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**Schazer** · 02-15-2010, 04:00 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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GBCE · 02-15-2010, 06:24 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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In time before time, form unborn crashed against itself, shattered, self-consumed, and changed in nothingness. The rules for this were writ plain on an empty page. Each crash, a new rule. Each crash, a heartbeat. Unborn formless unnamed was named, and that name was Chaos.

Chaos, too, self-consumed and wrote itself onto the page in the language of black. The scrawled black shaped itself as surely as it shaped the whiteness around it, and Chaos knew the rule-abhorrer was likewise the rule-former. Self-abhorrence was the natural result, and the unborn formless named clawed and lashed until the clash of Chaos against Chaos was, itself, a new-birthed rule, and time was born to measure it.

Time passed and new rules were born and many things made and unmade in accordance with them. Unborn formless named was born and given form, and the name changed. Bound by the rules that had birthed during the self-abhorrence, it was forced into a nothing-like sleep.

For a time, Magog dreamt.

GBCE · 02-16-2010, 03:37 AM

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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**Schazer** · 02-16-2010, 03:39 AM

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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GBCE · 02-16-2010, 04:29 AM

Originally posted on MSPA by Weldar.

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GBCE · 02-16-2010, 12:13 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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GBCE · 02-16-2010, 01:44 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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Violence.

Down below.

Blitz looked down at the ground from his perch in the strange, massive tree that was engulfing the entirety of the sphere they were in. That boy, that...fire mage, Alex. He was being attacked by several contestants; Sen, the plant-thing, John (who appeared to be laying on the ground for some odd reason), Wolf, who had released some sort of sonic yelp...that boy was going to die soon if someone didn't interfere. It didn't matter how strong you were; getting ganged up on was a sure sign of a quick death. Movies where one man defended himself against a crowd of attackers were pure myth. Five against one, the five always win; it doesn't matter how many amazing kung-fu moves you know. Father had taught him this universal truth, and it was one he stuck to.

He looked around for Jacob; the atmosphere was made tense by the fight below, and he didn't want to be caught unawares, should the man decide to take a chance. Jacob seemed to hold a serious grudge against Blitz, and the young man wasn't sure why. Of course, laughing at him when he tripped over something hadn't been the best idea, but he couldn't help it. He would have laughed had it been anyone else. He wanted Jacob to like him; he really did. It wasn't like-

Focus, you little bastard! There's a fight to the death going on down there and you're daydreaming about going on a goddamn date with that suit! Keep your love life out of the battlefield and concentrate on the current threat! Father's shouts shook his mind, brought him back from his own inner workings. He felt an invisible hand, Father's hand, grab the back of his neck and force it to look at where Sen and Alex were still battling; John seemed to be incapacitated, somehow.

Stay here, boy. Watch and learn how they fight. Whichever one emerges victorious, you will be better-equipped to fight them if and when the time comes. Especially that plant creature...I can't help but wonder if even tearing it to pieces will affect it... Blitz didn't argue with Father as he drifted off into silent contemplation; he didn't want to fight at all, really. But if Father wanted him to stay out of the way and watch, he would. It was easier not to argue.

He sat on his haunches, ready to move if the need arose. As he watched, his mind wandered again.

<Vexmagog...I wonder...If I stayed close to him...to his arm long enough...would I...would we be affected? He said something about his arm affecting things 'mentally'...did that include people? Could Vex...could he maybe change Father?> Blitz stood. Father began to speak, wondering why his son was disobeying him, but Blitz spoke before Father could say anything. He spoke out loud, to emphasize the point.

"Father...I'm going to find Vexmagog. He seems to be a natural leader. The closer I get to him, the better chances we have of staying on everyone's good side. The two who are fighting aren't important; they'll destroy themselves eventually. If we're the 'first mate', so to speak, that gives us even more power. And it gets us closer to him for when t-the time comes to...to e-end it." Blitz was worried that his stutters at the end would make his father suspicious. Father was silent for a long while.

You're right, son. You're getting brighter every day. I'm actually glad, now...this 'contest' wasn't something I was expecting, but...it seems you're finally blossoming. You're finally being what you're meant to be. Go on, boy...I'll be watching. Blitz hid his shameful feelings; he shoved them deep, he covered them up with false pride. If Father knew Blitz was lying...he didn't even want to know what he would do.

Lightning coursed through his body, focusing on his legs. He sprinted along on of the many giant branches of the massive tree. He swiveled his head around constantly, looking for the familiar furry face and green cape of Vex. Eventually he saw a green blur fly past and a strange whooping noise; it couldn't have been Sen, as it was still busy fighting Alex, last he saw. Blitz gave a small grin and chased the blur. As he ran, jumping from branch to branch with it, but with much less dexterity and balance, he shouted. "Hey!...Vex!...Can I...talk to you?..." His words were interrupted by his panting breaths and the occasional stumble over a branch that stuck out of the bark.

