What's Really Being Tested? | Page 3

45 / 52 HP
70 / 100 ENG
40 AC
Summon HP: 30​

Target: GOREGLIDER [AC 47]
Roll: 30 + 25 = 55
Damage: 12

The goreglider knew she was afraid of it, but it also knew she couldn't do much harm in the end- and, it was likely due to this that it let her go this round, instead aiming for the only person who'd managed to even try to hit it their previous round. As Amane was hit, it took a bit for Harveste to look into the party information- she wasn't that low, so she'd probably be okay for now.

"Okay, let's see if I can finally pull my weight again." With a great deal of concentration with her grimoire close to her chest, she sang a song to get the plants aid in attacking the vile beast. Her vines, though they tried, couldn't hold it down- but her magic certainly managed to do some damage, at the least. "Alright! I finally hit it! And...I probably shouldn't get that excited over that..."

 

62 / 72 HP
30 / 100 ENG
41 AC​

Target: GOREGLIDER [AC 47]
Roll: 17 + 35 = 52
Damage: 10

Amane flew backwards from the force of the Goreglider's impact, its claws tearing gashes into her arms, though thankfully, despite its size, the game didn't register it as having done too much damage, and the cuts weren't too life threatening as a result. Getting to her feet, her lips unconsciously twitched at the corners into a grin. Ah, this was fun. She couldn't remember the last time she had to spend so much effort in a battle...she thought it was the fight against Arachna? She hadn't had the chance to contribute much against Azog, and perhaps that was why the fight hadn't been nearly as adrenalin inducing as this. She pushed through the simulated pain, grasping for the words of her spell as she chanted them out, light lancing from her fingers to crash into the beast's flank. Was that enough to take it down? ...no, it was still alive, but one more round of attacks from the three of them should do it.

OOC: @Snide, @Roland Rutledge, @Harveste

 

7 / 95 HP
70 / 100ENG
00 AC [berserk]​

The fighting drew to a close, the last blows exchanged as the monster leapt at Harveste and attempted to rip her open with its powerful claws. Completely exposed to whatever attacks the adventurers now wished to make, it cared not for its own demise; the beast merely wanted to taste the life of one of the trio fade in its maw as it sucked the blood from them.

Above, Speaker stood and began walking off as the others continued to take notes, moving out of sight down one of the hallways that lead into the stands. She appeared moments later at the same gate Roland, Amane and Harveste had entered through, her body on the other side of the demiplane, slightly obscured by its shimmering yellow-tinged optics. She waited, watching, as the final blows were struck.

Target: Harveste [AC 40]
Roll: 21+25
Damage: 22


Attack Results:

Code:

[CENTER][color=#C11B17] ## / ## HP[/color]
[color=#4863A0] ## / ## ENG[/color]
[color=#848482]  ## AC[/color][/CENTER]


[b2]Target:[/b2] NAME [AC ##]
Roll[b2]:[/b2] ##+##
Damage[b2]:[/b2] ## or miss

Heal Results:

Code:

[CENTER][color=#C11B17] ## / ## HP[/color]
[color=#4863A0] ## / ## ENG[/color]
[color=#848482]  ## AC[/color][/CENTER]


[b2]Target:[/b2] NAME(S) [AC ##]
Roll[b2]:[/b2] ##+##
Heal[b2]:[/b2] ## group/single

Buff/Debuff Results:

Code:

[CENTER][color=#C11B17] ## / ## HP[/color]
[color=#4863A0] ## / ## ENG[/color]
[color=#848482]  ## AC[/color][/CENTER]


[b2]Target:[/b2] NAME [AC ##]
Buff / Debuff[b2]:[/b2] ## and affect
Duration[b2]:[/b2] ???

@Roland Rutledge @Amane Hirota @Juneberry

 

73/89 HP
90/100 ENG
50 AC​

Target: Goreglider
Roll: 29 + 45
Damage: 8

The creature was weakened, blood visibly pouring through its wounds. With a sudden lurch, it latched onto Harveste leaving itself completely undefended as it tried to consume the small faerin. Without missing a beat Roland lunged forward plunging his two swords deep into the back of the beast, aiming for whatever functioned as its spine. Feeling something on his blades Roland twisted and ripped them away seemingly killing the beast with the blow. Huffing from the exertion Roland pointedly ignored the speaker as he looked to his comrades. "Catch some breath while you can." he said, "I'm sure she will be looking to send a new wave on us without much further delay."

