Re: Epic Clash Round 3 - The Ascended City
06-06-2010, 02:31 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.
Thomas landed softly on a rooftop, and for the first time since the competition began, he forgot the danger. Since the first moment in that plain of darkness, being introduced to the seven others he was expected to fight, he had always been conscious, at some level or another, of the threats surrounding him, the constant risk of having his head torn off by a creature from another dimension hanging over him like a cloud.
Now, that cloud was gone. He wasn't concerned about the madman with the fishbowl or the ghost of a liar, not the survivor from the past or the soldier against madness. He wasn't worried about what this competition was doing to him, how it was forcing him to make decisions he hated even considering, how Spender would kill him if he strayed into darkness, how he would probably deserve it when he did. He wasn't concerned about the deadly robots and obscene heights and insane gods.
He was in awe.
He had lived aboard a giant city-ship his whole life, his only vacations taken to other vessels and, when he was eleven, a theme park built in an asteroid belt. His life had been spent in an environment conceived, constructed, and controlled by humanity. The interior temperature was kept within a tenth of a degree of the standard daily temperature cycle, rising and falling in an exact pattern. The amount of light emitted by the assorted panels was carefully controlled, and the humidity was regulated, all based on the theoretical optimum environment for human comfort and efficiency. Mankind had done its best to create the ideal environment for themselves to live in, spending decades studying and analyzing neural responses to minute differences in ambient light and carefully tying it all together into a hypothetical "perfect world."
And it wasn't even close.
He stood at the railing, staring out over the sprawling landscape. The sun shone down, reflecting off distant bits of chrome and bronze, making the whole city sparkle and shine before him like a floating gem. Dark clouds lay on the horizon, rumblings distant and ominous, but they were still too far to worry him.
He was at peace. He just stood there for a while and enjoyed the sun and the breeze and the alien landscape.
A voice came from behind him, startling him out of his reverie. "SPF-30-sir?"
Thomas whirled around to face it. There was an android standing there, its plain, mechanical eyes fixed on him. It was holding a tray of bottles, each one proclaiming the salve's efficacy at preventing sunburn.
To Thomas, sunburn wasn't the kind of thing a simple cream could prevent. That required several layers of heat-resistant plating and at least a level 6 energy shield, and the radiation would still be enough to bake everyone aboard to a crisp. It was really only a concern for those involved in solar mining operations, and that was usually automated.
"Um... Explain product?"
"SPF-30-protects-against-the-sun's-harmful-rays-and-prevents-skin-damage-sir"
Thomas considered this. It made sense- the atmosphere of a planet wouldn't be able to deflect all of the various radiation expelled from a star, and even a bit of that could do a lot of damage.
Of course, he didn't have any form of currency on him. His account aboard Cosmand City was biometrically linked, and he suspected they wouldn't be able to access the servers from here.
He expressed his concern, but the android was unconcerned. "SPF-30-provided-to-all-occupants-in-accordance-with-mandate-308745-dash-201-point-3-sir." Thomas shrugged and accepted the bottle. The android, satisfied, moved on.
As he worked the ointment into his skin, Thomas looked around the roof. There were tables and chairs scattered around, umbrellas shielding many of them from the sun. A structure in the centre of the area probably contained the stairs that led downstairs, and a thin column in each of the four corners led up to the rotors that kept the whole building floating in midair. There was also a walkway leading off one side, connecting this building to another nearby. Wanting to stay outside as long as possible, he moved towards it at a casual pace, revelling in the planet's natural beauty.
Thomas landed softly on a rooftop, and for the first time since the competition began, he forgot the danger. Since the first moment in that plain of darkness, being introduced to the seven others he was expected to fight, he had always been conscious, at some level or another, of the threats surrounding him, the constant risk of having his head torn off by a creature from another dimension hanging over him like a cloud.
Now, that cloud was gone. He wasn't concerned about the madman with the fishbowl or the ghost of a liar, not the survivor from the past or the soldier against madness. He wasn't worried about what this competition was doing to him, how it was forcing him to make decisions he hated even considering, how Spender would kill him if he strayed into darkness, how he would probably deserve it when he did. He wasn't concerned about the deadly robots and obscene heights and insane gods.
He was in awe.
He had lived aboard a giant city-ship his whole life, his only vacations taken to other vessels and, when he was eleven, a theme park built in an asteroid belt. His life had been spent in an environment conceived, constructed, and controlled by humanity. The interior temperature was kept within a tenth of a degree of the standard daily temperature cycle, rising and falling in an exact pattern. The amount of light emitted by the assorted panels was carefully controlled, and the humidity was regulated, all based on the theoretical optimum environment for human comfort and efficiency. Mankind had done its best to create the ideal environment for themselves to live in, spending decades studying and analyzing neural responses to minute differences in ambient light and carefully tying it all together into a hypothetical "perfect world."
And it wasn't even close.
He stood at the railing, staring out over the sprawling landscape. The sun shone down, reflecting off distant bits of chrome and bronze, making the whole city sparkle and shine before him like a floating gem. Dark clouds lay on the horizon, rumblings distant and ominous, but they were still too far to worry him.
He was at peace. He just stood there for a while and enjoyed the sun and the breeze and the alien landscape.
A voice came from behind him, startling him out of his reverie. "SPF-30-sir?"
Thomas whirled around to face it. There was an android standing there, its plain, mechanical eyes fixed on him. It was holding a tray of bottles, each one proclaiming the salve's efficacy at preventing sunburn.
To Thomas, sunburn wasn't the kind of thing a simple cream could prevent. That required several layers of heat-resistant plating and at least a level 6 energy shield, and the radiation would still be enough to bake everyone aboard to a crisp. It was really only a concern for those involved in solar mining operations, and that was usually automated.
"Um... Explain product?"
"SPF-30-protects-against-the-sun's-harmful-rays-and-prevents-skin-damage-sir"
Thomas considered this. It made sense- the atmosphere of a planet wouldn't be able to deflect all of the various radiation expelled from a star, and even a bit of that could do a lot of damage.
Of course, he didn't have any form of currency on him. His account aboard Cosmand City was biometrically linked, and he suspected they wouldn't be able to access the servers from here.
He expressed his concern, but the android was unconcerned. "SPF-30-provided-to-all-occupants-in-accordance-with-mandate-308745-dash-201-point-3-sir." Thomas shrugged and accepted the bottle. The android, satisfied, moved on.
As he worked the ointment into his skin, Thomas looked around the roof. There were tables and chairs scattered around, umbrellas shielding many of them from the sun. A structure in the centre of the area probably contained the stairs that led downstairs, and a thin column in each of the four corners led up to the rotors that kept the whole building floating in midair. There was also a walkway leading off one side, connecting this building to another nearby. Wanting to stay outside as long as possible, he moved towards it at a casual pace, revelling in the planet's natural beauty.