The Battle Majestic (Round 4 - Magpie Skies)

Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.

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Single biggest cause of continuity errors in Grand Battles: Losing track of where everyone and everything is.

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So true. This location does serve to make that somewhat worse, since even I don't have a map to tell everybody where everything is. I only dealt with the setting and exterior, along with a vauge sense of what the whole place was about, not the detail. As with most ideas that I come up with over a late night cuppa, there wasn't too much depth, just the wacky idea, but that's not a bad thing - too many restrictions and the round would be no fun at all. I can offer concept art, which I think is a first for a Grand Battle, to help visualise what I was thinking of at the time, but everyone's perception of what's going on is bound to differ, and in the end there's not much point of getting too accurate. A rough map, however, might be nice, and if anyone makes one, then that's just a plus. The cartography is getting me tied up somewhat...


(note: of course, there has to be some kind of access to the outside world, which I've drawn here, but as to whether or not it manifests itself in this round and how that happens, that's up to you. Also, if anyone can tell me which two towers should be one storey taller than they are portrayed here, then not only would you have good taste, you'd also have one new good friend and an insight into how my mind works.)

Originally posted on MSPA by Drakenforge.

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Wolf turned his head to view the lazy-one-eyed-sun, only it wasn't the sun it was something that copied it. The brightness shone down, so there were few shadows prssed next to buildings as most of the tallest one's would point towards the orb of light. Wolf paused to sniff the air again. He could faintly smell the bright-beast-that-bites-hot further away, so Wolf avoided that direction. Wherever there was the bright-beast there were taillesses. He padded through more alleyways, towards an area wiff the faintest of faint smells of the tamed-wolves' scent markings. As he padded through a parking garage he heard the swift wooshing noise of something moving above. He leaped forward, ducking under a large truck. The smell was strange and overpowerd Wolf's sensitive nose. He could feel a sticky black substance coat his back, but stayed put. He rested his face on his paws and waited for whatever was on top of the hard hut area to pass. Again he heard the noise, but further ahead this time. Wolf slowly crawled outward slowly, before a new smell wafted over him. It smelled of the forrest, but not one with animals. Curious, Wolf padded through the exit and follwed the scent, sticking to the sides of buildings whenever possible.

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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Vexmagog's sensitive ears twitched and he stopped his trek through the grass. Is that...music? He turned towards the sound and strafed a few steps to the left to get a better view of the side street adjacent to the one he'd emerged from. He wrinkled his nose. Certainly not good music. And so quiet! Not something anyone could dance to. But, someone has to be playing it, and I doubt anyone has struck up an impromptu band. He smiled. I should ask my competitors if they want to strike up an impromptu band. He turned back towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened as a man came into view, who he recalled to be the one called Jacob Helix. He quickly made connection with the man's mind, and the words on the signs around him suddenly became readable. He put the idea of his intended first words to the man into the language center of his brain, then extracted the result before the rest of his gray matter caught on to it. His smile broadened as he recognized the dual meaning in one of the words. Then he really got to work.

The Capgras Delusion is a disorder where something, usually brain injury or the onset of mental illness, causes a person to suddenly and unexpectedly lose the emotional attachment they once had with the people around them. They find that all the alterations they'd been subconsciously adding to their loved ones' appearance go away, all the blemishes they'd overlooked suddenly become plain. The end result is that they no longer believe them to even be the same person, and find it more reasonable that they are some sort of body double put there to take their loved ones' place.

Vexmagog was familiar with this effect, and due to experience and his powers was skilled at the reverse: causing people to overlook whatever they might otherwise deem negative about him in order to foster in their mind a positive mental image, build an unexpectedly strong emotional bond. It was not as blunt as simply altering how they viewed his entire physical form--he would save that for later--and it generally resulted in a slight increase in trust and joviality; a feeling that the target already knew him, and they were not on bad terms. Of course, it would not work on a target who had already applied their own mental changes due to past experiences, but unless he'd been following him long, this man did not fall into that category. He walked briskly to the edge of the smaller park and hopped the short wall into full view of the man, making sure to look as non-threatening as possible. He waved.

"Hello!" he shouted down the street with a friendly tone. "I like your music. Want to join my band?"

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So is this about accurate?