Not The Author · 02-16-2010, 09:10 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

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Jacob's gravity field failed just as he reached the top of a root. Pausing to catch his breath, he scanned for the others - most were still in the tree, but they were relatively secure on branches, and could be safely ignored. Still tired, but breathing evenly, he made his way down the gnarled root. Glancing at the rapidly-growing silvery hollow, he caught a flash of red and a blur of green. He grinned. <Have fun, you two...>

Before the trees fully obscured his view, Jacob caught a glimpse of a battered, overgrown stone basin. His expression immediately soured. Not that he couldn't get into the grove, nor that he couldn't defend himself, should it come to that. No, it was... out of everywhere in the entire bubble, they had to be fighting there. It was just... so... unfair? No, not that. Improbable? Well, yes, but this whole 'contest' thing was improbable... Inconvenient! That was it. It wasted the precious little time he already had and brought someone that much closer to dying, possibly eliminating what minute chance he had - any of them had - of escape.

Jacob sighed. Hopefully the tree hadn't plowed through the pods as it had with the sun... Forcing that thought from his mind, he brought up his sword, ready to fight. He opened a tunnel into the grove, stepped through the trees... and was knocked violently to the side by a dodging Alex. Both of them fell heavily to the ground. "Aaah! What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Right now?" Jacob shoved Alex away just in time to see Sen leaping towards them, claws ready to tear them to shreds. "Right now I'm saving your ass."

At that point, Alex saw the springing beast and scrambled to his feet, hands bursting into flame in lieu of his sword. Jacob didn't seem to care that they were about to be torn apart. "Rather, I'm saving myself, and you happened to get in the way." He sat up, glancing at the pyromancer who'd finally figured out that Sen was moving through the air a lot slower that he should have been. "By the way? Your sword's over there." Alex, of course, wasn't listening, and took the opportunity to throw a few fireballs towards the suspended tender. The flames only made it a few feet before they, too, slowed nearly to a halt.

Jacob stood and brushed himself off, grabbing his sword as he did so. "Ugh. A mage whose dump stat is intelligence." "Hey-" Jacob shoved him under Sen, back into realtime, where he slowly collapsed in a... snowdrift? But Jacob didn't give that much thought, as Sen was passing through the flames unaffected, and was getting dangerously close to the bubble of accelerated time. The chronomancer glanced impassively at his sword. "Tch. Gonna need more coffee soon."

He dissmissed his sphere and dived out of Sen's path, existence resuming its frenetic march.

GBCE · 02-16-2010, 09:17 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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GBCE · 02-19-2010, 03:32 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.

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Vexmagog was almost as grateful for this opportunity to cavort through this alien treescape as he was for something to distract him from the contest he had been entered into. Every preceding moment since he'd arrived had been underscored by the lingering knowledge that the place and the reason for his presence in it were wrong. Now, as he streaked through the branches, he was content to just stop thinking about it for the first time. If anything, the gravity alteration made the experience more fun. He grinned as he latched onto one springy branch, letting it bend with his weight which, upon pushing his legs towards the tree trunk, suddenly changed direction. He performed what could best be described as an artful tumble before catching another, more solid branch, spinning on it, and alighting atop it.

"Hey!...Vex!...Can I...talk to you?..."

Vexmagog's head turned quickly to the unexpected voice behind him. Unexpected, because he knew the voice belonged to Blitz, who he had left behind on the trunk some time ago. Two things shocked him then, the first being the speed with which the human had caught up to him.

The second was the sudden, unexpected loss of the gravity field.

Blitz lost his too, its time limit expired. He, however, was in a much more precarius situation, standing on the trunk above Vexmagog. He immediately fell onto the former deity's shoulders, knocking him off of his position atop the branch.

The two tumbled down the side of the tree. Vexmagog reached out instinctively with his right arm, thought better of it, and grabbed Blitz's shoulder with his left. His left leg, too, grabbed Blitz by the arm, while his right side scrabbled against the tree trunk. Digging into the bark with his Magog arm, he left a long scrape down the side of the trunk. He released and snagged a nearby branch, albeit one off-center from their current trajectory.

The two swung wildly in an arc under the branch, which strained and ultimately failed to hold their combined weight. Hoping for the best, he pulled Blitz closer and pushed away from the main tree trunk and towards the top of a nearby, lesser tree.

Another lighting panel on the artificial sun darkened as some survival instinct on the part of the tree insisted on circling the sphere, seeking out the warmth emanating from the far side. Another, and another. One ring of panels around the pylon remained, and the branches and roots dug in and around the sun to seek it out.

One root, digging further into the globe than the rest, suddenly struck something. Something warm. Something familiar.

Something radioactive.

With a sudden surge of energy, the branches outside thrust themselves into new frontiers, namely the side of the pylon itself. Not quite understanding the situation, much less notions of structural integrity, they began to dig, seeking out new boons like the one it had just found.

News of the newfound energy source reached the Tender, whose beady black eyes narrowed further. His needle-toothed mouth twisted into what would almost approximate a grin, and he leaped at Alex, claws drawn back for the strike.

Alex let loose a burst of flame whose energy even he was not prepared for. The concussive blast scorched the earth, knocked the tender's trajectory off-kilter, and blasted Alex back a few feet. Both recovered before touching the ground, skidding across roots to a halt. Alex felt a pinch on his back. A quick glance told him that failure to recover as quickly as he had would have impaled him on rapidly-growing spines now circling their arena.

