image [https://i.imgur.com/UtBD3TB.png]
Carmen stared into Murdoc's eyes as she searched for answers, not understanding why all of this was happening.
“What did you do to me!?” She exclaimed with a deep scowl.
“I put the mark of Dead Haven upon you. It’ll keep you in check down below and up above.” Murdoc responded as she put her hands in her pockets, continuing to look down at Carmen.
“Keep me in check?”
“Yeah, that mark will keep you from summoning your Manifest in Dead Haven. Whenever you enter this realm, it’ll activate. However, once you go back to the surface, its other function will trigger. The moment you say a single word about Dead Haven or mention the mere name of it, the mark will kill you. No hesitation.”
Murdoc’s eyes were dark as she explained everything to Carmen.
“But why!?” Carmen asked, her voice slightly shaking from the stress.
“Because this is what happens to everyone that comes down into my world to play. You were lucky last time since that Idiot, Varric, brought you down here against your will for some stupid training purposes. But this time, you chose to dabble with this darkness. You made the choice and now, you belong to me.”
Murdoc ended her statement with a smile, having fully caught Carmen in her deep webs. Carmen’s heart beat rapidly as she realized what this meant. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she had no words to give, silently staring up at Murdoc with wide eyes.
“And don’t even think about trying to run away or hide yourself. Thanks to that mark, I’ll know where you are at all times. Pretty convenient, huh?”
Murdoc turned around and began to walk towards the door. Carmen remained silent as she got to her feet, now knowing that there was nothing she could do to change this situation.
“Since you're now an official member of my empire, there are only four simple rules you need to remember. One, never do a deed down here without some form of compensation. Everything has a cost in Dead Haven. Two, never speak the name Dead Haven to anyone outside of this establishment and only refer to it as ‘Down Below’ when you’re on the surface. Three, when I call for you, you come with zero delay. You’ll quickly learn that I’m not a very patient person, so do get used to that.” Murdoc explained as she removed the paper from her clipboard, handing it to one of her guards.
"And as for rule number four, my word is law. Whenever I give you a job or a task, you will do so without question. Even if I tell you to take a shit in the street, I expect you to put forth every ounce of effort to make that happen. Do I make myself clear?"
Murdoc glared at Carmen through her thin, silver rimmed glasses, awaiting a response. Carmen simply nodded her head in agreement.
“Good. Now that the formalities are out of the way, welcome to Dead Haven, Petra. I look forward to our very lucrative and productive future together.”
She smiled at Carmen once again, motioning her hand towards the door. Before Carmen could say another word, the other guard pushed her from behind and forced her out of the room. He guided Carmen through the halls until they ended up in a small waiting room. Once inside, the guard slammed the door shut, leaving her alone for a time.
image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]
Twenty minutes went by and Carmen prepared herself to go down into the arena. She had many thoughts racing through her mind as she entered the trap door, closing it behind her.
“Gah, I'm so stupid! Why did I think this would be a good idea?” She loudly muttered to herself, growing anxious about what the future held for her in this terrifying place.
The trap door began descending and within a few moments, she arrived at the arena. The crowd was just as loud as she remembered and the lights blinded her the first chance they got. Carmen stepped forward and looked around, hearing the thousands of spectators cheer and chant her name.
“Ladies and gentlemen, caaaaan you believe it!!!! Petra has returned to continue her streak of dominance!!! Many wondered when this day would come and it seems as though our wishes have come true!!!” Koga yelled out, getting the crowd even more amped up with his usual over the top theatrics.
Carmen looked over towards the opposite side of the caged arena and saw the trap door open. Out walked a man with an average build and a scar upon his top lip, there really didn’t seem to be anything special about him. His head darted around while he wore a scared expression upon his face. It was abundantly clear that he had never been down here before.
“The fourth match of the night is about to begin!!! We have Petra versus Conrad!! Petra entered the scene as a nobody, but quickly rose to stardom as she defeated the two time champion, Marquel Lion. She has a current record of fourteen wins and zero losses, and I’m sure she’s looking to keep that streak going!!!” Koga exclaimed with great excitement.
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“As for her opponent, welllll he’s another rookie!! Conrad has no information on file as this is his first time participating in the DHCL!! Hopefully he can put on a show for us. Folks, let’s give it up for our two fighters tonight!!!”
Koga clapped his hands together as he zipped around the arena. The crowd cheered and moments later, the countdown began.
3.. 2… 1… DING!
Carmen quickly started her approach, knowing that this was no place to have sympathy for anyone. Even if this guy was a newbie, she couldn’t afford to be complacent. Within seconds, she was in his face and swiftly kicked in his direction. Conrad’s terrified face connected with her foot, sending spit and snot everywhere as he was thrown into the wall with great force.
She looked over and hoped that this single blow was enough to end the fight, but to her surprise, Conrad stood up from the rubble. When she focused her gaze upon him, she noticed that his face was droopy and jiggled about like jello.
