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It was inevitable

15 (42.9%)

Winners don't do drugs

6 (17.1%)

I'll be back

2 (5.7%)

Drink the Kool Aid

6 (17.1%)

Groovy

3 (8.6%)

Insane in the membrane

3 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 35

[Parisbre56]

Whoops.

Try to summon myself back into the movie theatre. Hopefully I won't be committing the mind equivalent of matter-antimatter contact.

Well, you summon yourself back to the movie theatre, but you're further away from your original seat and there's an even larger and fatter version of you sitting in front of you and blocking your view. You lean to the side to see past your enormous girth and try to view the movie that way, but it feels uncomfortable.

During your adventures in non-existence, our scientist protagonists have entered a cave, presumably the result of their investigation into the rocks.

"-excavated recently?"
"No, not excavated. Look at the ground. No footprints besides ours. And look at the walls. No pick can leave rock so smooth."
Steve stops talking and takes a look around with the I-have-a-fishook-in-my-eybrow look.
"No, something else happened here."
"Eh, you're overreacting, as always. It's probably just a natural cave. Maybe if we're lucky, someone is smuggling fans and has hidden his stash here."
After another small delay of just looking around, Steve orders:
"Check the instruments."
"Still as cold as where I'd like to be right now."
"Come on then, let's investigate further."
With that, Steve activates his bulky flashlight and begins going forward. Dan does the same a few seconds later and reluctantly follows.

As you see Steve from behind, you notice that he has a pistol holster attached on his belt that wasn't there before. Probably a fight scene coming up.

The two continue going through the cave for a while. The camera angles are kinda terrible and everything is dark so you aren't sure about where exactly they are going or what the cave looks like, other than that it's rocky.

Your back is beginning to hurt, leaning like this, and the vaguely defined person sitting next to you is staring at you angrily from time to time with its vaguely defined eyes, probably annoyed you invaded its vaguely defined personal space.

The two finally stop moving and continue to inspect their surroundings and wave their "scientific instruments" around in what the actors believed was a scientific manner: like butterfly nets.
Steve accidentally hits some loose rocks with all that waving, causing them to fall to the ground with a loud bang.
Dan jumps and emits a surprised gasp in response. When Steve turns to look at him, Dan tries to look calm and composed, trying to hide his fear.
"Uhh, find anything Steve?"
"Nothing. Dead end."
However his fear only becomes more obvious as he jumps in surprise when the sound effect of a Geiger counter begins to play.
"Steve!"
Steve rushes to take a look at the large rod Dan is holding in his hand, presumably what the people in charge of props thought a Geiger counter looked like.
"Dear God! That must be more than 1000 rems per second! Good thing it's intermittent or we would had been fried!"
Very few audience members facepalm.
"I dunno, with all this heat I'm already feeling a bit singed."

Steve seems to do some quick thinking before taking the lead.
"Come on! This way!"
Dan reluctantly follows.
"Let's just find what we came here for and get out of this giant radioactive oven!" he shouts to Steve.

Sprint towards it, use biomass to become a crocodile, and latch on to a leg, biting down and shaking my head around.

You begin running towards the creature and it begins to do the same, albeit in a very unusual way. It pushes its central sack forward, absorbs its back legs and at the same time uses the mass gained to grow a new pair of front legs, using the two remaining pairs of legs to support itself. And then it does it again. And again. It moves towards you with incredible speed in a wobbly but straight line.

Undeterred by this, you slide on the ground, allowing your momentum to propel you while your body changes. You have not fully transformed yet when you meet, but you have your mouth and your tail, and that's all you need.

You open your mouth, aiming for the right triplet of legs but when it snaps closed, it catches nothing but empty air. The thing managed to partially absorb your target and move it out of the way. Which leaves you right under the creature.

You try to scurry away with your still forming legs and almost succeed. The creature manages to absorb its legs in time for it to land on your tail, but you manage to pull it away before it can... do whatever that thing does to the tails of crocodiles. Not really sure what that is. Presumably, it's something bad.

The creature, now only a semi-transparent faint blue blob with a shimmering outline like it was when it was first summoned, is currently right behind your crocodilian body.

[Coolrune206]

Quicky morph into a creature much like a massive porcupine, with large spikes menacing out of my mammalian body. Hug the creature with my spikes. Hopefully it feels pain.

[Alarith]

Bryan
Ugh, that was worse than a screamer.  Screamers are like static, loud, annoying, and distracting when you're trying to do something, but this was disorienting...and larger.  Hope I don't have to deal with something quite like that again.
Faron
If I can climb to the roof without going into a room,try that.  Otherwise climb towards the room with the man and aim for a heavy blow to his head to incapacitate with a roll into cover.

[NAV]

"Violet, I would like to have a practice fight like Rune's, and some equipment to fight it with. Can you do that? It doesn't have to be a fight, it could be any challenge."

Talk.