 

43 / 52 HP
65 / 100 ENG
40 AC
Summon HP: 30​

Target: Harveste [AC 47]
Roll: 10x2 = 20
Heal: Single

As Roland took a final shot at the glider that had dug almost half her health out of her in one blow of desperation, Harveste took their time out as a good moment to heal herself. While her spell couldn't quite make up for how much pain she had been put in, it did a decent job, a sigh of relief leaving her pursed lips. She hadn't even thought to ask her teammates, until she was already done, how they were feeling. No one else was at less than 50%- but with the amount they'd just fought, they were likely tired anyway.

"You guys holding up okay? Let's hope the next one has a bit more of a handicap in our favor...Though I have my doubts any after this will be any easier, really..." Still, there was luck on their side, wasn't there? And if not...At least the other two were pretty strong, unlike her. For her, this was the most extreme training she could think of- but hopefully, that just meant she'd be far more helpful to them in future battles, if they'd let her join them again... Right?

 

62 / 72 HP
45 / 100 ENG
41 AC​

The Goreglider charged at Harveste, heedless of its own safety, but even as it tore at the girl Roland leaped upon its back, swiftly ending its life. With that over, Amane dropped her hands from where they had been poised to cast another spell, her body relaxing minutely. The faerin looked like she had been hurt pretty bad by the last attack, but throughout the whole battle she had been casting pretty excellent heals, so Amane was sure she'll be fine. "I'm practically unhurt~ Are you okay though? You took the most hits in the fight," she nonetheless asked — it couldn't hurt to confirm. Now that the adrenalin had started to fade, the felis was starting to realise just how exhausted she was; her spells had taxed her more than she had thought, especially with that fumbled spell. She took this lull to rest a bit, replying to Harveste's doubts in the meantime. "We just have to roll an easy fight, yeah? Roland, you're banned from spinning it," she teased.

OOC: @Snide, @Harveste, @Roland Rutledge

 

The fight concluded as Harveste mended the worst of her wounds, Amande rested for the next bout, and Roland sprang into action and plunged his blades into the bloody hide of the creature. As it sang its death throes the yellow tinge to the dome around the Arena floor faded to clear once more, and Speaker dashed in once it was safe to cross the barrier, covering the large distance to the middle of the field where everyone was more or less assembled. Smiling slightly, she looked over at the corpse of the beast, then the tired forms of the two women and what she suspected was a confused-and-suspicious look coming from Roland. Raising a hand as if urging them to remain calm, she gestured up to the stands where the other spectators had been. They were now gathering their various writings on the notes they had taken, and filed down a hallway out of sight.

​

Speaker

First, allow me to congratulate you on winning the first fight of the challenge. As I mentioned when you arrived, the function of this exercise is to test the careful balance of manipulated planar forces... allowing for the demiplane that covers the Arena's fighting zone to force concrete and concise universal principles upon those that wish to fight within. In doing so, it ensures that no matter who enters... everyone benefits the same, based on the quality of their training and their equipment.

Unfortunately it seems as though the balancing is not quite... completed. I'm sure, in your fighting, you noticed moments where things felt unnatural. As though there was too much power behind your spells, or perhaps not enough force in your swings. We will be taking a break so that the Arena Master can revisit his... calculations... and manipulate the demiplane to correct those issues.

Gesturing towards the gate you had originally entered through, she bid everybody follow her as she began to calmly walk in that direction. On the opposite side of the Arena floor another gate opened and several men carrying meat hooks and cleavers approached the corpse of the goreglider, sinking the hooks in and dragging it off to be butchered for feeding to other monsters.

Speaker continued to talk as she walked, turning down an unfamiliar hallway and into nicer corridors. The harsh stonework that boldly proclaimed "blood sport" faded abruptly as she passed through some large oak doors, and on the other side the stone was suddenly polished and scarlet carpets decorated the center of the hall. In fact, red black and bronze seemed to be the theme of the place as bronze and copper statues of beasts and heroes filled small alcoves, tapestries of legendary scenes decorated walls, and the sconces on the walls and chandeliers overhead were of a dark wrought iron that did not glitter and gleam but instead reinforced the strength of this place.

I'm sure you have plenty of questions, still, since we hardly took the time to address most of your concerns before getting things started. Of course you must realize that we're on a tight schedule here, and can only be closed for this one day before opening up again, so we had to get started as soon as possible. There should be time for a more in depth Questions and Answers session now, however.

