A sharp pain struck Vladimir in the neck, his breathing laboured as he swiftly grasped his throat instinctively. He sat up in the bed, the sheets flailing off him and onto the floor. He took heavy deep breaths as he held his neck, tensing his throat to release the pain.
In an instant, the pain went from unbearably sharp to nothing, like he never felt anything at all. His breaths were heavy, entering through his mouth and out the way it came. His eyes wide as sweat poured from his forehead, his body feeling like it was on fire.
He looked down for a moment, feeling the gentle touch of the bed he was on, he looked around the room for a few moments. His eyes widened as he remembered he was now a Champion Of Ennzoll, he had a room to himself, a warm bed.
He pushed himself off the bed, standing up firmly as he ran his palms across his face, his breaths deep and calm. He glanced to the side, his eyes widening as he saw the outfit but soon relaxing as he remembered it was there yesterday.
As he picked it up he realized he never once questioned how the outfit was made so quickly, and right after he had asked for a fixed one and right after he got his room. His breath collected in his lungs as he stared down at it in confusion, his eyes wide, his mouth closed.
He sighed deeply as he sat back down on the bed, his crimson eyes scanning the clothes as he cocked his head left to right. He began to put it on, it slipped on like a glove, the fabric on the inside comfy and this time the outfit didn't squeeze his pelvic area.
He took a heavy breath in as he grabbed the mask, his body relaxing as he looked through the gap on it, his mind filled with a warm feeling of safety and closure as he grasped it. He calmly pulled it over his head, locking it onto the neck of the shirt.
He swung his wrist around a few times and tilted his neck a couple to test out the flexibility of the fabric, he couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at how easy it was. Wearing it had a sense of more freedom than if he was wearing nothing.
He pulled the fingerless gloves a bit up as to try to cover his whole hand, the ends of his fingers twitching as he stared at the skin. Vlad sighed as he turned to the door, his eyes catching gaze of a small unlit light to the side of the door.
He raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself "What the hell?" It was a normal lightbulb but yet it had a strange sense to it, he couldn't even remember seeing it yesterday.
He raised a finger to it, the tip approaching the bulb cautiously. His eyes suddenly felt a blinding light hit him head on, he squinted as his head leaned away. Something strange he noticed however, it wasn't the bulb the light was coming from.
The moment his finger made contact a sudden burst of multicoloured flames exploded from his fingertips, his hand scorched in an instant as the light disappeared. Vlads eyes widened as he yelled out, retracting his hand swiftly though the moment it moved the flames disappeared.
He stood there in confusion, muttering to himself "What the fuck was that?" He gently grapsed his wrist as he stared at in horror.
He glanced back and forth from the light to his hand, the bulb now lit though not emitting much light. As he looked at his hand several knocks echoed from the door, he glanced to the door, wondering who could be there.
A muffled voice spoke from behind "Um Seraphim, h-he may not be awake ye-" The nervous voice was interrupted by a far louder one.
The new voice demanded attention as they stated "Nonsense, besides, it would be best for him to be up early!" The voice had a cheery tone to it but had a hint of force behind the manor of speaking.
The door suddenly swung open as a woman with a beaming smile stood in the doorway, the same woman from last night. She seemed a lot less serious than before, she had a more carefree posture to her.
She stated to Vladimir "Rise and shine Twilight Boy!" She smirked as she finished.
Vladimir looked at her in confusion, glancing to the side for a moment before returning his gaze to her, he nervously asked "What do you even mean by that?"
Another woman emerged from behind Seraphim, she had blond hair with jeans and a black undone jacket over a black shirt. She grabbed Seraphim by the back of her collar before dragging her out of Vladimirs room.
She went back in and slammed the door on her, she sighed deeply before turning to Vladimir and exclaiming "Sorry about that, She gets a bit crazy without some coffee, it's something we live with, usually Mirkola will have her some done in about eight minutes" She scratched the back of her head nervously.
Vladimir titled his head as he asked "And you are?" His body was tense as he asked.
The woman smiled as she claimed "My name is Nadia, I'm a champion like you" She had a soft smile as she looked at him.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise, just how many Champions were there? She glanced to the lightbulb next to the door, her expression curious as she approached it. Vladimir inhaled swiftly as his eyes widened, seeing her approach the light.
Nadia asked curiously "So when were there lights next to the doors? And when were they like this?" She reached out to it calmly.
Vladimir swiftly yelled out "W-Wait! Don't touch that!" Though he was a second too late as she had already grasped the bulb.
He stood there in concern and fear, though Nadia was calm, her palm wrapped firmly around the light. She unscrewed it swiftly before taking the bulb off, inspecting the bulb thoroughly and looking through the bottom with one eye.
Vladimirs body relaxed as he stood straight, his confusion extreme as he saw her holding the light without anything happening. Nadia tilted her head to him as she held out the bulb to him, causing him to recoil slightly.
Vladimir gulped as he watched it, Nadia asked with a raised eyebrow "Are you afraid of circular objects?" She suppressed a chuckle at him.
Vladimir shook his head as he stated with a low tone "I-I…Something bad happened when I touched it before" His fingers twitched as he felt the cool air on his backhand.
Nadia raised her finger to her chin, her gaze swapping between the bulb and Vladimir. She tilted her head as she took a step towards him, holding it out to him which he raised his arm against.
Nadia chuckled as she stated "Could I see what happens?" She held the bulb closer to him.
