[The Official RPN Character Challenge 2015]Match QA!

[SkyGinge]

Cyrus Cooper (@cojemo ) vs Athene Rockings (@ValentineIllusion )

~The Quarter Finals: Match QA~





The lobby has been getting chillingly quiet, and chillingly empty. You returned from last round's horrific challenge, perhaps caught a bite to eat, and healing the day's wounds with a relaxing trip to the hot-springs. No relaxation, no matter how comforting, can hide the emptiness.





Perhaps this emptiness is taking its toll on you. Perhaps you have sunk into this regular regime, have accepted your fate and what you must do. Perhaps you still bid to defy these malicious deities, the origin of which you are yet to decipher. Irregardless, you know you have no choice but to go to the arena every day, and hope that the task that awaits you is kinder than its predecessors.




There's a surprisingly homely breeze as you traverse the tunnel, without a trace of ominousness or dread. A gentle, infrequent gust which gently tickles you, plays sluggish games with your garb. And that scent, so sweet, so familiar... Is it finally time to return home?


No, in a word.

Though at least the landscape you've emerged into doesn't look like it's just leaped straight from a horror film. Instead, you find yourself on a rural hill. The grass is an emerald green, the sky a pure, blue sapphire. And yet not a single sound is carried on the breeze. You inspect your surroundings closer, and find that at the edges, the hill suddenly turns to a sheer drop, down into a blank, white abyss below. The only other foliage in this bare scene are a pair of large trees, one behind you, and one behind your opponent.





"Greetings, challengers," the announcer booms, "and congratulations. You have made it to the Quarter-Finals, the final eight. There are not many challenges left un-challenged, and soon a winner will be crowned."


"The objective of this round is simple. Behind both players, there is a tree. That tree is now your Soul. The aim of the game is to destroy your opponent's tree whilst also protecting your own. When a tree has been completely destroyed, its owner will perish. However, minor damage done to the trees will not harm their owners. Are you ready to Capture the Soul? Let the challenger commence!"


As before, there is the loud crash of a gong, and somewhere, an unseen crowd woops and cheers. It's time for you to undertake a different kind of fight!

​

Capture the Soul! In this combat challenge, normal fighting tradition has been turned on its head. Instead of aiming to injure your opponent, you are aiming to damage and fell your foe's SoulTree whilst simultaneously protecting your own. Can you fell your opponent's tree without leaving yours in danger, and can you survive to the next round?

Quarter Final Rules! For this round, as with all rounds, you will have as many posts as you can to react to and enjoy the challenger; hence we do expect players to be reacting to one and other's characters alongside completing the task. This is obviously especially integral for this round and the following rounds, as most will be direct 1v1 face-offs between a pair of characters. Remember these rules at all times. The Round will run from the opening on this thread (Monday 17th August) until 12:00 AM GMT on Saturday 22nd August (7:00 AM EST). So this round will run for roughly five days. Any posts made after this period will be immediately deleted. and as they focus so integrally on interaction between competitors, please remember that quantity does not equal quality. If you put all your efforts into one giant post, you will completely miss the point of this being an interaction and a battle. For this round, the remaining competitors have progressed into four pairings. The winner of each group will qualify for the semifinals. Judges will simply be giving one point to their winner for each group. Any potential ties will be broken on points obtained in previous rounds. Hence, 4 Characters will qualify for the next round. Do your best and you might be amongst them! All posts should be replies to this thread; post down below! If you have any questions about this round specifically, ask them in this linked thread! Similarly, if you want to banter about in OOC about this round, there is a specialised thread!

 

[ValentineIllusion]

This grass was way too damn green.


Athene had been forced through the temple of freaking doom, forest of a wild clingy cougar that was apparently her dark side, and a chair that tried to quite literally blow her brains out. She had had five seizures so far, two of which happened in those life or death situations. Her husband was there, but these Gods were pulling them both every which way and most often, away from each other. All the while, people were dropping out like flies. None of this was fun and some greener grass and soul trees weren't going to cheer her up all that much.