[Xantalos]

Leapfrog over myself to get into the seat in front of other me.

[Parisbre56]

Quicky morph into a creature much like a massive porcupine, with large spikes menacing out of my mammalian body. Hug the creature with my spikes. Hopefully it feels pain.

You start transforming your body again while at the same time trying to turn around to face your enemy. You're about halfway there (in terms of turning around. Full body transformation takes a bit longer than that.) when you feel the thing touching you from the side. It feels slimy and slippery for about half a second but a moment later it becomes dry and rough. You try to push yourself away from it but it has managed to grab one of your small legs with its elastic grip, pushing you upwards at the same time, keeping you off balance and unable to turn to face it.

"Violet, I would like to have a practice fight like Rune's, and some equipment to fight it with. Can you do that? It doesn't have to be a fight, it could be any challenge."

Talk.

"Sure. Why not? Should be fun, right? Now, what to give you... Oh, I know! Pick an object. Any object you'd like to have in your fight."

Leapfrog over myself to get into the seat in front of other me.

You jump over yourself (a very surprising act given your size) and land on the seat in front of you (not you you, the other you) with a mighty thud, crushing its vaguely defined occupant in the process.
"Oh, in what sad vaguely defined time intervals do we live in when a vaguely defined person can't even have a vaguely defined time watching an imaginary movie without falling victim to the weight of a enormously huge man landing on top of said vaguely defined person's vaguely defined body." the vaguely defined audience member bemoans its fate before expiring.

Meanwhile, our scientist protagonists keep moving in the dark tunnels, following their Geiger counter to the source of the radiation, when suddenly they are hit by a strong flash of light coming from off screen, made all the stronger by the darkness of the cave. It lasts for a fraction of a second, but it causes both men to pause.
"Did you see that?" asks Steve?
"The flash of light? Of course. You think I'd be walking around in here with my eyes shut?"
The two men keep looking around for a few seconds. You're not really sure what they're looking for, since that flash obviously came from the right. While they do that, the Geiger counter stops making its clicking noise.
"Turn the Geiger back on, will ya?" asks Steve.
Dan looks at the rod he is holding.
"It is on! It's just... not doing anything."
"There was radioactivity here before, we saw it!" states Steve. "Douse your light Dan." he adds, suddenly getting an idea.
Dan complies. With their flashlights off, the screen turns black. But suddenly, there's a strong light coming from the right, illuminating the two men and their surroundings once more.
"See that glow?"
"Yeah, somebody's in that passage." replies Dan.
"Get the rifle ready."
Dan tries to comply, holding his "scientific instruments" with one hand while trying to retrieve the rifle that is hanging from his shoulder with the other. He succeeds, now wielding the rifle one handed, as absurd as that looks. Steve retrieves his handgun from his belt.
They both start walking and enter the passage the light is coming from.

The camera is now showing them from the same angle as the one the light is coming from, two men carrying "scientific instruments" with one hand and weapons in the other.
"Hello over there!" Steve shouts.
"We're friends, come one out!"
That seems kinda ironic when you consider they are both pointing their weapons at the source of the light.

[NAV]

"Hmm..."
Nikolai thinks for a few seconds.
"A swiss army knife."

[Lenglon]

Irine
To Stellar: <Yes. Always. I want to know what it is I'm really doing and why, to understand the consequences of my actions, and how to try to control, contain, or shape the outcome.>

[Parisbre56]

Irine
To Stellar: <Yes. Always. I want to know what it is I'm really doing and why, to understand the consequences of my actions, and how to try to control, contain, or shape the outcome.>

<Okay. I... I just want to be sure I won't end up hurting you again. Even by accident. So... I have one more question. If you had to make a choice, would you choose the path of least resistance, to let people be controlled without knowing what that may result in? Or would you risk and try to control people to save them from the influence of others, even if that would mean putting their fates in your hands, in your skills?>

[Xantalos]

Ah, the classic 'friendly rifle' maneuver. Interesting.

Keep watching!

[Lenglon]

Irine
To Stellar: <Yes. Always. I want to know what it is I'm really doing and why, to understand the consequences of my actions, and how to try to control, contain, or shape the outcome.>

<Okay. I... I just want to be sure I won't end up hurting you again. Even by accident. So... I have one more question. If you had to make a choice, would you choose the path of least resistance, to let people be controlled without knowing what that may result in? Or would you risk and try to control people to save them from the influence of others, even if that would mean putting their fates in your hands, in your skills?>

<That isn't a choice. It'd be nice if it were. It'd be nice if I could stand aside and let the world take care of itself. But if I had to interfere or the minds and wills of others would be enslaved against their own wills and desires? I don't have the option of standing aside in those circumstances. I really would prefer to leave well enough alone more often than not, but if I have to interfere, I will.

I would take control, assume responsibility for others, until it was no longer needful. and afterwards, I'd probably be spending years trying to repair the damage that I'd done to their lives. I'd hate it, but I'd do it...