Vladimir gulped as he watched it, his finger quivering as he raised his hand, outstretched to the bulb held before him. His fingertips approached it slowly, slowly, slowly and then…He made contact, and then..Nothing happened.
Vladimir looked in confusion as he touched it, he wrapped his whole hand around the bulb as Nadia watched. The moment his palm touched it however it engulfed itself in the same flames, scorching the already burnt hand, his fingers crushing the bulb effortlessly before the dust was singed to ashes.
Vladimir let out a yell as the flames appeared and disappeared in a second, Nadia pinched her chin curiously, her eyes wide in understanding. Vladimir gripped his wrist again, his breaths heavy as his eyes strained.
Nadia stated with a look of genuine excitement as she stated "Ahh, that's why you yelled" She nodded firmly with a smile.
Vladimir nodded softly as he lowered his hand, Nadia glancing at it then at his face occasionally. Vladimir looked at her in confusion, why was she so relaxed with seeing him burn himself, or whatever that thing was.
Suddenly a familiar voice came from the other side of the door "Heyyyy, can I come in nowwww?" Seraphim had a slight whining tone to her voice.
Nadia turned to the door and called out "We're leaving soon anyways" She returned her gaze to Vladimir.
Vladimir looked at her in confusion as he asked "Where are you going?" Still clutching his wrist though the pain was nearly gone.
Nadia swiftly grabbed his wrist as she stated "Where WE'RE! Going!" She gave a toothy smirk to Vladimir who wondered if she also needed coffee to act normal.
She dragged him out much to his concern, luckily she had grabbed the non burnt wrist so he wasn't in too much pain but her grip was like iron. She burst out the door to see Seraphim leaning against the wall, her eyes catching sight of the two as they left.
She stated to the two "We ready to leave?" She had a slight hop in her step.
Nadia nodded firmly as she released her grip on Vladimirs wrist, his breath heavy as he finally relaxed after the incredible pressure. Nadia and Seraphim walked past as Nadia waved to Vladimir for him to follow them.
Vladimir asked as he swiftly trailed close behind "Where are we going?" He had a slight tone of confusion that surpassed his curiosity.
Nadia stated firmly "We're going to the break room, it's just where we all chill and have a laugh" She had a genuine tone to her, one that Vladimir actually enjoyed hearing.
His eyes widened in surprise, but he was quite interested in how it would be, he also wondered who would be there. Seraphim slowed to walk to his side, much to his confusion, she had a small smirk on her face as they walked.
She asked "So, what kind of Orders do you have?" She had a sense of smugness emanating off her that Vladimir disliked.
He muttered in return "I don't know, I've only been able to use Twilight Core so far" He looks down in slight disappointment at himself.
Seraphim chuckles as she responds "Reeeaaallyyyyy? I can use a fuck ton of Orders? Why can't you?" She let out a few silent chuckles from within her throat.
Vladimir glanced at her in irritation as he responded "I didn't even know a multiverse existed yesterday, screw you" He turned back his gaze forward as he finished in annoyance.
Nadia grabbed Seraphim by the front of her shirt and pulled her away, stating "You're not talking to him until you have your coffee" She had a frown plastered across her mouth.
Seraphim groaned as she was pulled away from him, much to the relief of Vladimir who just tugged his lower mask over his nose more. Nadia stopped in place as she looked to the side, a door was there with voices coming from the other side.
It was the same as the other ones, just a normal white door. Vladimir could smell multiple strange scents from the room, one familiar to him, coffee. He looked towards the door in interest as Nadia reached out to open it.
As she grabbed the handle a voice rung out from within "Oh for fuck-...Agh! You've completely fucked me eight ways" Nadia and Vladimir looked surprised at what they said, but Vladimir was more surprise at who it was.
Nadia opened the door swiftly and shoved Seraphim in with Vladimir taking a step in the doorway, his eyes widening as he looked in. Nadia pulled Seraphim to a counter that had a steaming cup of coffee, she grabbed it before forcing it into Seraphims hands.
Vladimir took a step in as he looked in the room, it had a full kitchen, multiple tables, rows of board games and card decks. His eyes caught sight of two people sitting at a table, Elena with her head pressed against a chair in annoyance, and at the other end was a man with short blue hair who sat with a smirk while holding an ace of diamonds.
Vladimir took a few steps in before feeling a sudden hit on his back, he turned swiftly only to see Xeiemia standing there, her attitude seemingly improved from last night. Vladimir looked at her in surprise but stood straight as she sipped her coffee.
Vladimir said awkwardly "Uh hey Xeiemia" He gulped internally as she stood there calmly.
Xeiemia responded bluntly "Hey Vlad, you feeling alright?" She took another long sip of her coffee, the steam pouring off the top.
Vladimir looked at her in confusion as he asked "Um, shouldn't I be the one asking you?" He glanced down her and back at her face as he spoke.
She looked at him with a calm expression as she responded "I wasn't injured, I was sleep deprived, I had been awake for a few days" She took another drink of her coffee before pulling it away with a disappointed expression.
She tipped the cup upside down only for a single drop to fall out, she let out a short mm sound as she held the cup by her sides. Vladimir glanced at the cup as he wondered how you make that drink.
Vladimir heard a sudden call to him from across the room "Uh hey sorry about how I acted Vladimir" The voice had a slight nervous tone to it.
