Episode 00: The Prologue of Torment

Analee had to question Johnson’s sanity when he mentioned this being a show. She knew that was a lie instantly. She had guards and a closely kept schedule. No one could just randomly steal her away. At the same time, she didn’t believe she was actually dead. Whatever was happening was something she couldn’t explain though. It only got stranger when the creature came on the television again and told them they would starve to death if they didn’t kill someone else. As a giant metal fan appeared in her hand, Analee could only smile, “It seems to me that the only one with any real power around here is on the television.” She had no interest in starving to death but if she really was being watched, she didn’t want to kill anyone with her own hands. Thankfully, Johnson could be useful for that, “Thank goodness the hero is on my side. I do not know what would happen if he was not. But, I think we have a problem. That cat creature must be the director or the producer’s avatar to get us to play the game. He’s handing out our challenges and he just gave us our first one.” She didn’t believe this was a set up, but she needed him to; for now, at least. She got closer to whisper in the egomaniac’s ear, “Obviously, someone here is also playing a villain. I wouldn’t worry too much about the priest or the unconscious boy, but the one with anger issues frightens me.” She would have put Dusty in the count, but she hadn’t noticed him, “If I had to guess, I would say she will be a problem in the long run. Perhaps the big, strong hero would prefer to take her out now and earn the praise of everyone else.” She would back away by this point and simply shrug, “But what am I saying? You have already figured this all out. You are the great Robert Pierce Johnson, after all. It’s a good thing that this is television. Fake death, but real drama. The kind that gets ratings.” She could feel her stomach turning at all the undeserved praise she was giving him, but she needed to do it. There wasn’t much of a choice left; besides taking the pyro out herself. But, she wouldn’t be much of a lady if she did that.

trait:

It seems as if everyone was ignoring his words and were socializing together. Johnathan didn't mind too much about it. Though the idea that they would have to kill someone didn't sit well with Johnathan very well. After all, he was a man of God from the beginning. It's true that they all wanted to live. But, to kill someone? It was something that he would loathe to do especially when he was a reformed man from that kind of filth. It didn't help when they suddenly obtained weapons out of nowhere. Almost as if egging them on to kill each other...

"There has to be another way," he spoke looking around, "I'm not too keen with the idea..."

Spoiler:

Listening into Brooks’ words, he would at the very least, nod in agreement while saying nothing. "All the convincing I need." He would look at his crowbar, and hop over to Jinx and immediately give a swing towards the back of her head. He was unseen for the most part, so for her to be able to stop him seemed like an impossibility. If anyone looked surprised, and they would be, Simon would look to them. “What? She was a walking explosion. As scary as Brooks is, she makes a point,” he would say. And that would be all that would come from his mouth before he backed up to let anyone else take a swing if they so chose to. He could not hit her himself with his fists, so his crowbar was his only option, as he was rather scrawny.

Traits:

The MCP explained how the first round of eliminations were about to begin, and if they didn't kill someone then they would be trapped here until they starved. Suddenly a sharp and curved golden blade appeared in his hand. He would examine it for a few moments running a finger along the flat of the blade. It was a golden blade, fit for the brightest golden star, and he had no doubt that it would serve him well. He felt along the blade, and it cut him...and it hurt. In all of his time acting, they were never given real actual blades, except on a few occasions, even then they had proper training and protecting. None of that was here.....perhaps the MCP told some truth within the lies that it spouted. Someone would have to die for them to continue.....oh well that was show business. If you can't survive the try-outs then you most certainly won't make it to the stage.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Analee began to speak to him, calling him a hero and saying that he must take out the obvious villain that was the one known as Jinx. A cocky grin would appear on his face as he twirled the blade in his, so she wanted him to kill the made woman for her. A two-faced despot indeed, a character that he had played in the past. She thought him too caught up in his own ego to not see past her beautiful face. Well she had clearly never dealt with a schemer and natural villain like himself. He would play along for now, he glanced back to her, "I prefer the term, "Anti-hero", but you do have a point. Right now the villain is hogging the spotlight, and is not giving the real stars like ourselves a chance on stage. Granted, I would have done this anyway without you asking me, but because you have...I simply cannot refuse mon cheri. Now stand back and let a real star show you how show business works." He would say before turning and making his move. He saw the scrawny kid swing with his crowbar at Jinx, he hopefully that would distract her while the big star went in for the kill.

