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 Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:02 pm
After her mission with Clarice, Madison was determined - not only was she going to stick with her division, but she was going to be the best damn Life Trainee she could possibly be. And that included mastering the heck out of the Life Hunter practice course. The Battle Arena.
Just by the name alone, she was sure it would be a huge challenge. The trainee had practiced for a few days prior, beating on training dummies and listening to Kouki's instructions to try and hone her fighting skills. Only when Hunter and weapon both agreed that they were ready did Madison approach the portal leading to the Battle Arena. "Ready?"
Ready, Kouki agreed grimly. Madison squared her shoulders and summoned her weapon, then stepped through the portal. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she drew two of Kouki's blades, crossing them in front of her in a defensive stance-
.... And absolutely nothing came after her.
Confused, Madison looked around, lowering the swords slightly. "Hello? Is anyone... here?" The only answer was a splash from the surrounding water. A quick check revealed that the water was filled with dangerous-looking fish. What, was she meant to jump in there and fight fish?!
We believe we were not told everything about this course.
"You're telling me," Madison grumbled, staring at the wooden tower that dominated the platform she was standing on. That was not. It could not possibly be a ******** board game.
It was.
She waved one hand in front of one of the dots of laser light. Nothing happened, other than the dart jerking towards the tower as if to indicate get on with it, stupid. The trainee rolled her eyes, sighed, and sheathed Kouki's blades, feeling thoroughly ridiculous. They shouldn't call it a Battle Arena unless there was going to be a freaking battle!!
We agree, Kouki said, sourly.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 12-sided dice:
6, 6, 4, 5, 10
Total: 31 (5-60)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:17 pm
"Well, let's get this over with," Madison said, walking up to the tower and studying it. It did, indeed, look exactly like one of the old games they'd had hanging around her house, except this one had more of the pieces intact. She couldn't fathom how the game could possibly be related to being a Hunter at all, let alone a Life Hunter, but... apparently it was. Somehow.
What is the purpose of this game? Kouki said, still sulking.
"You take pieces out of the bottom of the tower, then put them on top." Madison demonstrated, sliding a piece free and moving it to the topmost row. "When the tower falls, you lose."
Maybe something exciting will happen when the tower falls down? The serpent-sword sounded hopeful. Just a little bit.
"Maybe. Who knows." She moved piece after piece upwards. The first part wasn't too hard, really. Pretty soon she'd made five gaps in the tower and moved five corresponding pieces upwards.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 10-sided dice:
2, 2, 1, 10, 9
Total: 24 (5-50)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:21 pm
It was getting a little bit harder now. Madison studied the tower, then slid another piece free. Then another. And an-
CRASH!
Madison jumped backwards as the tower collapsed in a hail of pieces, a few of them bouncing out to splash in the water. Oh! Maybe we can fight now! Kouki said, eagerly.
Just as something stung Madison in the back of the neck.
----------------
"Ugh... oogh." Madison groaned and awoke, blinking blearily at her surroundings. She was... back in her bed?
Huh?
Oh, good, you woke up at last, Kouki sighed, sounding resigned. We were picked up.
"Yeah, I can tell. What..." Her voice trailed off as she sat up and caught sight of her face in the mirror. Someone had drawn a circle around one of her eyes, a... what, was that a mustache?! Oh no. No, this was not cool. Not cool at all. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she got to her feet, stomping her way back to the door and throwing it open.
What now?
"Again," she spat. She would not be taunted like this!
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Sosiqui rolled 5 12-sided dice:
6, 1, 4, 5, 5
Total: 21 (5-60)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:26 pm
Madison stepped through the portal with no more hesitation than if it were a perfectly ordinary door. On the other side, the tower had been set up once more, as if she'd never caused it to fall. At least she wasn't expected to clean up the mess? First time at Deus that had happened...
"Right." She reached out one hand towards the tower and worked a single piece free, placing it atop the tower with care-
SPLASH!
It was nothing, just one of the pirahnas jumping, or whatever it was they did, but the sound was enough to make Madison jump herself, with disastrous effects. "That's cheating!" she shouted at the uncaring walls just before she collapsed onto the floor among the blocks.
--------------
Your face...
"I know." The trainee's face was crimson with fury. It also had angry eyebrows drawn in above her real ones. Angry eyebrows, a now even more splendid mustache, and a monocle.
"AGAIN!"