Vladimir glanced to his side to see Seraphim standing there calmly with her cup of coffee half drunk, he chuckled to her as she scratched the back of her head. Xeiemia looked at the two in slight disdain.
Vladimir suddenly felt a bump on his arm followed by something hot being near his shoulder and a nice smell wafting up into his nose. He turned to see Merkolax standing there with a calm expression, he had two cups of coffee in his hands.
Merkolax stated "Here, with this kind of work you need this" He handed him the coffee which Vladimir accepted nervously, remembering his last time drinking coffee.
Merkolax looked at him as he took a sip, calmly reminding him "You should take off the mask, it looks good and all but I think you can't drink with a barrier" He gave another short sip of his coffee, the steam pouring off it.
Vladimir looked at him as he felt his neck muscles tighten up, he gulped as he nodded before raising his hand to his mask. He pulled it off nervously as he stared down at the coffee, his crimson eyes shining, their sharp gaze a complete opposite to the rest of his innocent face.
Merkolax and Xeiemia looked at him in surprise, Seraphim and Nadia were chatting over the coffee, Elena placed a card facedown on the table as the man on the other end leaned back and smirked, his eyes glancing at Vladimir.
Xeiemia stated in slight surprise to him "I was not expected you to look like that, your eyes gave off more of a…Sharper, harsher vibe" She pulled a chair over before sitting down on the other side and placing her elbows on the head.
Vladimir sighed in irritation as he responded sarcastically "Thank you, I didn't notice that, especially how I was wearing something that covered everything but my eyes" He raised the coffee close to his lips, inhaling deeply before taking a short sip.
Merkolax fell back into another chair as he stated "So, how has being a champion been?" He crossed his legs before resting his cheek on his fist.
Vladimir took a seat next to him as he stated calmly "It has been…Something, from what I know i've had an easier start than other people" He held the coffee close to his mouth, he may have suppressed it but he really liked the taste and feel he got from it.
Xeiemia rolled her eyes as she spoke "Ehh well, most of us don't have someone to go with on it, but most of us also don't encounter an Arch Cardinal on our first time" She held a finger to her cup before tapping it twice, a flash from the inside came before it was fully refilled.
Merkolax stated "Ay, watch how much you have, I'm not gonna drag your ass back next mission" He gave a heavy gulp of coffee as he looked at Xeiemia firmly.
Xeiemia rolled her eyes as she responded "I had eight litres in one go, that's it, and I was only hit with it near the end, and I was only out for a few minutes" She had a gulp of her own.
Merkolax quickly retorted "A few minutes too long, it was mid fight" He held his head back and hit it into the wall.
Xeiemia waved her hand as she stated "So what? They can't even harm us, their bullets can't break our skin even" She rested her chin against the chairs head.
Vladimir piped up as he stated "Still, if you're susceptible to caffeine and sleep deprivation, I feel fainting in front of you enemies is dangerous as they could drug you or something worse…" He let out a heavy breath as he finished, taking a short sip of coffee.
Merkolas and Xeiemia looked at him surprised, not expecting him to say that much, especially something spoken like he had experienced it. Vladimir took a short sip of his coffee, letting out a heavy, hot sigh as he looked up to the two.
Vladimir asked "So do you two have a mission together?" He lowered the coffee down to shoulder height as he asked curiously.
Merkolax responded "Yea, we've got one in a couple days, you'll likely too" He gave another firm drink of his cup before slamming it on a table.
Xeiemia grumbled as she stated "Yesterday I was going to go to the beach…Looks like that dream is only stars on surfaces" She gulped the rest of her cup firmly.
Vladimir looked at her in slight surprise as he asked deeply "I've never been to the beach, what's it like?" He took yet another sip of his coffee, the dark bottom from where the heavy liquid converged in full sight.
Xeiemia responded "Good question, I wouldn't know" She slouched over the head of the chair and groaned under her breath.
Vladimir leaned back as he wondered what the beach would be like, he heard it was nice, bright, warm and seemed beautiful, something he could only dream of seeing. As he was thinking, a voice rung out to their side.
Elenas voice was groggy and irritated "Can someone take my place here, I've lost like four times" She sighed deeply as she leaned back.
The man across from her piped up, stating with his elbows on the desk with his fingers locked "It was actually eighteen to none…" He went silent for a moment before smirking as he leaned his whole arm on the desk with a sly look in his eyes "Wanna go for twenty?" His teeth showed as he stated.
Elena shook her head swiftly as she stood up, responding firmly "No thanks! I'd rather not have my pride diminished even more" Her voice was nearly out of breath as she spoke.
The man looked at her blankly before shrugging as he glanced at Vladimir, asking calmly "I take it you're Vladimir?" He propped his cheek on his fist as he asked.
Vladimir nodded firmly to him, his eyes glancing at Merkolax who seemed slightly unnerved as he listened to the man. The man glanced at the seat Elena just left, his hand raised to gesture Vlad to take her place at the table.
Vladimir glanced at Xeiemia who nodded calmly to him, he stood up firmly before walking to the desk, pulling the chair out and calmly sitting down. The man across him flicked a card into his hand from the inside of his sleeve.
The man spoke calmly to Vlad "Welcome to the Champions Vladimir, names Ivan, I heard you and Xeiemia took on an arch Cardinal, well done" He had a genuine sense of being impressed in his voice.
