Click HERE for the rules of this Round...
***Antes are Extra Challenges that add twice the points wagered if successfully pulled off. They come in 3 Flavors (Easy Medium Hard). No two participants can have the same kind of Ante. For more info, click the link above.
Both ErrorBlender and Lobotomizer have the same ante: do not lose your Permanent Injury
Scoring:
- Votes are worth 5 pts. each.
- Fulfilling the Ante gives 30 pts. and losing it takes 30pts if failed depending on difficulty
- Judge's Blessing gives 15 points if entry caught the Judge's eye.
Here are the entries:
Bl.An.C.
[spoiler=ErrorBlender's Entry][Tournament Finals Against Lobotomizer]
Synthetic Justice
He was in pain. Bl.An.C. was very sure of that. He felt the ground beneath him; his fingers registered the soil as he clenched it under his palm. Good, at least I know I’m not paralyzed. He had thought. He forced himself to sit up; every fiber of his being began to protest. Aches and pains scattered across his body like skittering ants, tiny trails of agony amplified by their sheer number. They came in waves, surging pain against his body and eroded his will to even move.
Cooper screamed in pain. He sucked in the stale air inside his helm in shallow then deep breaths. The shock of the pain itself shook him. His eyes widened in duress. He tried to swallow but his throat was too dry that it pained him to even attempt it.
“Query: Where…am I?” His voice quivered. The suit registered it as a pause in the sentence.
His gaze moved across the landscape, the one emerald eye’s glow blinking erratically. The sky was a dark purple and splotched with even darker colored clouds that hid a stark white moon. Bl.An.C. mustered enough willpower to sit up in spite of the pains.
“Statement: Area…appears to be uninhabited.” He groaned. “Additional: Spires decorate… distant skyline. And a massive cathedral seems to be in the very center of this.”
Cooper brought himself on his two legs shakily. He breathed in as he tried to pace himself. Blobs of candle and torch light kept the place lit but only barely. It seems as though shadow had claimed the land and overcame even lights creation. The very atmosphere felt unnatural; the android’s auditory sensors could make out voices but they didn’t seem near. Or alive.
“Observation: I seem to have triumphed over Walden.” Cooper mused, his voice wavered. It meant Walden was killed. “...and this must be the next trial.”
“Indeed it is.” A voice called out.
“Analysis: I remember that voice.” Bl.An.C. exclaimed silently. “Conclusion: Corvon’s mistress. “ He told himself as he tried to find the source of the disembodied voice. He instinctively ran systems check. Numbers and charts began to unfold in fuzzy images and most of them reported none too good.
Apparently, the wingpack and missile pods were still strapped onto him, leftover from the previous combat, then his auditory sensors picked up light sounds; footsteps from the alley behind him. Just now did Bl.An.C. notice that he stood on the very center of a massive courtyard. Its supposedly bright colors paled and diluted under the dim light of the deathly moon.The ornate design of the floor tiles resembled that of a sword and stave crossed of each other in a sort of pointillistic approach. It was encircled with three rings that centered on where the blade and staff met.
The woman approached, she climbed up the short staircase and onto the courtyard. Her appearance matched the surroundings. Her pleated skirt was stained with dark crimson and upper garment ripped and tattered. Kalena looked like she went through a war. And she lost. A survivor. Her hand caressed the pommel of her sword that was sheathed on her side. The female’s stare seemed to pierced through Bl.An.C.’s armor but the android did not falter.
“Query: Kalena?” He asked directly. He noticed his voice waver but luckily the suit did not show it.
Eirwen nodded and spoke: “Yes and I believe you owe me an answer, Bl.An.C.”
The pseudo-android looked around searchingly then at the woman. “Query: Where is Corvon? Isn’t he always with you?”
The heroine of justice just stood there in utter silence. Her disheveled hair covered her face in deep shadow. Kalena’s grip on the sword of truth’s pommel tightened. “He died.”
Cooper blinked in surprise not at the news but how Kalena delivered it. She seemed detached, almost apathetic now. Another death, another casualty but this one isn’t even part of the wRHG. I’m not surprised that she feels this way. Someone that close lost can break a person. But Cooper himself was breaking, he had killed another. Another life in the hundreds of lives tallied as his murders.
“Query: May I ask who your previous adversary was?” The android asked despite knowing there could only be one, Chance Downtown. I will have to debrief him later on about this.