‘What the hell? Is that his ability?’
Carmen took a couple steps back in anticipation, reassessing her approach to this fight. Conrad pulled on his face and let go, allowing his skin to recoil back into place like some kind of stretchy rubber.
“Woah, I was scared for no reason. That kick didn’t hurt at all.” Conrad said with a nervous laugh, surprised that he survived his first fight.
Unfortunately, his moment of rest was short-lived. Carmen bolted towards him with incredible speed, skating through the air with near zero resistance. She enveloped her fist with dense gravitational force as she reared it back, preparing to strike with all of her strength.
Before Conrad could even react, her heavy fist collided with his chest. However, despite the force of her blow, Carmen’s fist sank into him. The elasticity of his body easily absorbed the brunt of her attack.
Conrad smiled as her fist sank into his chest, sucking her in deeper and deeper. Carmen pulled back, but this man’s force was growing stronger with each failed attempt. She kicked him in the side of his head, hoping to jar herself loose. Her efforts were wasted, but she noticed that his face didn’t droop like before and that her kick actually managed to do some damage.
‘Hm, it seems like he can only use that ability on one area of his body at a time.’
Carmen quickly looked up as an idea came to her mind.
“Ugh, let go of me!!” She exclaimed as she exerted her Core Energy with great intensity, causing them both to raise into the air.
They hit the peak of the cage and quickly shifted positions, Conrad’s back now facing downwards. The two immediately began plummeting down to the ground, dropping multiple stories in mere seconds. Carmen had increased their weight one hundred fold, causing them to crash with incredible speed and velocity.
The dust eventually settled and out of the crater walked Carmen, wiping her arm off. Conrad was a flattened puddle of elastic skin, knocked completely unconscious as his body slowly receded back to normal.
“Petra wins!!!! What an electric first fight back!!!” Koga yelled as the bell rang, signaling Conrad’s defeat and triggering a loud roar of cheers.
Carmen immediately headed towards the waiting room as guards retrieved Conrad, carting him away in the opposite direction. Once she walked through the entrance and navigated around the large group of fighters, she saw a familiar face. Ray was sitting down at a nearby table, eating a bag of salted snacks while she awaited her name to be called.
“Ah, Ray!” Carmen said, making her way over quickly.
Ray looked up and simply waved.
“I see you decided to come back, Ms. Superstar.” Ray said as Carmen pulled up a chair, popping a few more snacks into her mouth.
“Yeah, unfortunately…”
Carmen sighed as she looked out into the room, wondering who she would fight next.
“What’s got you sulking so much? You should be elated that you just won your match.”
“It’s nothing, I just have a lot on my mind.” Carmen replied, tapping her finger on the table with an anxious rhythm.
The two sat there in silence for a few moments until Carmen spoke up.
“Why’re you down here, Ray? There’s no way you're here just for fun.” Carmen asked, giving Ray her full attention.
Ray looked surprised by the question and after pondering a brief thought, she balled up her bag of snacks.
“I’ve got a son up on the surface and he really wants to attend school next year, but we don’t have the money to afford the tuition there. So… I came down here looking for a way to earn some extra cash. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve never come to this hell hole.” Ray responded with a soft tone, thinking fondly about her child.
“Ah I see, that’s nice. Hopefully you can give him what he wants, I’m sure he deserves it.”
Carmen gave Ray a kind smile and nod, wishing her nothing but the best. Ray looked at her with a confused expression, growing more curious about something.
“Girl, you’re way too nice to be down here… Didn’t you say you were forced here by someone else? Is that still the case?” She questioned, trying to connect the dots in her head.
Carmen simply shook her head.
“Yeah, at first, but… Today, I made a grave mistake coming back to Dead Haven. I think I’m stuck here for good now. Damn that Murdoc…”
Carmen clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, fully regretting her decision earlier.
“Pfft, Murdoc got you too? That woman never ceases to get what she wants. It’s like she has a sixth sense for potential or something. If she sees some kind of worth in you, that’s pretty much a wrap. She’ll have you dancing around her finger one way or another.” Ray replied with a snicker.
“Who even is she? Outside of her annoying personality, I don’t know anything about her.” Carmen asked, hoping to gain some knowledge on her new self proclaimed boss.
Ray shrugged her shoulders and leaned in closer, lowering her voice.
“To be honest, there’s not much to tell. All I know is that she founded Dead Haven many years ago and everyone down here follows her orders without question. She keeps her past very close to her chest for some reason. I get the feeling that she had to do some pretty gnarly and deceitful stuff to build this place up though, because you’d have to be a sick individual to willingly make something like Dead Haven.” Ray quietly said, trying her best to not be heard by any of the other combatants.
Carmen nodded her head in agreement and sighed at the information, not finding it all that helpful. Moments later, an announcement was made calling for Ray to come to the arena. They said their goodbyes and Carmen patiently waited for her next match.