Vladimir nodded as he responded swiftly and deeply "Thanks…" He glanced off to the side before returning his gaze to Ivan.
Ivan leaned his white suited shoulder on the table as he spun the card in his hands, a king of hearts. He asked calmly "So Vladimir, wanna try a game?" He had a slight smile on his face as he asked.
Vladimir looked at him in surprise as he asked "What kind of game?" He glanced at the card in slight interest.
Ivan placed it upwards on the table, stating calmly "It's a little game of quick thinking, I call it Heliar" He looked past Vladimir at Elena as he stated loudly "By the way, you act way to quickly, you need to plan things out more" His eyes were barely open as he finished.
Vladimir asked calmly "How do you play it?" His elbows propped up his head as he leaned into the table.
Ivan smirked as he reached over to a deck of cards, he plucked two off the top, placing them down calmly face up. A five of hearts and a jack of spades, Ivan rested his cheek on his fist as he had a calm smile come on his face.
He picked up a pair of ten sided die, calmly stating to Vladimir "The game has twelve turns, each turn the roles switch, the roles are the Decider and the Thrower, you pick up a random card with a symbol, for instance an ace of clubs" He flicked the top card off the pile which was the very one he stated.
Vladimir looked in interest as he asked "What do you do with the random card?" He leaned his arm on the table, his hand just a pinch from his mouth.
Ivan flicked the card between his fingers as he stated "Well it depends on the card, each one is a different game, let me explain this one for starters" He placed the Ace of Clubs down firmly as he stated "You'll choose a number between one and twenty, the other player will roll a twenty sided dice, if it is higher than your number then you roll another dice and halve the amount, the other will also roll one, if it is below yours you get four points, if it is below you lose three. It counts decimals by the way. Finally if the original number was higher you'll say a card type, for example diamonds, if it is the card you chose you get two points, if not then you lose two" He tapped his fingers on the table as he finished.
Vladimir nodded firmly as he listened to him "Alright, I think I'm getting it, what about the other ones?" He held his fingers locked together as he looked forward.
Ivan placed down a five of hearts before continuing "If it is hearts then choose a number from one to six, you have to tell the dealer your number, the next player will guess your number, if it is wrong, you get half the points you chose, if it's right, you lose two" He waved his hand as he finished, his blue eyes staring deeply at Vlad.
Vladimir nodded firmly as he asked "So, what's the other cards?" He seemed really interested much to the surprise of the others.
Ivan continued firmly "Well then you have spades where you choose a number between one and twelve, then you roll a twelve sided die, and if it's one number near your number then the other player will roll another twelve sided die and if it is six or above then you lose three, if it's below it's only one. If the original was not the same number then you can either remove two points from the opponent, or you could roll a six sided dice and if it is five or six you siphon four" He chuckled under his breath as he finished.
Vladimir pinched his chin as he looked down a second before raising his head once again, asking calmly "Do we remove the jokers?" His fingers slightly twitched in excitement to try it.
Ivan looked surprised for a moment before he chuckled calmly as he shook his head, stating in amusement "Oh no no, the jokers have their own one later on, though I'll leave the explanation for until one of us draw one" He reaches to the deck as he takes a card, facing face down.
He flipped the card over to reveal a queen of diamonds, stating calmly "Finally, if it is diamonds well, the first part is identical to spades except it's one to ten instead, but if it is similar then you do a quick round of rock paper scissors. If your opponent wins they remove six points from you, if not then you go again, it repeats until either your opponent wins rock paper scissors, or they don't get the right number rolled, and then you syphon three points, and that's the game" He waved his hands out as he finished.
Vladimir looked in slight interest, stating calmly "I mean, it's not too complex, I think I can remember the rules well" He glanced down before returning his gaze to Ivan.
Ivan reached for the pile of cards, taking a firm grip on the stack of paper. He pulled it between his hands before he began to shuffle them at near subsonic speeds. Despite the speed, although he couldn't see it, Vladimir processed every movement he made in his head.
Ivan suddenly slammed the dards down on the table, Vladimir glancing between him and the deck rapidly. Ivan drew the top card and handed it to Vladimir, his half covered hand pinching the bottom firmly before he calmly turned it over.
It was a jack of clubs, Vladimir thought of a number to have as his fingers came together, the jack facing down firmly. Ivan looked a bit surprised as he glanced at the other champions, his fingers fidgeting with the dice like it was slime.
Ivan called out to them "Hey, somebody mind being dealer?" He leaned back in his creaking chair as he looked out.
Elena stood up as she approached while responding "Yea sure I'll be dealer" She sat down at the side of the table, her golden gaze glanced at Vladimirs crimson as she asked "Tell me, how was it with Xeiemia"
Vladimir responded bluntly "She was something...I get why she is disliked" He stared down at the card.
Elena looked at him with a calm expression, soon saying "She's never acted the way she does around you" Her bottom lip curled over the top one as she finished.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise as he asked "Really? She seemed the same to me, I mean she was speaking to Merkolax seemed the same"
Elena looked down as she closed her eyes before responding "Not exactly, Xeiemia has her moments of casual conversation but usually she's a right bitch, but even still when she was talking to you I could see she was fidgeting and tensed up. Though anyways it's ironic you're talking about the way someone's speaking" She turned to Vladimir with a slight smirk.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise and confusion as he asked "How so?" His eyes slightly squinted.
