Battleopolis

Battleopolis is the fifth round in The Grand Battle. This round is revisited in The Grand Battle (Season 2)

Description
Battleopolis is a large city that, for the purpose of the battle, is cut off from the rest of society. There are average people walking around in it. The real name of the city isn't Battleopolis, of course, but whenever a resident says it, the contestants hear it as such. Some of the residents are previous contestants and people they recognize.

Summary
Nathan is now completely evil and controlled by the demon but doesn't go around on a rampage. Amethyst runs into a guy who is one of those paranoid alien guys who is convinced that the contestants are aliens. Eximo makes more vacuumbots, agitating the shop owner. Aeon meets up with Nathan at one point and tries to follow him around. Emily and Alcarith show up as a doctor and the chief of police respectively, and Lutherion is a shop owner whose shop is being taken over by vacuums; a certain police officer is killed and comes back as Dokuromets. They all eventually remember the battle and regress to their original selves. At some point it is revealed that the whole city is filled with fake people created specifically for the battle, and the city itself is controlled by a powerful artifact. The demon obtains it, intending to kill the other contestants and build a multiversal empire. Aeon does a mind battle with Nathan and Nathan dies by being shot by Eximo.

Significant NPCs
Larry: A brave police officer. He spends much of the round following Eximo and Amethyst, but is eventually killed, causing him to awaken as Dokuromets.

Jerry de Lint: A conspiracy theorist who has realized everyone is trapped in Battleopolis, and who believes Amethyst is an alien. She forces him to aid her through the battle, until he awakens as Jerry, a conspiracy theorist from Eximo's world who believes Konka Rar is planning world domination through lint.

Amelia Tennyson: A doctor working in the Battleopolis hospital. She treats Aeon for his wounds from previous rounds, then later awakens as Emily and joins the fight to save Battleopolis.

Midnara: A schoolgirl. She eventually gains dark powers and awakens as Amethyst's best friend from their world. She encounters Dexter and the two of them spend a lot of time talking and planning before Dexter uses her to weaken the Director's shields. She is killed in battle, devastating Amethyst.

Dexter: Lutherion's sponsor. He is punished by the Director for warning Lutherion ahead of time and trapped in Battleopolis with reduced powers. He tries to escape, first with Midnara's help, then by obtaining the Key to the City, but is eventually killed by Nathan's demon.

Robert "Bob" Luther: An appliance store owner. He becomes very frustrated by Eximo's actions and eventually awakens as Lutherion.

Police Chief Alice Rieth: The chief of police. She is confounded by the strange things going on in her city until she eventually awakens as Alcarith.

Konka Rar: An old man living in an apartment who awakens as Eximo's old master. He contacts Lutherion and begins meddling with the battle, and eventually gives Eximo orders that will hinder it for the most of the remainder of the battle.

The Strange Man: Nathan's sponsor, he is dismissed by the Director when his contestant loses.