A snarling alerted him to the fact that Wolf had easily padded through the dense growth behind him and was charging forward, teeth bared. His hand found the handle of his sword and he rolled to the side as both Wolf and Sen leaped at his current position. They met each other, instead, and the much larger Sen carelessly batted Wolf out of the way. He hissed as he searched for Alex, who had rolled under the cover of some nearby roots.

John groaned as he looked at his ruined legs. Both were broken at the shin. The left was bent to the right and swollen. The right was twisted almost all the way around. He felt a piece of the bone protruding from the skin and felt lightheaded, due to either the shock or the blood loss from the gouge running up his right thigh. His breathing was shallow, but he closed his eyes with an intense look of determination.

He took a deep breath. With a sickening sound, his right leg twisted back into place. He winced, holding back nausea as a wave of pain washed over him. He sat there against the roots of the tree for a moment before likewise telekinetically setting the bone in his left leg. Drawing on the power of his staff, a thick layer of ice covered both legs, the right one covering his cut. They would have to act as a splint for the time being, and the cold would help to reduce the swelling.

There was a metallic groan from above, but John was too busy seeing if his ice-legs were stable enough to walk with to notice.

Steven, kneeling for better balance on his handy flight platforms, hovered over the treetops. His search for a friendly presence had finally borne fruit. He set himself down on the matted root floor as he looked up at the pair dangling from a branch.

Vexmagog's expression was one of concern. During the tumble through the trees, he had been forced to grab for Blitz with his right arm. With his left arm and leg, he was supporting them both on a branch. He pulled the human up and took his hand with his right foot instead, but it was clear from Blitz's expression that some manner of effect had taken place. He quickly rearranged, holding the branch with both arms and Blitz's arms with both legs. The downside to this setup was that Magog was now in full contact with the only thing supporting him in place, and their combined height was still too short to drop Blitz safely.

Vexmagog couldn't see, but Steven watched with interest as Blitz looked conflictingly back and forth between his left hand in contact with Vexmagog's foot and Vexmagog himself. Was that...fear in his eyes? Cowardice? He couldn't tell. Rather than prolong the situation to find out, he elected to step into plain view and clear his throat.

"Need a hand?"

Jacob crouch-ran through the undergrowth. He had been trying to circumnavigate the battle ring to covertly reach the escape pod hatch, but had found the previous direction too overgrown. Rather than waste energy plowing through, he'd elected to circle around the other way. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stopped and ducked behind a knobby root structure to observe, as Blitz, Steven, and Vexmagog were hastily picking their way through in the same direction.

Vexmagog was in front, his long legs taking strides over the tangled growths. Steven walked calmly behind, his two gloves floating ahead of him and pushing the obstructing roots out of his path. They mostly held the openings long enough for Blitz to step through them. Mostly. The cripple looked tired, both physically and mentally. His eyes darted back and forth, and he pawed at his left arm. The darting eyes caught sight of Jacob.

He stepped out from behind the root and waved them down. "Hey," he quickly waved and gestured in the direction they were headed. "Escape pods are this way. The other four are fighting around it."

Vexmagog's brow furrowed. The other four. John, Wolf, Alex, and Sen. John and Alex are not amicable to each other. If Sen is fighting, he must have been involved in it before we arrived, which means he's fighting Alex. And Wolf has already established some form of bond with Sen. "I suspect Alex is fighting the other three. We should try to stop the battle so that he does not die and we are not rem-"

As was quickly becoming a theme, Vexmagog's words were cut short. This time, by a terrible metallic scraping sound from above. The last of the artificial sun's lights were extinguished, as the wrenching sound was accompanied by the snaps and cracks of strained wood.

High above them, the pylon's support beams snapped. The sun began to tip to one side, but conflicting gravitational forces kept it from falling straight "down". The roots completely encompassing the now-dim globe glowed brighter than the others due to the leeching radiation, and the crowd below stopped and looked up in awe as the sphere that had been a constant since they arrived heaved. One panel completely separated and fell down. The trees near Jacob, Blitz, Vexmagog, and Steven bent under the weight as it hit. The gravity itself deactivated for a moment, but some sort of auxiliary power source kicked in and it resumed. The crisscrossing, faintly-glowing globular web began to tilt.

It began, and it accelerated. The massive trunk of the world tree bent as much as it was able, the young wood at first yielding to the now-indomitable gravitational force. But, with an increasing series of eardrum-shattering snaps and cracks, the side of the tree opposite the tilt began to tear. This only hastened the sun's descent. With a crash that reverberated throughout the entire station, it smashed through the barely-illuminated dome atop the town hall. The stone structure and the metal sun proved far less yielding than the wood, and indescribable sounds of immense force washed over them all as both objects shattered. The shockwave of the air trying to get out of the way of the mass expanded in all directions, and the curving surface of the interior of the station caused a compounding effect. When the wave of air hit the crowd, they were all blown off their feet.

The damage did not stop there. Outside the station, a fissure between the exterior plates caused by earlier root growth cracked further. Sudden decompression blew a stream of rubble -- stone, glass, wood, soil, steel -- into space. Inside, the force of the shockwave seemed to rebound back at the eight. Much more softly, but more constant. A soft breeze blew towards the hole as the air started its slow, unavoidable escape from the colony.