Elena responded bluntly as her eyebrows raised "Well before you were harsh, rude and honestly shitty, and now today you're calmer, more social and kinder, you went soft in like 8 hours" She chuckled under her breath as she finished.
Vladimir felt a vein in his hand tighten heavily as she spoke. He glanced down at the table for just a moment, though to him it was like an hour. His crimson gaze was like a knife piercing the wooden table.
She was right, he had never acted like this in his life, was it because he felt safe? Did he feel safe? He's never been in a place one would consider safe, the underground is death in every corner.
Elena leaned back as she asked curiously "Did Xeiemia say anything, or did you say anything that could've caused the change?" Her eyes followed his calmly.
Vladimirs head rose as he looked back at her, his gaze rising to the ceiling as he pondered what could've been said. His eyes widened as he suddenly recalled something, his eyes lowering to face Elenas.
He responded slightly tensed "Well, she said she doesn't get close to people so their deaths don't hurt as much, and I eventually said I would like to know her more...She seemed nervous but happy about that"
Elena looked surprised as she glanced upwards in thought, though soon she let out a sigh as she looked down. Ivan tapped the table loudly and impatiently, her fist resting on his cheek as he looked at them annoyedly.
Elena looked at him in boredom as she asked "Are we boring you your highness?" She voice croaked as she finished.
Ivan sighed as he responded "I asked you to be dealer, not to bother us, just have him tell you the number" He closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples firmly.
Elena turned to Vlad as she asked "Mind giving me the number" Her voice was soft like a cloud yet clear like a still lake.
Vladimir turned and nodded firmly as he lifted his hand to his mouth, much to the confusion of the two who hlanced at each other. Ivan sat forward as he rested his arms on the table before him, his eyes looking across Vladimir in confusion.
Elena asked calmly "What are you doing?" She raised her arm as she asked.
Vladimir titled his head as he asked "Aren't I supposed to tell you the number? I can't have him knowing it" He spoke matter of fact but also slightly rushed.
Ivan responded like it was common sense "Telepathically, you should have it..." His fingers covered his lips as he stared towards the oak table before them in thought.
Vladimir shook his head firmly to which Elenas eyes widened, she reached out and grabbed his wrist firmly, her grip like two tectonic plates colliding with each other. He suddenly felt his arm muscles expand, the blood becoming thicker and like a steady stream of water.
The blood soon relaxed as it felt the new atoms and molecules enter the cells, each beat of his heart sent the new subatomic components throughout his body. Eventually Elena let go of his wrist, this lasted only four seconds but to Vladimir it felt like minutes.
Elena pulled away as she stated "Alright I think that'll work now" She rested her cheek on her palm calmly.
Vladimir felt his head begin to feel woozy, his body feeling like it was inflated like a balloon, his eyes glanced between Elena and his hands as he thought. Suddenly he felt a single word come into his mind, Telepathy, it was clear, far more clear than when Twilight Core came in.
There was a sense of freedom with the new one too, before it felt like to was constricted to stating the name, while the new one felt free like it could be activated any time. He focused firmly as he looked to the side at Elena, she leaned back calmly as she glanced between him and Ivan who sat back calmly too.
Eventually the message was conveyed "My number is sixteen" The voice echoed in her mind like it was a thought.
Elenas eyes widened as she leaned forward, asking curiously "How did you do that?" She had a slight sense of surprise to her.
Vladimir looked between her and Ivan as asked "Did what?" He could've sworn he got it right.
Elena responded swiftly "That was four words, most of us can only do a word or two" Her arms crossed on the table as she leaned forward as an eyebrow rose.
Vladimir held the back of his head as he looked upwards before responding bluntly "I don't have an idea, I barely know how this Order stuff works in general" He sighed deeply as he finished.
Ivan spoke up swiftly as he stated "It's likely Order Stacking, if you're gifted an order you already have you'll gain full control over it instantly, congrats that's something you beat us in being Telepathy" He titled head to the side as his neck cracked firmly.
Vladimir looked at him in surprise, he already had Telepathy? Just how many could he use? How many could the others use? These questions plagued him deeply which Ivan took notice of, he leaned forward while reaching for the dice.
He stated firmly "Well Elenas got the number, let's begin shall we?" He held the two die between his fingers firmly.
Vlad looked at him seriously as he nodded firmly, Ivan returning a smirk before placing the two down in front of Vlad. Vladimir took a deep breath as he glanced between the two cubes and the man before him, his veins tensed as he knew it would be a tough game.
The clock ticked by, dice rolled, numbers thrown out, cards flipped, coffee spilled mistakenly because it was misinterpreted how much was left. Eventually a groan echoed from Vladimir as he leaned back, he let out a deep sigh as he stared upwards.
He stated in a croaky voice "Alright I'm done, someone take my place" His hands sweat from the amount of rolls and flips.
Ivan chuckled to himself as he stated "The high so mighty until they see there's always a higher" He spun several dice between his fingers as he spoke.
Merkolax stood up slowly and tiredly as he approached the table, he picked up a card firmly and flicked it around his fingers, revealing it to Ivan. Ivan just tilted his head as he looked at Merkolax, his face in a thoughtful expression.
Vladimir stood up from his seat as he walked away, letting Merkolax take his place. Ivan looked at Vlad in slight disappointment, his throat rumbled as a heavy sigh escaped through his breath.