The golden blade in his hand would leave a trail of gold as it moved, a true visual illusion that played tricks on the eyes. He would sprint at Jinx his blade in hand, he would close the distance very quickly due to his natural speed that he discovered when he was on the track team. If he could close fast enough before she could react then he would swing his blade in an upward arc at her chest. The sharpness of the blade would cause bleeding that would be more than what one would assume for the depth and length of the cut.

Strengths/Weakness:

A metal object would strike the back of Jinx's head, although it didn't hurt her at all, but she had heard the others speak of taking her out before she became trouble, which was stupid for all she could fight with was a crossbow which couldn't do that much damage. She might be a little crazy but she wouldn't be a big deal. But she would stumble a bit, quickly regaining her footing and looking forward. She knew the scrawny one was behind her and he couldn't do much as of now. But the ego manic was running at her, and it seemed there was no escape to anyone else besides her. As he closed more and more she would smirk, for he may be fast but Jinx herself was fast, as he was close Jinx would sidestep far enough that the sword attack would miss. Looking back towards the men she would begin to speak, keeping a calm voice, "Let me tell you guys something, that woman over there, she's just a walking death trap, soon she will just kill you all, protecting herself behind everyone, letting you do the dirty work until one is left and she takes them out. Seriously don't any of you watch shows like this. She's manipulative." Jinx would pause before continuing. "Lautrec was it. You seem like your own person right? Let me ask you something, do you like being controlled by other people? Do you like people telling you what to do?" If the man answered with a no to being controlled she would smirk and look towards the woman, "Well do you see her? She just in a way, told you what to do. Recommending what to do and you followed? I thought you wanted to be your own person. Because this obviously wasn't your own decision, was it?" She would then look towards the scrawny boy and sigh, "Even if I look scary, it doesn't mean I'm actually able to kill you all? I mean do you see this...?" She would raise her wrist and show them all her weapon of choice, the wrist crossbow she had gotten when she was little. "You really think I can kill you all with this little bow. I mean the arrows aren't that big, and who says I'll hit you dead on every time. To be honest, I'm afraid of her capacities more than any of yours. But if you take her out now, you won't have to deal with her later, but as of now she is more of a threat to any of you than I ever will." She would end with that, she might have been able to persuade the men into rethinking their attacks on her and take out the woman. Even if Jinx was to die, she would hope they would kill that woman next, she was a huge threat to everyone's 'safety.'

Traits:

While everyone was in a hubbub of discussion on who was to go, it seems that it was decided that the girl called Jinx would be the one to be sacrificed. However, it wasn't going to be that easy as she was still self-aware. Unlike the others that tried to kill her, Johnathan simply went behind her as she was still in the middle of her speech. His whole presence was quiet and silent as he came from behind as her own words would be camouflaging his own movement.

This time he smashed his staff right into the side of her left knee. Which would probably damage it enough to hamper her movement. Johnathan wouldn't kill her, rather he would just maim her and leave it to the others to do what they had wished to do...

Watching the celebrity attack, he would be surprised to see Jinx move at rather incredible speeds and dodge his attack. She would then go on to speak on how Brooks in truth, was the true villain. Was psychopath really trying to persuade them all? The problem was, she was a woman, and Dusty did not know what to think about her words. ‘She’s trying to trick me…?’ he thought to himself. On the other hand, his suspicion of Brooks was growing by the minute, as he started to realize how surprised he was at how easily she convinced him that Jinx was dangerous. Was he wrong? “……Hrn…..” not much would come from his mouth as he chose to back out of the scruff with Jinx and the new attacker; the priest. “Some man of God…” he mumbled as he backed up several meters from the fight, with unusual haste. He imagined Jinx could probably avoid his attack, as he was not stealthy in the slightest, at least, he didn’t know how to go unnoticed. Mostly he would be watching what was going on around Jinx and Brooks. If one of them started to get hostile again, he may try to attack them, though not expecting much seeing as how he was a weak guy. Someone else would have to knock them down.