The Tender screeched in pain. Not only had it felt the full force of the trunk tearing itself, but it had been blown back into the spines around the arena, tearing a deep cut through its left leg. The wound secreted a clear green ooze and began, steadily, to mend. The tree, meanwhile, was nearly torn in two. What was once the base was only connected to the canopy through a few strained wooden tendons, bent almost to breaking. As if to compensate, the roots near the smashed remains of the former sun were reinvigorated, the breached nuclear power generators throughout the central structure of the sun revealing more and more sources of precious, nourishing radiation. Most trees would be felled by such a wound.

This was not most trees.

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GBCE · 02-19-2010, 08:10 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

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Not The Author · 02-19-2010, 08:24 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

Vexmagog raised his head. Despite a few aches and bruises, he was fine; the bruises would heal rapidly as it was. He hoisted himself onto a nearby root so as to make his position more apparent to the others. He needn't have bothered - though the faint light from the root illuminated his lanky form, Magog's violet veins gave off their own unpleasant incandescence. Very little else was visible in the wake of the sun's demise, and he was worried the others might be injured. Injured, but alive, as I see we have not yet been sent elsewhere. Idly picking at the growing parasite, he called out. "Is everyone alright?"

Jacob blinked. He'd heavily impacted the trees and had blacked out for a few seconds. He hoped it was only a few seconds. Glancing around, he spied his broadsword lying nearby, waning pinkish aura betraying it's location. "Is everyone alright?" And there was Vex, looking out for them again. "I'm good, I think." He stood, back somewhat sore, head brushing against some protrusion. A quick run-over with his hand confirmed it wasn't a branch, but one of those sharp spines he'd seen growing earlier. He came to a sudden realization - checking the trees against which he'd landed, there was in fact a crushed thorn, roughly concurrent with the sore spot on his back. Were it not for his armor... I think I'll leave out that particular detail. Stooping to retrieve his sword, he heard rustling from a nearby shrubbery.

Steven had been slightly luckier than Vex; his fall had been cushioned by a thick shrub. He was struggling to free himself when he heard the other two. "I'm here." Remembering his sword, he attempted to draw it, but found he was incapable. "Bit stuck, though." His gloves came off then, attempting to pull away the entangling branches, when Steven was roughly grabbed by the front of his jacket. "Watch yourself next time." Steven muttered a thanks, and the chronomancer and creator made their way to the ex-deity.

Jacob got straight to the point. "I don't think this place is safe anymore." "Agreed. The quicker we make our escape, the better." Vex looked to the World Tree's twisted remains. "Shame." "And I suppose one of you remembers where the fountain is?" This time, Vex's response was preempted by a massive burst of red-orange light. It seemed Alex did not take well to being immersed in darkness, and had lit several shrubs on fire to compensate. There was a pause. "Over there, then."

Vex stood, but Jacob threw an arm out in front of him, halting his progress. "What-" Jacob clamped a hand over his mouth before he could get any farther. Had it been lighter, Vex might've seen his eyes darting about. Then again, had been lighter, Jacob wouldn't have been quite as agitated. Slowly, the swordsman's hand lowered. Vex wondered what was wrong.

He figured it out just before Jacob spoke.

"Where's Blitz?"

GBCE · 02-20-2010, 01:24 AM

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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reserved

EDIT: un-reserved; I'm too tired tonight, I'll post in the morning.

Sruixan · 02-20-2010, 08:07 AM

Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.

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GBCE · 02-20-2010, 01:43 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

Blitz knelt in the shadows, a short distance away from the others. Their view of him was blocked by one of the large, lightly glowing limbs of the World Tree. He had left them because...something was wrong. Terribly wrong. His hands were on the sides of his head, pressing violently, like he was trying to squeeze something out...or keep something in. His eyes were wide, and if the light had been better, one would be able to see his blind eye swirling with red malevolence. It would turn almost completely, then the color would retreat again; it continued this back-and-forth as Blitz and Father waged a silent battle in their shared mind.

<Father...no...please...I don't->

You shut your ungrateful mouth, boy. I gave you your chance and it got nothing done except burn the hell out of that useless arm of yours. Now it's my turn. I'm done with this trickery nonsense. The next person I see, I'm going to fry them up like a 4th of July barbecue.

<Father...I can do this...just...give me a chance...>

A severe spasm shot through Blitz's body, and he slammed his head against the ground. Tears leaked from his eyes.

We're going to go find someone. And they are going to die. Do you understand?

<I-I don't...I don't want to!>

Another violent twitch; this time he banged into a nearby root (thankfully avoiding the several spines that sprouted from it) before rolling around on the ground, cramps all over his body making him give a short yelp. He quickly shut his mouth and hoped that his location hadn't been given away. He didn't want anyone finding him right now...he was finding it terribly hard to resist his father's orders. The physical punishment was only part of it; it was hard to retain any semblance of control, and he wasn't sure why.

Jacob, who was listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary (other than Alex's fiery outbursts, of course) heard Blitz cry out. His eyes narrowed and he gripped his sword tighter.

Vex had heard it, as well. He had grabbed the boy with Magog...it had only been for a moment, but given the child's erratic behavior from before, that could lead to a very bad situation. He took a step in the direction that the sound had come from. "Blitz?"

