Too Stubborn to Die

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“One master, one disciple, and an eternity of shame. Relive one of the greatest stories of the multiverse. What happens when a young gnome starting out in the multiverse falls for their patron god? And that god just so happens to be an ogre? In cinemas now, the Gnome and the Ogre. This daddy’s packing more than just blessings.”

“Don’t leave home without your SmartPass. Now with access to over three million worlds through the Xenica Wormhole Network, the destinations are endless. Go where you please, when you please with SmartPass. F grades ride free.”

“Tonight on A Multiverse Affair, we have a once-in-a-lifetime exclusive interview. We go in depth and personal in a discussion that touches on personal topics and difficult times with none other than the god of Cooking and Gluttony, Oozagh the Rotund.”

The graphics switched to Oozagh sitting on a chair in a dark room.

“Sometimes it feels like the boasting and laughing is all just an act. I put on a brave face, but being a god so many look up to can be difficult.”

“Tell me more. What about family?”

“Over the many millennia, I have spawned several hundred children, and countless grandchildren and beyond. I have been married eighty-nine times. And yet, sometimes, I don’t know what to tell them, or if my advice is right to take.”

“I see, it must be hard,” said the interviewer, reaching out to touch Oozagh’s hand.

“Sometimes I think the problem is that I project this playful, undoubting image, and that can be hard to keep up all the time. Nobody expects me to feel weak at times.”

Graphics flicked across the screen, and the interviewer was staring sternly into it.

“Tune in tonight to hear the rest of this once-in-a-lifetime interview. We touch on many difficult subjects, like how one of the most powerful peak gods of the multiverse deals with their own daughter becoming the face of Playogre magazine, and much more.”

“And we’re back,” Goliath said as the cameras zoomed in on him to the tune of a brass band. “What a great program we have had today. We’ve been learning so very much about our champions of the Hundredth and First Universe. From budding romances to duels of fate cast out across the expanses of the multiverse, and flung into the games of gods beyond their wildest imaginations. But now, we must get down to business. Time is ticking, but you still have a few minutes. Call the number on your screen now to save your favorite champion, and see them go on to battle it out on the final floor of the dungeon!”

Goliath turned to his guests as the crowd’s cheers died down.

“As we wait for voting to close, do any of you have any final words for the audience? Any fears for the next floor? Any lovers you want to reach out to?” As he spoke, he looked at Aaron. “Or perhaps you’re just excited? Stricken with unbridled anticipation to discover who the other greatest talents of your universe?”

The crowd cheered, but nobody really had anything to say.

“You sure you don’t want to give a tantalizing final word before we move on?”

“Why are you looking at me?” Aaron said.

“Oh, well, I tried,” Goliath said, barely giving them a second to reply. “We’re running out of time anyway! Early voting count has already started, and I’m just now being told that voting has closed! That’s right, the stage is set, and things are wrapping up. Who will go on to conquer the unknown? Who are the newest and greatest talents of this young and recently integrated universe? What will their futures mean for the multiverse? What power balances will change? Well, we’ll all have to wait and find out!”

Sirens sounded, and spotlights danced around the room.

“You know what that means! It’s time! Let’s get the count tallied, and find out who our viewers think are the most deserving to move on, and prove themselves in the multiverse!”

The cameras spun around, getting close-ups of everyone before settling back on Goliath.

“Now, let’s get started. For our first place. The person who received the most votes in their entire quadrant. And perhaps to nobody's surprise, our favorite is the one and only human lovebird. A true romantic icon! Please, give an applause for Aaron Dober, formerly of Earth!”

Aaron shrank in his chair. “What the fuck?”

Cheers rang out through the live studio, and the Aaron impersonators did a choreographed dance at the back of the audience.

“Incredible! His fandom only grows by the day! And to think, I was worried that some of his answers might have harmed his popularity. But it seems they loved the enigmatic vibe our favorite human gives off! Or should I say, shinigami? He won’t just steal your heart, but he might just steal your soul, too,” Goliath winked at the audience, and they went wild.

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“Now, let’s move on to second place! Here we have everyone’s favorite warrior. The indestructible and indomitable asura. He has had some rough bumps, but it seems the audience has forgiven him for the absolutely gigantic sums of money that many of them lost. Make some noise for Mo’han Khan!”

“Quiet now! I know you’re all very excited. But we do need to get through this. Now, onto our third place. This is a rather unexpected entry. This one has come from rather humble beginnings. Barely heard of not too long ago. But it seems that they have managed to capture both the hearts and the imagination of our fans. I am talking about none other than Lord Draxas!”

The crowd cheered wildly.

“Wow. I was not expecting that. The kobold really has found their place. Moving on! In fourth place, we have a tyrant. But as powerful as they are, they hadn’t received too much fanfare until recently. Seen as cold and standoffish, and voted as the least likeable and least lovable contestant in our polls. But who am I to judge? As we all know, there are many sick bastards amongst you, and I have a feeling you just want to see the contestants bleed. So I give you, Mala the Avenger!”