In the meantime, he was thinking to himself. That was rather easy how he was basically used to hit Jinx. This woman is a danger as well. If it came down to it, who would he be willing to stop first? It seemed that Brooks being someone as diabolical as her would be the best choice. Dusty would rather have open fear and hatred instead of some disguise-not that he trusted women anyway. He was rather fearful of them. He would remain there, not making noise and just watched to see what would happen next.

Strength:

Seeing the woman dodge out of the way of his attacks, she was fast...quite fast. A better reason to eliminate her to ensure that no one would be able to catch up with him in terms of speed. With her out of the way he would undoubtedly be the fastest among the competition. The woman would speak of how Brooks was manipulating them all. However, when she called him the wrong name a vein could be visibly seen on his forehead. SHE FORGOT THE NAME OF THE BRIGHTEST STAR? HOW!? He gave an unforgettable and moving introduction that would have made even the hardiest of men weep tears of sadness and joy. How could she have forgotten his NAME? He had set the stage and drawn in the audience, and she embarrasses him with such a slip up? ...What if this was intentional? That would be a good way to gain fans, wouldn't it? Opposing the brightest star will get you fans....was her plan? To detract from his fame!? How dare she!

Granted, besides the vein this thought process was all hidden by the actor's cocky and confident smile. His skill in acting was coming in handy, and he watched the priest try to sneak up and hit her. Whether or not he was successful, Robert did not really care...he could deal with this sociopath alone. "Do I like being told what to do? Well that all depends on the role I am playing. Currently I am the anti-hero, which means I am doing it for myself. Like I have a score to settle with the villain or my own reasons. Granted, I'm just the big softie deep down inside, you know something that Mon Cheri Brooks can love." He would say before turning his head toward Brooks offering her a confident and friendly smile. Then he turned back to Jinx, before continuing his rebuttal.

"You see, this is my own decision, it being her wish is just a bonus in that regard. I have business with you. You should know the business, it is incredibly obvious, and before you ask. No, I will not trade those kind of favors for your life. I suppose it is a shame that you don't get a chance to be with me, but...I don't go for bi-polar women. In that respect, it's not you...it's me." With that rebuttal out of the way, he would listen to Jinx's final argument while glancing over to the silent man. He seemed confused to say the least either that or he was reconsidering his action. Perhaps he feared women....the man hide his eyes so it was somewhat difficult to tell what he was thinking all the time. He tuned back into it when Jinx gestured to her wrist crossbow claiming that it wasn't very dangerous. His impulsive nature would get the best of him, and decided to interrupt her.

"Size does not mean anything about the deadliness of a weapon. A dagger was often used as a weapon to finish off knights in full plate armor due to the sharpness of the blade, therefore. The crossbow was a devastating weapon that could against knights in armor, it was in fact invented to defeat such armored foes. You hold a similar device on your wrist, we are unarmored, and you just showed off your speed. A fast mobile opponent, with a weapon that was designed to punch through knights in heavy armor, who has range. Hmmm, I wonder who the real danger is here?" He would end his know it all tone with a rhetorical question, and a confident smirk. It was amazing what one could learn in the world of performance and acting. It all depends on what type of movie one was doing, now what would he do....maybe he should wait till she was distracted or at least injured by the priest before moving. Robert would maintain his combat stance, but would not make an aggressive move toward Jinx waiting for an opportune moment to strike and cut her down......aw who was he kidding it was time to press the attack!

Robert moved quickly toward Jinx once more his blade ready to strike her down, but he did not move at a pace where he would not be able to dodge left or right should she loose an arrow. Once in reach he would reach out to grab her, if this was successful then he would attempt to plunge his golden blade into a limb of hers. Granted, he would prefer the chest or stomach over anything else.

Strengths/Weakness:

Analee almost scoffed when Jinx said she was using the boys. Sure, it had hints of truth in it, but at least she wasn’t playing them for fools. She wasn’t an actress, and it was probably obvious that her words were nothing more than chocolate laced with poison. She could only smile at Jinx as the priest knocked her down, “The way you speak is unbecoming of a lady. It’s too bad, I would have liked to have been friends with the only other woman here, but you are no better than a walking time bomb waiting to go off. I am only thinking about everyone’s safety here, which you obviously are not.” Before she could say another word, Jinx was gone. She looked away, sickened by the sight, “Dead bodies are not something a woman should have to see.” She was just happy she didn’t have to take this one out.