Centered on what I've been doing because I'm an egotist.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Loved that post, Baphomet.

Next GB group portrait theme: BATTLE OF THE BANDS!

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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So is this about accurate?

Centered on what I've been doing because I'm an egotist.

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Yes, that seems good.

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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I hope I'm not stepping too far away from my powers as written here. It's evolving as I write it to fall under the more encompassing umbrella of telepathy. While he's not consciously reading minds, he's using the minds around him to achieve certain effects. In this case, he has to use someone else's brain to translate for him. He's also reading and altering emotions, but that's not a conscious thing on the part of the person being read. Telepathy had to be involved in altering another person's senses to create his illusions in the first place, unless implemented as the bending of light or something, which this isn't. I hope that's acceptable.

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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So is this about accurate?

Centered on what I've been doing because I'm an egotist.

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Perfect, methinks, but Blitz is headed toward the park as well. Walking, at least. I edited your map slightly to account for that, if that's okay:


Unless, of course, your map takes time into account, in which case, I have no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore me.

Also, that map has brought to my attention the fact that my post color is not bright red, but pink. So can I change my color (and all my previous posts' colors) to this instead? If it's too late, no worries. I just think that pure red would exemplify Blitz mo' bettah.

EDIT: Forgot to thank Schazer for the compliment. Thanks! This is a lot different than any RPs I've ever participated in; none have ever really been battle-themed or have had so many people involved. I'm hoping that things will get a bit easier after the first few rounds, since there will be less people.

Of course, this assumes I'm going to make it past the first few rounds. [img]images/smilies/apple.gif[/img]

EDITEDIT: I think the way you're using your powers is a-okay, Baphomet!

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

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Jacob was thinking again. <Rich? Not necessarily. Powerful? Definitely. They're not a client per se, so there's no contractual obligation keeping me from killing them... if I find them. I probably won't, though. And besides, if they can pluck eight people from across time and space and send them somewhere entirely different - or command the services of those who can - then I'd probably have no chance at all in one-on-one combat. Which of course merits the question: would anyone here help me kill the Executive, rather than kill everyone else? ...Eh, probably not.>

Passing a closing Target (Everything must go! 85% off all items!), he found himself approaching the town square. <Small world after all, heh. At this rate I'll be at the pylon in no time. But first! Coffee.> A quick visual sweep of the area confirmed what he already knew - people in any public office, even in the future, always worked near some source of coffee. In this case it was a Starbucks, which, in addition to the archaic Target, raised several questions about the reality of the bubble-city. At least, it would have, had Jacob not been distracted by the furry man-beast vaulting the small park's barrier about half a block ahead.

Jacob immediately swung up his sword, taking a defensive stance. The Satyr <Vex... something? Eh, just Vex'll do for now.> merely waved. "Hello!" The goatman's voice was friendly, and... somehow familiar. <Of course. Not everyone in a fight to the death will necessarily want to kill their opponents, particularly when they're not here by their own choice. ...Or it's a clever ruse.> Nevertheless, he lowered his sword slightly. "Hey."

"I like your music. Want to join my band?" "...What?" Jacob blinked, sword now swinging harmlessly at his side. "I... What? Hang on." Confused, yet thoroughy convinced that Vex was harmless, he closed the distance between them. Stopping in front of the tall creature, Jacob smiled and cocked his head. "Why don't we try this again?" He proffered his hand, and was instantly grateful his right was occupied by the sword. "Jacob Helix, professional troubleshooter."

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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Vexmagog sent each word through Jacob's brain and read its meaning as he spoke. He returns my greeting. The word he used is less formal than the one I used, I will take that as a positive sign. Statements of confusion, to be expected. "Try this again"... the greeting? Perhaps I did it wrong. He processed the extended hand through Jacob's perception of the act as well. Ah, I have missed the physical ritual associated with these creature's standard greeting. How quaint!

The human made more sounds. His name, then occupation. "Troubleshooter"... the definition for that word doesn't describe the nature of the work being done. Hiding the true nature of his business, then? A fellow mischief maker, but of a different sort. I suppose I am expected to reciprocate in kind.