Passing through another doorway, Speaker entered a large dining hall where several figures were situated and enjoying lavish meals. The tables were long and rectangular, preventing people from sitting together and forming close bonds like one might at the circular tables of a tavern. Here, you could sit beside or across from team members, but people seemed to space themselves away from those they did not fight alongside, so that they did not accidentally form emotional attachments that would hinder their skill.

Speaker guided the group to a table and gestured for them to sit, then rang a small bell on the table. A moment later a servant appeared with a tray of dishes, setting one before Amane, Harveste, Roland and Speaker. It seemed to be a brothy stew heavy with meat and vegetables, with fresh honeyed bread on the side, and a cold ale to drink. Speaker raised her own ale in a brief toast, and took a long pull from it.

I'm afraid we can't cater to individual tastes here... we aren't exactly known for running an inn, after all. However we do keep the kitchen open twenty hours a day and you can get food at any time, so long as you eat it here. Leaving with it is prohibited, to prevent feeding the animals, monsters, and of course slaves. Those all need to be kept hungry so that they have a motivation to really fight when it comes time for them to enter the Arena. The meals we do serve here are filled with everything a body needs to remain strong and hardy; the ales and beers, too, as they provide more nutrients than wine and you won't run the risk of cholera or worse drinking well water from the Norforva lands.

Now... What were some of your questions?

She smiled, taking another sip of her ale before starting in on the stew and dunking her bread in it. Elsewhere in the dining hall, teams of fighters glanced in the direction of Roland and his team, curious about the newcomers and afraid of Speaker's presence.

There is no posting order for this segment​

@Roland Rutledge, @Amane Hirota, @Harveste

​

 

It was clear to Harveste that 'Speaker' was someone to be feared at least somewhat- and, after a rough battle, it was hard to hide her anxiety quite like she usually attempted to. For most of the walk following her, she opted to hide slightly behind @Roland Rutledge, mostly because he was just slightly taller than Amane. Either towered well over the Faerin, but the taller her wall separating her from the thing that scared her, the better.

As they were gathered around the table, she took whatever seat felt farthest from their host- and, if that wasn't possible, she just took a seat in between her colleagues if she could, wanting to feel safe between the two. Unsurprisingly, her feet unable to touch the ground as she sat in the chair meant for somewhat bigger folks. She kicked her feet idly, thanking the one who set the food before her and taking a small spoonful of stew. If the person sitting with them was eating it, it was probably safe, and it tasted fine. It smelled nice, too, but that never meant anything to the girl.

"This is fine. Thank you for the meal," She mused, her eyes cast down at her bowl of stew before her, focus never leaving it. She did, however, seem adamant about avoiding the ale she was given at least for the moment. She was bad enough with alcohol without knowing she probably had another fight to deal with soon. The last thing she wanted was a drink to give her a headache.

Still, the stew was warming her well. She wanted to ask what vegetables were in it, but she also knew that wasn't the kind of question 'Speaker' wanted at all. But then again, what kind of questions were right for this kind of situation? Oh, right. "You've mentioned the demiplane...Could you tell me more about it? I don't quite understand what- or where, rather- it is. Is that where the Goreglider we battled came from? I'd never seen one before...It was rather unusual and interesting, even if it was fairly terrifying."

((Also: @Amane Hirota @Snide ))

 

With the slightly prolonged fight over, it seemed Speaker had decided that was enough for now and had guided them away from the sandy arena. Roland was slightly relieved his teammates would have time to rest and more importantly heal, but the entire diversion seemed unnatural to the swordsman. Keeping his tongue still, for the time being, he let himself be led to the dining hall where he took a seat with the others listening to Speaker's words. Instead of imbibing on the available food and drink, however, Roland instead drank from his flash which contained an unknown liquid. Letting Harveste have the first question Roland sat in silence as he gauged the response of Speaker.

It was a rather direct line of questioning, pertaining specifically to the nature of this place, as far as Roland could see. However, Roland clearly was far from interested in how this place came to be and functioned as a whole. In fact, the thin line that made his lips, and nervous foot tapping seemed to indicate a growing frustration. "My questions are the same as when I arrived still." He eventually said relenting to his curiosity, though by the exasperated tone he didn't expect a helpful answer, "Who, as in the group you represent, are you, and why is this all here? I don't mean why are we here, by the way, I understand we are supposed to test, this contraption you have set up. My question is why the arena in the first place? Will you host tournaments and games? For who? You're out in the middle of nowhere, with no nobles to fund such lavish creations. Your existence here only doesn't make sense as far as I'm concerned. "

Unsatisfied with his long tirade Roland let out a soft sigh while leaning back in his chair. "This is all secondary to my immediate concerns I suppose. If each of your opponents is near the strength of that, wyvern, I don't think we stand a chance fighting them back to back. What is the real plan here? The rundown of events. Are we to end every fight with a feast? Or was this it, and the test is now over?" Roland let the question hang in the air for a few moments before returning to his flask, apparently unimpressed by whatever answers he would receive.