Ivan leaned back as he addressed Vlad "You play it too much like it's poker, the bluff on your first round was solid but it was too obvious" He propped up an arm on the head of the chair, the wooden structure creaking from the sudden weight.
Vladimirs eyes widened slightly but he soon nodded firmly to him, his breath escaping suddenly as he felt his throat loosen, the physical stress from yesterday suddenly leaving his body. He gulped firmly as he sat down swiftly on a nearby seat, taking a swift breath as he leaned forward.
As Merkolax and Ivan began their game Vladimir sat alone for a few moments, his breath slowly entering a steady stream. His eyes closed calmly as he relaxed himself, he still wasn't used to this whole Champion thing and neither was his body.
His individual moment was interrupted by a voice to his side "You good?" The voice was somewhat demanding in its nature.
Vlad turned to the side to see Xeiemia sitting on another chair next to his, her arms crossed on the head. He nodded calmly to her, he still felt a bit strange around her after what happened the day before.
He leaned his head upwards as he spoke calmly "I'm fine, you?" He held his hand behind his head as he turned to her.
Xeiemia looked downwards for a moment before she replied "Yea, though I was wondering, what was it like in the underground?" Her calm gaze stared deeply at him.
Vlad looked away as a frown plastered over his once relaxed face "I...Would rather not discuss that" His cheeks tensed as he thought just a second of his previous life.
Xeiemia groaned as she sunk into the chair, mumbling annoyedly "What the hell is with you and Nadia refusing to tell me about the underground?" She flicked the head in irritation.
Vladimirs eyes widened as he turned to her "Wait, Nadia is from the underground? Is there like one in each universe?" His eyes slightly squinted at her.
Xeiemia shook her head "No, there are multiple large...Monuments as they're called, they're universes the size of countless others, the underground is one of them" She sat back up on the chair.
Vladimir looked down for a moment, the underground was some kind of massive universe bigger than countless combined? How did he not know that until now? Why is information on the existence of the multiverse so hidden?
Xeiemia looked upwards for a moment in thought, her gaze returning to Vladimir as she asked "So, I saw Ivan gave you telepathy, us Champions have a couple abilities we all have, did he give you the others?"
Vladimir leaned back as he responded "I don't know, I only saw telepathy in my mind, though maybe that's because I already had it" He pinched his chin for a moment before looking at her thoughtfully "What others ones are there?"
Xeiemia swiftly responded "Well there's slight regeneration and spatial awareness" A vein popped up as she restrained herself from talking more about Orders.
Vladimirs eyes squinted as he asked confusedly "Spatial Awareness?" He thought that was just how you perceived things usually.
Xeiemia responded once again quickly "Like you can sense stuff, though it's subtle, especially when you can't visually see them" She leaned back as she finished.
Vladimir looked upwards as he asked "So, how do I know if I have them?" He turned back to Xeiemia.
Before Xeiemia could respond another voice came from behind him "Well let's check" The voice was accompanied by a cold shiver down his spine.
He suddenly felt a firm grip push his head to the side, his eyes wide and blank as he stared forward, though they soon looked to the side. His entire body tensed as it felt like the very devil stood at his blind spot.
A sharp pain erupted from his neck as he felt a single drop roll down it, only a tiny hole was pierced but yet it still burned. He gasped to himself as he stifled a yell, Xeiemia looked on in surprise at the person behind him.
Suddenly the voice spoke up again "Oh, looks like you don't, shame" The same cold feeling surrounded him followed by a wave of dread within his mind.
He let out a deep and exasperated exhale as the jab was swiftly removed, his neck muscles tensed as it tried to block the blood escaping through the hole. A tiny stream of thick red liquid rolled down his throat, the very feeling alone made his stomach turn like he was being spun.
Xeiemia annoyedly huffed at the culprit "Mirkola, we have better ways to check than stabbing his neck, you could've killed him" Her throat tightened as she let out a heavy exhale.
Mirkola leaned back as she muttered "Verlinarin, I was just checking, you don't have to be so dramatic…Bitch" Her head looked away as she finished her annoyed rambling.
Xeiemia gulped heavily as she heard the silent swear, a heavy exhale escaped her nose as she looked away. Vladimir held his pierced spot as he felt his veins on his temples harden, he bit his inner lip harshly, a large gulp waved down his throat.
He annoyedly barked to Mirkola "Don't speak to her that way, I don't see you beating an Arch Cardinal, so don't act like you're better" His voice was like a whisper, although the two could understand it perfectly.
Mirkola responded swiftly "If we follow your logic you shouldn't even be sitting here, what have you done to prove yourself being a Champion?" Her breath entered in a perfectly circular stream and exhaled the same way as she gave her harsh but calm response.
Vladimir lowered his head slightly as he stated "I've been one for less than a day what do you want?" His throat felt like it was wrapping around itself.
Mirkola responded swiftly as her eyes widened deeply, her pupils cold and lifeless as her head tilted "I became a Champion because me and my original accomplished an impossible task, you became one because you were a criminal and we needed someone to fill Silas spot, I cannot tell you how quickly if given the chance would I trade you for him" She leaned down to him, her hands on her knees as she stared at his eyes that were only a few inches away.
He annoyedly leaned away, his head quivering as she kept unwavering contact, never even blinking as she awaited him to say anything. He looked down for a moment before raising his head again, Mirkola never once moving in any way.
Vladimir stated defeatedly "Understood" His teeth gritted slightly but soon relaxed as he looked up at her sadly.
