Rising from the Ashes

Talks

3rd Person POV

After Hulk's final blow to Thor had been softened ever so slightly by Ash's staff taking most of the hit, the battle was declared over and Hulk stood by as two gladiator nurses started to take Thor away to his room as he "requested," however some guards were starting to take an unconscious Ash away in a different direction.

"No take!" Hulk started to growl before the Grandmaster appeared in one of the doorways to the arena and walked over saying in a faux calming tone,

"Hey hey don't you worry big guy, I just need a little word with your.. daughter..."

Pinching his thumb and index finger when he emphasized 'little' and Hulk growled,

"No hurt Tiny Blaze..."

"Of course not. We'll have a little chat and then we'll bring her right back."

He kept a smile on his face until he turned around and it fell as he muttered,

"There goes that plan..." Knowing his original plan of discarding Ash was no longer an option before swishing his cloak and walking out of the arena, avoiding the occasional bloodstain in the dirt and knocked-out tooth.

A little while later, Ash woke up to find herself on a couch in the VIP box above the arena and she bolted upright when she heard the Grandmaster's voice say,

"Hey there sunshine!"

Seeing the Grandmaster sitting on a mini couch across from her with his second in command, Topaz, standing there holding his signature Melt Stick, Ash jumped to her feet and reached back for her staff on her belt holder, only to find it wasn't there.

"If you're looking for your fancy stick, it's uhh... where's it again Topaz?"

"We were going to have it destroyed but the Champion insisted he take it." She answered in a bored tone.

"Wow, you really mean a lot to him.. don't you?" The Grandmaster leaned forward with his hands clasped together under his chin.

"What do you want from me?" Ash was done with his condescending attitude as she demanded to know, "If you're not 'offing' me like you said you would if I wasn't already killed by the Champion then obviously you have something else in mind for me."

"Strong and perceptive I can see how one relates to him but not really the other." The Grandmaster commented before finally getting to the point,

"Normally, given that you're his daughter, adoptive clearly, I would want to keep you away from him to keep him from going soft, but I also need to make sure my Champion is happy so he can continue making 'The Contest of Champions' worthwhile to watch. So, I will continue to honor his wish and let you go, but if, at any point I see him start to falter in battle..." He looked over to Topaz and she took out an Obedience Disk controller behind her back, and before Ash could react, she took a knee as the shocks ran through her body and she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain.

"Well I don't think a smart girl like you needs another clue to figure it out."

Ash growled slightly through her clenched teeth as she stood back up and was escorted out of the VIP box by a guard that led her through a maze of hallways before they arrived at a large room with white and red geometric designs on the wall, large furniture all around including a bed that looked to be made from the skull of a large creature, and Ash could see Thor being treated by two gladiator nurses.

Just as the guard left, she turned away in time to see a red transparent barrier come up to block the exit and she huffed through her nose before jumping in surprise as she heard Thor yell in surprise and saw the gladiator nurses running out past her, startled from his outburst.