She would walk toward Johnson and give him an honest smile, “The anti-hero look suits you nicely. Remind me to never be on your bad side.” She would glance over to the shut-in, “Or his. I am afraid of what I would do. A lady must never raise her hand in violence.” Her words were mostly fluff, but there was a genuine touch behind them. Even if she was using these people for now, she didn’t know what she would do when she couldn’t use them anymore. By that point, she would probably be dead meat. Unless she could figure out a plan. That could wait for now. All she wanted at this moment, was actually something to eat. She couldn't remember the last time she did.

Dusty would watch in silence and a bit of horror as the foolhardy actor decided to take advantage of this moment and strike down Jinx. Was it that easy for his mind to be used by Priss? (The woman in regal clothing). That would certainly come back to haunt him in the future. This woman was no doubt going to be a dangerous target later on. He would look at her when she mentioned worrying about being on his bad side. Was this flattery? "You talk like I am a villain. Do I really look that bad...?" he said with a bit of suspicion towards her before tilting his head and letting out a sigh of weariness. This was getting a bit tiring for him mentally. Maybe he should go for her next. How would he even manage to fight her? Either way, in his moment of thinking, the body had hit the ground obviously ruined and dead. He almost looked away at the site, but he had to look upon the body. If this was truly going to be the case then he had better get used to it. He was not very reactionary at it all, though he kept his defensive stance until the cat on the TV spoke once more, rather pleased with everything and even offering food as a prize. Come to think of it, he was very hungry, though he would admit it. This would work out in the end. He knew it had to. His optimism would not let that thought go away. But soon, the world around them would spin, causing him to shake lightly and stumble to the side for a few moments.

In a minute or two, they would be sent to the side of a long table with mountainous piles of food. Dusty could hardly believe it. Was the food even poisoned? Would Kitty even do something like that? He would hold back on the food despite his stomach protesting. If someone decided to take the food and eat it, and seemed okay after a few moments, he would take some himself and remain quiet as Kitty went on about a possible ability they all had. “Persona…” he said in between bites of his food. What an interesting power. If this was a dream or something, he would at least go along with it. What kind of God did he have? Or was it a demon? He seemed to feel a presence in him, like Kitty really was speaking the truth. An image of his "Persona" seemed to come into focus in his mind a bit. Maybe it will be of use later in this event; in fact, it probably would be necessary if he intended to survive. It was also worth noting that he said that there was an item that helped him summon his Persona. And Kitty was correct; he knew exactly what it was. He would have to somehow get away from the crowd and put on his “item” and somehow hide it in his hair until he needed to summon his Persona if he even needed to. Either way, he would look around the room after Kitty left at the remaining contestants. Dusty being the profiler that he was, would discreetly  look at the contestants, the first being Prissy, giving her that name as she seemed like the typical kind of girl who didn’t get her hands dirty. She scared him a bit. The Loudmouth, Robert his name was  presumably going to flirt with her. Then remained the unconscious boy who he did not remember, and Priest that did not seem to talk much apart from attacking Jinx. He would sit on the ground and continue to eat, making small talk between bites, or what he decided to do. “Might as well talk in case we die,” he said with a low snicker as if he was not happy to accept it, but was going to anyway. He didn’t need to lie to these guys just yet, as he had nothing to hide. He will be cautious nonetheless, as they could have anything up their sleeves. Simon would be ready. But for now, he should at least enjoy his food.

The shut-in spoke up, for once, “Not at all, dear. I just know when someone has potential.” Jinx went never even got the chance to fight back. Analee actually felt some pity for the poor creature. Cut down in the prime of her youth without a second thought. Even the man of God had helped take her down. She had no regrets though. When push came to shove, Analee mattered more that Jinx ever would. She didn’t have time to think about their actions in detail, before the host came back. The moment he mentioned a feast, she was more than happy to move on with her life. The girl was dead, but that didn’t mean very much. She took a seat at the table that appeared, “Well, is anyone else hungry? I’m starving, personally.”