 

Amane could have collapsed with relief when Speaker led them away from the arena and into more posh looking corridors, the sight of the finery putting her at ease. There wouldn't be another battle, it seemed, at least not any time soon. Though she didn't want to admit it, since Roland and Harveste looked like they were doing well, she was extremely drained, her mind clouded with the haziness of exhaustion, as if she had spent a whole night cramming for SATs or something. A respite would be dearly welcomed, especially since there were still many more battles left to persevere through. The hallway wasn't what she had expected though; it was surprisingly grand, the copper and bronze giving it a stately feel that the arena, with its packed dirt flooring, severely lacked.

Entering what must be the mess hall, she followed Speaker to their seats, picking whichever one was left after Roland and Harveste had chosen. Tucking in her tail, she sat down, thanking the server as food was served. Despite what the Speaker claimed, it looked good, to be honest, and after all that spellcasting she could practically feel her stomach twisting around itself with hunger. Tucking in the second she deemed it polite to, Amane paused long enough to thank Speaker for the food, before taking a series of dainty but rapid sips of the broth. "It's pretty delicious," she complimented. As much as Speaker had regaled the benefits of beer, the ale she avoided, however. She rarely drank in the real world, and as such she wasn't sure how much liquor she could handle — getting drunk before the next fight would be the height of irresponsibility.

She waited until Harveste and Roland finished posing their questions, nodding along at some of them, before adding a few of her own to the mix. "You've mentioned the Arena Master a couple of times," she asked, "and while you've made your reluctance to divulge more on this matter clear, I must ask, may we at least have the opportunity to arrange an audience with him? I hope it's not too much to request, considering how we're helping him with his testing. If we were to win all six battles, perhaps?" It wasn't that necessary that she saw the Arena Master; it was mostly out of curiosity, if anything. Still, she did want to know who her actions were benefitting — it was disconcerting to work for an unknown person, herself completely in the dark. It wasn't too important a question though. If the Speaker was only willing to answer a few, she hoped that she picked one of Roland's or Harveste's.

OOC: @Snide, @Harveste, @Roland Rutledge

 

Speaker listened patiently to each question and began to tick them off on her fingers, as though to create a physical reminder of each of their concerns while one by one the adventurers addressed her. When they had finished, she calmly tucked her hands away in her lap and glanced towards the doorway, her gaze going distant as though she weren't quite there. Then, after a few breaths, her eyes were alive once more and she turned to face the companions with a small smile.

​

Speaker

That's quite the list of concerns. Very well... we'll begin with Mister Rutlede's questions first, and work from there. To begin with, our "group" as you call it is not some nefarious faction with a hidden purpose, if that's what you have in your mind. This land was ravaged by hemomancy and dark magic. The Arena Master has the power to prevent this portion of the land from becoming tainted. He does so... he chose this rocky bluff for its natural defenses, and had the structure built to defend against outside threats.

Why this place? Why not... were the Arena to exist in an official kingdom, it would be taxed and slave to all sorts of laws and customs. We would be prohibited from certain practices allowed here. For instance... it is not illegal to use dark magic here. There is no temple or crown to enforce their order in this place. Only the Arena Master's will. So it is a bastion of blood sport, untainted by the forces that would try to profit from it for themselves. You'll notice some of our guards are very seasoned... they used to fight in arenas. Were champions in their own rights. Know the lifestyle, live by a certain code of honor. But they aren't an army. There's no hidden agenda or secret motivation behind this place, except to entertain masses. Located so near the border of Falderen and Astorea, both nations can easily reach us... so filling the seats is not an issue.

We currently have some small games planned, and not just fights. We also host races, and challenges such as obstacle courses for the more... nimble of people. Dangerous of course, to draw a crowd... but not everything is about one person fighting another, or beasts tearing at each other.

She smiled, reaching up with a hand and taking a loaf of the honeyed bread rolls in her hands and setting it on the table, pushing everything else to the side.

Now... answering the other questions? That's a bit trickier, I suppose. First, Miss Hirota, the Arena Master has agreed to your request. With one caveat... he will meet with you in audience, but you all must face two champions of his selection and best them in the arena. Do this, and you will have your audience... and your prizes. And we can forego all the other challenges. Before you ask, no, I won't tell you anything about the foes you would be facing. Only that there are two of them. And that they are at least a match for you.

