"I hope we meet again on friendlier terms." He pulled the trigger, and they vanished in a cryogenic blast that left behind an icy wind and beautiful glacial spires. A cerulean blue jetstream streaked through the afternoon sky like a comet

Corban awoke with fluttering lashes on a hard, smooth surface. Just a few feet away from him were the burned out remains of a complex geometic diagram, branded into the white marble. He lazily brought his left hand to milky-crimsom eye level, inspecting the Guardian Wristwatch. Its smooth, crystalline faces glinted against the light it emitted of a holographic panel of techno jargain. It would be a senseless jumble of random symbol and number sequences to the uninitiated, but to Corban it was an advanced coding language. Like any language, it simply needed to be learned.

He stood up."You were off by a bit. You couldn't correct your targeting?"

<You made me the spell-target without informing me. Your histrionics got you into this.>

"Screw you. I thought you got the signal! Now, uh... just where the hell are we?"

The watch went silent. Ishtalle was clearly not going to help him navigate after that little fiasco. If he wanted to learn anything, he'd have to take a hands on approach. That worked for him anyways. Sauntering off through the vast crossroads of cuisines and realms, he made his way toward the locals

@Doc Doctor
Through the haunting white corridors and grand chambers, Shin's shoes tapped in tune with a brisk pace. They echoed slightly but the hustle and bustle of the enormous rooms was more than enough to drown the sound, as well as the soft bodies that dampened it further. Despite having so much here, this place was virtually empty. It was like it was incomplete, something was missing. Obviously it had the necessities, but it simply lacked a certain feeling. He couldn't quite place it, and hated the fact that his mind wandered so much while he was here.

Why was he here?

Well, he was here to find weapons.

Weapons you say? Yes, weapons.

But why was he here to find weapons? Was the Black Staff not enough for him?

Evidently not. The first battle had been without the staff, and the second had been with. Both times, Magic was the deciding factor. Shin needed a new weapon, a weapon to compliment his Staff. A weapon that could best magic, and Shin wasn't in the mood to play around and look for some legendary weapon stuck in a stone. Or a sword thrown to him by some watery tart. Shin wanted to take someone else's weapon, lots of them. As many as he needed.

Why?

To find the perfect complement to his Staff.

As his pace increased from a brisk walk to a mild jog, Shin reached into his pocket and pulled out a long rolled up sheet of paper. Written in the universal tongue on its surface were some very important words. "Seeking challenger. Must have powerful weapon. Must be willing to lose weapon." For once, killing wasn't on his mind. Two times had he been humiliated by Magic, two times had he been defeated by Magic.

Shin never makes the same mistake twice, so this was very clearly some kind of crazy mixed up MISTAKE! A mistake that he would remedy post haste.

Once he reached the place of operations of a certain First-Degree Donny, Shin entered wordlessly. In a moment he was up to the counter, tapping his fingers slightly against the hardwood. "Mind if I post a poster?" He said with a calm and almost charming flair, like he was putting on a show. "It'll bring in fight business, if you need a reason to say yes."

@Doc Doctor
"I appreciate your generosity." He said with a curt tone as he turned on his heel back towards the door. His shoes clicked as he crossed the room towards a nearby bulletin board.

He pulled a short dagger from his hip and planted the paper in the center of the cork board. He figured people's eyes would be drawn to the middle by the dagger sticking out from the wall. It was worth a shot, after planting his message he began reading the other fights odds. Seeing the competitors in this strange hyper sanitary environment.

Scanning the board slowly he noticed a few tha piqued his interest, though almost all of them hadn't actually come here. Who had put these on the wall though?

Not thinking about the implications of time travel, he took one from the board with some degree of zeal. The first weapon on his agenda would not come to him, he would go retrieve it.

After whipping the paper off the board he dashed out of the room and into the hallways. Past Corban as he made his mad dash out, they had not failed his notice but he was not concerned with just them today. Shin was off and down towards the various exits into different realms, he quickly raised the banner up to his face to see which his charge would be in. It seemed like the western exit into a dustbowl, the time on the paper ticked as if it were electronic. It was just about evening in that realm, Shin made a note of where it would let out so he could get back in.

Shin dropped the paper on the floor as he tore his way into the exit, any passerby could see why he was after him.

Time itself could have slowed down with the weight of the silent intensity that precipitated from them as they passed by one another. It was only for a moment, but in that instant Corban's eyes were crimson steel as they met Shin's. And then all at once the cord of the tension was cut. like a summer breeze, Shin continued on his way down the corridor, not stopping for him for even an exchange of words. He began to truly ponder the nature of that 'tournament'.

Hmm. He definitely remembered me. That was the eye of a man who hurt deeper than just the surface. light footfalls resounded as he continues down the corridor, eyes to the floor in deep contemplation. Come to think of it, how long has it even been? He remembered leaving the battlefield after Shin bowed out, and he remembered taking off.... but to where? Everything after, up until awaking was a blur. A memory slipperly like an eel that he just couldn't quite hold on to.

And then, an epiphany! His eyes subconsiously flicked to his trusty wristwatch.

<I feel it, too.>

-I thought it was strange your targeting was off. I'm starting to get a feel for it.-

<Because it wasn't.>

-Exactly. We were pulled here... here.... wherever here is. We should probably find out where here is.-

And just in time! No sooner did his sentence end wass he greeted by the shambly shanty-bar. He entered through the double doors to a blinding white backdrop. The kind in the old movies. Eyes, ugly mugs, and wenches all turned at once to face the dark robed newcomer. Like a king amongst his citizens he moved through the portly crowd, over the to bar table. With a plop he took an empty seat and knocked twice with his watch-hand on the bar.

"Hey... what can you tell me about this place?" He said to what he assumed was the barkeep.

@Doc Doctor