“Answer my question first.” Kalena urged. She unsheathed her blade slowly; the pale moonlight glistened on its bloody steel face. Its blood tipped point directed at the pseudo android.
Bl.An.C. realized that his questions would lead nowhere. He ignored the pains and straightened his back. His lone emerald eye stared at Kalena’s blade. “Query: Why must you know the reason?”
For a few brisk moments there was nothing but silence. The air around them began to chill and the breeze strengthened to a gale. The whispers of the air changed into hellish chants of unknown origin. It was as if the village sensed the tension building up and it craved more. The structures creased and cracked seemingly magnetized towards the upcoming violence but none of the gladiators took heed to the lustful town.
“Irrelevant. What I need to know is why you joined this blood tournament.” Kalena stepped forward; her eyes were dark pools of brown.
Bl.An.C. tested his arms and flexed his fingers. All seems right; they still can’t receive weapons which is a shame. This might determine my death. The android eyed Kalena’s sword with worry. Armored fists against an enchanted blade—seems fair enough.
“Statement: Beat me and I will answer your question.” Bl.An.C. proposed. Buy yourself time, you need to learn the surroundings.
“Very well,” Kalena assumed a stance, her form ready to strike. “You protected Corvon in a previous battle; I owe you a debt of gratitude that even my payment of a canine escort will not repay but I will not repay you in mercy.”
“Agreement: Then we understand each other.” The android said and smiled in the anticipation of combat. Wait...Why am I -- suddenly hostile? Several pings alarmed Bl.An.C. of incoming transport, missiles inbound to the pods. The wingpack extended its wings and the engine began to rev up noisily.
“Now.” Kalena stepped back and her stance lowered to a near crouch. “Answer me.” The Sword of Truth’s blade tip touched the tiled ground. Within a bat of an eyeblink, a column of earth sprouted out from the ground in a blast of stone shards and carried the swordswoman towards the android. Before Bl.An.C. had accounted for the rest of his ammunition, Kalena’s blade had slashed across his chest from below.
Cooper bounded from ground to staircase, his body spun until his face plate grinded the floor. Bl.An.C.’s momentum allowed him enough energy to stand and stay on his feet afterwards. Unwittingly, the android swerved to one side that allowed him to dodge an oncoming slash from the bearer of the sword. The android darted ahead after his uncanny evasion and rushed forward and trusted himself that his fist would strike flesh but Kalena was faster. Her discipline with the sword bore the apparent upperhand against Bl.An.C.’s combat experience. The armored fist of the android struck the blade face of the sword, Kalena immediately twisted the blade to allow the android’s fist to pass by her. In one fluid motion, Eirwen twirled in place and made herself small as she crouched. In one burst of energy, the blade shot up as she jumped and sliced the android again, one that traced a large gash from the pelvis to the face.
The android staggered backwards on the decorated tiles of the courtyard, his armor weakened and distorted from damage.The jade eye attempted a focused image of Kalena. The image returned onto Cooper’s interface shocked him slightly. Kalena is missing an arm. I did not expect this speed from someone with that much damage on her.
‘Missiles armed’ The HUD alarmed Cooper. “Command: Lock missiles in the pods, open exhaust ports indefinitely.”
The android dodged a few more slashes, each of them gained speed and power and increased the difficulty in evading any of them. Something changed sometime in between the succeeding attacks, Bl.An.C. observed that Kalena was getting frustrated, her attacks became more violent. Less discipline showed and ferocity seemed to take its place. The sword smashed everything it touched; every time the blade struck the tiled courtyard, shards of colored rock shattered in its wake. The gothic architecture screeched around them yearning for more.
“...Allow free command on missile interface.” Bl.An.C. uttered the last word with a grunt as the blade was brought down on his head. His hands frantically clasped the blade between them, Cooper’s arms quaked with the strength delivered by Kalena’s blow.. “Command: Activate!”
Bl.An.C.’s wingpack flared alive, and the missile pods exhaust ports exhumed bright wisps of yellow and red. The android’s leg boosted up in a powerful roundhouse. Eirwen was caught by surprise and the armored kick snagged the base of her chin. The swordswoman was thrown down to her back, the blade slipped out from her hand.Whilst in midair, android pressed on, his wingpack directed the android towards his enemy with a gust of heated wind.