They had only given her two things to survive through this whole ordeal. She had her little dog, a little service dog that at least alerted people to seizures she couldn't prevent. That, and she had the love of her life.


Her pistol.


"My soul looks a little more like a black hole you assholes!" she shouted to the sky, storming back to her tree to take the defensive. Athene was starting to lose it a little, but she was ready to channel that into extra ammo for her pistol. Oh, she was so tired of this, but she had come to the point that surviving was the best way to stick it to them. How a pistol was going to take down a tree, she wasn't sure. She had a little bit of an idea though.


Her goal: Somehow manage to play sniper. She was climbing up her tree, heels digging into any crevice she could find, making sure she would be well hidden in the branches. Short distance had always been her specialty, but she didn't want to be running up to God knows her. The people here weren't guaranteed to be human. But as long as bullets went through them, Athene knew she'd make it out alive.

 

[cojemo]

Someone was dead because of Cyrus. He'd killed another human being.


Mind you, the death of the boy his age wasn't directly caused by him, but the fact that the blond had survived was enough reason for him to blame himself. The sick feeling deep inside of his gut grew as he thought back on the previous challenge. If only he'd managed to break free of the constraints like he'd promised, then things may have been different. Maybe they both could have lived, or maybe things would've turned out exactly as they had. There was no way to know for sure, but whatever the case this particular failure stung more than any other he'd ever experienced, with absolutely zero chance that he'd laugh it off and get over the tragedy. Was this how things were going to be now? Murder for the sake of sport? Where had the fun and games gone?


This time, as he stared deeply into the vast darkness of the tunnel, Cyrus turned his back to the passageway that had caused him so much recent turmoil and began to make his exit. There was no way he was going to end another life, and judging by his precious failure to escape, the usually confident teen doubted his chances of being able to do so this time. However, his rebellion didn't last very long, as after the fourth step an invisible barrier of sort blocked his path, practically pushing against his attempts to retreat. No matter how hard he tried Cyrus found himself getting absolutely nowhere, with the only thing he could do being to let out a defeated sigh and turn back around. Guess these guys have thought of everything, huh? Extending both of his middle fingers high into the air, the blond reluctantly marched onward to his next torturous assignment.


However, as he traveled deeper and deeper, instead of the usual dread that accompanied him on these trips he was met with an unusually soothing breeze that soothingly swooshed through his hair. Chuckling to himself, Cyrus continued onward, still hesitant as to whether he should accept the sense of calmness that was inviting him. "You know, turning on a fan doesn't make your transition any more unique. Seriously, if ya need help you bastards should hire me, though now I'm not so sure I want to lend a helping hand." If there was one thing these gods couldn't take away no matter how hard they tried it was his sass, as cracking jokes was often the best way for Cyrus to regain his cool. If anything, the growing hatred he felt only further fueled his need to backtalk these despicable deities.


The odd sensation of the tickling gust continued until he'd finally broken free of the black shroud, and upon laying eyes upon the new battlefield his two raised fingers dropped to his side as he was suddenly overwhelmed by nostalgia. The beautifully green foliage, the captivating sky that he wished he could soar through like a bird with no worries, and as he turned to examine the rest of the marvelous landscape he laid eyes on something that reminded him of the good ol' days; a mammoth of a tree that loomed overhead. A light smile grazed the boys lips as he found the sudden urge to lay stretched out staring up at the sky. In fact, he did just that, his limbs lazily extended in the most comfortable way they could find as he completely forgot there was a challenge afoot. "You know, I'm still taking points off for not getting me here via escalator, but what's up with this place? Did you guys get sued by Jigsaw or something for using his torture devices?" His usually sassy tone was present, up until he let out a deep breath of relief, in which he suddenly sounded uncharacteristically reminiscent. "Nice job either way."


This was the last memory he had back at the Academy before he was whisked away to this deceptive hell; sleeping under a tree when he should have been attending class, not giving a damn about the world around him. In fact, he was always causing trouble back at school, whether it be picking fights with the newest kid with a hero complex or hitting on the girl with the biggest rack. It'd take one of his friends or his always protective sister to bail him out every single time. How much trouble had he caused them over the years? The blond smiled softly, then it grew wider, until suddenly he burst into a fit of laughter.


