towards me. She still has some fruit juice on her face and she appears to be very irritated.

Rosette leaps toward me, but I duck out of the way and race across the roof. I jump to the next cottage and hear Rosette shout, "What are you a trained assassin!?"

I need to lose this canine. While I am skilled in the art of parkour my stamina won't last the whole hour. Rosette's stamina is almost limitless. I could continue to run, but I'll get raped tired.

Behind me the Werewolf was still in hot pursuit. Ahead of me I see two options. The first is the forest that can hold many places to hide and elude the opponent, but also to get ambushed if I am too careless. Then there is a river that I could dive into to possibly shake off Rosette, but then I remember that she could just run alongside me and then make a grab for me when the opportunity presents itself. Either way I need to make a decision now.

I leap off of the edge and land beside the river. "Stop running!" I hear Rosette call from above. I dash into the forest. Whether it was a dumb or genius idea we'll soon find out. Rosette is no doubt still close behind as I can hear her racing to catch up with me.

Duck and weave zig and zag. Those are the motions I make as I desperately try to shake off my persistent pursuer. Up ahead I spot a large web that appeared to have been expertly weaved in between two trees and I get an idea. I hop from tree to tree and can hear Rosette snarl in frustration at having been unable to catch me thus far. She is going to feel a lot more than frustration if my plan works.

Once I am close enough to the web I dive feet first toward it. Rosette jumps for me, but she narrowly misses and I continue toward the web. I catch a brief glimpse of her beastial excitement as she fully expects me to get caught in the sticky trap like an idiot, but instead of landing in it I land just in front of it and roll under in one clean go.

Rosette isn't as fortunate and falls right into the web.

"Son of a Cu Sith!" she screams furiously as she struggles in vain to break free.

With the luxury of time on my side I flee deeper into the forest. Now I am just looking for a place to collect my breath and figure out my next move. "Ohhh...looks like Rosette isn't going anywhere for a while!" the Siren announces which is a welcome addition to my satisfaction.

Pretty soon I come upon a partially built cottage. As appealing as it is to just plop down in it and rest I still need to make sure that it's safe. I may have escaped my first mamono of the match, but the game is far from over.

I carefully check each area of the house making sure that I wasn't about to get ambushed. At one point I come upon a few crates stacked on top of each other and also find an open chest on the side of the room. I slowly approach the crates to take a peak when a figure pops out from behind howling like a maniac. This surprise causes me to stumble backwards and fall on my behind.

The figure quickly relaxes and I see that it is one of the men competing in this game of hide-and-seek. "Holy hell man you scared me," I mutter as I rise to my feet with my heart still drumming from the startling event. "Sorry.  I thought you were one of the girls," he replies as he retreats back behind the crates. That's when I see a Demon Realm Silver dagger in his right hand. Probably got it from the chest.

"I was just looking for a place to hide and catch my breath," I say as a look around. "Well I'm not giving up this spot.  I've been hiding here since the beginning of the game," the man states as he gives me a firm expression.

"I'll just find my own then," I reply as I take a blanket from the room and drape it across a table in the kitchen. I then crawl under it and use this chance of respite to gather some air.

Where do I head to next is the question. Then again, would I even need to move from here? Us men don't necessarily have to constantly on the move for the whole hour. It's not like there was a magical field around us that was slowly shrinking and closing off more of the arena as time went on. The objective for us is to not get caught by any means necessary. Hiding isn't against the rules and that may be the smartest move for me right now.

For a time I remain under that table. My breathing is silent and my ears are alert for any sound. The Siren continues to announce the men who have been captured and the mamono who captured them. Sometimes I wonder if those men were more lucky than unlucky. Their time out here is over. They no longer have to undergo the stress and fear of being caught.

"Thirty minutes left!  The rest of you men out there are doing great!" the Siren eventually says.

My head turns to the sound of a faint thump. I don't move a muscle as a nerve wracking slimy sound moves through the house. There is no way for me to know if that man is still in his hiding spot. There is a brief shuffling noise and I soon listen to whoever come into the house leave...at least I hope she did.

I peek out from under the blanket, but I don't see anything.

"A beautiful shot on Gower by Zoey!" yells the Siren. I have a good feeling of what happened to my former neighbor now, but I wanted to be sure. I remain wary of any mamono that could be nearby as I crawl out from under the table and get into a crouching position.

I move into the room with the crates and sure enough that man is no longer there. His dagger is lying behind the crates though, and I am quick to pick it up. Finally, a weapon! Plus it's one that suits me!

A peek out of a nearby window doesn't show me any mamono, but I can't be too sure. I decide that it's time to move once more.

"Ahhhh...seems like Hope has finally caught her man!  Flint was really giving her a run for her money!" comes another announcement followed by, "Only eight men remain!  You still got plenty of time girls!"

That's slightly reassuring since that means that there are only eight mamono out there hunting for us.

I take out the invisibility potion and consume it in one gulp. My physical body quickly vanishes from the naked eye. I then toss away the empty flask and leave the cottage.

It's a methodical and cautious jog through the forest. My eyes are watchful for anything that seemed out of place. I take care to mind my own footsteps as well. Who knows where the other competitors are hiding and hunting currently? I could be far away from the action or coming right upon it.