Mirkola closed her eyes as she leaned away, letting out a mutter "I was going to try to know you, but I guess you don't want that" Her voice was like a breath though fully understandable.
She slowly began to walk away, her eyes dull as she stared forward, each step nearly a drag across the blinding white floor. She stopped suddenly as she looked to the side, her throat tightened as she kept walking.
Vladimir looked down in annoyance, his breaths heavy as he stared at the ground, Xeiemia looked at him thoughtfully, her mind jumbled as she wondered why he would try so hard. He threw his head back suddenly, his skull upside down as blood rushed to his head, a heavy groan echoed from his throat.
Xeiemia leaned over as she asked "Why did you do that?" Her hand held against the pierced spot for him.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise as he responded "What? I was defending you" His voice went high as he exclaimed.
Xeiemia sputtered as she looked down slightly, her wrists tensing as she stated "I don't-....You shoul-...Don't…Do that again, just keep to yourself, it'll be better" She let out a low hiss as she concluded her statement.
She lightly groaned as she turned away from him, her eyes constantly zipping across the room as she avoided any kind of focus. Vladimir looked at her in confusion, his eyes soon looked down as he decided to let her be.
He leaned forward as he asked "Well alright, though I have a question, if the underground is this kind of monument, what does that mean for the high rulers?" He leaned his palm on the pierced spot as his elbow rested on the chairs arm.
Xeiemia turned back to him, surprised that he went of topic so quickly, she looked up as she answered "Well if you mean people like Carey or Lockiir, then they have pretty great political power, although people in other monuments would consider them at best, shit, they still have quite great power" She hung her arms lifelessly behind the chair as she spoke.
Vladimir glanced upwards for a moment before returning his gaze to her "I think I got on Careys good side" He had a sense of thoughtfulness to him.
Xeiemia looked at him in slight confusion as she asked "Howwwww exactly?" Her eyes glanced between him and past him.
Vladimir leaned back as he stated "Him and I played poker together, and when I won he was laughing and said he liked me, not to mention when Elena came in while pretending to be an Atlas he defended me" His eyelids lowered slightly as he thought of that time, it was fun playing against him, he was a good player.
Xeiemia had a firm frown on her face as she responded "That doesn't really mean much, sure he may like you but that doesn't mean you're on his good side" She sighed deeply as she pinched her nose, stating firmly "He's a psycho, he says he likes a lot of people to lure them into a false sense of security, only to then trick them and take their flesh" She had a serious expression as she stared upwards.
Vladimir looked at her in shock as he responded "You're joking, he may be a cannibal but he can't be that cruel" He let out a heavy gulp as he finished.
Xeiemias eyes widened as he stated with anger "You knew about that yet you still played?! Are you a fucking idiot?" She let out a deep hiss from the very depths of her lungs.
Vladimir sat up, his right leg propped itself on his left as he looked to the side, stating "I didn't care, it was a way to get money, I…Still haven't eaten for several days" He looked down in slight annoyance, though it was less outwards but more inwards.
Xeiemia responded calmly "I see, well either way you're lucky to not have been injured by him in any way" She leaned back calmly as she felt a tange at her chest.
Vladimir pressed harder against the hole in his neck as he asked "If Carey is a monster, why did he defend me against Elena?" He looked to the side, his crimson gaze unfocused and dull.
Xeiemia leaned her head to the side as she stated bluntly "Carey doesn't care about other people, he just hates seeing people get downtrodden by people in power" Her eyelids lowered as she finished.
She reopened her eyes as she leaned towards him, her gaze stern as she stared him dead in the eyes "You're lucky he didn't do anything, understand that" Her calm breath waved through the air.
Vladimirs eyes turned upwards, his eyes dull and tired, his stomach burned slightly as he remembered his lack of any food for an extended period. He groaned internally as he took a deep breath, crossing his arms over as he gulped heavily.
"I-...Alright then" His voice murmured out a defeated reply, his neck still tensed.
Xeiemia glanced around as she stated "Some people seem to still be on missions" Her palm rested on her cheek.
Vlad asked in surprise "Do missions usually take long?"
"Yea, many missions are over multiple days" She spoke as if i was common knowledge.
A sound of laughing between Ivan and Merkolax echoed through the room, Vlad rested his head on the wall as he pondered the other Champions. Xeiemia crossed her legs as she watched him think in silence.
Vlad asked as he stared at the wall "Why do you seem so distant from the other Champions?"
Xeiemia responded bluntly "Well, keeping a close relationship is dangerous, keeping it just a work partner relationship is more beneficial"
Vlad responded swiftly "Wouldn't you want to know about the person you're fighting next to?"
Xeiemia shook her head as she stated calmly "Nah, it makes things more difficult, besides, people wouldn't care if I died, compared to someone like Sila who had everyone distraught when he died, at best someone would be like Oh No" She had a mocking tone as she mimicked the potential grief.
Vladimir felt his veins tighten as he stated firmly "Shut up, Don't say something like that" He let out a heavy exhale through his nose.
Xeiemia looked at him in confusion as she asked "Why? You said I'm a bitch so I know how you feel about me" She took a sip of coffee.
Vladimir inhaled deeply as he attempted to speak, though Xeiemia interrupted him "First though, can I ask a question?" She had a look of genuine curiosity on her face as she asked.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise as he nodded, Xeiemia tilted her head as she asked curiously "Did you get even a single second of rest? You can carry another you in the bags under your eyes" She straightened her posture as she finished.