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Sosiqui rolled 5 12-sided dice:
6, 11, 7, 6, 7
Total: 37 (5-60)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:27 pm
Madison hit the platform on the other side of the portal and marched up to the tower, taking a moment to glare in the general direction of fish before resuming play. She moved more carefully this time, going for strategy over speed. Rushing wouldn't help, and she was going to beat this. No matter how much time it took. Even if her entire face was covered in marker.
(Please, don't cover her entire face with marker.)
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Sosiqui rolled 5 10-sided dice:
3, 10, 4, 4, 3
Total: 24 (5-50)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:28 pm
So far, so good. Madison worked another few blocks free, placing each atop the tower before going back for the next one. This part still wasn't too difficult, as long as nothing startled her.
Fortunately for the fish, nothing did.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 8-sided dice:
3, 8, 6, 7, 5
Total: 29 (5-40)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:29 pm
Oh, you should pick up that one there, Kouki said, suddenly.
Madison paused. "What one?"
"Not that one... no, down. No, left. No, up- there! That one.
"I wish you could, like, point or something," Madison sighed, gingerly removing the indicated block and moving it to the top of the tower with the rest. This was starting to get towards tricky territory.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 6-sided dice:
3, 4, 5, 1, 4
Total: 17 (5-30)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:30 pm
The tower was really looking impressive now. Impressive and precarious. Madison tiptoed around the outside, looking for blocks that she might be able to remove without taking the entire tower down. "See anything good, Kouki?"
That one? No... hm...
She carefully worked a few pieces free, then looked at the tower in consternation. The only pieces that looked likely were high up, almost beyond her reach. Maybe if she stood on tiptoes... nearly... almost...
"Augh!"
Hunter and tower collapsed.
----------------------------
Mustache, check.
Monocle, check.
Angry eyebrows, check.
Goatee?
Check.
"AGAIN!"
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Sosiqui rolled 5 12-sided dice:
9, 11, 9, 12, 12
Total: 53 (5-60)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:32 pm
Madison was now motivated by sheer determination and spite. She was going to make this work, somehow. Unless becoming a fully-fledged Life Hunter granted you weird-a** powers of tower balancing, there was really no reason that she couldn't do this herself. Right here, right now.
All she had to do was be careful.
"Kouki. Keep an eye out for me," she said, pulling free and placing the first blocks. She felt her weapon's assent in her mind. They'd do this together.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 10-sided dice:
9, 10, 4, 7, 5
Total: 35 (5-50)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:32 pm
So far, so good. Of course, she'd said that last time, too, but at least she'd gotten the tower taller than ever last time. Before it fell on her head.
Details.
We believe removing a block from the third row, then one from the sixth would be advantageous, Kouki pointed out. Madison did so with a nod. She had to take some more from the top this time, so it wouldn't get too top heavy, so she wouldn't be forced to pull high-up blocks and be hampered by an awkward reach.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 8-sided dice:
5, 6, 7, 2, 2
Total: 22 (5-40)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:33 pm
Slowly, steadily, the tower rose, its sides growing ragged as block after block was removed. But it still stood.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 6-sided dice:
3, 3, 4, 2, 3
Total: 15 (5-30)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:34 pm
Madison tensed as she pulled each block, now. This was it. This was nearing the metaphorical finish line. If she could get these blocks out and placed without bringing everything down on top of her, then she'd won.
For a given value of winning, anyway.
Working together, weapon and Hunter selected their target blocks and eased them free from the structure before making the tower taller still. It was only when Madison took a few steps back that she realized she'd done it. The tower had reached the required height - and it was still standing.
Victory.
They admired the majesty of it all.
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Sosiqui rolled 5 6-sided dice:
1, 2, 6, 3, 1
Total: 13 (5-30)
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:35 pm
Anything over the required height was sheer showing off - but at this point, Madison was more than ready to show off. Unfortunately, the tower disagreed, swaying menacingly at the first poke. "Wait, whoa, no, no-"
The tower did not care. It crashed down around her, and she felt that now-familiar sting a moment later.
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When Madison awoke, there was something sitting on her nightstand. Something festooned with a huge, cheesy-looking ribbon. A ribbon larger than the item it was tied to, in fact. Curious, Madison slowly sat up, then picked up the prize in question.
It was a permanent marker of her very own.
It was probably because she'd gotten so wound up, but Madison didn't stop laughing for a good three minutes - and even the sight of the magnificent markered beard she'd obtained after that last failure couldn't ruin her mood for the rest of the day.
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