Re: Epic Clash Round 2 - The Wax Colosseum
06-05-2010, 03:39 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.
The contestants found themselves standing on a largish rectangular platform with a column at each corner. The platform was a uniform dull chrome, with railings surrounding it of decorative bronze and chrome. Wind buffeted down on each of them, and looking up they discovered that the columns were topped with very silent, quickly spinning helicopter blades.
Bryce and Miles appeared in the middle of them, as well as a collection of watermelons.
"So, that was a little more like it. Moving on, round three! Maybe four, depending on how you wanna count them." He paused and raised his hands, lifting himself and the contestants up into the air between the whirling helicopter blades. From their elevated angle, the contestants all took in the amazing aerial view.
The platform they were floating over was not solitary, but one of an innumerable swarm of varying shapes and sizes that stretched off into the distance as far as the eye could see, all constructed of immaculate silver and bronze and glass. Towering glassy cylinders, revealing rooms inside. Geodesic domes containing exotic flora. Bronze disk-shaped buildings, among many others whose purpose was indiscernable. All were decorated in an artistic, whirled designs, with an image of a winged humanoid figure with his arms outstretched adorning many of them. All were suspended high in the air by helicopter blades.
The buildings were each connected to its neighbors by segmented, shimmering chrome walkways with bronze handrails dangling high above the ground below, making the whole city sort of ring- or donut-shaped. They could see figures walking on them in the distance, and what seemed to be other figures flying between them.
Looking down, the contestants saw an amazingly beautiful world. Towering cliffs of purple stone yielded to immense waterfalls. Heavily forested, but with foliage of unearthly colors. A beach of white sand surrounding a cove of deep blue water. The shattered body from the knees up of an immense bronze statue of a humanoid creature, trees growing over and around it.
Directly above the body, it was clear where it had originated. A gargantuan platform bearing the bronze figure's lower legs suspended in the middle of the ring. It was held aloft by four much larger, more utilitarian structures, around which many of the unidentified figures were clustered.
After allowing them to take in the sights for a moment, Bryce began his introduction. "Welcome to The Ascended City. S'not really a literal translation, these little dude's language has this word meaning a really important or intelligent person which sounds the same as their word for rising, but you get the picture. Anyway, one of the natives of this planet here built the city as a sorta haven for the intellectual and educated folk of his world. Y'know, to escape the dreary world down below or whatever. He got together a bunch of artists and botanists and roboticists and...
"Well, you get the picture. The problem came from the robots, and that brings us to this little practical demonstration I've prepared here." The group lowered back down to the ground, and Bryce picked up two of the watermelons. "The robots were programmed to perform one task apiece and defend themselves if threatened. Those that didn't have jobs that dealt with people were programmed to ignore them."
He set the watermelons down at the edge of one of the walkways and stood next to them. At a snap, one of the distant figures disappeared from its walkway and appeared on this one, walking towards the group. It was a humanoid figure, adorned as the rest of the place was, and dotted with bits of protruding clockwork and steam vents. It approached Bryce and the melon and made no sign of slowing. At the last second, Bryce stepped out of the way, as its metallic foot came crashing down on one of the melons. Reddish innards exploded out, and the second footfall knocked the second melon off the edge of the floating platform.
Bryce snapped, bringing a floating holographic screen displaying purplish rocks into existence. After a moment, the second melon slammed into the rocks, completely obliterating it. A small spherical robot with a helicopter blade top and a tank of cleaning fluid passed by in the meantime. It stopped at the trampled watermelon, swept the remains off the edge, and sprayed the stain down before moving on.
"They ignored people too well, and anyone's attempts to stop them or reach the control center to reprogram them, well..." He picked up the third melon, leaving one remaining, and tossed it at the first machine. It quickly whirled and slammed its fist into the fruit, cracking it open and causing it to drop to the floor. "They triggered the robots' defense mechanisms," He explained with a nonchalant smirk, as the towering machine rushed towards him, arms outstretched. He snapped, and the robot was flung over the edge of the platform in a neat arc.
"Of course, the ones that were designed to deal with people did so fantastically, if a little insistently." Another snap brought a squatter, more friendly-looking machine bearing a tray of fruit and beverages.
"food-and-drink-sir?"
Bryce took the offered juice from the tray and sipped it, when the robot offered him another.
"food-and-drink-sir?"
"Nope. Buzz off."
The small machine dejectedly moved away from the man, as he continued. "Anyway, the 'bots kept living and the people kept dying, until eventually everyone abandoned ship. Well, maybe not everyone. Might be a few stragglers, I haven't checked." Bryce clapped his hands with finality. "That about covers it. The last watermelon's just for fun," he explained, lifting it up and throwing it directly into the whirling helicopter blades above him. It was instantly shredded, splattering the group in red juice and seeds. "Haha! Get after it, dudes."
With that, he and the silent Miles disappeared, and the contestants were sealed inside individual colored bubbles and separated to different structures before being dropped.
