I'm Basil Exposition, from DoD Intelligence! (Prologue >_

[Asrana]

May breathed a sigh of relief at the woman's last statement, tenson seeming to drain out of her.

"That's good..." she said to herself, smiling a little more brightly.

That's...a thousand less worries of the moment...

[Bean Bandit]

The woman waited a few moments for her information to sink in, then cleared her throat delicately. A soft gesture, but one that was somehow commanding, and drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"I can understand being here as you are now is disorienting, so I'll explain, as simply as I can...please, ask for clarification if you don't understand."

The woman paused, gesturing to the crystal sphere set into the floor, and an image of the earth appeared in it. After a moment, the earth split into two...then four...then eight...the process continued until the sphere was full, so small, that individual details were lost, and so many that couting became impossible.

"This is the multiverse I'm charged with the governing of." she said softly, staring into the image shown. "Until now, my brother and I have fought for dominance over it...but in a moment of weakness, I allowed my brother to bait me into fighting with the whole of it as a prize."

"Ordinarily, this wouldn't concern you at all...but...our father has forbidden us to directly wage war for it. We are to behave as...'adults', and recruit champions...avatars to fight in our stead..."

So saying, she looked up at the group, trailing off, the implication left unsaid...

[Kwokinator]

"So that's why that 'your loved ones will be cared for in your absence' sounded so weird to me," the mostly-silent young man remarked. "You don't expect us to make it back alive, do you?."

[Bean Bandit]

The man shot Kwok a dirty look, but the woman just smiled. "I certainly can't make any guarantees. What I'm asking you to do is dangerous, but you were chosen for a reason. You all have a good chance of success..."

[Kwokinator]

"Right," the young man smirked, ignoring Remy's glare. "Here we have two nervous otaku lovebirds that look like they're about to faint if one more person joins the 'crowd', a rambing idiot, a kid who apologizes before the answer is given, and who knows what the rest are like.  Yeah, we stand a REAL good chance of success."

[Shukuen]

Said 'kid' spared a moment to shoot a scathing glare before turning back towards the woman. "He does bring up a point though," he said, looking rather uncomfortable with his admission. "Why did you pick us in particular?"

[Bean Bandit]

Bean looked up at the first speaker, his frown turning into a scowl. "Your chance of survival drops further with every word that tumbles out of that hole in your face." he told Kwok icily. Without waiting for a response, he turned back to the woman, waiting for an answer to the boy's question, his hands curling into fists.

[Carthrat]

"And add a completely tactless moron to that list," intones Carthrat. "But yes, I'm also quite interested to know what a bunch of otaku can do for you, Miss..."

[CyMage]

Ignoring the arguing couple for now, he asked something he wanted to know about the contests first.  "What will happen if your brother wins?"

[Asrana]

May sighed, rolling her eyes at Kwok. "Can't people be close friends anymore?" she muttered to herself, turning her attention back to the woman as questions were asked.

[Bean Bandit]

The woman smiled, almost gratefully at Cy and Carthrat, and began regaining control of the discussion.

"First off," she began, turning to Cy, "To answer your question...I should explain about my brother. While I seek to preserve the balance of life...he seeks to upset it. Being this way is...innate to us. While not the complete truth, you might say we embody the aspects of order and chaos."

"The problem is...to successfully oversee this...I need my brother's influence...and he needs mine. Without him, My universes tend to stagnate. They lack the force for change that he provides. And...without me, his tend to degenerate into a morass of violence and decay, eventally dying of insanity."

She frowned into the globe. "This would not be a problem...save for the fact that my brother doesn't care about bringing universes to life with his influence, or using it for good. He wants me gone, so he might have his way with our realms...until they stop being amusing to him. Which is usually when he has burned them out. I provided him a way to rid himself of me, as a result of speaking without thinking." she finished quietly.

[Ginnezumusha]

Ginn finally turned over and sat up, after listening to everyone chatter for the last few moments.

"Wait a minute.  Why does this seem so familiar?  Man, this sounds just like the very anime that we watch.  Is this why we were chosen?  Cause we should have seen it all?"

[Bean Bandit]

The woman smiled wryly, nodding to Ginn's statement. "I suppose that's true. Our multiverses are fashioned in our own images, after all. And your supposition is quite accurate. I've called for you, as our obervations suggest you have an extensive knowledge of many different worlds of this place...enough so that you have a signficant edge over any person from these worlds...which is why you were chosen." she explained calmly.

"I will help you as much as I'm able, without interfering directly...but we need your help..."

[Carthrat]

"So how do we help?" says Carthrat, bluntly. "Technically, you saved my life, so I'll do whatever, even if it means I have to fight with my elite martial prowess and top-notch combat skills." Only a slight hint of sarcasm makes its way into his voice.

[CyMage]

"Can't forget my great skill in magic either, eh?"  Smirking at Karthuratsu he added.  "Though if this is an Astral projection, our egos by themselves should be enough."