Vexmagog extended his left arm and took Jacob's hand. They did not line up quite right, as his fingers were a good bit longer than Jacob's, there were four of them total, and the one equivalent to the pinky was offset towards the palm and acted as a pseudo-second-thumb. He shook cordially nonetheless, adding a smile after mentally verifying that it meant the same thing to both creatures. "Vexmagog, unemployed."

He decided to forgo the idea of a musician's troupe while he had the opportunity to gain an ally and learn something about the situation. He launched directly into the meat of the internal conversation he'd been having in the back of his mind. "I think we all find the idea of this contest ridiculous, but feel like going through with its premise because we fear that the other contestants do not. Do you agree?"

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I originally wrote this post with Vexmagog understanding the definition of troubleshooter as Jacob meant it -- a thief/assassin for hire. Then someone pointed out that I was starting down a slippery slope to straight-up mind reading, which I don't want to do, and the way I had set up the translation process seems like it would allow for it.

So for the record, now the translation process happens entirely based on his own inputs into the target's brain. He has to think the words as he hears them back at the person who said them, and take the idea of their definition out. He can't just intercept the definitions of the words as they're on the way to the target's mouth. The difference being that the previous way, he understood the secret intent behind words, and this way he only gets a definition, plus the potential for humor if he mishears a word, or there is another word that sounds the same but means something different.

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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As Blitz walked toward the park, his son's earlier outburst having cooled his boiling blood, he pondered. Perhaps I'm not taking this seriously enough...If they picked me out from all the trash abundant in the world, then they must have picked people and things that are just as strong as me...if not more so. He stopped several yards away from the open area that contained the fountain and city hall. A glaze came over his one good eye. A challenge...for the first time, this could actually be a real challenge. He shook his head and chuckled. "One can only hope, no?"

He continued toward his intended destination, creeping along the edge of the building. He poked his head out to see if there was anyone already there, like the suit from before...There. Easy to see, despite all the razzmatazz of the shopping centers everywhere. And who was that thing with him? Human-like...but almost resembling a satyr. He laughed under his breath. No perpetual erection there, that was obvious...but that livid material encasing his arm...what could it be? He was too far away to really get a good look at it.

He went back behind the cover of the gaudy, attention-grabbing construction, processing what he had seen. The suit and the satyr weren't fighting; that was obvious. They looked like they might even be having a conversation of some sort. Did they not understand the reason they were brought here? Maybe, he thought, they're trying to trick one another; trying to get the other to let their guard down first. Clever, if that is indeed the case. However, if they're genuinely trying to make some sort of pact, one that they'll be forced to break at some point in the future...then my opponents must be idiots. One or the other? Geniuses or morons?

I'd best not underestimate them. And...well, why not? I suppose I'll play their little game, too. It might get me two birds with one stone. He grinned. It might also get me killed, but hey. No guts, no glory. He started out into the park, headed straight for the goat and the man. He gave no hail, no warning of his presence, but he made no effort to hide himself. He walked tall, trying to display as little threat as possible.

Well, as little as one could in their current situation.

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If it isn't already obvious, Blitz wasn't paying attention during the introduction of the other contestants (which is why he never calls them by their proper names). Which might put him at a slight disadvantage.

Originally posted on MSPA by Weldar.

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After a fair bit of walking Steven had finally caught sight of another contestant, three of them in fact. They were still a fair distance so he couldn't see them too well but it seemed as if they weren't fighting. That's a good sign, at least some of the others seem to be willing to talk. He couldn't quite make out who they were at this distance, one was quite clearly the Satyr, Vexmagog was it? He appeared the be talking with the suited fellow, something like Jake? Ah yes it was Jacob. The third figure was approaching the other two, Steven couldn't quite make out who it was from here. Well I guess I may as well head toward them.

As Steven turned a corner to head towards the park he chanced a glance down towards the bottom of the of the sphere. What the hell? There further down the street which was moving up towards him. Where did that thing come from? It didn't look like any of the contestants he could remember, and it certainly seemed strange for a thing a snowman to be living in this abandoned colony.

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I decided to change things around and had Steven come in from the left side of that map rather than the right, shouldn't make any real difference.