Vladimir looked at her as he responded "Yea I didn't get much…" He felt his lungs gather a heavy amount of air within them.
Xeiemia looked away as she smirked slightly, taking a sip of coffee as she stated "Though it wouldn't be difficult to fit in there" She leaned her head to the side as she watched the game.
Vladimir looked at the game for a moment before he suddenly turned to her, asking confusedly "Wait what do you mean by that?" He felt his veins slightly tighten in annoyance.
Xeiemia shrugged as she smiled before responding "You're a smart guy, you can figure it out" She gave a heavy gulp of coffee.
Vladimir muttered annoyedly "It's not that I'm short, fuckin amazon" He felt a hissed breath come through his teeth.
Xeiemia glanced at him in slight surprise as she asked "Are people just usually short in the underground? Because I'm pretty average height" She placed her cup down on the table between them.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise, people in the underground were pretty commonly short in comparison to the Champions and the people he had seen elsewhere. He looked upwards as he thought why it was the case that he and the others were so short.
Xeiemia leaned back as she asked him curiously "What were you going to say before?" She propped her arms up on the back of the chair as she looked at him.
Vladimir looked at her in surprise before he responded "I-..." He let out a heavy breath through his nose before continuing "I think you are a problem, but I meant it when I said I wanted to know more about you, you don't appreciate life…I didn't either" He looked down as he muttered that last thing.
Xeiemia leaned forward as she looked at him in shock "Really now? Y-Yo-...I thought you were just saying that in the moment…" She gulped heavily as she bit her inner lip, glancing downwards nervously.
Vladimir asked calmly "Why do you not appreciate it?" His muscles tightened as he tensed while waiting for any answer.
Xeiemia looked away as her fingers twitched, her head lowered slightly as she felt her blood pool in her head. Vlad squinted his eyes as he watched her, a heavy but calm exhale escaping his nose. His lips quivered as he looked down for a split second.
Before he could think he felt his neck suddenly burn, like molten lava was in his veins, the spot where he was stabbed began to hurt like hell. He let out a heavy gasp as he gripped the spot tightly, believing it was just him letting go of the pressure for a second.
Suddenly a pressure emerged on his nape, the feeling he got in his heart was similar to when Mirkola did it, however he didn't have the same feeling of dread when she was behind him. The wound instantly closed as he felt his neck relax drastically.
He let out a heavy breath as his lungs started begging for more air than he could inhale, his hand held around his own throat, nearly choking himself. Xeiemia looked at him in confusion, her eyebrows raised as her very pupils hid away in shock.
A voice, confused at its core spoke up from behind him "Sorry Vladimir, didn't expect that to happen" As Vlad turned he came face to face with Merkolax standing there, his hand scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Thanks…" Vlad muttered with slight annoyance, as his throat returned to a calm pace he could still feel the blood in the pierced spot.
Merkolax sighed deeply as he sat down next to Vlad "Listen Mirkola doesn't mean bad, she just is very…Solid in her beliefs" His gaze fell downwards for a moment before he concluded "Including the ones that came from her world"
Vladimir nodded calmly to him, he couldn't blame her, but at the same time he had a sense of loathing he couldn't remove that spurred from the very thought of her. Merkolax leaned into the wall, the harsh white design tainted with the bits of dirt on his suit, his gaze remained on Vladimir.
A heavy breath entered Vlads lungs as he asked cautiously "How'd your game go?"
Merkolax leaned his head to the side, his gaze facing the imperfect bricks cracks "I lost a couple times, usual"
"So, the mission we've got?" Xeiemia leaned to the side to face Merkolax.
"Negotiation" He let out a heavy sigh as he let his head hang "It's with the Atlases"
Xeiemia leaned back in annoyance, muttering softly to herself "Those fucks give me a headache"
Merkolax sighed as he responded "At least pretend to be nice to them, I don't like them either but if we mess this up it could be terrible for us"
Vlad crossed his arms and legs as he thought about the Atlases, what is their general goal? He froze up as he thought of that, his mind not on the Atlases though. What was his goal? What keeps him going? Is it just a desire to live? Why does he want to live?
"What's going through your mind?" A hand pressed deeply into his shoulder.
He looked upwards in surprise to see Ivan standing there, a slight smile on his face, a sense of gentle kindness came with it. Vlad couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved, though he couldn't figure out why.
Vlad responded calmly "J-Just…Thinking about some stuff, like the Atlases"
Ivan chuckled as he stated "Well movement can make people think well, and we'll be doing quite a bit of it on our trip"
"Trip?" Vlad let in a swift breath in confusion.
Ivan took a step back as he stated smugly "You and I have got a mission, right now actually"
Vladimir looked at him in surprise and confusion, how short is the time between them? He gripped his mask with a bit more force as he nodded firmly, standing up tall as he turned to Ivan.
"What's it about?" Vlad asked calmly, though it felt slightly challenging to breathe.
Ivan stated calmly "It's a simple mission to the land above the underground, Vyraj. There's a few people we need to meet there"
"Vyraj? I've…Heard of it" He stopped as he remembered the name and the cities existence, a land where the sun is always bright, the nights are filled with stars, the air is warm, and everyone who lived there never had to worry about money.
Ivan turned away as he stated "Well, let's get moving Vladimir"