Re: The Fatal Conflict (GBS2G7) (Round 3: The Infinite Playground!)
07-24-2011, 10:57 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Lankie.
The contestants found themselves in an ocean of pitch black, frozen in place. The sound of heavy breathing permeated the entire dimension as an exhausted Grand Master materialised in front of them, this time a lot slower and a lot less graceful than usual. For many, it was the first time they saw Zaire in not a position of absolute power, he looked tired and annoyed and very mortal.
“Ha…haha…Ha ha…” The Redeemer laughed in-between deep gulps of air; the sound of his guffaw had the usual sound of malevolence, with a tinge of relief mixed in for good measure. “Credits where credits, due, you really almost got me there.” Zaire stood up straight and wiped a healthy lick of seat from his forehead. “But you still failed nonetheless. Shame, I’m sure you are exceptionally bitter about that!” Zaire gave another laugh, though it lacked the impact it once had before he was placed in a position of weakness.
The Grand Master took a cursory glance at the alchemist, spotting his blood stained blade reflecting in the non-existent light, he slowly walked towards Kaja and pulled the blade away from his time frozen body. “You know, I’ve had this blade since I was but a child.” Zaire took a moment to twist the sword and give it a few cursory swings. “And a fine blade it is. Easy to wield but with enough weight to cause maximum damage with minimal effort, sharp enough to cut through stubborn armour with force, but not too sharp as to make things far too easy.” He brought the blade to his face, looking into the crimson reflection to see the contestants. “Say what you want about omnipotent magical power, it doesn’t compare to a good sword in the right hands. I would know, I was killed by one.”
Zaire pushed the blade back into Kaja’s possession, “You can keep it as a memento of how you very almost bested me.” His smile broadened, “It’ll be the only time it ever happens, trust me.” The group teleported away from the blank dimension, though this time the magics involved were less than perfect, causing a modicum of pain to all involved. Whether The Redeemer did such a thing on purpose was hard to tell.
---
The contestants and their host teleported clumsily into a new world. Were they not frozen in place they would no doubt be winced in pain, even Zaire couldn’t help but notice he had accidentally set himself on fire. “Welcome to The Infinite Playground!” Zaire boomed while nonchalantly patting out the blaze oh his arm.
The combatants looked around with there now free eyes. Before them, huge fields of unusual pastel colours stretched out as far as the eye could see. The ground was made of a bright rubbery substance; occasional caricatures of cartoon animals spotted the colourful scenery. Peppered all around the landscape they saw slides, seesaws, sand pits, ball pits, jungle gyms and merry go rounds. Some were standard sized, while others towered over them like vast mountains. Gigantic lakes filled with Technicolor orbs and sprawling labyrinths of slides and bars laid before them. The sky was a brilliant blue colour with nary a colour in sight. It would actually be quite nice, were it not for the situation the contestants found themselves in.
“You should probably know that, despite the name, this is not an ‘infinite playground’ rather, it’s a small planet.”
The contestants took another look. Sure enough, they could see the defined curvature of the planet very easily on the horizon.
“As such you might find the gravity to be a little…lenient.” Zaire demonstrated by casually jumping 3 metres in the air. He gave a smug little bow upon landing.
“Now I’m afraid I shall not be attending this round, for two reasons.” The Redeemer sat himself on a swing and idly swayed back and forth. “First, I do believe I have over extended myself. Turns out brainwashing and enhancing an entire city of robots can get a little tiring.” The Grand Master gave himself a little chuckle. “And second: deep within the core of this gaudy planet is…something.” Zaire leapt up from the swing to punctuate what he was about to say. “Something dark and sleeping and imprisoned and very, very angry at everything.” Zaire paused a moment to highlight the silence of the playground they were in, it was an eerie, unnatural silence that saturated the entire land. “It has an influence on your mind you see. An influence that can make great men into babbling lunatics, and lesser men into something worse.”
Zaire cheerily skipped away from the group, completely juxtaposing the ominous message he just delivered. “But don’t let that worry you! You’re in a playground! Have fun!” Zaire cackled as he vanished in a flash of red runes, just as he vanished, the contestant found themselves spread across the small, rainbow hued planet.
