He stands at a threshold, the endless white on either side of him, the door in front of him the same as all the others, and yet not what rests beyond it. Like a meticulous scan he goes over himself, the weapons clinging to his coat, the bits and blades tucked away in differing spots. He twists his neck to release the cracking noise as he reaches up to adjust his collar and straighten his tie. A hand slips into a pocket of the black pin striped pants and withdraws the strange data-tap like device. The small monitor blinks and stutters as strange icons seem to revolve and fall into puzzle like places drawn for them, a minute passes before they all come into place and he manages a slight smirk.

            Pocketing it, he inhales calmly before extending a hand towards the handle and turning it slowly. The door doesn't so much open as it seems to fall away and he finds himself at first drowning in bright light before he feels the floor rip out from beneath him quickly and another replace it. He pivots on the spot looking around, his eyes bound around the room wildly before coming to rest on the man before him. The room is large; its white marble similar to the halls he'd been in pillars jut from the floor to the ceiling, suits of armor cling to the walls to his sides. Behind him two grand doors stand clung together. The center of the room holds a large and grand scale fountain, no statues, but the marble and intricate designs on it depict angels and devils in combat.

            The man next to the fountain grins at Darminian as he flips a coin into the water. He's dressed in a dark black bed robe, it's trim has fuzz edges, the interior is similar to silk, he grins at the stranger flipping another coin out of the elongated black nails extending from his hands, his skin is pale, almost reptilian, his hair is jet black with streaks of white randomly throughout, it's slicked back and the greasiness of it complements the thin goatee that clings to his chin below thin and pale lips. His face is thin and bony, his eyes a sickening yellow, the pupils black with the faintest dab of white in the center. He lets the rest of the coins slip from his bony fingers and pyramids his hands regarding the being before him. The thin lips part and yield a grinning set of fangs as he tilts his head curiously.

Have you come to play?

Darminian arched a brow as he strafed to the side slowly, his eyes not leaving the one in front of him.

Have you?

You could say that.

His pants matched the house coat in their leisurely dressed down style, and what really through the image were the slippers on his feet.

Excellent, I love games, don't you?

The gloved fingers toyed with the hilt of a pistol on his side, as his left hand clenched itself into a fist, his knuckles popping lightly. He stopped moving just short of one of the suits of armor and gripped the butt of the gun tightly, watching the man in the house coat.

Depends on the game I suppose.

Mm, well we'll find out as we go.

The smile as if not disturbing enough, took on a more sinister turn as the pyramid hands interlaced and he cracked his knuckles and turned to head toward a flight of stairs leading to a smaller set of twin doors.

You know why I'm here I trust.

I do indeed, you aren't the fist, you won't be the last.

The man replied as he continued up the stairs. The click of the hammer being drawn back on Darwinians gun stopped him in him on the stairs but he didn't turn.

We going to do this the easy way?

All in good time, all in good time - you've yet to pass the first part of the game.

As Darminian took aim at his leg something heavy gripped his wrist - a suit of armor had clenched his wrist, and held a mace above his head. The fingers of his left hand hugged the hilt of his first pistols brother, the shot barely left the barely when it collided with the suits weapon knocking the arm back and freeing Darminian from his grasp. He turned towards the stairs trying to take aim only to throw his torso back and right dodging a broad sword by inches. His right hand crossed over his chest to let loose hell on the suit with the blade, his left did the same in the direction of the one with the mace who had moved forward.

            He watched the suits spark and vibrate with every shot as he emptied the roaring brethren into the armor. The guns fell silent and a second passed before he threw himself forward, spinning in mid air, the coat flew out wildly around him as his body hit the ground the momentum allowing him to slide along the floor - the brothers screaming out with what they had left at a third suit of armor that had moved behind him. The third suit staggered backwards and collapsed as the slides of his weapons moved backwards and stayed there. He looked up in time to see the fourth suit craning over him with a two handed axe. It collided with the ground where his head had been as he rolled across the floor in front of him and got to his feet, the mace in hand.

As the suit raised its axe again the mace flew through the air and collided with the helmet sending both the weapon and part of the suit flying. He collected the pistols from the floor and slapped in two new clips, placing them back in his coat. He walked up the steps towards the doors.

They never choose the easy way.

= Earlier that day. =

They were in the process of resetting the pieces when he dropped the strange data-tap like device on the chessboard.

That what were playing for?

Darminian asked the man across from him, the two of them sat on either side of the park on the thin path within Tabor Park. It was pitch black all around them, night had descended on mega city and the two sat in the park the only light the street lamps. The chessman was a unique fellow, master of the art of manipulation, so many of his tendrils into differing parts of this city, and yet he never seemed to leave the park.

No- this is what you're going to need to get into his domain. To wait for the alignment so that you'll be able to get in.

Oh?

Those halls are more complex then some kind of geographical array Brook.

Darminian chuckled - the pseudo nick-name he'd been given by the man in the park always made him chuckle.

