Digital bodies swarmed around Ark as he spun in place, green bolts shooting out from his sleek, metallic pistols. The green circuits that adorned his suit lit up with each pulse, indicating use of his power. "Fucking die already!!! This is getting old fast!" he complained as he fired the deadly blasts into the myriad of colored suited players jumping towards him. Finally, they all froze in place as Ark's guns stopped firing. A digital beam took the other players away, grunts of dismay coming from many of the defeated. He couldn't help but pant slightly, he felt the drain of energy now. Soon, a glowing blue door materialized in front of him, bearing a set of words.
VICTORY COMPLETE, ARKHELLIUS! CONTINUE?
Underneath the words, upon the middle of the sapphire door glowed a countdown. It began at twenty, and descended every second. If hadn't even gotten to fifteen before Ark opened the door, moving through with a confident swagger. A small robotic head greeted him on the other side, it's voice soothing as though it were a mother talking to her child. "Ah, Arkhellius, I -knew- you could do it! It's so good to see you progressing so vigorously! Now, however, you may meet your match!" the voice seemed to take on a higher pitched tone, as though it were trying to taunt Ark. He kept his gaze steady, simply responding to the being, "Come on, Holdy. Just take me there, I'll win there too."
The head buzzed slightly in dismay, it's tone now sounding slightly dejected. "Please, use 'The Beholder' when referring to me. Especially if you want to keep succeeding!" The head began to glow, it's eyes seeming to stare at Ark as a new door formed. He looked towards it, giving a small respectful nod to the robot before moving through. He was ready for whatever kind of dangerous, vicious, bloodthirsty battle awaited him on the other side...
-------
This was Testament, a world that had torn people from their homes, forcing them to participate in it's gladiatorial type games and different challenges. It promised untold riches upon completion, and the possibility of freedom. Those who succeed were said to be granted any wish of their choosing, while those who failed would continually need to fight again and again. The possibility of death was remote, but their bodies were physically real. Should one sustain injuries that would cause death, they would in fact die. The weapons for the challenges, however, were generally nonlethal, and deaths had been rare.
The world seemed to be almost entirely made of technology, the walls could rework themselves, the suits could be rewired to perform necessary feats for the game at hand, and there was a constant watch from the overseeing being known as 'The Beholder'. It was quickly learned that being on their good side would result in better items being thrown your way, so players did their best to put on a show.
Arkhellius was one such player, one whom the Beholder had taken a preference to. But there was one more... And now, it was time to find out which of the two would be more... Interesting.
- - - - - -
A small room with a large bed in the middle. The bed was made of what looked like very soft material, with large, silk pillows. Arkhellius paused as he entered the room, dumbfounded by what he saw. No other room had been like this. His opponent hadn't arrived yet, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what the challenge could possibly be. The wall soon changed to the usual game description, however, and he sat on the edge of the bed as he began to read it. "...No. No no no, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked, too shocked to rise to his feet.
THE CHALLENGE: THE FIRST PLAYER TO CLIMAX, LOSES! HAVE FUN YOU TWO!
The text was followed by a smiley face. Winking.
VICTORY COMPLETE, ARKHELLIUS! CONTINUE?
Underneath the words, upon the middle of the sapphire door glowed a countdown. It began at twenty, and descended every second. If hadn't even gotten to fifteen before Ark opened the door, moving through with a confident swagger. A small robotic head greeted him on the other side, it's voice soothing as though it were a mother talking to her child. "Ah, Arkhellius, I -knew- you could do it! It's so good to see you progressing so vigorously! Now, however, you may meet your match!" the voice seemed to take on a higher pitched tone, as though it were trying to taunt Ark. He kept his gaze steady, simply responding to the being, "Come on, Holdy. Just take me there, I'll win there too."
The head buzzed slightly in dismay, it's tone now sounding slightly dejected. "Please, use 'The Beholder' when referring to me. Especially if you want to keep succeeding!" The head began to glow, it's eyes seeming to stare at Ark as a new door formed. He looked towards it, giving a small respectful nod to the robot before moving through. He was ready for whatever kind of dangerous, vicious, bloodthirsty battle awaited him on the other side...
-------
This was Testament, a world that had torn people from their homes, forcing them to participate in it's gladiatorial type games and different challenges. It promised untold riches upon completion, and the possibility of freedom. Those who succeed were said to be granted any wish of their choosing, while those who failed would continually need to fight again and again. The possibility of death was remote, but their bodies were physically real. Should one sustain injuries that would cause death, they would in fact die. The weapons for the challenges, however, were generally nonlethal, and deaths had been rare.
The world seemed to be almost entirely made of technology, the walls could rework themselves, the suits could be rewired to perform necessary feats for the game at hand, and there was a constant watch from the overseeing being known as 'The Beholder'. It was quickly learned that being on their good side would result in better items being thrown your way, so players did their best to put on a show.
Arkhellius was one such player, one whom the Beholder had taken a preference to. But there was one more... And now, it was time to find out which of the two would be more... Interesting.
- - - - - -
A small room with a large bed in the middle. The bed was made of what looked like very soft material, with large, silk pillows. Arkhellius paused as he entered the room, dumbfounded by what he saw. No other room had been like this. His opponent hadn't arrived yet, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what the challenge could possibly be. The wall soon changed to the usual game description, however, and he sat on the edge of the bed as he began to read it. "...No. No no no, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked, too shocked to rise to his feet.
THE CHALLENGE: THE FIRST PLAYER TO CLIMAX, LOSES! HAVE FUN YOU TWO!
The text was followed by a smiley face. Winking.