[sylvanSpider]

Hell

Axle turned to face Xander, slowly, to make sure the redheaded fuck didn't think he could be taken by surprise. Xander was older, more experienced, and probably more powerful. Axle wanted him to know that he didn't give a shit. “I don't appreciate you calling me that, Ronald.” The joke was likely over his head. McDonald's wasn't one of the fast food places that translated back into Hell, being replaced instead with even shittier options for food, generally individually owned by people who decided to hang up their weapons in favor of a more tamed existence. The fact that the joke might have gone over Xander's head made it all the more funny to Axle, though his face didn't betray a trace of humor.

Olivia didn't miss the two hanging close to the wall of weapons either and she could still see the dagger vibrating in the wall beside Nancy. She looked over to Xander who was telling them to not start without them, and Olivia found herself not being able to control her trembling. Despite his willingness to drag her into this situation, Xander's presence was comforting. Every bone in her body was telling her to leave, to run, to never learn what it was she'd made such an enormous sacrifice for, but then what would that mean? It would mean a failure to adapt, she thought to herself, and a futile sacrifice. I would have given up my hearing for nothing...

That and she risked disappointing Xander. She didn't know what it was about him, but something drew her to him and his recklessness. His lopsided smile, extroverted attitude, and red hair added a splash of color to her normally monochromatic life. He seemed to be the yin to her yang, the voice to her silence.

And he could talk to her.

No one else in all of Hell it seemed could do that. People were spawned in their pique physical condition after all. How many would willingly give up hearing after gaining it again? Or after having it all of their lives? So here she was, in a run-down arena with a few other demons getting ready to learn how to kill. She took out her cane and looked at it, then looked at the group of demons before her wondering how this whole thing worked.

[b] “Don't worry. We have plenty of time for me to kill all of you; there's no need to rush anything,” Axle said, looking first at Nancy and then at Xander. “So who fights who first? Should we give the newbies a chance to see if they can activate their abilities?”

Heaven

Sage gulped. He was wracked with guilt; he could only imagine the pain he'd caused Luka, but who was he to say no to another full course meal? He wasn't anyone, really, and he was excited to taste demon. If angel tasted this good in the arena, what did demon taste like? “I...I know, but...but...I can smell your fear. Are you – are you afraid of me? Is that what I smell?”

Katarina grinned, “Ah, so the nooblies are capable of learning! I'm impressed. Luka, you've got a high skill ceiling to navigate and it seems like Sage's abilities will work mostly with instincts so before you go again, let's figure out what your weaknesses were, Luka. Your illusions were working, initially, but what made them fail? We figure that out, you may be able to beat Sage. Scheisse, you could even take a bite of him if you wanted; get some payback.”