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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John could somewhat see another contestant from his snowman, and waddled towards him. I should try to be strategic, and be nice or something like that. "Hello, I am a big snowman. Who are you?"
Surprised a little by the snowman talking, he replied with "Steven. Are you a native to this bubble?"
Noticing this chance, John decided to lie to the weird smelly hobo guy. "Why yes, I am. My name is..." John could barely think of a name, so he looked at the nearest sign on a building. "Buck Star."

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I really hope I'm not pulling other peoples' characters out of character.

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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I think I am posting in this too much. Is there some kind of etiquette concerning post frequency? I want to post again but I think there's too many unknowns right now.

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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Well, in Battle Royale, currently the only ones posting are Mystify and MyifanW, so I'm not sure.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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There are no real rules on post frequency. You can even post twice in a row if everyone else is taking their sweet time, though that usually isn't a problem until the third round or so.

Go ahead and post something if you want.

Originally posted on MSPA by Weldar.

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So that thing does come from here, how bizzare. "So were all the people who lived here.... well snowmen?"
"Uhhh, yeah. Yeah they were."
"So where are all the other snowmen?"
"They all left. There was a meteor impact and they all abandoned the colony."
"So then why did you stay?"
"Um, ah" he stuttered. "Well I like it here, I didn't want to leave"
Something about his story seems a little strange, but then again he is pretty clearly a talking snowman. "So tell me Buck, do you know anything about what's happening in your city right now. About this Majestic Battle?"

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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"Majestic Battle? I have never ever heard of such a thing. Ever."
"Are you su-"EVER. Though this Majestic Battle sounds rather neat, there's probably some awesome ice mage in it, because that'd be pretty cool. A fire mage would be bad though, I'd melt if there was a fire mage."
Steven was becoming aware that this was probably not a snowman. "There is a fire mage in this competition. And an ice mage."
"Oh my, poor me! I'll definitely melt if it goes near me, I hope that awesome ice mage comes to save me."

Originally posted on MSPA by Kaitostrike.

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Alex saw the 'snowman' and the other guy talking.He also noticed that the ice mage's disguise was,ahem,melting.He saw this as the perfect time to hit two trucks with one blast.Or something.
"Watch out!It's a trap!" he yelled at the man,while hitting the snowman with a fireball.
Maybe I can earn the other man's trust.

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

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Jacob had to raise an eyebrow at 'unemployed,' but then again he didn't really know what kind of work someone like Vexmagog would actually do. Evidently something dangerous, or he wouldn't be here now. Hadn't those two from the start said something about it? ...And then there was that... arm of his. Jacob was curious about it in the way one might casually wonder what goes on in a meat-processing plant.

"I think we all find the idea of this contest ridiculous, but feel like going through with its premise because we fear that the other contestants do not. Do you agree?" At least he didn't beat about the bush. Jacob leaned against the park's wall. "To be perfectly honest," <Well, that's new.> "it's more of an... inconvenience, this whole 'battle' thing. Throw a bunch of people together in one place and have them beat each other up for entertainment? It's nothing new. The Romans did it, you know." He considered this for a moment. "...Or maybe you don't."

"In any case, it's less the, ah, 'contestants' that worry me so much the not-knowing-where-the-hell-I-am. See, I have important things I should be doing elsewhere, and entertaining some mysterious madman is not one of those things. But apparently, this competition will go on as long as there's more than one of us left." He shrugged, leaving out the logical conclusion to that train of thought. Pushing off the wall, Jacob cracked his spine and quickly surveyed the area.

Behind him, approaching rapidly from across the park, was the fairly sinister-looking burn victim. Closer to the shopping district, it looked as though a fight was about to break out between the two mages again. And he was fairly certain that green... thing was getting closer. <Or has it already passed?> Jacob frowned. An encounter with a hostile combatant would not be a good idea without any mana reserves. "It's starting to get a bit crowded for my tastes. I'mm'n'a go get some coffee, then head up there," he jabbed a thumb sunwards, "and see if I can't turn off the air or something." Twirling his sword, he started off towards the Starbucks.

Almost as an afterthought, Jacob glanced over his shoulder at Vex. "Coming?"

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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I'm finally home from holidaying [img]images/smilies/pc_chummy.gif[/img] This means you can now actually interact with me and expect a timely response. Woo!