The contestants found themselves standing on a largish rectangular platform with a column at each corner. The platform was a uniform dull chrome, with railings surrounding it of decorative bronze and chrome. Wind buffeted down on each of them, and looking up they discovered that the columns were topped with very silent, quickly spinning helicopter blades.
Bryce and Miles appeared in the middle of them, as well as a collection of watermelons.
"So, that was a little more like it. Moving on, round three! Maybe four, depending on how you wanna count them." He paused and raised his hands, lifting himself and the contestants up into the air between the whirling helicopter blades. From their elevated angle, the contestants all took in the amazing aerial view.
The platform they were floating over was not solitary, but one of an innumerable swarm of varying shapes and sizes that stretched off into the distance as far as the eye could see, all constructed of immaculate silver and bronze and glass. Towering glassy cylinders, revealing rooms inside. Geodesic domes containing exotic flora. Bronze disk-shaped buildings, among many others whose purpose was indiscernable. All were decorated in an artistic, whirled designs, with an image of a winged humanoid figure with his arms outstretched adorning many of them. All were suspended high in the air by helicopter blades.
The buildings were each connected to its neighbors by segmented, shimmering chrome walkways with bronze handrails dangling high above the ground below, making the whole city sort of ring- or donut-shaped. They could see figures walking on them in the distance, and what seemed to be other figures flying between them.
Looking down, the contestants saw an amazingly beautiful world. Towering cliffs of purple stone yielded to immense waterfalls. Heavily forested, but with foliage of unearthly colors. A beach of white sand surrounding a cove of deep blue water. The shattered body from the knees up of an immense bronze statue of a humanoid creature, trees growing over and around it.
Directly above the body, it was clear where it had originated. A gargantuan platform bearing the bronze figure's lower legs suspended in the middle of the ring. It was held aloft by four much larger, more utilitarian structures, around which many of the unidentified figures were clustered.
After allowing them to take in the sights for a moment, Bryce began his introduction. "Welcome to The Ascended City. S'not really a literal translation, these little dude's language has this word meaning a really important or intelligent person which sounds the same as their word for rising, but you get the picture. Anyway, one of the natives of this planet here built the city as a sorta haven for the intellectual and educated folk of his world. Y'know, to escape the dreary world down below or whatever. He got together a bunch of artists and botanists and roboticists and...
"Well, you get the picture. The problem came from the robots, and that brings us to this little practical demonstration I've prepared here." The group lowered back down to the ground, and Bryce picked up two of the watermelons. "The robots were programmed to perform one task apiece and defend themselves if threatened. Those that didn't have jobs that dealt with people were programmed to ignore them."
He set the watermelons down at the edge of one of the walkways and stood next to them. At a snap, one of the distant figures disappeared from its walkway and appeared on this one, walking towards the group. It was a humanoid figure, adorned as the rest of the place was, and dotted with bits of protruding clockwork and steam vents. It approached Bryce and the melon and made no sign of slowing. At the last second, Bryce stepped out of the way, as its metallic foot came crashing down on one of the melons. Reddish innards exploded out, and the second footfall knocked the second melon off the edge of the floating platform.
Bryce snapped, bringing a floating holographic screen displaying purplish rocks into existence. After a moment, the second melon slammed into the rocks, completely obliterating it. A small spherical robot with a helicopter blade top and a tank of cleaning fluid passed by in the meantime. It stopped at the trampled watermelon, swept the remains off the edge, and sprayed the stain down before moving on.
"They ignored people too well, and anyone's attempts to stop them or reach the control center to reprogram them, well..." He picked up the third melon, leaving one remaining, and tossed it at the first machine. It quickly whirled and slammed its fist into the fruit, cracking it open and causing it to drop to the floor. "They triggered the robots' defense mechanisms," He explained with a nonchalant smirk, as the towering machine rushed towards him, arms outstretched. He snapped, and the robot was flung over the edge of the platform in a neat arc.
"Of course, the ones that were designed to deal with people did so fantastically, if a little insistently." Another snap brought a squatter, more friendly-looking machine bearing a tray of fruit and beverages.
"food-and-drink-sir?"
Bryce took the offered juice from the tray and sipped it, when the robot offered him another.
"food-and-drink-sir?"
"Nope. Buzz off."
The small machine dejectedly moved away from the man, as he continued. "Anyway, the 'bots kept living and the people kept dying, until eventually everyone abandoned ship. Well, maybe not everyone. Might be a few stragglers, I haven't checked." Bryce clapped his hands with finality. "That about covers it. The last watermelon's just for fun," he explained, lifting it up and throwing it directly into the whirling helicopter blades above him. It was instantly shredded, splattering the group in red juice and seeds. "Haha! Get after it, dudes."
With that, he and the silent Miles disappeared, and the contestants were sealed inside individual colored bubbles and separated to different structures before being dropped.
Spoiler