Jacob stopped the satyr with a raised hand. Vex looked at him, his expression slightly worried. Jacob's words were barely a whisper. "I don't feel good about this. He's been acting strange from the beginning. And now it's dim and hard to see...easy for someone sneak up on someone else, wouldn't you think?" He gestured to the area that the shout had come from. "And you called his name. Why didn't he respond?" His eyes darted about, looking for any signs of movement. "It's a trick, Vex. I can feel it. And you know what? I'm not going to be stupid enough to fall for it." He began walking in the direction of the escape pods, sword at the ready and senses alert.

"What if he's just hurt and can't talk?" Jacob stopped, turned, and glared at Steven, the strength of the gaze diluted by the limited light. Steven ignored the look and continued. "Look, he hasn't tried to kill anyone, like that Alex guy. He's only tried to help, at least from what I've seen. He is a little weird, but that's no reason to assume he's some sort of leper that we need to stay away from at all costs." He gave Jacob a glare of his own. "I don't see any reason to leave Blitz behind. We need to find those escape pods, and the other guys are busy fighting." Almost as if the brawlers had heard Steven say this and wanted to prove his point, a plume of flame erupted in the distance, and an unearthly scream reached the trio's ears.

Vex glanced in the direction of the fire, then back to Steven and Jacob. "I must agree with Steven." He closed his right hand into a fist, the action making a rough grinding sound. "Any pain he is in right now is probably my fault. I touched him with this." He raised the black and purple mass encasing his arm, a frown forming on his features as he looked at it, but quickly disappearing. He couldn't afford to be negative; not right now. "I feel responsible. I'll help him however I can, limited though my medical abilities may be." He looked at Jacob along with Steven. "Your powers could be of help."

Jacob looked at the two people before him. He slowly shook his head. "I'm not risking my life for someone I barely know. If you guys have somehow forgotten, we were brought here to kill eachother. And just because we're not playing along doesn't mean other people are." He nodded his head at the glow in the distance that signified the ongoing fight between Alex and the other three. "They're the prime example. But not everyone is so blatant about their violent tendencies. Blitz is hiding something. You wanna find out what that is? Fine. But leave me out." Jacob turned from them, raising one hand in a dismissive wave. He began walking, heading for the pods, and by proxy the glowing war that was being waged around them.

Vexmagog watched Jacob walking away, and shook his head. Unfortunate. They could have used his abilities to get to the escape pods faster. But, now to the task at hand. "You really think he could be dangerous?" Steven looked a little bit nervous in the twilight. Vex nodded, his expression grim. "When this arm touched him, it did something to him. I will not know what until I see him up close, but something is wrong with the boy, that is definite." He moved forward, stepping over and under humongous roots and branches. A quick glance backward told him that Steven was following.

It didn't take long for them to find a small clearing. Blitz was in the fetal position, head down, near the far side of the area. Vex moved forward slowly, his movements cautious. "Blitz?" No response. "Blitz, are you alright?" He saw Steven move past him, approaching Blitz at a faster pace. "Hey, Blitz, it's alright. We're here. We can help you."Steven reached out a hand, intending to tap Blitz on the shoulder. Vex called out to try and stop him, but it was too late. Blitz reacted to the touch immediately.

"SsssStAAY tTHee FUUuckk AWayYY FrrrRRoM mEE!" Lightning erupted from his hand as he threw Steven's arm away from him. His face was ugly; insane, almost. His blind eye was a swirling miasma of white and blood red. "No!"

Jacob was walking, nearing the edge of the battlefield, when something stopped him. Loud shouts and...oh, wonderful, a burst of lightning arcing through the sky. Jacob snarled and quickly cut a hole in space leading back to the group he had just left. I knew that bastard was laying a trap. Well, I'm going to make sure he doesn't lay any more.

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GBCE · 02-20-2010, 04:48 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Kaitostrike.

The battle was taking it's tole; Alex began to feel to effects of exhaustion. He could barely stand on his own, and had to use his sword as a prop. But the Tender was far from finished.
"Just what the hell are you made of?!" Sen attacked again,knocking Alex back into the spikes protruding from the wall; this time his arm suffered the brunt of the damage.
"RAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGG!"
Alex dropped his sword and tried to let his arm loose of the over-sized thorn. Sen leapt onto him and began letting loose a flurry of attacks.
"Go to hell you god-forsaken freak!" he yelled, blasting the Tender into the sky with a blast of fire.

Blitz's face hardly resembled the one Vex had became acquainted with. But before Vex could do anything; almost as if by fate, the flying Tender crashed into the patch of grass between them in a burst of flame.
"What the-"

Alex may have rid himself of one problem, but there was still another; that was in fact lunging at him that very instant.Wolf bit into his neck, and Alex let out another scream. He freed his right arm and struck at Wolf,sending him flying back. But the beast recovered, and lunged at him again, impaling him on another spike.
Alex no longer felt the pain; he only felt death, coming closer and closer.In haste he grabbed his weapon and hit Wolf broadside.
He's down, I might just be able to- He was interrupted by an icy hand.

