Re: Pitched Combat [Fullish; starting soon?]
12-28-2009, 01:29 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
It was dark. In the darkness, a coin flipped: on one face was a gauntlet on a red background; on the other, a faceless doll backed by grey. It spun in midair and landed on a table that hadn't existed a moment before. The gauntlet was face up for a split second before coin, table, and flipper vanished.
Elsewhere, probably, in the endless featureless expanse of black, the figure reappeared, bathed in a pillar of light; he was an incredibly-plain man in a lilac suit. Around him in a circle were eight indistinct shapes. He spoke, and his speech had a strange quality; it sounded like his every word had been spoken independently of the context of the other words around it, and with no regard for typical speaking rhythms and cadences.
"I have brought you here today. I have a plan for you all."
The figures around him shifted slightly and found they could barely move and couldn't speak.
"You will be placed in a series of locales. I will officially command you to fight and destroy each other, proclaiming that the survivor will be given rewards and riches, plus the greatest prize of all: safe return home. Some of you will fearfully obey; others will rebel and attempt to subvert the competition, to escape my power, to protect not only yourselves but your competitors. I heartily encourage this. That's how it's done."
He cracked his knuckles, grinning a smile that only moved his mouth. "I will introduce your coplayers, your friends, your foes, and tell you a little bit about them. And then... The game is afoot."
The shape to the man's left was now bathed in a light of his own. It was a snappily-dressed man with a hat and a surprised expression.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Hatman. A super-hero of sorts with hat-based gadgets, ready access to hammerspace, and what I must profess is a very charming accent. I readily admit that much of his capabilities even I'm not aware of. Watch out for this one."
A bony youth's eye's dilated as another column of light suffused him. He jerked back reflexively and his fingertips sparked.
"For your viewing pleasure, Jordan Smith. By all accounts a coward, but one who can light you on fire with his mind. Quite a powderkeg, if you'll excuse the joke. Carries a few small trinkets to help him get out of trouble, which baffles me; why bother if you're pyrokinetic?"
Light shone on a straw doll with what appeared to be dragon heads hastily stitched onto it.
"Eemp, Right, and Rong, my friends. A schizoid collection of personalities and goals. An eclectic collection of weapons including fire-breath, acid blood, shapeshifting, weather control, and... glow-in-the-dark skin. Stay away from these ones is my advice."
Next up was what appeared to be a full-size but lifeless mannequin sprawled on the ground.
"This thing calls itself... Huh, well, nothing. Makes the paperwork difficult, that. In any case, it can absorb some things and change its composition and abilities based on what it absorbs. I'm given to understand teeth are involved in some fashion here."
A short and manically grinning woman in purple with what appeared to be a handful of futuristic technology on her belt and a flamethrower on her back was shown.
"This is Annabell. She's... She's happy. She also has some tools to make YOU happy, too. Or light you on fire, or blow your head off. It's up to her. If I were to accuse her of being a filthy mutant, I'd say she was telekinetic, but that would be ridiculous."
A tall, dashing knight with a shining blade, a black hat, and a rough beard became visible.
"If it pleases the court, Alex Corendal. Infuses tools with the power of the elements. Pretty flashy and impressive, but not what you'd call real magic. Still, a lightning bolt to the chest is a lightning bolt to the chest, technical quibbles or no."
A sneering seaman in rich pirate's garb joined the ranks of the illuminated.
"Ah, Vasily Rurikovich. A sailor, a pirate, a duelist, and a man who thinks he's pretty handy with the ladies. Nothing special about him, per se, but quite the thinker if need be, and far from helpless with a sword in his hand or rigging to climb."
Last to be lit was a slight young woman, cringing slightly in the attention.
"This is Lainey. For now. Many of you have heard of a condition where one body has multiple minds? Well, this girl has multiple minds which each also have their own body. Confusing? Perhaps. Intriguing? Most definitely. Powerful? We'll see."
The lights dimmed again on all but the man. He waved a hand and the endless blackness formed into what appeared to be a clearing in a dense European forest. What little sky was visible through the thick thatch of branches overhead was black, starless, and only slightly illuminated by the orb of an apparently-full moon.
"Ah, the Forêt Noire. A place after my own heart. They say it's endless; they say it's haunted; they say once you enter, you're marked for death.
They're right, by the way."
The contestants materialized, feeling "real" for the first time in a while; as they did, a rabbit at one side of the clearing ran away, startled, down one of the many dark paths leading away from the clearing. Those who saw it noticed that there was something... wrong and disconcerting about the rabbit, but it was gone too soon to determine what that something was. A low, mournful sound filled the clearing, then abruptly stopped.