A small guard post soon comes into view. It has a door hanging off of its hinges and there are also noticeable cracks around the doorframe. I lower into a crouching position and approach the structure quieter than a mouse. A peek inside shows a path of destruction. Two tables are upside down, the opposite wall is full of fist-shaped holes, and the floor is littered with paper and spilled ink. I find a chest sitting in a corner, but it had already been opened.

I glance down and see that my body is slowly beginning to reappear. Thinking quickly I lift one of the tables onto its side and duck behind it. Several minutes pass and nothing happens. My body is now fully visible again.

The silence surrounding me isn't exactly trustworthy. A look up the road shows that it is clear. At least I assume so until an Inari emerges from the forest. She shifts her gaze in different directions until she turns toward me which forces me to take cover back behind the table. More time passes and the fox girl doesn't appear in either the window or the doorway.

"Fifteen minutes left!  Keep at it boys!  You too ladies!" comes the next cheerful announcement. I can now feel the tension rising from being so close to the end. I can't screw it up now!

I go back to the window and take another look out. No mamono anywhere. Time to move once more.

I'm about to climb out of the window when a DRS blade cleaves through my wrist. My hand goes numb and I wildly retract from the window. I manage to catch my dagger with my left hand and see the smiling face of the Inari from before brandishing a short sword.

"I saw you!" she says as she climbs in through the window, "And I'm about to claim my prize!"

"You'll need to take me down first!" I say as I aim my dagger at her and enter a defensive stance. "That'll be easy since I disabled your dominant hand!" she states as she rushes at me.

She thrusts her sword toward me and I jump to the right managing to score a light cut in her arm. Undeterred she swings her sword at me. I duck under the attack, but she removes one of her hands from the sword and grabs my right arm with it. I take advantage of her mistake and stab her exposed arm with the dagger. She grunts in annoyance as her right arm dangles limply by her side.

I take a step back, eyeing her like she was a tiger about to pounce. The Inari grins and waves the sword around in her left hand. "I still have a working arm," she says like it's something to be proud of. "As do I," I say as I raise my dagger toward her.

"Time is short," she says as she swings again. I sidestep toward her and dodge the attack. Her horrified expression realizes that she is too late to defend herself as I deliver an upward slice with my weapon. The counter connects and she staggers backwards moaning in pleasure. She falls back over the table and lands in a fluffy pile of her own tails.

I can't help but admire the cute scene as the Siren shouts, "Dillon has managed to defend himself against Fan, but that mad Minotaur, Madeline has taken down Seven!  Ain't so lucky now that man!  Speaking of which there are seven men left!  Come on girls we believe in you!"

Lucky number seven! Now that makes me feel lucky! Thinking about it now I'm amazed that I even made it this far! So far I've managed to elude a Werewolf and fought off an Inari, but let's not count our chickens before they hatch.

"Ouch!  What a nasty blow from Verna onto Wally!  That is one Satyros you don't want to steal wine from!  Good thing all of our weapons in this game are made of Demon Realm Silver!" the announcer coos.

Six now.

With strong footwork I jump out of the window and rush toward a weapons shop further up the road.

"Ten minutes!"

I enter the weapon shop. All of the racks are empty for the purpose of the game. Any signs of someone having been here are absent. No chest here either, but I do see a restroom in the corner.

"Dean has been taken down by Olive!  That is one Ogre you don't want to mess with!" yells the announcer, "Now we're down to five!  Five guys left and five hunters without a husband!  Clock is ticking!"

I enter the restroom and lock the door behind me. It smells surprisingly fresh, like a minty treat. For the rest of the game I spend my time in there listening for that five minute mark. It comes followed by the urgent reminder of the ladies needing to find the remaining men.

Four minutes.

Three minutes.

Two minutes.

One minute.

A short time later I hear, "Thirty seconds ladies!  Come on don't tell me your senses have failed you!"

This is soon followed by, "Ten!  Nine!  Eight!  Seven!  Six!  Five!  Four!  Three!  Two!  Oh my Demon Lord Wavey narrowly beat the clock!"

I am surrounded by a bright blue glow that obscures the view of the restroom. When it disappears I find myself on a platform flanked by the other three surviving men. There are seats all around us filled with cheering audience members. To the left I find the bleachers filled with the mamono who played the game and the men they caught who are now their husbands.

The Siren twirls in the air and gestures to us four survivors shouting, "Let's hear it for our winners!  Fort, Lee, Zamberi, and Dillion!"

Roars erupt all over the coliseum as I look around trying to spot the unfortunate mamono who didn't catch one of us, but I don't see them anywhere. The announcer flies down to us and says, "You four have used your skills and whatever you found from the chests to successfully avoid capture!  For that, you each get a special prize!"

A door in front of us swings open and four Apsaras spring outward carrying small purple bags. "Each bag contains thirty thousand gold.  They're made from void magic so you won't have to worry about being weighed down," the Siren explains as the ladies hand each of us a bag.

Excitement and relief fill me as I stare at my bag full of riches that is as light as a feather. So many things I could buy with this money!

"Once again!  Congratulations to you four on your victory!  And as always feel free to come back to next year's game!  I'm sure there will be a new set of mamono along with some returning faces who are just eager to have you!" the Siren tells us with a devilish grin.

I provide her one in return. If I do come back will depend on how I'm living and managing my funds.

The crowd cheers behind us as the gate shifts open and we walk out. There are so many ideas in my head on what to do first as I leave the coliseum.

Oh what a day! Oh what a lovely day it was!