"I told you, I would kill him."
As death swept over him, Alex used his last breath, not to curse his killer,but rather...

"Damn it,Charles..."

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GBCE · 02-20-2010, 09:59 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Weldar.

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So much was going on now that Steven was having trouble keeping up with it all. Something had happened to Blitz, apparently caused by Vex's arm, a flaming Sen had just fallen out of the sky and the bubble was falling to pieces around them. Steven could hear the scrape of metal against metal beneath his feet, all around the bubble panels of the exterior broke off, debris rushed towards the holes trying to worm its way through the tangle of roots and escape into the freedom of space. Steven heard a panel pop off not too far from where he was standing. The roots were thick there and almost completely sealed the hole but even so Steven could still feel the pull of the vacuum and air was still escaping. We really need to hurry to those escape pods Steven stole a glance over in the general direction of the fountain. Some fire had finally managed to catch on and get burning nicely somewhere near there. Hopefully the pods are okay.Even as he thought this Steven knew they wouldn't be using the escape pods. A strange feeling had come over Steven but it was a vaguely familiar one. That's it! It was similar to the feeling that comes when you stand next to one of the "gates", that and some dizziness but that part was probably due the lack of oxygen. Steven thought back to what the two strange figures had said at the beginning of the contest. It's feels like we're about to move.... maybe. which would mean, someone's dead!

**Schazer** · 02-21-2010, 07:09 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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Sen hopped clumsily backwards from John and Alex, one slender forelimb encased in scabby, inflexible bark. The Tender was still reeling from the World Tree's destruction; the distress signals had rammed through his head like a neural sledgehammer - and it was still banging sonorously away as the forest struggled to cope with the lack of energy and sudden loss of air pressure. Standing somewhat shakily, a pale, slender root burst from the cleared earth, and twined round a green finger.

Along the fringes of the forest, saplings began to wither and die. The base energy granted them to provide the basic processes of life was sequestered through the network of roots, until it reached the breach. The fibres, flung asunder as their encasing earth was sucked into the vacuum, started to enmesh about themselves, swiftly forging a patch over the rend. Even as root ground against root, not all of the gaps could be sealed, and the air kept rushing out as the trees started to creak ominously and fall under their own weight around the contestants. The pale roots were now enmeshing Sen's freakish hands right up the wrist as it worked with an externally detached, yet feverish concnetration. Once Sen had decided the flow of air was a non-urgent sort of emergency, the linking roots died away also, their strength flowing into the impossible task. Sen shook his head, and spotted Wolf nursing cuts and gouges in the gap beneath a felled tree.

The Tender loped over, usual grace hampered by the solid cake of bark upon its thigh. The clearing was almost too dark to see anything; the luminescence of the Sun's radiation obscured by the treetops. What remained unscorched of Wolf's fur was stained darkly with blood, the canine tried to stand as Sen approached but collapsed on a forelimb slashed by Alex's blade. Sen bared his teeth and raised a hand; Wolf cowered a little, wondering what he had done this time.

There wasn't really a crunch, Sen being rather smooth-skinned and having only bitten the flesh anyway, but Wolf winced as the needles punctured the Tender's arm. He watched as the beast gingerly put its leg back down, and then wiped off the slime with a finger and reached for Wolf. Wolf took a cautious sniff of the approaching talon, but didn't want to cause any trouble, so reluctantly consented to letting Sen apply the clear goop to his wounds. The stuff didn't sting so much as prickle quietly, but he wasn't keen to lick it off.

The slime trembled, seemed to grip the skin a little tighter, then condense into a smooth, very flexible, papery bark. Wolf could feel the wound underneath it, still, but it no longer hampered his movement. An experimental lick, under Sen's watchful eye, told Wolf it was just bark. It was probably easy enough to tear off, if he wanted to. Wolf lowered his head to the green giant in thanks, whose own bite mark was scabbing over with a similar hide.

"Thank you."

Trr-chktk. The Tender appraised him for another moment, before strutting off. After a few more awkward paces, it raised a claw and tore off the thick, fireproof bark from its shoulder without flinching. As it crossed the clearing slowly towards the fountain (it was ignoring the now-neutralised Alex), more chunks of bark were ripped away to expose healed skin, and Sen's usual birdlike grace.

GBCE · 02-21-2010, 08:21 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Drakenforge.

Even with his vocabulary, Wolf would not have been able to express his gratitude properly in any language, even his own. The bark-skin-leader Sen had helped him. The laws of the forrest told Wolf that as a wounded member of the pack, he was a liability. If he was prey he would be chosen to be hunted. He would be left to the back of the group and picked off as the others left him.

And yet, in an embodiment of the forrest itself, the law was changed. Help not just the Alpha, everyone.

Wolf finally released his mind to take in his situation. The blood rage he was in had subsided. No longer did every shadow have eyes and fangs and claws. He tasted blood, and not just his own. He, a creature that hunts for others, had attacked the tailless of the... fire.
Bile rose in Wolf's throat. Violance was not in his nature. To kill prey for survival was necessary to every creature in one way or another, yet he engaged in a fight not for teritory, a mate or food. It was... mindless!