Why did he ever begin to doubt himself in the first place? There were people waiting for him in his own world, and he'd already decided he was done causing problems over his own stupidity. He'd survive, but he'd survive his own way. No matter how difficult or impossible it may seem, he was going to create a miracle and escape without ending another life.


"Greetings, challengers," "Ah, shut up will ya? Can't you guys just leave a note or something to read instead?" Sighing as his train of motivational thought was derailed, Cyrus pushed himself back up to his feet and looked back at his tree. So, this thing was his soul, and he was supposed to take down his opponent's first in order to win? Well, that sounded all fine and dandy, but murder wasn't something he wanted to do yet again. Maybe if he toppled it his foe would simply be rendered unconscious? With his powers it would be a cinch, but he didn't want to take the risk. Besides, there was no way this would end before the other person heard his melodious voice. However, they didn't seem to be by their soul tree when he looked, so where were they? Even though he knew the risks and dangers of what he was doing, Cyrus stepped a few feet away from his tree and towards where his adversary was supposed to be and called out as loud as he could. "Hey, if you want to play hide and seek then let me warn you I'm a master of seek foo! Nobody can hide from the turtle-like eyes of Cyrus Cooper, especially if you're a babe who's well endowed where it matters." His arms were open wide to his sides as he carried a smirk on his face, though on the inside he was praying that whoever he was talking to was willing to co-operate and NOT try and kill him immediately. "I'm also a pretty good lumberjack, but nobody's paying me to do any choppin' today, so I ain't planning on doing the felling of the trees. I believe you're also not getting any money for this task, correct?. How 'bout you come out here and we can discuss how we can both leave here and ask our employers for a proper salary?"

 

[ValentineIllusion]

"I would not talk about the boobs of the woman who has a gun in her hand that's aimed at you," Athene snapped at him, making sure that the click of the clip she loaded into her gun could be heard. Her ultimate goal, the only one she could think of, was getting out of this whole stupid game and getting home to her family, no matter how she had to do it.


Athene had killed before. She killed before for the sake of her livelihood. She had supported herself through black market marijuana sales, dealing with plenty of suspicious people whose intentions she never knew, and having to shoot someone before they shot her was a regular occurrence. Not to mention the competition that was always trying to push their way onto her New York streets, and they didn't usually leave on their own. Even people that worked for her, in her inner circles, under her wing, would sometimes go against her, and there was no other way to prove her point. Sometimes she accidentally shot one person when she was trying to shoot another. Oh, Athene killed before. She killed before even when she couldn't think of a reason other than the money.


Now, though, she had reasons. A husband. A four year old daughter. A ten month old son. The only way that she knew she'd be able to see them again was if she won this whole damn thing, and the only way she'd win this whole damn thing was by killing more. At first, she figured it'd be hard- how could something so serious ever be easy? By backstabbing the Hell out of the poor guy, that's how.


"How about you give me one good reason to trust you before I shoot you into next week? I'm not a fan of being betrayed." Athene hissed, knowing her smirk was hidden behind the bushels of the tree. She knew he was probably sincere, and the chances of them both planning something sinister were slim, but she wanted to make sure they had an established agreement before she completely ruined it. Besides, even if he was going to backstab her, she planned on beating him to the punch. "What's your name, pretty boy? And what do you think you can do about this?"

 

[cojemo]

Shifting his gaze towards the sound of the voice, the sudden click of a gun caused his wide grin to falter for a brief moment as fear shot throughout his entire being. Though he was now aware of her hiding spot- somewhere hidden in the thick greenery of her soul tree- that wouldn't help him overcome the severe disadvantage he found himself in if things decided to turn sour. Would shooting him even kill him in this challenge? Even if it didn't, Cyrus wasn't exactly eager to find out. On paper, this should have never been the case. With a couple of seconds and the simple flick of the wrist he could literally erase a good chunk of her tree from existence, but once again his reckless and idiotic behavior had thrown him into the deep end while chained to a toaster made of concrete. The only difference now was that this wasn't simply for his own enjoyment. This was so he could redeem his previous failure, and if he had to talk his way out of it then by God he'd pull out the rabbit suit and do the Macarena.