Take your time to consider it, while I provide a lesson on the cosmos.

She gestured to the bread roll, waiting until she was sure she had everyone's attention.

This, Miss Harveste, is the universe. Not in a literal sense; you have to use your imagination and understand the metaphor I'm creating here. Please pick up a roll, a universe, and examine it... Not this one, this one here is my universe. Go on, all three of you. Pick one up. Feel it. Look it over. Dull, isn't it? Break it open... examine your cosmos. Notice how it is the exact same, all the way through? It is created of the same substance, the same structure. Nowhere within it will you find that which is different. This represents the laws of the universe. Of that universe. That plane. Yes, there are more than one... nobody is certain how many there are, in fact. There could be infinite, or a handful, but luckily most people only have to concern themselves with their own home universe. Everything within it is bound by the same rules and limitations, and is familiar to them.

She poked the top of her roll with a finger, creating a small hole in it.

I have just put a hole inside my universe. There is not less of it, you'll notice... nothing is MISSING. I just pushed part of it away to make room for something else. There is the exact same amount of universe as there was before I created this little hole in it, this void. Now, using powerful magic, I take THIS universe... or, in a literal sense, a small bite of tenderloin from the soup... and I put it in that hole. Now, there is no void. Everything fits snuggly, but this portion here, the tenderloin, is different. It isn't LIKE the rest of the universe. It's from... elsewhere. It IS elsewhere. It is different, alien, new.

That is what the demiplane is. It is not some dark dimension from which monsters are pulled. The goreglider you fought is actually a native creature of this world, to the north. The demiplane of which I have been speaking is the Arena itself. Not the whole structure, but once you pass through those gates into the floor where you held your fight? You are, in essence, no longer in this universe. You are elsewhere, but visible to this plane still. But within that smaller plane, the way things work is vastly different.

That is what the Arena Master has done here. He has created a pocket in which challenges can take place, with a more... balanced set of rules to govern the universe, than the ones which are here. That is what you were testing. To see if he had pulled from the right direction, or if he needed to adjust its internal reality and make things different. That is why we have taken a break, so that he can make more changes and we won't be atomized as the demiplane is collapsed and re-created while we're inside of it. Now... enjoy your soups, and finish eating your universes.

She smiled, lifting the roll to her mouth and taking a bite where the piece of meat was, winking at the trio.

There is no posting order for this segment​

@Roland Rutledge, @Amane Hirota, @Harveste

 

Roland sighed at the pedestrian answers his questions got, making it visibly clear that he didn't think Speaker was being exactly forth right with them. Again though, Roland was forced to remind himself he hadn't expected the truth to begin with, after all what did they have to gain from appearing to be anything other than a common arena. What Speaker may or may not of realized is by not admitting to as such at least in some degree damned them in Roland's mind as being highly untrustworthy.

The next line of answers interested him much more than the last as she presented a new option, face two champions as opposed to the rest of the challenges and be done with this nonsense sooner. He couldn't care less about meeting the master, after all considering Speaker's smoke screens he had no doubt the owner of this arena would merely do the same. Pondering this fact Roland suckled on his flask barley listening as the lady continued to speak. He couldn't bring himself to be interested in the intricate magic that pulled this travesty together. As far as he could tell, it was just teleportation magic combined with force fields and that was all he needed to know.

Eventually her verbal vomit eventually concluded as she stuffed a roll in her mouth in seemingly an attempt to shut herself up, or at least Roland thought as much. With the whiskey, flowing through his veins he spoke up, "I think... I would rather face the two champions than the wheel of mystery." With a nod he slumped into his chair content with the single comment, half expecting the other two in his party to decide their fate.

 

Their choices were simple, but somehow, it felt more complex than anything. The rough ringing in her ears as she tried to rack her brain to come up with some plausible decision for herself left her taking a sip of her drink to mask the pain.

They could choose to battle just two massive opponents, or five that could be any difficult under the sun. While there was a chance they'd get good spins for five times, there was also a rather notable concern of what they might face if they weren't so lucky...

"Perhaps the two-for-one deal is better," She mused, having heard Roland's lack of reasoning, but finding some good logic within it. So far, she trusted the man fairly well. He'd been giving some good advice during their battle, after all. "Plus, while we don't know how strong we are...We don't know that about the rest either. One battle over five is a pretty good preference, even if it's bound to be far harder than we can think of. If we all work together again, it should be okay...Right?"

