Lights, Camera, Action!  

"Is he going to be okay?" Leo asked.

He was staring into one of the many round mirror-like objects floating in the space in front of him. On its surface was a crystal clear picture of Maestro sitting in his referee's high chair.

"Um, Beau's the QA for Maestro's cutscenes… He'll be fine doubling as you, sir… I think," Bront, son of Brontes said uncertainly.

He was sitting in the cushy seat to Leo's right, although his chair was many times the size of Leo's own chair.

"Fine, let's hope he doesn't mess up Maestro's image any more than I already have during this event," Leo chuckled. "How are we doing, Agatha?"

The chair on the other side of Leo was occupied by Agatha Christoff, the Abyss' Lead Scenario Writer, who was currently doubling as Director of Photography for the Deathly Challenger's Cup.

"Evil Eyes' one and two have a clear view of the arena from the north and south sides… we'll get some good visuals for this next match," Agatha reported. I've ordered Evil Eye three and four to rotate through the stands so we can get some good audience reactions too."

Leo's mind flashed back on the winged eyeballs flying around the arena and surveying the action in the ring. They were disgusting to look at but proved to be very useful as it turned out — just another of the many denizens residing in the Abyss that Leo's team managed to appropriate for their purposes.

Agatha pointed to the mirrors on the top row where the third and fourth mirrors from the left were reflecting what the Evil Eye could see back to the team. It was a crystal clear image of the audience in the upper seats.

"Zoom in on that smiling boy with the red skin and horns please," Agatha requested. "His obvious enthusiasm will add a nice emotional element to our highlight reel."

The third mirror blinked right before zooming closer to the boy — a draconic magician who looked no older than twelve — who was cheering the arrival of the next competitors alongside his friends.

"We really should have added an age limit to the Easter egg requirements," Leo said. He sounded quite frustrated by this realization. "I didn't want to be responsible for underage kids selling their souls to the game too…"

"A little too late to play the virtuous card, Game Master," Agatha Cristie chortled. "Now, do you want me to get some shots of the infirmary too?"

Leo sighed. "Yeah… I want to see how Lyghtning's treatment's going. Adds to the realism of the game…"

"Yes, we'll add some music after we edit it," Agatha agreed.

An eyeball in the middle row blinked to life and showed Leo's team a view of the infirmary.

"It's empty…" Leo whispered. "Where the hell did she go?"

"Um, I found her, sir, Bront pointed to the upper right corner mirror. "Um, I think she and Ath3na are walking Thorminator to the ring…"

He was right. Ath3na with her bandaged arm and Lyghtning with her bandaged hands walked on either side of Thorminator as he made his way to the ring.

"Now that's what I call sentiment!" Agatha applauded. "The viewers will eat this up."

Leo thought she was right. Even now, the audience was giving Thorminator a standing ovation, although Leo wasn't sure if it was for him or for the two injured women walking alongside him. Add a little bit of theatrical music in the edits, and the viewers who watch the streams later will certainly feel that emotional vibe as well.

"Argonaut makes his way to the ring as well," Donatella announced.

At his arrival to the ring, the audience began singing the lyrics to the famous Coldplay song, Something Just Like This.

"It's pretty clear which one's the underdog of this match," Morgue reported. "But I think Thorminator just might surprise us."

The mirror at the very center of the groups of mirrors zoomed in on Donatella and Morgana as they began their examination of the two combatants' strengths and weaknesses. Leo couldn't help but be reminded of those pregame analysis sports matches have before a game started. Leo loved watching those programs and spending his time arguing with the TV on how they got the predictions wrong. This nostalgia sent a pang to his chest as it was another reminder of how much he wanted to live again.

"I couldn't have directed this opening any better," Agatha chortled. "Let's hope the match is equally interesting."

Ten minutes later, Leo believed that the Argonaut versus Thorminator match had been more than interesting. It had been absolutely electrifying to witness. From start to finish, the intensity of the fight just kept going up and up until at last only one of the combatants was standing in the ring while the other lay broken by his feet.

Thorminator had launched spell after spell in quick succession, from the offensive [FIREBOLT] to debilitating [PARALYSIS], and even spells that Morgue called, "fun magic."

But because chantless spells held less power than spells that were cast in their complete forms, Thorminator's attacks couldn't hold Argonaut down for long. Like an unstoppable force, Argonaut shrugged off each attack. And he eventually managed to subdue Thorminator with only his fighting skills — using his shield to end the fight with a well-placed blow to the back of Thorminator's head, and finally knocking him out.

Just before Donatella announced Argonaut's victory, however, Leo — and possibly everyone in the audience — believed Thorminator might win after he blasted Argonaut in the face with his [FIRE BREATH]. But Argonaut managed to raise his shield at the last second and block most of the breath attack which left his hair singed.

After his breath was spent, Thorminator said, "Dude, you're one tough bastard!" and all could hear the admiration clear in his tone.

"I would say the same thing about you," Argonaut replied right before he pivoted around Thorminator so he could reach his unprotected back. "But I promised a lady that I'd meet her in the finals…"

The shield bashing came immediately afterward.

"Such hot-blooded fools," Agatha clapped in time with the audience's applause. "I am enjoying this immensely, Game Master."

"Didn't I say unscripted programming can be just as interesting," Leo chuckled.

It was such an exciting match to watch that Leo felt sorry for the battles that would come after for how could they compete? He couldn't imagine that he'd be so wrong in this assumption.