The contestants found themselves in an ocean of pitch black, frozen in place. The sound of heavy breathing permeated the entire dimension as an exhausted Grand Master materialised in front of them, this time a lot slower and a lot less graceful than usual. For many, it was the first time they saw Zaire in not a position of absolute power, he looked tired and annoyed and very mortal.
“Ha…haha…Ha ha…” The Redeemer laughed in-between deep gulps of air; the sound of his guffaw had the usual sound of malevolence, with a tinge of relief mixed in for good measure. “Credits where credits, due, you really almost got me there.” Zaire stood up straight and wiped a healthy lick of seat from his forehead. “But you still failed nonetheless. Shame, I’m sure you are exceptionally bitter about that!” Zaire gave another laugh, though it lacked the impact it once had before he was placed in a position of weakness.
The Grand Master took a cursory glance at the alchemist, spotting his blood stained blade reflecting in the non-existent light, he slowly walked towards Kaja and pulled the blade away from his time frozen body. “You know, I’ve had this blade since I was but a child.” Zaire took a moment to twist the sword and give it a few cursory swings. “And a fine blade it is. Easy to wield but with enough weight to cause maximum damage with minimal effort, sharp enough to cut through stubborn armour with force, but not too sharp as to make things far too easy.” He brought the blade to his face, looking into the crimson reflection to see the contestants. “Say what you want about omnipotent magical power, it doesn’t compare to a good sword in the right hands. I would know, I was killed by one.”
Zaire pushed the blade back into Kaja’s possession, “You can keep it as a memento of how you very almost bested me.” His smile broadened, “It’ll be the only time it ever happens, trust me.” The group teleported away from the blank dimension, though this time the magics involved were less than perfect, causing a modicum of pain to all involved. Whether The Redeemer did such a thing on purpose was hard to tell.
---
The contestants and their host teleported clumsily into a new world. Were they not frozen in place they would no doubt be winced in pain, even Zaire couldn’t help but notice he had accidentally set himself on fire. “Welcome to The Infinite Playground!” Zaire boomed while nonchalantly patting out the blaze oh his arm.
The combatants looked around with there now free eyes. Before them, huge fields of unusual pastel colours stretched out as far as the eye could see. The ground was made of a bright rubbery substance; occasional caricatures of cartoon animals spotted the colourful scenery. Peppered all around the landscape they saw slides, seesaws, sand pits, ball pits, jungle gyms and merry go rounds. Some were standard sized, while others towered over them like vast mountains. Gigantic lakes filled with Technicolor orbs and sprawling labyrinths of slides and bars laid before them. The sky was a brilliant blue colour with nary a colour in sight. It would actually be quite nice, were it not for the situation the contestants found themselves in.
“You should probably know that, despite the name, this is not an ‘infinite playground’ rather, it’s a small planet.”
The contestants took another look. Sure enough, they could see the defined curvature of the planet very easily on the horizon.
“As such you might find the gravity to be a little…lenient.” Zaire demonstrated by casually jumping 3 metres in the air. He gave a smug little bow upon landing.
“Now I’m afraid I shall not be attending this round, for two reasons.” The Redeemer sat himself on a swing and idly swayed back and forth. “First, I do believe I have over extended myself. Turns out brainwashing and enhancing an entire city of robots can get a little tiring.” The Grand Master gave himself a little chuckle. “And second: deep within the core of this gaudy planet is…something.” Zaire leapt up from the swing to punctuate what he was about to say. “Something dark and sleeping and imprisoned and very, very angry at everything.” Zaire paused a moment to highlight the silence of the playground they were in, it was an eerie, unnatural silence that saturated the entire land. “It has an influence on your mind you see. An influence that can make great men into babbling lunatics, and lesser men into something worse.”
Zaire cheerily skipped away from the group, completely juxtaposing the ominous message he just delivered. “But don’t let that worry you! You’re in a playground! Have fun!” Zaire cackled as he vanished in a flash of red runes, just as he vanished, the contestant found themselves spread across the small, rainbow hued planet.
Spoiler