Events
Warning: Significant Spoilers Eximo appears in a construction site; it notices some workers watching it, and its scans reveal a large number of life forms as well as a "dead zone" in the center of the city. Amethyst prepares a protective spell and begins asking around for information about the city; whenever anyone says the city's name, it gets obviously filtered to BAttLeoPOliS. A conspiracy theorist spots her, mistaking her for an alien due to her appearance; he's noticed that for some time, nobody has left the city, and believes she has something to do with it. She frightens him, then uses her magic to make it look as though he's attacked her with a knife. When he runs off, afraid of what the crowd will do to him, she tracks him and follows. Aeon realizes he can't blend in in his current state of dress, and can't buy new clothes with his foreign money; he spots a pawn shop and heads in. Nathan appears in a department store; he dresses in a black suit and promptly murders an attendant, apparently fully possessed. The construction workers have called a bomb squad, which attempt to open up Eximo; it throws them aside. Amethyst corners the conspiracy theorist and orders him to help her look normal. They buy her some normal clothes that hide her weird features, then discover a torrent of blood coming out of a stall, the work of the demon. Eximo doesn't like all the attention it's getting, so it flies away on the broomstick Amethyst created earlier. Aeon pawns off his silver charm and uses the money to buy a new shirt; he learns from the clerk that nobody ever manages to come into the city or leave, and that an airport was built and closed a few years back. Aeon spots Amethyst and the conspiracy theorist and the blood, but merely changes into his new shirt; by the time he's changed, the blood is cleaned up and the others are gone. As he leaves the store, Amethyst and the theorist kidnap him and take him to a secluded alley. Amethyst tells the theorist that Aeon is another alien and that she wants to talk to him alone. She makes a pair of crystal communicators, and Aeon decides to go to the hospital while Amethyst finds Eximo. The theorist tells her it spotted Eximo flying past, and they dash off after it. Aeon goes to the hospital to heal the wounds he suffered fighting the demon, including punctures from the crystals and a damaged eye. The doctor, Amelia Tennyson, seems very familiar; she reveals she has a nephew named Nathan who is "a bit of a devil". She then tells him he seems familiar to her as well, and she remembers him from a dream with floating islands. She cleans his wounds and recommends removing the damaged eye as it will never work again, but he refuses; he leaves the hospital and informs Amethyst of what he's learned. Eximo finds an appliance store, identical to the one from Free Falling, and enters. A girl who resembles Amethyst's partner from back in her own world, Midnara, wanders around the city. Aeon realizes it must have been Lutherion who died; back in their homeworld, Aegis discovers that Aeon is missing. A clerk at the appliance store discovers Eximo making a bunch of vacuumbots. Midnara breaks into an apartment with magic she didn't realize she could do. Amethyst begins trying to get Eximo to keep a low profile by convincing it there are times when it is best not to cleanse. Eximo explains that it's considered the same thing itself, and talks about the period where its memories were split while its spirit was separated from its body. The appliance store clerk tells his boss, Mr. Luther, what he's seen; Luther calls the police, who confirm they also saw a vacuum cleaner with skeleton arms. Luther decides this is too much for him to handle, and goes home. Aeon spots the demon wandering through the streets and pouring blood everywhere. No-one else notices the blood, so he contacts Amethyst and tells her about it; they conclude it is probably trying to draw them out of hiding and have them attack it so they are arrested. Amethyst tells him to keep track of the demon while she deals with Eximo. In the middle of the town square, some people talk about teleportation, and send one of their number to track someone who apparently teleported. Midnara enters the apartment she broke into and encounters Dexter. Amethyst asks Eximo if it's even aware of the conditions of the battle; Eximo tells her it is, but does not feel compelled to follow them and asks her how they can all return home. Amethyst says she thinks that the physics of the worlds they've been in seem to have been designed by the Director himself, and as a consequence they may be vulnerable to attacks that normal reality is safeguarded against. Eximo says he can't think of any ways to attack reality and Amethyst admits she only has implausible theories, but Eximo encourages her to share them. The police officers who first encountered Eximo send a dispatch to Chief Alice Rieth to apprehend Eximo from the appliance store. Eximo scans the theorist and recognizes him from Konka Rar's database of