Although not as showy as the previous match, the battle between Oh!siris and Dragon Joe was equally intense.

"An unstoppable force meets an immovable object!" Agatha summed up the match with those few words. "It's the perfect title for this hot-blooded battle."

The skull-faced, armored Death Cleric was the perfect foil to the eight-footed bald giant with the shaggy beard.

As a Ravager, Dragon Joe's power lay in two passive abilities, [PAINBRINGER], an ability that increases one's critical chance the more damage his enemy receives from physical attacks, and [RAVAGED], the ability that increases one's DMG based on how much damage one has received.

But while Dragon Joe continued to attack Oh!siris, the cleric retaliated by healing both himself and Dragon Joe whenever either of them was hurt.

"I see what you're planning, brother," Dragon Joe said in his thick Irish accent. "And if it's a contest of wills you want, then I'll be more than happy to play with you."

"Alright," Oh!siris replied. "Shall we say that the first one to give up loses?"

It was quite bizarre to witness for neither of them seemed to be getting hurt despite Dragon Joe's attempts to attack Oh!siris, and then himself to boost his own damage capabilities.

As for Oh!siris, his ability [SOUL REGEN] which allowed him to replenish a bit of soul energy every time he healed either of them, combined with [LIFE-DRAINING TOUCH], was more than enough to keep his soul core from depleting.

Twenty minutes since they began, the fatigue — a condition that cannot be healed with just a regular healing spell — had finally piled up on Dragon Joe to the point where he could barely manage a full swing of his battle-ax anymore.

"Fine!" he roared. "I give up, you crazy bastard!"

"And Oh!siris finally wore Dragon Joe out to secure the victory!" Donatella announced.

"What an interesting way to fight," Morgue laughed a familiar tinkling laugh.

In contrast to the last match, the next battle ended very quickly.

Liberty Belle, a blonde woman with a face that wouldn't look out of place in a zombie movie, was a powerful Ghoul Paladin who Leo thought could make it all the way to the semifinals. Sadly for her, she wasn't prepared to face off against Wunderkid, the Blood Bard with a jaw-dropping ace up his sleeve.

The moment the match had begun, Wunderkid jammed a rock tune on his lute. As the music traveled to Liberty Belle, her charge slowed to a crawl, and all could see that her eyes had glazed over.

As no one could understand what had just happened, Donatella explained "I believe Wunderkid just cast [BRAINWASH] on Liberty Belle.]

"That's a dastardly bit of magic," Morgue added. "I like it!"

As the Evil Eye zoomed in on Liberty Belle, Leo saw the blank expression on her face and he knew that Wunderkid was an evil mastermind after his own heart. For why sweat blood and tears duking it out with your opponent when you could just force them to do what you want.

"Could you step out of the ring for me, please," Wunderkid asked Liberty Belle.

Like a lifeless doll, she turned around and walked out of the ring to the stunned silence of the audience.

"Liberty Belle is out of bounds! Wunderkid wins the match," Donatella announced.

"A little too easy, but I like his style," Morgue chimed in.

The final match of the first round was a quick draw duel between Bully the Kid and Bulldog Alfie.

Somehow, the pair of them had agreed beforehand that their battle would be a first blood match. After a quick discussion with the referee, and a Whisper from Leo that he approved of the setup, the match went underway.

"I told you there would be a reckoning, Bully," Bulldog Alfie growled at his former partner.

Bully the kid's eye narrowed slightly. "Yeah… only it ain't my head that'll drop down to the ground when this is over, Alfie…"

Both combatants began with their backs turned to each other, and as the audience counted to twelve, each man took one step forward after each number.

Leo watched with nervous anticipation as the countdown went from "Nine, ten, eleven… twelve!"

They both turned at the same time. Quick as you please, Bully the Kid drew his crossbow from his hip. Bulldog Alfie did the same with his rod. But while Bulldog Alfie's speed was equal to Bully's, the blast from his rod came much slower than the arrow that pierced his chest.

"Bully, you bastard!" Those were Bulldog Alfie's last words before he toppled over as the paralytic Maestro had given them both for their bout had worked instantly.

To his credit, Bulldog Alfie actually struck Bully the Kid in the face, but just before he too toppled forward, everyone could see the wide grin on Bully's face for he knew he'd won the match.

"My, my, there's so much content we can use," Agatha said happily. "Perhaps we can do more than one highlight reel, Game Master."

"Sure, but make sure the raw footage we use is different from the ones we give the streamers, Agatha," Leo answered. "I want our videos to stand out."

"Um, some good music might help with that, sir," Bront added.

"Yes, yes, that'll all be done in post," Agatha agreed.

While his two companions debated on whether classical music or rock music would provide a better vibe to the planned highlight reels, Leo sat back on his chair and stretched his legs. He felt satisfied that the first round of Versus went well, and he knew the upcoming matches would be just as good.

Although perhaps Leo wouldn't feel so smug if he'd known that leagues away, something troubling had occurred.

---

In a valley that lay beyond the shade of the Dark Forest's blackened trees, the werewolf, Crimsonback was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath. Blood poured down the wound above her right eye. But it wasn't nearly bad as the gaping hole in the chest of the dead body lying on the ground beside her.

Standing watch over her was a large figure whose head had been hidden by a wooden conical hat.

"Send word to Adventour, Yojimbo…" Crimsonback managed to say despite her ragged breathing. "Tell them we failed… the Death Knight's undead horde is coming…"