As many boos as cheers filled the room, but the mammoth didn’t seem to care.

“Next is a young woman many of us have come to love. Is she naive, or is she secretly cheeky? Perhaps we shall never know! We have, Elmira Ferara, the loyal servant of Pentival and Lenriel in fifth place! Which brings us to our next placed contestant, and we wouldn’t be complete without the queen of darkness herself, Talia Rhineheart!”

“I have a feeling I know what’s going on,” Goliath continued. “And on that note, in seventh, and scoring our final second chance spot, we have one of our growing favorites. This particular contestant seems to be bringing some racial gaps, based on our polling. Leave cheer for Lagora the Ogre, and thus, completing our little love… pentagram? Although, I think her name needs some work.”

As Goliath worked up the crowd and winked at Aaron, he sank further into his chair. Had most of the elites selected from their entire quadrant to move onto the next floor been selected because some intergalactic creeps from a distant world wanted to see how his romantic life played out?

Why me?

Aaron never did like being the center of attention. And this was way, way too much attention.

“That brings us to the end of our second chances! It seems that Team Obsidian has wiped the floor with the other sectors of their quadrant. A true powerhouse sector in the making! And they still have three spots to hand out to their other members, whomever they choose! Truly impressive! I cannot wait to see how far they go!”

As the curtains closed, Team Obsidian were reunited to make their final selection. It was easy enough to make. Since the same people were voting, they essentially just voted for who they thought were the strongest, picking Mandor, Voidrin, and Ikran to join the next floor.

The curtains dropped, and the audience got one last chance to see the ten who were moving on. Cheers and whistles filled the room, and a second later, they were transported back into the dungeon.

In a near instant, everything had changed, and they were standing on a floating platform in a cloudy sky.

And there were three other platforms nearby.

The other champions, Aaron thought as he looked around.

He could already feel the powerful auras coming from the other teams. And for a moment, he was a little pissed that weaker people were selected to move on because of some romance fantasy. He didn’t care for Chelias, but the man was undoubtedly a top elite. Likely one of the top five strongest in their entire quadrant, and the viewers hadn’t selected him.

Well, we still have a strong team. Especially if Mala can get over her anger and work with us. Maybe we’ve got a chance at this.

Aaron looked at the other teams, trying to size them up. These were the absolute peak of peak. The greatest talents of their integration, and it didn’t take him long to spot the standouts, their auras rising above the rest.

First, he noted Casryn the Red, the drakaran scion from the Randorian Sector. The red, dragon-like humanoid stood proudly with an aura comparable to Mo’han’s. The drakaran were a species of formidable and feared dragons, who were known throughout the multiverse and held in the same regard as asuras.

Aaron remembered the dragon race being mentioned in the trials, and he immediately felt a shiver when he looked at her. She was no one to be taken lightly.

He turned his gaze to another that stood out. Heavy, cold metal armor stood as if empty, no sign of life besides glowing blue eyes. It was The White Warden of the Hexbane Sector.

Aaron didn’t know anything about The White Warden, but as he looked over the imposing figure, a missive appeared in his System screen, as if the System wanted them to know who they were up against.

Apparently, the ghostly knight had long ago forgotten their name. They hailed from a world that had long ago wiped itself out via nuclear apocalypse, and when the integration came, the System had found life extinguished on the once vibrant world. And in the System’s infinite wisdom, it brought them back. An entire world, brought back to life as a species of living dead in an instant, and thrown into the Tutorial like everybody else.

“What the,” Aaron muttered as he read the explanation. His perception of the System was altered once again.

Turning his gaze to another figure that stood out, he spotted Mark Manifold, the man of mirrors, and disciple of Lenriel. Even as the man stood there, he stood as many. Dozens of reflections flicked about, almost like he was glitchy and never in one place.

Aaron squinted and rubbed at his eyes, turning away. It sucked to even look at the man.

On another platform, the number one elite appeared to be a beast. It was Sharrek the Shade Bender. An unsuspected humanoid turtle dressed in a gi. If not for the incredible and suffocating aura they let out, Aaron would have thought them a rather mundane opponent. Like Mala, they were a beast that had evolved and become a master of their world.

And finally, he dared a glance at Vardrak the Allseeing. Vardrak was a giant floating eye with dozens of spiked tentacles whipping around it, and only looking at its eye for a couple of seconds made Aaron feel like his skin was starting to harden, and he quickly looked away from the imposing eye. The floating eyes had quickly dismantled competition on their world, and while this was the first Aaron was hearing or seeing of them, he had a feeling that the terrifying race was on par with the other peak species.

Was it trying to petrify me or something?

They hadn’t even gotten a message yet, and as far as he was aware, the dungeon floor hadn’t even started, so he didn’t know how that was even possible. But he felt it all the same.

These guys are serious.

His hair stood on end, and there were a good deal of talents beyond just the peaks that he inspected. Everyone who had made it this far was a serious challenger.

What does the System have for us now?

Aaron looked around, waiting for the dungeon notification with growing anticipation.

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