Garden Of The Abyss

"Daciana, The Alpha!"

Given his moment in the light, a man with fluffy, wolf ears was revealed--clearly not interested in the attention as he kept his gaze down and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his taut trousers.

Past his messy, ashen gray hair, it was only for a moment--but Ren saw his sharp, golden irises be revealed.

"Is he a demi-human--like you both?"

Pointing this question at the red-furred panda and the beautiful, draconic knight, Ren turned to face them as Valerie looked at Hongse as if telling him to take charge of the answer.

"It's a bit of a generalization, but yup! I've never heard of him, but he looks like a fellow adventurer to me...if I had to take a guess, he's probably from one of the wolf tribes."

"Mm....awesome."

Really sinking into the fantasy aspect of this world for some reason, Ren smiled at this information--earning a chuckle from Hongse who was glad to fuel the young man's curiosity.

"Ju-Long, The Flowing Mountain!"

This time, the spotlight couldn't be any clearer as the challenger who was presented was absolutely massive. Standing a hair clear of two and a half meters, his frame was just as impressive, possessing a physique that harbored between tubby and muscular--a frightening wall of a man.

Holding his blonde locks in a ponytail, wearing only a simple, white robe over his massive temple of flesh.

Is that guy a floor boss?! Ren thought.

Bigger they are, the harder they fall, Macheo thought.

A true rival to my eating prowess, Hongse thought.

"Fedrin, The Unbreakable!"

A collected, rather bland looking elven man; tall and slender with little muscle mass to be seen under his sage-green robes, covered further by an oak-brown cape with white strings accenting the shoulder. The only thing that truly stood out were his amethyst eyes, packed full of calm, vibrant resolve.

An elf! Ren thought with a smile.

So calm in an environment like this, all by himself...Aiko thought.

Looks weak, Valerie sighed.

"Bakar, The Radiant!"

Contrary to his exciting epithet given to him, the one under the spotlight was small in stature, further brought down by a ragged, dirtied cloak that almost covered the man in his entirety, save for his long, white beard that hung low.

An old-timer, huh? Ren thought.

I'm rooting for you, Gramps! Jae-Seong smiled.

"Meltrisse, The Witch!"

At last, the continuous streak of men being shown was broken, much to the liking of Ren and Jae-Seong as they leaned forward the most out of any others in the group.

Wearing a long set of white mage robes, designed with buttons in the shape of stars and cobalt accents running along her curves, the woman smiled with a sly confidence, displaying her glossy lipstick and extravagant irises that sat between a mixture of the sky and cosmos. Strolling down her shoulders and back were straight, purple locks that sat just beneath her pointed hat.

Ten-out-of-ten, Ren thought.

Maybe I can sneak out to her room tonight, maybe get her to a nice dinner date in the recreational area~ Jae-Seong smiled.

Though these lecherous thoughts by the two men were shut down by Iris and Yuri's stone cold glares, setting the men completely straight.

"Mencius, The Scholar!"  16

Standing with his arms neatly kept over his chest, hidden away in the baggy sleeves of his unique, colorful shenyi, the man looked no older than his early twenties, holding a soft, warm smile.

With a base of verdant fabric, the lavish robes he wore were dashed with roses, lilies, peony, lotus, and osmanthus flowers--a beautiful design reminiscent of a serene garden.

Makes me really miss the fresh air of the outside world...Ren thought.

"Beautiful…"

Iris commented under her breath at the man's calming outfit. It wasn't just his clothes; his fair, effeminate face was added to this serenity; his long, straightened locks of a verdancy matched only by the beauty of spring flowed down.

Normally, Ren would find himself somewhat jealous of this comment from her--but this thought was the consensus of them all.

"Sicarius, The Roaming Death!"

Ren could feel it again; this name was one that exiled the stillness of the group--and it wasn't just them, the other challengers in the room drew all their gazes to the man in the spotlight without hesitation.

"Another famous name, I'm assuming?"

"More like infamous…"

Muttering in response to Ren's smart-mouthed question, Macheo massaged his wooden arm out of nervousness as all eyes were on the man in the spotlight

If there was anybody who looked less than welcoming of the attention, it was him; with tan, brown skin covered in scars from the rare portions of his skin seen under his all black garments, further covered beneath a slick cloak--the man was clearly experienced in combat.