Only problem was...well... despite his mastery of words and boundless enthusiasm, Cyrus wasn't exactly terrific at verbal persuasion. In fact, the boy made a name for himself by talking himself into sticky situations such as the one he currently found himself in and relying on his luck to carry him through. Most of the time it was the job of his friends and family to diffuse the situation or, most commonly, peel him off the sidewalk. However, now he had nobody to rely on but himself, and after his shadow had oh so delicately informed him of his over-reliance on others, the blond was quite eager to show himself just how wrong he was. It was time to prove that he could do things on his own without dragging anyone else down with him. All he had to do was convince this gun-ho lady sniping him from a tree not to put a bullet through his head, all while articulating it without inciting her wrath.


Oh boy was he in trouble.


Taking in the longest breath that he was sure to ever take, Cyrus loosened up his posture and dug one thumb into his pocket as to give off the appearance of confidence. "Well, my fine madam I assume, I believe you may have dropped your hearing aid on your way up to that fabulous fortress of yours as my name has already been shared, but Cyrus Cooper doesn't mind repeating himself for the hearing impaired." Shit, that was fast. He hadn't even made an effort to do so and already one line in he'd insulted the person who held his life in their hands. Rubbing his temples with one hand, the reckless teen continued as he made a conscious effort to choose his words wisely as his instincts obviously couldn't be trusted.


"Anyways, if this face alone isn't good enough reason to believe me then I can't exactly do much without you assuming my pants are on fire, now can I? Heck, I don't even have the slightest clue on how to escape, with my best bet being this little guy right here." Cyrus pulled down his shirt just enough so his greyish gem was visible. "In short it can create miracles. and one thing I can assure you is that I can as well. Pulling answers out of my ass is kind of my thing, and if there's one thing I've learned when throwing darts at a board, it's that the ball will always go in the net eventually. So, ya gonna take a shot at me, or are ya gonna make a storm with my brain?" Now the blond couldn't help but feel like the now deceased Broodster, what with his long winded speech and all. Still, bullshitting wasn't exactly well suited for this particular situation, so that was the best he could do. Hopefully whoever was holding him hostage were either merciful, hot (for obvious reasons), or just a really bad shot, because there were very few options left for him to take.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

God, I want to shoot this guy, Athene thought to herself, really having to hold herself back. Any other time with any other circumstances, she definitely would've shot him. There still was a chance for her to do it, finish him off and hopefully finish the challenge, but that would be too easy. Nothing thus far, here in this strange world, had been easy. She was in yet another new dimension of their's and there really was no telling what would happen, so she might as well make sure she was close and could at least hit him before she would actually have to figure out whether it would make him bleed. This whole tree soul thing was ridiculous. If these gods were wanting to watch them try and kill each other, why not make it a little easier on them? Soul trees sounded more like some hippie crap, not something these "high and mighty" assholes would conjure up for them.


"The ball will never go in the net if you're throwing darts instead, dimwit," Athene snapped at him, but she didn't want to be too snappy with him. His miracle gem was even more ridiculous sounding than the soul trees, but if he was going to be so sure about it, she'd go along with it. She still had to earn a little more of his trust, after all, before she tried anything. "You wanna team up? Fine. But that doesn't mean I like you any more than these gods."


She shoved the gun in her pocket, making sure it was ready to use but being careful to make sure it didn't go off on her foot, and dropped down from the branches, "And don't make another comment on my chest, please. I'm pretty sure a gun will still beat your special rock."