enemies, identifying him as Jerry de Lint. This causes Jerry to begin remembering things from his own world. The police arrive and order Eximo to surrender before noticing the army of vacuumbots. Dexter explains the battle and her existence to Midnara. Amethyst broadcasts that she will be sealing the building and that anyone who doesn't want to be trapped inside should leave; the customers and some police flee. Outside, Luther watches, becoming inexplicably angry at the vacuum. Once everyone but a single policeman has left, Amethyst and the others leave out an emergency exit, then fly up to the roof. Aeon keeps following the demon, and informs Amethyst of the situation; she suggests he try to counter-possess it the way he did with the Lybriarian in the Mutewood. She says the group will arrive shortly, then breaks the connection. The demon finally reveals himself to the crowd, and they flee, leaving him and Aeon alone; it immediately attacks, telling Aeon that it can sense his weaknesses. As Amethyst et al approach, Eximo reveals the area with no life signs in it; Amethyst resolves to investigate it after they subdue Nathan. The police leave the appliance store, discovering that everyone has escaped. Chief Rieth alerts the police to the fight between Nathan and Aeon and orders them to investigate and deal with it. Luther hitches a ride to the scene with one. Amethyst's group arrives at the fight and confronts the demon; she and Eximo realize the demon's power is beginning to distort space. The demon uses these distortions to blink around and attack. Dexter and Midnara examine the effects that surround the city, Dexter beginning to suspect that the Director is merely a very powerful mage rather than an omnipotent overbeing. Midnara begins damaging the structures that support the isolation field; in doing so, she collapses a tower, killing hundreds inside. Luther is nearby and feels compelled to approach. He awakens as Lutherion and reforms his Wightmaw Arm, then approaches the contestants. He attacks, and the police realize they are out of their league. Rieth awakens as Alcarith and transforms into a dragon. Lutherion creates his bone web again, entangling everyone and specifically designing it so it can't be traced back to him again. Amethyst and Nathan find their powers disabled by the web, and Aeon decides now is the best time to kill Nathan to save everyone else; he connects his adaptive tool to the demon's knife with Alcarith's magic-conducting metal, hoping all of Emily's remaining power will allow him to overpower the demon. Alcarith decides to fetch Emily to fight Lutherion; Lutherion wonders if he'll be brought along if someone dies while everyone is tangled in his web, and begins trying to kill Eximo. One of the remaining Gentlemen passes some notes to the others, to be opened when the round ends. Dexter and Midnara leave the apartment, Midnara becoming depressed that she is just a copy of a real person. Emily and Alcarith arrive and incinerate Lutherion. Dexter and Midnara arrive, and Dexter chastises Lutherion for failing him twice. Lutherion gets back up and attacks Dexter for mocking him, but Dexter dodges and Lutherion impales Midnara. Midnara dies, and Amethyst is shocked, and also shocked at how calm she is. Aeon, mentally connected to the demon, releases Emily's energy. It forms into a suit of holy armor around him. He navigates through Nathan's mind, eventually reaching the demon's psyche. He finds Nathan shackled to a throne of blood, the demon nearby and waiting. An old man watching the news sees a report on Eximo and co., and hears Jerry lamenting the fate of the world of copies. It resonates with him, and he approaches the battle. Lutherion continues to attempt to kill Dexter and is completely unable to; Dexter wonders if perhaps he was sent into Battleopolis as a way to show the contestants that even the comparatively-weak Gentlemen are more than a match for the contestants. While Lutherion is distracted, Eximo pins him and begins stabbing him. Lutherion wriggles free but Dexter isolates him and Eximo, offering the other contestants a chance to talk with him if they like. The old man, who has awakened as Konka Rar, arrives and kills a police officer, who awakens as Dokuromets. Eximo and Lutherion fight, Eximo explaining that it is gaining a life of its own; Lutherion becomes the Festhering Behemoth again. Emily and Alcarith ask Dexter why they have memories from after their deaths; Dexter says he suspects that the Gentlemen gave them extra memories to help them fight better. Konka Rar talks to Lutherion through Eximo, hoping to learn more about his Wightmaw Arm. Lutherion doesn't want to cooperate. Aeon talks to the demon and Nathan, but Nathan doesn't want to cooperate, believing Aeon will kill him as soon as he's powerless. Aeon discovers his armor has a strongly negative effect on everything in the demon's realm, including Nathan, and tries to convince him to honor Emily's last wishes. Nathan is uncooperative, and Aeon flees into his memories to try to find