The Savage Brawl [Round 5: Battletopia]

Originally posted on MSPA by Ixcalibur.

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There was something different about this place. The room that the Soulmother found herself in was small, slightly dingy, and decorated with white porcelain furniture and cream porcelain wall tiles. It was not this in particular that was unusual, aesthetically it resembled the excretory chambers of the Houmin of her old home world, but something about this world in its totality. It was not immediately obvious what it was that was different, nothing about this environment seemed so foreign as to elicit this sense of… distance. It took her a little while to realise what it was and while she was in this contemplation Rover stood guard at the doorway, poised to snarl threateningly at any potential threats that approached. Eventually Ajota realised it was the ‘silence’. Not silence in so much as the absence of sound but the absence of a sensation she’d never really noticed before, but which, it stood to reason had been there her entire life. It was sort of like the feeling you get when you know there is someone standing behind you, watching you. Sort of like distant whispers carried to you on the breeze. It was the presence of the Nakaja, not necessarily their presence somewhere close at hand, but their presence at all. And now it was gone.

Amongst her people Ajota was something of an exception. It was not as you might presume the fact that she cared for the lesser species she dominated, though that was definitely unusual, but her ambition. It was a rare trait amongst Nakaja almost by necessity; to want more than you had meant to infringe upon other Nakaja whether in the direct and immediate sense or by claiming an unpopulated planet for your own and thus rendering it uninhabitable for future generations. Ajota had never reached the point where she would find her ambition constricted by the barriers of her own kind and now she never would, and she knew it. Though she did not have enough information to really understand the situation she was in, it would be doubtful that she would be interested even if she did. Though it made her sad to think of her former family left behind, cut off from her heavenly influence, she had to think of the poor people of this universe, wracked with the torments of choice and the bitter pang of loneliness. If it were not for her fortuitous arrival they would never know happiness. And of course, it was an unprecedented opportunity, a chance to have the largest family ever known to her kind; a family that spanned an entire universe.

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The overblown title sequence of the Battletopia News Program is displayed on every channel. Though technically it is breaking news it has been scheduled in the television listings for a couple of weeks now. When the titles end the image cuts to a glossy green set upon which stands a distinctly average looking man in a chartreuse pinstripe suit. His skin is pale, his hair is dark and immaculately styled, but it is his eyes that are the most striking thing about him. They are large and steel-grey and they seem to hold a certain intensity that it is difficult to take your eyes from once you look into them.

“Today heralded the arrival of the four remaining contestants of the Savage Brawl.” The newscaster said. “Though reports are sketchy at the moment it is expected that all four shall be soon collected with a minimum of fuss. We can confirm that amongst the four that have survived to this point in this iteration there is, as expected, the cyborg known as Hand of Silver.”

At this point the image of the studio and the oddly compelling newscaster was replaced with pencil drawings of seven of the battlers and one photograph of a holograph of Hand of Silver. These images were by now very familiar to the citizens of Battletopia. They were something that they had been expecting for a long time, a strange cross between a Most Wanted List and a sort of government endorsed fairy tale. More than one child in Battletopia had been coerced into doing their homework by the threat that Ekelhaft would eat them if they did not.

“It’s currently unknown which of the other contestants have survived this far in the current iteration. Be on the lookout for these individuals now more than ever and should you spot any of them do not forget the encounter protocol; keep your distance and call for a containment squad at your first opportunity.”

The image cuts back to the news studio where the newscaster has been joined by a spectral blue figure hunched over a heavy obsidian disc.

“We’re now joined by expert tactician Xadrez. Xadrez, obviously we all hope that the contestants will be contained by General Kracht’s forces as soon as possible, but if this proves to be impossible what might we expect from the contestants?”

Suddenly there was a crash from somewhere upstairs and Jordan near enough jumped out of his seat. Jordan Smith was not exactly the bravest person, in fact if you were to call him a coward he pretty much would have no recourse but to agree with you. His time spent in a battle had been nightmarish and when he had originally found himself in Battletopia he had been petrified that he was going to have to go through all that again. However rather fortunately for him, he thought, his particular skill (the ability to set fire to things with his mind) was already covered by more than a few members of Kracht’s army; his services were not required. He’d breathed a huge sigh of relief, and then got on with his life as if he’d never been brought into a battle in the first place.

He’d got himself a quiet job in an office, a nice apartment with a view of the park and after a while he’d met a girl and they’d just clicked. Her name was Aph and she was a nymph, a creature created from pure magic. They’d gone on a few dates and she’d been really easy to talk to, they’d gotten along so well. At some point they’d decided to move in together and well, here they were, as happy as can be. A couple of minutes after the crash from upstairs Aph hovered in from the kitchen, a delicious batch of cookies fresh from the oven in her hands. Jordan was stood anxiously by the doorway, staring up at the stairway with the phone in his hands.

“Jordan, baby, what’s wrong?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

“Did you hear that?” he asked in response, his head snapping quickly around. Aph shook her head dumbly. “There’s something up there. I think we should call a for a containment squad.”

“It’s probably just your imagination.” Aph replied putting down the plate of cookies and hovering next to Jordan. She nestled close to him, gripped his shoulders and began to massage them. “These old houses creak and moan sometimes, that’s just a fact.” It was pretty clear that Jordan was not to be dissuaded. He squirmed nervously under her grasp and said he was going to call up a containment squad, just to be safe. “No, look, let’s just go up there. I promise you its fine.” Jordan protested and continued to try to argue for calling in a containment squad as he found himself being led upstairs.

There was a bark from up ahead and that was it. Jordan turned and ran, attempting to drag his girlfriend behind him.

“Jordan, wait.”

“No I’m out of here, I’m going.”

When she refused to budge he abandoned her, ran down the stairs, down the hall out the front door and half way down the street before he was even willing to pause for breath, and there with some degree of trepidation he called for a containment squad.

Aph was legitimately surprised that there was in fact something going on. The number of things that had sent Jordan into a panic since they had moved in together, well it was adorable, and ever so slightly embarrassing. But even so it was just a dog that had gotten into their house somehow. There was no need to overreact and go calling in the military to contain a lost dog. As she reached the top of the stairs her thoughts were interrupted by a weird alien ant lady emerging from the bathroom with an unusual metal sphere in her hands, and moments later those thoughts were evaporating, dissolving into nothingness, replaced with a feeling of love, of happiness, and of obedience to her new family, her new mother Ajota.