Kalena scrambled to her feet, her mouth had begun to bleed. She felt around for her sword, found it close by and coiled her fingers around its handle. She could feel its energy course through her, earthen force pumped through her veins to command the soil around with one whip of the sword’s steel but she had to calm down. She grit her teeth, she almost attempted to hold the blade with two hands but remembered that she only had one to spare. It still felt as if the entire arm was there. As if it was never cut off. Her face was a plaster white, she had lost too much blood from the previous fight and now she had begun to bleed again. How long could she keep going against an armored gladiator? She whisked these thoughts away, she brought about all her strength on to the single hand she had that gripped the sword. She spread her feet wide in response to the rapidly approaching android and plunged her blade to the ground. An earthen rumble echoed slowly as she brought her blade upwards to meet an incoming attack.
Bl.An.C. spun in midair seconds before intercept. The left missile pod blasted a powerful yellow flame that boosted his kick. Kalena had her blade meet the blunt force and used her other shoulder for support and blocked the attack nicely. She did not move an inch, earthen clamps wrapped around her feet had forced her stay. For a few seconds, the two were locked in a stare, Bl.An.C. in midair whilst Kalena rock steady on the ground.
“Answer me, Bl.An.C.” Kalena urged.
“Statement: My defeat will permit me to answer your query, Kalena.” The android’s wingpack broke the stare lock. Bl.An.C. landed onto the floor, a bit shaken, but stable. Recall what you know of her blade. Corvon said it was magical, it drew essence from you every use. I can vouch for that since I’ve held and used the blade against the Saint. She will give in to fatigue at some point and with her current condition it may not take too long. The android thought. He felt a bit of strength leave him. His power waned and the suit’s energies were nearly depleted. It may not take too long for me either.
From afar both gladiators looked like as if they went through hell and back again. Their wounds, their scars and the pain that erupted every time they had moved was proof but in order to get out of the stadium, a new hell they had to pass, they’d have to defeat the other. In order to rise, the other must fall into eternal abyss.
Bl.An.C. wasn’t doing too well, the armor had taken direct hits from the sword. The gash that split the face plate in two sliced deeper than expected. The blade’s tip had scraped the skin of his face. The dual slices that struck the body disabled most of the armor’s capability to protect. The enhanced nanoshielding had powered down during iron fists’ implosion. It was only a matter of time before Kalena would realize how open he was. Act now, Coop. Act fast!
Kalena breathed heavily, she spat out a blob of blood to one side. She allowed the blade to fall to her side while she still grasped it tightly. The clamps on her feet crumbled to the rocks they were. She was exposed, her weakness for her enemy to see. Corvon. I did not mean for it to happen. The swordswoman straightened, her breathing calmed. Corvon wouldn’t like to see me in this weakened state. He’d get worried. I have to be strong. Kalena raised the blade again and directed it at Bl.An.C., she raised her head to allow her eyes to see beyond her disheveled bangs. Dried blood caked part of her face but she didn’t care. What mattered now is that she should survive. Not for herself but for Corvon. If there was a tiny chance that Corvon survived she will press on. And press on she will.
The android’s optics gazed at Kalena. A tiny flash of light appeared on his shoulder and materialized into small device that blinked red every second. Within a few seconds, several drones warped into reality.Their spherical bodies floated in midair, their laser guns trained at the lone swordswoman.
“Bl.An.C.” Kalena called out.
“Response: What is it?” The android said, his head twitched. The emerald eye flickered ice blue to emerald green.
“Do you want to end it?” Kalena asked. “Do you wish to end my life?” Her face was stern and serious. Ever since I came to this place...I’ve felt the urge to kill; more than a want, it seemed to be a need. Does he hear the same whispers?
The android visibly breathed in before he spoke. “Query: What is it with you and these questions?” The drones around him hovered silently and waited for the command to fire.
“Stop answering mine with your own. Answer truthfully” Kalena used her sword to balance herself.
Bl.An.C.’s neck arched downward then faced Kalena. The helmet whizzed backwards clunkily, the grey locks moved without their fluidity and sometimes stopped mid-sequence. Once the helmet was out of the way, Kalena had full view of what Cooper had looked like. The grey brown hair flopped down to his silver green eyes. Blood stained his hair and a scar dashed down his left eye forcing it closed. He stared at Kalena. “If I have to.”
“Do you?” Kalena questioned. “Does anyone have to die?”
“No but this system has to be stopped one way or another.” Cooper replied.
“How are you going to stop it? By winning every tournament? By participating in every battle?” Kalena pressed.
C