His shaggy, salt and pepper hair nearly covered his cold, olive eyes that stared at nobody, keeping his lips cut, which seemed to be nicked by a small scar.

The first thing that popped into Ren's mind upon seeing this man was the striking resemblance to Goldheve, not strictly by appearance--but that cold, brutal aura that sat stagnant over him.

"..."Sicarius", it's less of a name and more of a title inherited by the most powerful assassin within the Island of Divinum Lapis. It's only rumors and hearsay, but I heard the bare minimum to become the next Sicarius is to have assassinated over a hundred people--as well as to slay a king."

Explaining this, even Hongse's natural frivolity was compromised on the subject of the cold, stoic man standing in the center of the room, leaning against one of the pillars that supported the ceiling.

"Island of Divinum Lapis…?"

I've never heard of a place like that. There's still so much I'm ignorant of in this world...Ren thought.

"It's not a surprise for a newcomer to this world like you hasn't heard of it. Though it's recognized as a nation, it's isolated to a single island, tucked on top of a colossal mountain. To make matters worse, the bridge leading to the island is famous in it's own right--"The Crimson Stretch"--they call it, since a lot of unwelcome visitors find themselves in the bellies of the sea monsters inhabiting that region."

Fiddling with her own vermillion drapes as she spoke of this, Valerie looked less than pleased to bring up the foreign, mysterious land.

"I don't know much about it either...I mostly know what Beatrice teaches me, and the Island of Divinum Lapis isn't much of a player in the politics of this world from what I hear. They mostly keep to themselves and limit outsiders."

Iris muttered, seeing that Ren was giving her a stare as if asking "why didn't you tell me about this place?", though it was understandable.

"Well...sounds like even more trouble for us."

Letting out a frustrated breath, Ren ruffled his snowy locks at this newly found information, taking one last look at the deadly assassin before the spotlight was moved.

"Only one more left, right?"

"Mhm."

Ren's utterance was confirmed by the girl next to them as the room fell silent in anticipation of the very last competitor to be named.

"Leo, The Burning Pride!"

"...!"

Both Ren and Aiko felt their stomachs drop at the call of the familiar name that grated against their ears.

All at once, the memories so fervently he tried to repress had flooded to the forefront of his mind; the darkest hour of his life, fighting a fight he chose--succumbing to his own bloodlust against the twisted, depraved bandits of Purgatory.

As his breathing became heavy and heated, he squeezed his fists tightly as his eyes laid on the stomach-churning, crimson coat the man wore, and his unmistakable, messy mane of orange hair.

"Ren…?"

"You okay, man?"

The words of his worried comrades were deaf on his ringing ears as his own heartbeat felt as if it was thumping right up against his eardrums.

Why is he here? What kind of sick, twisted bullshit is this? He thought.

Just as the signal traveled from his brain to his left leg for him to step forward, he was brought out of this trance by his arm suddenly being grasped in the small, but tough gauntlets of the young girl standing near him.

"Don't, Ren…"

Looking down at her with his eyes that for a moment fell to violence, he could see the pained look present in her amethyst irises--feeling how her grasp trembled against his arm as she desperately avoided looking in the direction of the monstrous bandit.

"Aiko…"

Calming down, he gently put his hand atop the girl's head as he settled his breath into a calm rhythm.

"What's up with you two? Did you know that guy?"

Macheo's question wasn't asked innocently--if it wasn't clear by the glint in his crimson, royal irises, it was by how much Ren had come to know the young man.

If I told him what Leo did...I don't think Macheo would have the same restraint, he thought.

Looking down at Aiko, the girl gave him a slight shake of her head to withhold giving the hot-headed noble the truth about the final competitor.

"Nothing...he just looks like someone we had trouble with before--that's all."

Putting a smile on his face, Ren assured the golden-haired Lucrauvian, who still stared intently at him for a few moments with inquisitive eyes before succumbing to this answer with a sigh, folding his arms across his chest.

"If you say so."

Phew, looks like he bought it, Ren thought.

"Alright, competitors! The first round of the Champion's Culling will begin tomorrow! The rules and brackets will be revealed before the start of the tournament--so cast aside your worries and take a nice, leisurely rest! There will be accommodations prepared for you all--food, wine, anything you need--just summon Impy with a clap and he will guide you to your wishes!"

With this last announcement from Sitri, the end of the preliminaries was set into stone--the eve of the tournament finally at hand.