It appeared that most of the boys were going to remain silent. She wouldn’t blame them. They basically had just killed a woman. But she had no guilt. After all, she hadn’t dealt a single blow. Though, she had been tempted after Jinx made such a rude remark about her. She wasn’t manipulative. She just knew how to use what she was given. Then, the cat began speaking to them. As he began explaining the new power- Persona- Analee would show no emotion. She had no idea which of the things she was still in possession of could be that powerful. She needed to figure that out before she got to far into this thing. While she was at it, she could figure out the others too. Information was her currency, after all. The boy spoke up again, “That is quite the pessimistic view on life. I believe it would be better to keep our spirits up. After all, do you plan to die anytime soon?” She reached for a cup of tea on the table and began drinking it. She could tell by the smell that it was Earl Grey, “This is a lovely feast, do you not agree?” The question was open for anyone’s replay.

Dusty would take her words with a grain of salt. It’s not like what he did was any bit honorable. He fell for her tricks, and that would not happen again. Eating the food was hard the first time, but seeing as the poison that he expected didn’t seem to exist, he soon started to eat rather happily, taking a small slice of pizza, a type of food that always made him think of home before taking a healthy bite out of it, with a happy smile on his face as he chewed. Looking at the others with curiosity, like someone might have noticed he got food on himself, he was also paying close attention to what they looked like, not that the others would get that from his face. He would bet this food right here and there that the “Man of God”’s item that summoned his Persona was that cross around his neck. As for Loudmouth, Dusty may have guessed, but he didn’t really know whether it was that accessory around his neck, his glasses, or anything he might be hiding. Who knows what he could have. The same almost went double for Prissy. She could have all sorts of jewelry on her that he didn’t even know about besides her dress among what else she had on her person. He didn’t know what girls wore these days, he should probably be grateful she wasn’t wearing anything provocative, if only he cared.

But despite that, he could not help but agree with her when she commented on his words. It was enough to cause him to recall how he generally is, just a happy optimistic guy. After swallowing the food, he would give a happy grin, lightly nervous cause of talking to the girl, but nonetheless all notion of worry and stress seemed to leave Dusty with his smile. “Good point!! Might as well enjoy what we have,” he said. He for once could forget what was happening and calm down for a bit right? He would stretch his arms and hop onto the nearest chair to get comfortable as he took something else from the table: a slice of watermelon and proceeded to give it hell via his teeth. It would take a few short moments for the slice to be devoured and Dusty would sit back in the chair. “Much better. I actually might eat a bit more!” he said. He was now much better in the grand scheme of things, and if anything, forgetting about the reality of it all for just a brief moment. There was a way out of this. He was sure of it.

Traits:

Robert felt the life leave Jinx's body as he ran her through with his golden blade. A shame....she could have made a good psychotic villain, but if you didn't make the starting auditions...then you most certainly would not make it in show business. It was then that Brook said that the anti-hero look suited him, trying to earn his favor through more clever words no doubt. Robert would turn to her and smile, "Mon Cheri, I assure you that as my biggest and most beautiful fan, you could never get on my anti-hero's bad side." He would reply, granted that did not account for the dastardly villain that lie beneath this fake guise as an anti-hero. Robert did not even notice what happened to Jinx's body, and soon discovered, after much spinning, in a completely different place with prepared food before them. The actor would mutter something about the MCP did not want this star to steal the spotlight anymore than he had. He would much rather have food that he cooked over this already prepared food. The MCP then explained how they were all going to be given a Persona or something that lay deep within them that granted them supernatural powers.

'Of course I would get one. I am the big star, after all.' Though he was a little excited to see what he would be granted. Undoubtedly, he would receive one that matched his golden personality that everyone adored. The actor would sit down, and listen to the other two talk, however he would speak up when Brooks called it a lovely feast, "I personally don't prefer prepared food. I like to cook it myself...shame is that you all are missing out on a chance to try my cooking. I probably could have my own cooking show if I wasn't so busy with my acting career." He would say as he took a drink out of a glass of water he had poured for himself. After all he had to keep his figure, and sometimes actors were asked to gain muscle or lose it depending on the role they had to play. Robert had learned that his current state was his most malleable form. He quickly filled his plate with some chicken and carrots to finish out his meal. His mind wasn't focused on finding his opponent's weak points, but instead figuring out what to do with the quite priest and the catatonic boy.

.....then again...there was only one thing to do really.