Wolf turned his head to the side and vomited. A sickly tasting mixture caused Wolf to gag further, but found nothing left to throw up. His body tried to dry retch for a longer part of a minute before the compulsion subsided. His belly ached, his wounds stung, and he hated himself.

Slowly, he picked himself off of the floor, cautiosly trying out the bark crutch. It held, but wolf adopted a limp just for good measure. He made his way back over to the tailless youth.

He was slumped on his back against the thorns. Some protruded from his body, dripping blood slowly onto the ground. The... human, had his eyes closed. Wolf cautiosly sniffed the body.

He was not-breath.

Wolf stared long and hard at the wounds his fangs had caused. The red mixture of his blood ran down the taillesses neck. Wolf looked away. He wished he knew something of the taillesses, like their death rituals. Anything to repent for what wold did.

But, Wold knew there was something he could do.

So wolf sat upright, held his head into the sky, and howled the remorseful lamentation of death.

Back home, the howl would be repeated for miles around the forrest by every wolf, no matter the pack. It would scale mountains, cross rivers and show respect for the death of a hunter.
After the last long note died out, Wolf thought about what his day had been.

The long-pelt tailless. Inability to move.
There would be death.
There would be locations.
There would be...

A sudden burst of pain rocketed through Wolf's skull. He shut his eyes, attempting to drown out the pain.
It subsided just as fast as it had arrived. Whatever deep truth the tailless had said, if it even was truth, was locked outside of wolf's mind. There was, however, a slight tingling in his chest.
It felt like the longing he had to return to the den he had as a cub, only deeper, stronger. He wanted to go, but had no idea where.

So Wolf lay down, careful not to injure his paw, and shut his eyes.

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GBCE · 02-21-2010, 11:52 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Korbz.

Heh, I won. The ice mage beat the fire mage in a fight. John laughed for a few seconds before he looked down at the no longer breathing Alexander. ...Wait. I just killed someone. I took the life of a mostly innocent person. He and I were only kids, I shouldn't have killed him, and he shouldn't have di- John's thinking was interrupted by Blitz's scream. John hated the noise, but it quieted down momentarily. John stared at the corpse blankly, crying. T-There goes the only person in this whole stupid competition who could even be considered a friend...It's obvious that the two people who aren't Goat-man are going to turn against me and Goat-man, the green dinosaur tree thing wants to eat me, and not really wolf wants to eat me too, because it's a wolf, I think. John lifted his staff and an icicle formed on it, he limped over to the nearest fire and lit the ice on fire. Knowing that the ice would completely melt in a couple of seconds, he floated his staff over to Alex, while Wolf was howling, and did what was customary for his race; to have a ceremony pertaining to their element. When Wolf finished howling, John cremated Alex. "Rest well, you were an amazing opponent." He scooped up the ashes of the fire mage, put them into a sphere of ice and it fit into the bottom hole of his staff. He recited the words the elders had said at his parents' funeral. "May you rest in peace forever, you shall never be forgotten in the hearts, souls, and minds of everyone here." He sat down in front of the charred thorns and cried.

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Not The Author · 02-22-2010, 05:45 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

Jacob Helix stepped out of nowhere into what was clearly a poor situation. Vex was separated from he, Steven, and Blitz by a wall of flames. The nearby plants seemed to be growing more of that silvery bark, containing and supressing the fire, but Vex was somewhat panicked nonetheless. Whether from Blitz's erratic behavior or because he'd arrived, Jacob was unsure. What he was sure of was that Blitz was extremely troublesome.

Jacob didn't use guns, of course, but the concept was the same.

There were several problems with killing Blitz, but most of those lay with Vex's view of "the right thing." He could be dealt with (peacibly) later. Steven, however, was in danger, and that wouldn't do at all.

Blitz brought up his arm, perhaps a bit jerkily, and launched another bolt through the empty space Steven had occupied moments before. "Sorry about this," said Jacob, releasing his grip on Steven's legs, "but I'm pretty sure we lost him." The scraggly youth looked back, but Jacob was staring through the flames. Then he was on his feet, sword trained on the rising, scarred figure of whom might once have been called 'human.'

"Gggggget awWWAy!

A bolt flew within inches of Jacob's head. The troubleshooter grimaced. "Come on, now. Pull yourself together." He sidestepped another bolt.

"I-I'm trying! Shut up!"

This made Jacob pause, long enough for Blitz to land a reflex-boosted punch on his sword arm. "Friggin'-!" His sword fell to the ground, as did he, avoiding a follow-up electrical bolt.

"SSSSSTAND SSSSTILL AND DIE!"

Suddenly Steven was behind Blitz, restraining his arms. Blitz was frantically struggling, ineffectually pouring sparks into Steven's indestructable gloves. Jacob slowly brought himself to his feet, sword in hand. Brushing filth from his plate chestpiece, he scowled at the struggling youth. "So," he began, but was cut off by a heavy, abnormally shaped hand clamping down on his shoulder.

"You don't have to kill him."

There was a pause, ruined somewhat by Blitz's continued struggle. Finally, Jacob spoke.

"...Which one of us are you referring to?"

Vex's response was interrupted by an echoing, sorrowful howl.

GBCE · 02-22-2010, 05:49 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by The Dr..

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GBCE · 02-23-2010, 04:31 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by redskap.