 

The Arena truly didn't seem nefarious to her. Sure, it promoted a deadly sport, and it didn't look like it cared particularly to preserve the health and lives of its contestants, but as abhorrent as that idea was in modern society, in a fantasy world like Terra Sphere the fact that it even strove to maintain a code of honour, as the Speaker claimed, spoke highly of the Master's character in Amane's eyes. It could have easily been a lawless, barbaric, fight-to-the-death gladiatorial arena.

When it came to making the decision of how they should proceed, to be honest it wasn't hard to pick. The fight against the wyvern wasn't the hardest that she had been in, draining though it was, and it would have been the safer choice. The felis figured that, if that was supposedly one of the hardest fights, they were unlikely to fail the rest. The two champions however, were an unknown. It would expedite their trials, of course, but at the cost of possible failure. Logically, there was only one choice. ...It was unfortunate, then, that Amane was beyond tempted to pick Speaker's new option. The Arena Master was an unknown that bothered her and incited her curiosity at the same time, and with the opportunity to find out being offered to them so readily, how could she possibly turn it down? "We'll fight the two champions then," she decided, glancing around at her other teammates' faces in case they had any second thoughts.

As she waited for Speaker's reply, she turned her attention back towards her soup, savouring a spoon of some of the meat and broth as she contemplated the rest of the information presented to them. Most of the Speaker's explanations of the demiplane was what she had already expected — it wasn't a foreign concept in science fiction books, though it differed in some aspects, and she had taken a brief stint as an Astramancy mage, providing her with some rudimentary foundation. She had never progressed her mastery far enough to unlock portalling however, let alone the ability to create other dimensions. Whoever this Arena Master was, he had to be immensely skilled.

OOC: @Snide, @Harveste, @Roland Rutledge

 

As the party agreed unanimously to face off against two of the Arena's champions, Speaker gave a small smile and downed the last of her beer, then stood and held out a hand in a 'remain here' gesture. He arm suddenly erupted in white flames, glowing with bright light and radiating a heat that was only comforting and warm, not painful and intense, and she waved a its hand through the air. That warmth grew within the bellies of the three adventurers, then slowly spread to the tips of every limb, pain and tension vanishing as their health was restored and their energy rising.

Fully healed, fully restored, fully purified, even knots in shoulders and feelings of intoxication left them.

​

Speaker

I have restored you completely for your challenge against these two champions, so that you can face them at your best. It will take a few moments longer for the Arena Master to create the last changes to the demiplane, but we can begin walking back that direction. I hope that this has been an enlightening meal for you all, and wish you luck in your upcoming challenge.

She moved towards the doorway and began to lead everybody back towards the Arena Floor where the fighting took place, the gates closed to prevent anybody from wandering in. She stood with her back to the gate, carefully not looking through its bars... and wisely so.

Beyond her, beyond the gate, where the fighting floor of the Arena used to exist there was nothing. There was not even a void in which to gaze, or a cosmic tear that one might be in awe of, for just beyond the bars of their gate was another set of bars that had not been there previously. And if one were to shift on their toes, the image would change to a different gate, with a different guard protecting them.

It seemed that the Arena floor was entirely missing from existence, and the walls had been pulled inwards to fill that missing space, each of the entrances existing simultaneously upon one another in non-euclidean fashion. It was more than a sober mind was able to comfortably process, and Speaker was obviously choosing not to look upon it, to spare herself the head-splitting headaches it caused, which she had not warned them about. Obviously, the strange reality-warping possibility of each of the gateways being simultaneously atop one another was what she had been warning of when she mentioned anything within the Arena Floor would be 'gone' and anyone within atomized if they hadn't left before its collapse. She waited patiently for a few heartbeats, and then suddenly the phenomenon behind her disappeared and the series of overlapping entrances were thrown violently away from one another- in appearance. Physically there was no damage done to any of them, nor did anybody seem to feel what had just occurred. But the Arena was now back to normal, the Floor on which they had fought similar but not exactly the same.

A track for racing mounts circled the center of the massive space in a large oval, but was packed smooth. All around it, a soft layer of grass made the Arena seem so much more verdant and alive. On the grasses, here and there a small boulder peeked up from the ground, too small to hide behind but large enough to climb upon. The gate began to raise, and Speaker turned, looking upon the new interior with obvious glee at its pretty state, walking in and gesturing for the others to follow.

There is no posting order for this segment​

@Roland Rutledge, @Amane Hirota, @Harveste