"Friends, you may begin... Pitched Combat."
It was dark. In the darkness, a coin flipped: on one face was a gauntlet on a red background; on the other, a faceless doll backed by grey. It spun in midair and landed on a table that hadn't existed a moment before. The gauntlet was face up for a split second before coin, table, and flipper vanished.
Elsewhere, probably, in the endless featureless expanse of black, the figure reappeared, bathed in a pillar of light; he was an incredibly-plain man in a lilac suit. Around him in a circle were eight indistinct shapes. He spoke, and his speech had a strange quality; it sounded like his every word had been spoken independently of the context of the other words around it, and with no regard for typical speaking rhythms and cadences.
"I have brought you here today. I have a plan for you all."
The figures around him shifted slightly and found they could barely move and couldn't speak.
"You will be placed in a series of locales. I will officially command you to fight and destroy each other, proclaiming that the survivor will be given rewards and riches, plus the greatest prize of all: safe return home. Some of you will fearfully obey; others will rebel and attempt to subvert the competition, to escape my power, to protect not only yourselves but your competitors. I heartily encourage this. That's how it's done."
He cracked his knuckles, grinning a smile that only moved his mouth. "I will introduce your coplayers, your friends, your foes, and tell you a little bit about them. And then... The game is afoot."
The shape to the man's left was now bathed in a light of his own. It was a snappily-dressed man with a hat and a surprised expression.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Hatman. A super-hero of sorts with hat-based gadgets, ready access to hammerspace, and what I must profess is a very charming accent. I readily admit that much of his capabilities even I'm not aware of. Watch out for this one."
A bony youth's eye's dilated as another column of light suffused him. He jerked back reflexively and his fingertips sparked.
"For your viewing pleasure, Jordan Smith. By all accounts a coward, but one who can light you on fire with his mind. Quite a powderkeg, if you'll excuse the joke. Carries a few small trinkets to help him get out of trouble, which baffles me; why bother if you're pyrokinetic?"
Light shone on a straw doll with what appeared to be dragon heads hastily stitched onto it.
"Eemp, Right, and Rong, my friends. A schizoid collection of personalities and goals. An eclectic collection of weapons including fire-breath, acid blood, shapeshifting, weather control, and... glow-in-the-dark skin. Stay away from these ones is my advice."
Next up was what appeared to be a full-size but lifeless mannequin sprawled on the ground.
"This thing calls itself... Huh, well, nothing. Makes the paperwork difficult, that. In any case, it can absorb some things and change its composition and abilities based on what it absorbs. I'm given to understand teeth are involved in some fashion here."
A short and manically grinning woman in purple with what appeared to be a handful of futuristic technology on her belt and a flamethrower on her back was shown.
"This is Annabell. She's... She's happy. She also has some tools to make YOU happy, too. Or light you on fire, or blow your head off. It's up to her. If I were to accuse her of being a filthy mutant, I'd say she was telekinetic, but that would be ridiculous."
A tall, dashing knight with a shining blade, a black hat, and a rough beard became visible.
"If it pleases the court, Alex Corendal. Infuses tools with the power of the elements. Pretty flashy and impressive, but not what you'd call real magic. Still, a lightning bolt to the chest is a lightning bolt to the chest, technical quibbles or no."
A sneering seaman in rich pirate's garb joined the ranks of the illuminated.
"Ah, Vasily Rurikovich. A sailor, a pirate, a duelist, and a man who thinks he's pretty handy with the ladies. Nothing special about him, per se, but quite the thinker if need be, and far from helpless with a sword in his hand or rigging to climb."
Last to be lit was a slight young woman, cringing slightly in the attention.
"This is Lainey. For now. Many of you have heard of a condition where one body has multiple minds? Well, this girl has multiple minds which each also have their own body. Confusing? Perhaps. Intriguing? Most definitely. Powerful? We'll see."
The lights dimmed again on all but the man. He waved a hand and the endless blackness formed into what appeared to be a clearing in a dense European forest. What little sky was visible through the thick thatch of branches overhead was black, starless, and only slightly illuminated by the orb of an apparently-full moon.
"Ah, the Forêt Noire. A place after my own heart. They say it's endless; they say it's haunted; they say once you enter, you're marked for death.
They're right, by the way."
The contestants materialized, feeling "real" for the first time in a while; as they did, a rabbit at one side of the clearing ran away, startled, down one of the many dark paths leading away from the clearing. Those who saw it noticed that there was something... wrong and disconcerting about the rabbit, but it was gone too soon to determine what that something was. A low, mournful sound filled the clearing, then abruptly stopped.
"Friends, you may begin... Pitched Combat."