someone else who will convince him. Amethyst asks Dexter about the nature of the barriers that keep the contestants trapped; he explains what little he knows about them, and that even if all the barriers are broken, nothing exists outside to flee to. Konka Rar offers to remove the isolation barrier in return for Lutherion allying himself with him, and Lutherion grudgingly accepts. They begin making plans to escape. Dexter and Amethyst talk about the nature of gods for a bit, then Dexter leaves. One of the Director's remaining Gentlemen appears to be becoming bored, simply wanting his rune back. Eximo gathers the vacuumbots while Lutherion and Konka Rar install cyborg parts onto undead creatures. Dokuromets sees them plotting and decides to warn Alcarith. Eximo realizes that this Konka Rar is a fake, but cannot persuade its mechanical components of the fact. Konka Rar and Lutherion make a giant cyborg zombie beast to attack the contestants while they investigate the dead zone around city hall. Dokuromets warns everyone immediately before the monster shows up and attacks. Konka Rar orders Eximo to eliminate all the contestants except for Lutherion. Lutherion and Konka Rar determine that city hall is sealed by a powerful magical barrier, which Konka Rar breaks and they enter, followed by an unseen presence. Everone else fights the monster while Eximo delays and tries to stop itself from attacking them. The necromancers find an even more powerful barrier but break through it too. Inside is the Key to the City, which they surmise gives the wielder total control over the city; it is surrounded by another barrier which they can't bypass. Dexter appears and says that it can only be opened by speaking the name of the city; a voice pipes up and unlocks the barrier by revealing the city's name: Geiram. Lutherion tries to take the key, but he is a creation of the city and can't; Dexter takes it, but the voice from nowhere paralyzes him. A mimic emerges from Lutherion's arm, revealing itself to be the demon taking payment for its services back in Pop-Up Land. The demon kills Dexter, then flies off to kill everyone else, taking the necromancers with him. All of the dead contestants, as well as all the non-contestants, immediately begin attacking the contestants. The demon arrives, excited that it gets to have some fun with them before its puppets kill them. Amethyst lifts a portion of the ground into the sky, but the demon and its puppets follow her. She taunts the demon, continuing to insist it is a figment of Nathan's imagination; Eximo shows up and hinders the demon as well. It has Konka Rar order Eximo to attack only Amethyst, but Eximo's scanners confirm that Konka Rar is being controlled and it ignores the orders. Aeon walks Nathan through his past, trying to convince him to abandon the demon; Nathan is disgusted by his own weakness and refuses to return to that state. Aeon tries to use Nathan's father as leverage, but fails. They watch the battle progress, and Aeon tells Nathan that perhaps he didn't deserve the others' compassion if he couldn't recognize it or use his willpower to overcome the demon. Nathan watches how he acts under the demon's control and becomes disgusted. Eventually, he realizes the demon has abandoned him and is acting only for itself, and he gives Aeon the knife, allowing Aeon to delve even deeper into the demon's mind. Aeon confronts the demon, who is frustrated by how much resistance Amethyst and Eximo are putting up. The demon explains that once it kills one of the three of them, it will use its influence over the round to force the Director to send the other contestants somewhere immediately lethal, then build its empire from Battleopolis. Aeon combines the knife with his adaptive tool, using Emily's energy to turn it into a demon-slaying sword. The demon is weakened and can't fight back, and Aeon stabs it in the heart; at the same time, Eximo stabs it in the heart in the real world. It dies, and Aeon tries to flee its mind. However, he makes sure to grab the key before he leaves; the demon's servants resist him even in its death, but Emily breaks free of the control and sacrifices herself to save him. He emerges back into his own body, now in possession of the key. He gives it to Amethyst, telling her the demon was using it to cause all the trouble and that it can be used to somehow escape. Eximo finds that its orders still stand and it is compelled to attack the others now that Nathan's demon is dead; it selects Amethyst as the highest priority target, and draws its gun. Only Nathan sees its approach, and pushes Amethyst out of the way; the bullet strikes him in the heart. Dying, he grabs the key from where Amethyst drops it. Rather than sending the others home only to be found again, he uses its power to send them somewhere they can fight back from. Nathan's Gentleman, the Strange Man, asks what's happening as he leaves, but receives no response. The screens that have been monitoring the contestants flicker strangely, and the transition is rougher than usual.