The Unbound Arena

Perhaps it was due to all of the accumulating strain that the baker Billi tolled in his labors, or he truly thought that it was about time? Whatever the reason, Billiam Feyson decided that his apprentice Martian Moonie should get an iLac for himself. It was surely something that the two would find some use in when it came to keeping in contact, and its gradual development as a technology that continuously evolved with new features and uses with every iteration was sure to help the layman's efforts in educating Mars about living in a place where manmade laws held governance. The boy was equally as curious as he was unusual and, whether it was a product of his former life in the wild or some other factor, the red-clad oddball was a surprisingly quick learner and his efforts to adapt were noticeable. This was only after 4 months since the strange vagabond came to be in Billi's custody after his brother Cephallion entrusted him with the task of acting as his guardian.

For what ultimate purpose Mars was supposed to serve, the bakery owner was sure getting whatever aid he could get his hands on to supplement the youth's knowledge would only help prepare him for the possible future. Let's just hope this "big storm" you keep warning me about doesn't really happen, bro... An ideal opportunity somehow presented itself as though gift-wrapped by some benevolent deity, or so it was in Billi's mind, as there were fliers posted in Magnolia about there being a free giveaway of iLacs taking place in the Neutral Grounds. The place was just a hop skip and a jump away from here and it wouldn't take them too long to return unless some bold crooks thought an empty store would be an easy mark while the owner was away. After a night's rest and some light luggage being packed, the two were ready to leave and get their free devices.

The trip and their arrival were uneventful, but once Martian and Billi set foot into the Neutral Grounds, it elicited two distinctly different responses. The domesticated barbarian was just fine and simply looked at this new place of chrome-plated progress he was visiting before he would start his exploration. The baker, on the other hand, felt a sudden uneasiness creep upon him, and a sense that some part of himself was taken away. Although he wasn't a mage or possessed the greater reserves of magic that full-fledged wizards had, Billiam knew he entered a magical dead zone, which confirmed the rumors he's heard about the Neutral Grounds being a large-scale negation field for any magic. Of course, Mars was unaffected because according to what his brother told him, the childlike weirdo was incapable of both producing or using magic. This was made more of a surprise when the baker found out about the boy taking on and successfully completing commissions meant for wizards.

A surprisingly decent wait in line later and the two each had their own new device in their hands. Billiam was familiar to an extent on how to use the interface due to having an older model, the manual that came with the iLac would also help both Mars and himself learn about its features and new add-ons that would set itself apart from its predecessor. Unfortunately, the vehicle transport service the two utilized to get to the Neutral Grounds has been disabled for a few days due to a localized disaster while in transit. Billi called in some favors to a few friends back in Magnolia to watch over his store in his absence while Martian tinkered around with his new iLac, which caused him to accidentally install an app called "Unbound Arena". 

Word Count: 623

Barely an hour after sunrise and conflicts were already erupting somewhere within the Neutral Grounds as it appeared as though multiple participants of the Unbound Arena have been going at it for quite a while. Despite the settlement being a place where magic was completely negated, there were still instances where people displayed incredible abilities through technological advancements and inventions that might as well rival the wonders of magic. The action was so heavy that some of the fighters decided to exit off the crazy gravy train. In particular, the micro wars were only ever at their most devastating in two places, one was a well-known recreational hub where technologies centered around entertainment and gaming gathered a number of thrill-seeking youths of the area. The second mini-war zone was where most of the eateries and greengrocers were, the combined wisdom of culinary, scientific, and agricultural achievements was represented in establishments where natural foods were kept fresh for ridiculously long shelf lives as a result of experiments that delved into suspended animation and temporal arrestation. 

Mars was obviously in the place where all the food was where prior to the rampage instigated by confronting multiple opponents, the apprentice baker was munching contently on various sweet treats that he used some of his allowances to purchase. The young odd fellow was particularly pleased by his acquisitions and would gorge on such things as the specialty Plethora Gummies, which consisted of flavors from every known form of sweet or dessert in existence made into gummy candies. This was ruined by the rude and sudden introduction of three young men who were roughly the same age as Mars. One was a jumpy and frail-looking fellow who wore a skull cap, another was a tall and lean young man who had a happy yet dazed expression on his face, and the third and final member of the trio was a short and portly individual who had a devious glint in his eyes and a gaudy faux gold chain around his neck. Mars looked to them, they looked at Mars, both parties then turned their eyes to their respective iLacs and then back to their prospective competition.

Everyone immediately readied themselves for combat, the bystanders were surprisingly quick to take notice and were just as expedient to steer clear of the immediate area, with some guy who was conveniently carrying a loudspeaker for such a thing announcing how the place has become unsafe due to hazardous conditions spontaneously appearing. What was once a normally frequented roadway has now become a micro warzone as two sides duked it out. The tall lummox was the first to attack, taking the lead in a frontal charge towards Mars with nothing but the dopiest grin on his face and what appeared to be... a fish-shaped robot club. Skull-cap was at the back playing more of a supporting role by implementing various small gadgets and weapons that, while they didn't actually do any real harm, they served the purpose of hindering the red oddball's maneuverability through various means. Short-porter was also on the offensive to a lesser degree, using mid-range techno-revolvers that fired stunning shock bullets that was much of a nuisance as they were an actual threat.  