Sen made his loping way down off the rooftops, finally reaching ground zero after scrabbling down an architecturally flamboyant sloped facade of some cultural building; perhaps an art gallery or conservatorium. Thin scratches now marred the previously unblemished face of the builing, terminating about three metres from the ground in ten points in the glass from which cracks stemmed, spiderweb-like, across the safety glass.

Sen chirruped again over the fountain's serene spluttering, alerting Vexmagog and Jacob to the Tender's arrival in the town square. The beast trotted across the deserted road, onto the manicured lawn, apparently ignoring the pair.

Vexmagog was about to respond to Jacob's offer, when Sen's trilling reached his ears, halting the reply. Turning, the trickster god was about to call out to the Tender, when Jacob interrupted.

"Hold on. It'd be worth seeing how much 'trouble' that beast is."

The troublesome beast in question was speculatively sniffing the grass, before taking a sizeable mouthful of it, and exacting further analysis as he meditatively chewed it up. Other than the faint radioactive glow, it looked positively harmless. Sen arched his snub head back as the mashed-up grass slid down his throat. A few jerky gulps later, and the Tender moved on to investigating a tree. It was a dully municipal one, a spiny evergreen selected for its ability to retain leaves year-round, doubtless making maintenance that little bit easier. Vex chuckled as Sen's curiosity was punished with an unappetising mouthful of leathery, pine-fresh needles; the green beast yelping with audible disgust. The Tender swung its paw at the tree; Jacob sighed to himself.

"Great, it's bad-tempered and stupid.

His analysis was interrupted by a dull crunch as Sen wrestled his jaws around the unfortunate tree's trunk and took a mouthful out of that, still not noticing the bemused pair as it furiously crunched up and finally swallowed the thoroughly unappetising bark. Judging by its rather intense expression as it worked its teeth round the meal, this was not a particularly pleasant task for the Tender.

That done, Sen lapped at some of the fresh sap bleeding from the tree's wound before stalking round the edge of the City Hall to the water feature, taking a long drink (or possibly, to Vexmagog and Jacob's eyes, a long submersion, as Sen's head disappeared behind the stone edge of the fountain) before emerging again.

The Tender finally glanced around to see if anyone was about, and spotted Vex and Jacob. It stared with inscrutable blankness for some time. He didn't blink. He didn't shrug, or call out, or acknowledge them in any way. Eventually reaching some conclusion, Sen turned to the nearest tree and began digging at its base.

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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Vexmagog followed along with Jacob's response, for the first bit of it. "A bit crowded for my tastes"... Do these creatures prefer solitude while they eat? I must remember not to attend a human party while hungry. He continued to listen and mentally translate the words. "Turn off the air," but everyone here needs air to live, I think. He means to kill everyone with this?

No, not everyone, he mused. Just the contestant least proficient in holding his breath, assuming I have correctly ascertained the mechanics of this contest. An invitation to accompany him?

Vexmagog thought of how to best phrase his response. He saw that there were other contestants in his area now, and decided that he would be better off figuring out what their motivations were, including Sen, who he'd set off to find in the first place. As he opened his mouth to respond, the green beast made a loud whistling noise, interrupting him.

Curious, Vexmagog made the connection with the creature's brain. It repeated back the sound it had heard, but found scant meaning in it -- a warning, maybe? Jacob said something, but Vexmagog was too engrossed trying to figure out the Tender's language to bother translating.

It has a remarkably limited vocabulary. Unintelligent, then? That does throw a wrench in my "humans-versus-nonhumans" plan. Still, it was chosen for this contest for a reason, so it may still be worth forming some sort of bond with it.

He searched for some type of greeting, but the closest he found was a call for aid, and a responding call. This should prove to be interesting. My vocal cords can't make this sound, but that hardly matters.

"Hello," he said loudly to the green creature, recalling the english greeting. He did this mainly so the other contestants would not be surprised if the creature responded. He intercepted the signal from Sen's hearing organs and altered it to match the trill.