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Sruixan · 02-23-2010, 04:57 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.

Somewhere somewhat separate from the above reality, a computer monitor flickered fleetingly, stubbornly searching for someone who was no longer there to latch on to, before calling it a day and giving in forever. Or at least, until the man who owned it took it to be repaired. As it was, that one person was in no desire to do such a thing, and was at that moment hunched over another, completely separate monitor that offered no vista on the proceedings in the Bubble. In fact, it took another minute or two before the other occupant of the complex spotted the death...

"I thought you'd said you'd be watching the proceedings like a hawk! Some bugger's gone and snuffed it alrea... oh dear..."

Saying that the bubble was looking a little worse for wear was something of an understatement. For a start, it was now only a sphere by an exceptionally loose definition of the term "sphere". The countless cracks that adorned the surface and botanical bulges escaping from them shattered the image of the perfect utopian world that the arena was designed to be and instead gave the impression of the greys and greens and blacks and browns having been splattered onto the canvas of space by an enthusiastic four year old child. The net result was a somewhat startling transition from immaculate order to desolate destruction that had hardly taken two hours. Admittedly, three hours ago the whole place, planet and all, hadn't even been thought of, but it was instead the non-existance of his charges that was giving Talis food for thought...

"We're down one Alexander Striensand, Sruix. I'd get to informing Kaito, but I'm kinda, you know, ever so slightly concerned that, well, there might just be the slightest of chances that we end up with seven other corpses on our hands? This is a fight to a death, not a competition to see who can hold their innards in for the longest..."

There was a gentle sigh from the heap of hair beside Talis.

"Don't worry about it... there is still time. Besides, there's been a slight change in plan... I'm backtracking a bit, but I'm going to use our original plan for this round, alright? Don't ask, and I won't tell. It shall be... fitting."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Where there had been carnage and chaos of whatever description fitted each contestant's perception of the frenzy, now there was something old; a black void, untarnished by the trifles of simple stuff. It was supposed to be brief, but in fact it lasted about a second longer than it should have - still not quite enough to let the contestants disconnect themselves from the bubble universe, and so when the light came, the change was still something of a shock.

It was quite a lot of light, in comparision to the rapidly dimming tones the dying sun of the previous round had emitted. Most of it caught the water lapping lackadaisically against the shore - the glimmers were hypnotic, and thankfully they continued up onto the beach, where grains of diamonds, assumedly, were trying desperately to outshine the sea. Someone has prepared this beach, for the same pattern of circles that had penetrated the darkness at the very start of the competition had been etched out in the sand, confining the remaining seven contestants once more. But now there were only seven combatants, and so that left one circle thrown at the mercy of the eternal cycle of waves.

The two gentlemen were standing there, in the middle, as immaculately dressed as the last time, with at least one discernablely devious smile on display. One could but assume, under the hair, S was wearing a similar smirk.

"People. Well, beings. That'll do... yes, right, first off; well done with the Bubble. I would be surprised if, in an hour or so, there was actually some of that sphere left. Your carnage was dealt much faster than I'd estimated, so I think you all deserve to give each other a pat on the back, though you might have to leave Sen out of that equation..."

By now the first few heads were drifting round, and the highlight of this new arena was quite apparent - the contestants were standing on the shore of a tropical island, yes, but how do most of those form? Well, through volcanoes like the one that towered over the landscape, that's how. It was the classic sort of volcano - tall, cylindrical and topped off with a waft of gainsboro smoke.

"It is called Firestar. Not the most original of names, perhaps, but trust me, it fits. The natives, see, aren't that advanced, and so I'd be pleased if I were you about the fact they've actually constructed a relatively decent metaphor by stringing two concepts together. Maybe I just have low expectations. Either way, rest assured, it might be dormant but I am pretty certain that it's not due for an eruption just yet. If you came here in a year or so, then yes, you could be worried, bu-"

Talis saw it fit at that moment to whisper something presumably into S's ear, though one never could be quite sure if you were communicating with his nose or not.

"...ah. OK, make that six months. Sorry, really, sorry. These things are pretty hard to predict, but I'd trust Tails over me anyday. You on the other hand might want to be wary... um, right, where was I..."

"Allow me - now, generally you've got a little more room to maneuver here, but, well, you know the natives S mentioned? Well, I booked a slot in the last hallucination experienced by their shaman and, you know, maybe said something to him about The Seven coming to bring about The End relatively soonish. Amazingly, they actually believe that guy - his brain is gradually turning into one of those mushrooms of his, let me tell you - and I'd recommend being a little cautious of them. I mean, they might come at you with pointed sticks, or flaming torches, or pointed flaming sticks. You might laugh, but as lovely as their temple is, you don't want to see the gorgeous carvings in it whilst tied upside down to a stick - that detracts from the experience, if you know what I mean. Anything else, S?"

"Just the fact that the nearest decent civilisation is about eight thousand miles away, as the crow flies, and none of you, as far as I am currently aware, are crows. Goodbye."

With that, they had vanished, and the contestants felt their ethereal bonds breaking, until they were able to move once more.

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**Schazer** · 02-23-2010, 06:03 PM

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

Reservoir'd.

Ew, wait, maybe not.