"We'll be up to our necks in jawbreakers boys", the diminutive deviant proclaimed before taking a balled fist square in the face, "Augh". The sharpshooter was sent careening through the air and landed a mangled mess on the ground. "Teddy", the machinist exclaimed in concern for his friend, "Ted help get Teddy out of there". The request caused the fish-clubber to stop dead in his tracks for a moment before he gave his answer. "You got it, Double-D", chimed the cheerful brute in compliance as he effortlessly picked up the shorter man-- now missing some of his front teeth-- and ran a good distance away. "We couldn't have lost all our ends this fast...", Tedd, in a last-ditch effort, took out what appeared to be some sort of device shaped like a boomerang. Rather than throwing it, the young man reached over his shoulder and placed the object on his back after some difficulty. "Activate Project Benz-O protocol 'Home, like Blank Did'."

The previously scrawny Double-D began turning purple before he suddenly started bulking up and growing in size. "What ya seein' ain't imaginary". the hulking behemoth said grimly, easily dwarfing Ted by two-fold. The potentially devastating showdown was cut off rather quickly as Mars struck his fist into the purple monster with such force that Tedd doubled over and his knees buckled under him as he struggled to breathe. The domesticated barbarian then crushed the device that was on Tedd's back, causing him to revert to his normal, scrawny appearance. "Say it ain't so Double-D", Ted, with a saddened look on his face, picked Tedd up and ran off, but not before the lanky fellow screamed, "Gravy".

Mars was considered the victor in this scuffle, as his opponents left what was supposedly the active zone designated by the app.

Word Count: 837

Almost at the same time when the Grocer War that happened near the marketplace ended, the other confrontation at the Gaming Centers also fell silent. When the dust that composed the Fog-of-War subsided, two participants of the arena remained who were still raring to go. One of them was, of course, Martian Moonie, who was mostly fine, save for the sprained ankle and some bruising to his ribs that he sustained when he took a punch square-on from Tedd before he reverted back to normal. His next opponent, which seemed to be the final one he would face within the Neutral Grounds, was some sort of hotshot inventor in a suped-up suit of armor. What was a bit of a surprise was the appearance of the armor itself, pristine and unscathed by any damage, as though the previous battles the wearer took part in never happened.

"Good afternoon", the armor-clad individual began with a tone of obvious amusement in his voice as he addressed his prospective opponent, "It is a pleasure for you to meet me". Crossing his arms with an air of inflated self-confidence, the metal man, with his left index finger, beckoned Mars and invited to come at him in full-force. This willful yielding of the first blow was an insult that was rather lost on the boy marauder, as he simply lifted his white top hat in greeting before he went into a running charge. "Don't keep me waiting I have a spa date to get to". The duel began as Martian closed the distance and was poised to land a punch with his right fist until his armored adversary stopped his incoming attack with one finger.

With very minimal effort, the metallic menace simply brushed the young barbarian's fist aside and the sent him skidding back a few feet with just a casual flick of an armored finger against Mars's forehead. It was only because the dark red hobo was wearing a headband with a protective metal plate that he managed to not have his dent in his skull from the finger's impact. However, rather than being frightened by what would have been a near-death experience, the exuberant idiot simply clapped in silly glee at finding an opponent that he could finally go all-out on. This very reaction incited the slightest of head tilts from the metal-clad man as he was slightly puzzled and somewhat surprised. The real fight would begin as Martian Moonie would cut loose with the entirety of his Unexplained Prowess, what would be the current capacity of his abilities during this time would be on full display.

Taking a deep breath, Mars's cheeks would redden slightly, as would whatever light illuminated the immediate environment while the manchild's body was preparing to undo the internal shackles that kept the boy's strength in check. With the surroundings taking on a crimson tinge, the heat haze came radiating out of the apprentice baker in waves, its greater potency made evident with the slight crackle of red bio-electricity surrounding Mars in jagged loops. The man with the armor took on an expression of wariness that, thankfully, wasn't reflected by the visage of his helmet. Preferring an expedient method to take down his opponent and be done with it, the metal man extended his right arm towards Mars, palm wide open and revealing a ball of pulsating light that was only increasing in size as the seconds passed. "Be honored and receive the full might of the sweltering sun... 'The Prominence'!". A torrent of energy was unleashed from the metal marksman, as he shot his attack from a distance in the hopes that he would defeat his opponent before the strange boy was within optimal punching distance. 

As the laser blast subsided, Mars was able to close in once again through a combination of jumping and lurching to compensated for his left leg and left arm being singed by the heat of the luminous strike. With one punch, the childlike brawler hit with such incredible force that his opponent was sent hurtling into a building, crashing into the structure with such force that the opponent's armor was now sporting a sizeable dent where the chest was, the fellow's body hitting the wall so hard that even it had a crater from the collision. The man in the suit was initially unmoving and was unresponsive until some sort of lights turned on in the suit's eye parts and the fellow-- armor and all-- flew away. It turns out that the operator of the armor was knocked unconscious and the suit itself went into auto-pilot in order to get the person inside to safety.

With that, Mars won, and he was just in time to pack his things as he and Billiam were ready to return home. 

Word Count: 799

Modifiers::

Total Word Count: 2957