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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"Crap." John's snowman suit melted, and he turned around to look at Alex. "Now why'd you have to go and do that?!"
"Hey, you're that ice mage! John Swift!"
"Mmhmm, that's rather obvious." Ignoring Steven, He made several icebergs erect from the ground around Alex "How do you like my Icy Prison?" He formed an upside down iceberg floating above Alex and dropped it.
"You can't beat fire with ice!" Alexander shot flames upwards to melt it, which doused him and his fire. He proceeded to destroy the 'icy prison' and charged John.
"This again?" He shot several icicles out of his hand heading for Alex, that were easily cut in half.
"You can't hit me with those, I thought you'd realize that by now!" Alex reached the very loud ice mage.
"Well fine!" He formed a sword identical to Alex's out of ice. "Let's see who the better sword fighter is!"

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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Blitz watched this attempted exchange between the plant creature (it seemed to act more like a curious dog than anything else) and the satyr from his position at the opposite end of the park. Saying hello to it? What does he intend to accomplish? It obviously doesn't speak English. But it wasn't an altogether bad idea, trying to communicate; if the satyr could manage to keep his enemies close, he would be near-untouchable. Those contestants who believed him to be their "friend" would work with him and protect him from those outside their circle...until his eventual betrayal and their death at his hands.

At least, that's how I would do it. He smiled softly, aware that there were others around that might see him. No crazy, face-stretching grins right now. Those were to be saved for when the fun began.

Wykerr shook his head, clearing the thoughts of betrayal and trickery out of his head. It was time to get into character. He had spent enough time watching his son interact with people to know how to behave. Now he just had to hope his acting skills were up to par. He took several steps forward, toward the three, and raised his unblemished arm in a wave. He added a charming smile to this facade.

"Hello there! I notice you three aren't smacking each-other around like idiots! Mind if I join you?"

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I didn't know what to write. :c

And I'm not yet comfortable messing about with other people's characters. Too worried I'll mess 'em up.

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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If there's anything I've learned from Battle Royale, it's to take chances and hope for the best.

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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Vexmagog realized there was too much going on around him to focus on one contestant right now. He quickly mentally reviewed everything happening nearby.

He saw, at the other end of the town square, that Alex and John had already engaged in combat. Why would they actually be going through with this contest so soon? I would have expected a bit longer before the paranoia could set in. If I'm going to get everyone to escape this round, I'm going to have to stop them before they kill each other. John Swift - his introduction said he has a stick that amplifies ice magic. The other one, power over fire, and a miner. I hope he does not dig his way through this bubble.

Steven is near them. He doesn't seem to be engaged in combat yet. Gloves that fetch things and create and destroy matter. That...

...Well, that could be quite useful. Perhaps he can be persuaded to make some sort of container to hold air.

And then--ah, he is addressing me. I am going to have to multi-task here. Vexmagog tried his best to maintain a connection with both Sen and Blitz, to make sure he did not miss anything from the former and to translate for the latter.

"Hello there! I notice you three aren't smacking each-other around like idiots! Mind if I join you?"

A quick burst of logic deduced that "smacking each other around" likely meant fighting. So he thinks that fighting this early is a sign of ignorance! Excellent, he will make a fast ally. What did they say at the beginning, something about his having a strong bond with his father? Vexmagog smiled, remembering the last encounter he had with his most recent son -- how "strong bond" did not quite describe that relationship. Then again, I don't know exactly what that meant. It might have, like "troubleshooter", concealed a darker meaning. Hmm.

Vexmagog made up his mind. He turned to Jacob. "I will stay here, for now. Thank you for the offer."

He turned back to Blitz and extended his left hand. He took a step forward and...

His foot squelched into the spongy surface of the road. A warm, dark red liquid began to pool from invisible pores in the blacktop around the tips of his foot-fingers. He felt hot breath from the gutter nearby as the asphalt near him visibly exhaled. He frantically tried to adjust Blitz's senses. Account for my movement, make my feet appear as normal, remove the sound... I am not sure I got that in time. He may have seen something. And Jacob...I pray he was not looking in this direction. I did not realize I have been standing here this long.

Vexmagog broke the connection with Sen for the time being and re-established it with Jacob. He maintained a cheerful expression, and continued his advance, left arm outstretched, preventing Blitz and Jacob's senses from catching the blood pooling at his feet, and the inhalation of the street.

"Vexmagog, unemployed," he said, remembering protocol. He pointed to the other end of the square, where Alex and John were fighting. "May we walk and talk?"