Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Okay, let's get right into the rules of the tournament, shall we? To start with, no one can participate more than once until all their teammates have participated at least once. You won't all participate in every competition, you'll pick smaller teams from your overall group and have them participate, and then you'll need to pick different members for the next competition.

The competitions will be randomly picked from a long list of options I've built up, one by one. You won't know what the next competition is until after you complete that current one. Each competition requires a certain number of participants from each team, and if you don't have enough members for the corresponding competition, your team can't participate.

That's another reason why most teams look to kill their opponents...kill enough members of a team and they won't have enough numbers left for the competitions at the latter part of the tournament. And naturally, if all the members of a team are killed, that team is eliminated from the competition," Kilzachs informed them.

"And how many competitions will there be in total?" Inquired Raven warily.

"Dunno, as many as I want or feel like. Usually, that means no less than five and at most, maybe seven or eight. Or a totally different number, depending on how I feel. If things are boring, I'm more likely to drag it out longer. Basically, the more entertaining the tournament is, the faster it'll end," Kilzachs informed him.

"Seriously? So, for as long as you're unsatisfied, it could keep going indefinitely?" Frowned Jules in response.

"Nah, don't worry, I won't drag it out too much. Just take it one competition at a time instead of looking too far ahead...you don't want to end up eliminated before even getting to that point, after all. Alright, guess I might as well pick the first competition, let's see here...," Muttered Kilzachs, as a box appeared in front of him and he reached in, before pulling out a folded slip of paper.

"Wait, that's how you're deciding on the competitions?" Responded Akila in bemusement.

"Well, yeah, pulling randomly keeps things interesting and unpredictable, which makes it more fun for me. And the first competition is...oh, the five-man group battle, nice. That should be a good one to kick things off with a bang. Before I explain the rules of the competition, I should warn you...don't surrender without fighting at all, just to survive. I'll kill you myself if you do that. I'll only accept a surrender if you've already lost or about to die or something, but if you give up for no reason, you'll die. So, you know, keep that in mind."

"In other words, we have no choice but to play by your rules," Surmised Ravella with a grimace.

"Yup, my tournament, my rules. Now, then, about the first competition...it'll take place in a large forest, the playing area will be enclosed with a barrier. Each team will be given a glass ball that they need to protect. Your goal is to keep your glass ball intact and destroy the other teams' glass balls. Last team standing wins. Of course, you're free to kill your opponents if you want to.

However, the glass ball has to be within at least ten meters of at least one of your participants, you can move it around and hide it, that's fine, but if the ball is left unattended outside the specified range, your team is automatically eliminated...do that on purpose, and I'll kill you. No other rules, you can use any means or methods as you see fit, you can fight honorably, you can fight dirty, makes no difference to me."

"Kinda sounds like the capture the flag training exercises we do," Mused Akila thoughtfully.

"Alright, you can have half an hour to pick your teams. Remember, you need five people, and those you pick won't be able to participate again until the rest have participated at least once. I'm gonna go check on the other teams now, later," Remarked Kilzachs, before vanishing from sight.

"Damn it! I'm sorry, this is all my fault...I came across that clock in the castle treasury, a couple of thieves had broken in. When I incapacitated them, one of them hit the wall, that spot cracked open and revealed a cavity. The clock was inside it, and when I read the inscription, we all ended up here. I'm sorry, I-...," Began Jules.

"No, there was no way you could have possibly known that this would happen. Perhaps one of your predecessors hid it after determining it to be too dangerous, so you finding it was nothing more than an unlucky accident. That aside, blaming you isn't going to resolve our current predicament. Our only choice is to play along and do our best to survive," Stated Wistari with a sigh.

"Yeah, just calm down, there's no sense in getting riled up, let's just focus on adapting to our current situation and doing what we need to in order to survive. Getting back home alive is our top priority," Added Aster, placing a hand on Jules's shoulder.

"I...I suppose you're right."

"Since we have no idea what level of threats are going to be posed by the other teams, perhaps we should send our strongest individuals for this first competition," Suggested Antel thoughtfully.

"Yes, I agree. So, for starters, Raven. Your power aside, your sharp senses could prove crucial in a competition like this. Then, Aster and myself. After that...," Muttered Jules as she trailed off uncertainly, looking around.

"Hm, if you're selecting three individuals from Persona, then you should pick one each from Anima and Sylph as well. Don't try to protect us simply because we're your guests...we aren't in Persona right now, and we're all in the same boat," Pointed out Antel.

"Agreed, there is no reason to have any reservations about this," Nodded Zesta.

"In that case, pick me. That Kilzachs guy really pissed me off, I could use an opportunity to let off some steam," Growled Kora, as she cracked her knuckles.

"Allow me to volunteer as well," Spoke up Wistari.

"No, let me, Elder Wistari. It is too dangerous, I-...," Began Zesta, as Nero stepped up too.

"Then, as the strongest of the three of us, I am the most logical choice. To survive this, we must all work together, we must choose the options that best ensure our survival," She shook her head firmly.

The other two Elves tried to persuade her to let one of them participate instead, before eventually giving in as she refused to back down.

"Alright, then, it's settled. For this first contest, it'll be myself, Aster, Raven, Kora and Wistari participating. Remember, our main goal isn't to win, it's to survive," Remarked Jules, as she glanced around.

"Yeah, don't worry. If there are any impossibly strong opponents in the other teams, we'll surrender if it looks like they're about to kill us," Replied Aster with a thumbs up.

"We should discuss our plans and any tactics. We know that it will take place in a forest, we should account for and take advantage of the terrain," Pointed out Wistari.

"We'll be fine on that front, we have a decent amount of experience fighting in forests," Smiled Aster, as he patted Raven's shoulder.

The group then began discussing how to go about handling the first competition, considering various tactics and approaches they could use.

They knew that the other teams would likely be coming hard at them, since they'd all chosen to be here and were quite intently after the time travel device.

As they discussed their plans, the time flew by, and before long...

"Alright, your thirty minutes are up. Have you chosen your team for the first competition?" Inquired Kilzachs, as he reappeared in the room.

"Yes, we have. The five of us will be participating," Replied Jules, as she stepped up with the other four.

"Cool, then I'll kick things off right away," He responded, snapping his fingers.

In the blink of an eye, the five of them found themselves in a jungle, between a cluster of bushes. There was a string tied to Jules's wrist, attached to a glass ball floating strangely.

"Well, that was disconcerting. It feels different to teleportation, it's a bit unsettling," Frowned Aster.

"Huh, looks like the ball is frozen in time. We can move it around, but it won't fall. It can definitely break though, it feels pretty fragile," Remarked Raven, as he lightly tapped the glass ball.

"You should keep it around you, Aster," Suggested Jules, untying the string before handing it to him.

"Sure, got it. I'll keep a telekinetic force field around it at all times," He nodded, as he tied the string to his belt, the glass ball floating beside the right side of his head.

"Alright, this is it. Let's survive this and get home safely," Stated Jules, a determined gleam in her eyes...