You can get almost anywhere with them, but there's so many different parameters and variables and so on and so fourth... In any case, we've gotten lucky this will tell you where to go and when to be there to get to him.

Fair enough - how many was it anyways?

32.

Why 32?

He wanted to sides for a chess game.

The chessman shuddered slightly before shaking it off and setting up the pieces on his side of the board.

He likes to play games with them, and watch them die when they lose.

Doesn't sound like fair play - but why should you care?

It's a matter of respect and honor for the game Brook - it's not right, besides I know the games you play, and I have some other reasons for needing him out of the picture.

Fair enough.

One more thing - personal request if you would indulge me.

His elbows on the table he turned his hands upward as if to shrug lazily.

What?

He's got a trinket he wears around his neck - I want it.

A favors a dangerous thing to trade.

No risk, no reward.

I'll see what I can do.

Darminian picked up the device and slid it into his coat pocket and stood up.

Not up for another game?

I am, that's why I'm leaving. Always a pleasure C.

Likewise Brook.

He pushed open the twin doors atop the stairs and stepped through as the pillared room behind him vanished he found himself adrift in space, or rather on a long walkway adrift in space, the marble panels clung together to form a long and winding path that twisted and wound itself into shapes that were impossible, indescribeable, ledges and edges of equal height that lead to differing plateaus, shapes and styles like stairways that both went up and forward, and even back on themselves. All around the path was empty space, blackness dotted with the faintest specles of light - a star laced canopy.... but not just overhead, all around. The pair of large doors stood at the edge of the tile behind him, closed, and not connected to any wall.

The only sound was of his feet against the tiles as he walked slowly forward, his eyes trying to search out something in the darkness, but yielding nothing. A voice broke his concentration -

You look a little lost traveller. Perhaps you shouldn't have come this way.

Darminian didn't say a word, he simply continued to walk slowly along the long winding path before him, tile by tile he found himself traversing the walls and staircases he couldn't comprehend. At points the gravity would shift and send him flying, inches from falling into oblivion before managing to snag an edge and pull himself back up. Things got worse as he progressed, he came to large platform composed of several of the tiles connected - as he moved to cross it they began to slide and spin, to twist and contort into shapes and sizes he couldn't traverse, an attempt to hyper jump sent the platform he had stood on hurtling into the empty space below. It seemed like forever had come and gone when he finally came to view another set of doors off in the distance.

It was a winding straight to the door, the path zigged and zagged but seemed solid, tedious and annoying but all the same the route was clear. His first step onto a new tile caused it to rumble - it shook beneath him as he leapt lightly to the next and watched the former fall away - in his watching of the tile fall he almost didn't notice the next begin to shake in the same way. In an instant he was sprinting across the tiles, reaching the next only as the former fell, each step almost causing him to slip as the tiles shook violently. Approaching the last two tiles he threw himself at the door and felt them buckle under his weight as the astral walkway vanished and he now lay on the floor in another room.

The center of the room appeared to be an upside down chandelier, the walls were littered with paintings hung upside down, and the ceiling had furniture stuck to it - a table and chairs and a lit fireplace to the side - with the fire burning downwards. As his eyes fell upon the upside down flames he noted the man in the house coat sitting at the head of the table, a glass in his hand that he sipped lightly. Without warning the room seemed to jerk - or rather he did - as he found himself falling from the roof of the room to the floor - anticipating the inevitable switch he landed comfortably in the chair at the opposite end of the table and picked up a cup of his own and nodded at the man across from him.

Cute.

Darminian chuckled as the fanged grin of the man across from him became clearly strained in regards to the landing. He placed his cup slowly down on the table and again pressed his fingers against themselves eyeing darminian.

That was simply a warm up - don't get cocky.

Who me? - Never.

Darminian's hand tightly held the base of the pistol as he watched the fingers break contact and reach back down towards the cup - raising it to his lips the grin returned and he moved to place it back on the table. During it's hangtime between thin lips and table the bullet collided with the cup and sent it flying - in the surprise of the moment he turned to watch the cup fly through the air spilling it's contents across the floor. As the cup spun through the air his gaze drifted to the corner of his eye and his head began to turn. The fierce kick collided with his jaw and sent him flying out of his chair - he rolled across the floor with a hiss and got to his feet. The yellow eyes met with Darminians whose weapon was pointed at him, unshaking, unflinching - the air in the room was sucked out and even the fire held it's breath.

You are quick - i'll grant you that.

You should see how well i shoot.

No doubt.

The slide of the pistol flew backwars as the bullet spiralled from the gun and stopped half way between them, it revolved slowly in the air as the casing collided with the floor below them. The bullet lost it's shape and became fluid like - as if super heated - it seemed to stretch out and wiggle - the yellow eyes were fixated - darminian used this opportunity to ready the uzi with his other hand- hoping his opponent would still be distracted. The compact assault weapon screeched and the air was littered with bullets hanging in place, the casings hit the floor in a choir of hot metal as the two eyed one another.

~Darminian