 

[cojemo]

Wait did that just work? At first even Cyrus couldn't believe it, but the sight of someone dropping from the tree only served to confirm the unlikely, taking a huge load off his shoulders in the process. "Holy shit I'm amazing." Mumbling to himself, the boy ran his hands down his face in relief. Boy was it stressful being the hero for once, a role that Cyrus was definitely unfamiliar with. Heck, his entire spiel was basically ripped from a crappy cartoon- with his own fabulous alterations of course- due to his lack of finesse in verbal escapes, yet somehow he'd convinced his opponent to assist him in his ridiculous mission. Sure she didn't seem too amused by his witty quips, and sure she wasn't his biggest fan, but he'd gotten quite used to that. All that mattered was that she'd help, and this made him exceptionally giddy. So giddy, in fact, that his optimistic outlook of the situation completely overlooked the possibility that she may turn on him similar to the Broodster and his sudden change in attitude.


"Ya don't need to worry about that. It may be a bit disappointing for you to hear, but now that you aren't imitating a forest squirrel I see that you aren't exactly my type." Cyrus, extending one hand out to his side while leaving the other hanging low, slowly began to make his way over to the lady before him as he gave her the once over. Disappointing. It seemed that he'd only meet a single pair of hotties during this competition. It wasn't the fact that she looked significantly older than himself, as he definitely found a few of his teachers to his liking, but she simply didn't fall into his very broad specifications. Now, this may have actually been a blessing in disguise, as normally he'd still make a move and flirt even during such a serious moment, but since she didn't rank high enough on his scale she found herself exempt from the usual persecution.


All the while as Cyrus marched forward and gave his personal assessment on the subject before him Cyrus was building a swirling mass of grey energy in the palm of his extended hand. The perplexing matter flowed unnaturally as it shot fourth from his gem. It gave off a natural, threatening glow that was akin to a spotlight on steroids as it formed a spherical energy blob- about 1 foot in diameter- at the end of his fingers. Stopping a few meters away from what should have been both of his targets, he smirked. "So, wanna check the edge of the map first? Be careful though, fall damage is most likely on." To him what he had made wasn't anything special, but in reality there was nothing in the world that compared, literally. Unlike his previous creation of the claw, this was a much more unstable construct that defied not only physics but anything that got in its path. If there was a transparent exit somewhere this could likely smash it open, whether it be underground or in the sky.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

God, I at least want to slap him! Athene shouted to herself, her head screaming in annoyance, annoyed by just him in general. The smart move that she made made her look like she was imitating a squirrel? Yeah, well, he just looked like a little squirrelly jerk. She wasn't his type? Well, assholes weren't her type, either.


"Don't waste time making stupid video game references, nerd, worry a little more about the life and death situation here," Athene snapped once again, storming away and looking for something they could destroy other than each other's trees. Or, well, at least her tree- if he destroyed his own and lost the competition himself, she would be perfectly fine with that. That got her thinking: What if she managed to do that? He looked like he was on the edge, ready to do anything to escape this place, more than desperate not to be the ant caught under the gods magnifying glass. Maybe he was crazy enough to destroy his own tree.


"...Look, kid, this is all just an open field with the two trees. That's it," she insisted, turning back to face him, "We need to check those out, before anything else. There might be some other trick to them, don't you think?"

 

[SkyGinge]

Suddenly, the peace is ruined as the announcer's booming voice rips through the air. "Challengers," the voice sounds markedly unimpressed, "once again, you have neglected to complete our challenges. Dare ye challenge the might of the RPN Gods? Dare you neglect to attempt our challenges? For this, there will be repercussions."





Suddenly, you feel something horrific ripple through your bones, like an earthquake passing over your frame. The last thing you remember is collapsing to the floor before you remember no more.



​

The Round has now Ended!And the Gods are displeased. As before, we ask you not to post in any Out-Of-Arena threads until the results have come out, which will be early tomorrow. Whoever passes through from this group will face the God's repercussions; some kind of physical injury of your choice as punishment for not engaging. Something like a broken limb or two, or a loss of powers, which you will discover cannot be healed by the hot springs! Thanks for your wonderful posts and amazing characters, and we hope you enjoy the twist; the consequences of not obeying the Gods!