I think this isn't going to be fun. Still, better to go in with my eyes open. Tell me.>

[Parisbre56]

<Okay. I... I just want to be sure I won't end up hurting you again. Even by accident. So... I have one more question. If you had to make a choice, would you choose the path of least resistance, to let people be controlled without knowing what that may result in? Or would you risk and try to control people to save them from the influence of others, even if that would mean putting their fates in your hands, in your skills?>

<That isn't a choice. It'd be nice if it were. It'd be nice if I could stand aside and let the world take care of itself. But if I had to interfere or the minds and wills of others would be enslaved against their own wills and desires? I don't have the option of standing aside in those circumstances. I really would prefer to leave well enough alone more often than not, but if I have to interfere, I will.

I would take control, assume responsibility for others, until it was no longer needful. and afterwards, I'd probably be spending years trying to repair the damage that I'd done to their lives. I'd hate it, but I'd do it...

I think this isn't going to be fun. Still, better to go in with my eyes open. Tell me.>

<Your choice both gladdens me and saddens me. Because that would be my choice too. And because you will have to make it.>

After a pause, she continues on, though she sounds slow and uncertain.

<Like I said before, that woman is a keystone, a part of this world that is "weak" in a way, allowing whoever controlled her some manner of control over the world. I did not knew, however, at the time, the extent of her powers. But now that I see this, after what I herd, I believe that she can quite literally change the fate of this world.>

<It will take quite a lot of explaining for you to fully understand what's going on but I'll try to be brief. As I said before, outsiders are usually focused on the large scale of things, acting more like a living organism existing in symbiosis with their section of the cosmos than a thinking being living in it. This is also the case when they are under attack. They tend to influence the creation of individuals with whom they share some sort of connection with, releasing them like white blood cells near the "infection", hoping they will be enough to counteract the problem with the help of the power it provides them with and its vague guidance. However, because we are more... direct, we can usually evade this. Keep manipulating small sections of the world to create situations that are to our advantage, taking it over one piece at a time. Pit the defenders against one another and use them against the outsider. Slow work, but far less costly than a direct attack.>

<This particular outsider must have either been very weak to begin with or very careless. For whatever manipulation he has used against this world in his effort to acquire it, he has managed not only to force his way into this section in record time (considering this is an occupied universe) and gain a foothold in this world, but he has also managed to force the outsider to pour an incredible amount of power into that keystone, maybe even part of itself.>

<I believe the outsider probably released her as a last hope to reverse whatever effect he has caused in this world, a way to allow the outsider to retain control. A large release of power at the right time, directed in the right way, it can change the entire world. Not a large change, not directly obvious. A butterfly effect. More visible in the long term.>

<Of course, it will probably not be enough to stop him. He will keep trying until he wins. But it will buy the outsider some time.>

<That's where you come in. The crystal you acquired in the first challenge, the colony ship, they were put on this planet by him in an effort to establish his control over this section of this world and eventually this entire universe. When you got to it, it was being used to locate her. And when she was located, she would be brought to the colony ship so that the way the energy inside her would be released could be reprogrammed by it, since it was the only thing in the vicinity powerful enough to do that. Reprogrammed in a way that would immediately give him direct control over this section.>

<He organized the previous mission as an effort to impede that. He is probably the one behind part of the rebel's efforts, in the same way he is using part of the dominant government of this world as his pawn. I don't know whether he planned to somehow take the power for himself (since once one of us establishes dominance over a section of a universe, they can claim ownership of the entire universe and be protected from claims by other entities by the rules) or if he simply did this to hurt him.>

<So now, we come to this. The crystal, the primary anchor of the colony ship unbound, under the control of humans aligned with him along with the keystone. The dissenters, the rebels, they were probably promised the power to change the world to their vision. To finally achieve their victory. And they would had done so if it weren't for his champion. Victor. He used the rules to his advantage and now he has him in place. The moment the timer runs out, Victor will touch the crystal and transfer control of this section of this universe to him. He fights for neither of this challenge's teams. This is his own, final challenge.>

<Of course, the above are just a story, a frame to put this in perspective. Maybe I'm wrong in places. The important thing is that there is immense power here and if you so choose, you can use it to alter this world to your liking. The moment the timer runs out, if she is still alive, then you will win. However, if you are touching the crystal at the time, then you will also be able to control the power released by the keystone and change the way it affects this world according to your will. The power of a god will be yours, for a limited time. The question is, if you acquire it, then what will you do with that power?>

<Will you concern yourself with the entities? And if yes, which entity will you choose to transfer control to, which one of us will you trust with the future of this universe? Or maybe you will transfer control back to the outsider, knowing that it is doomed to fail eventually? Will you try to alter the world according to your beliefs? To right wrongs? To bring about peace or prosperity? Or exact vengeance on those you deem unworthy? Maybe to aid the dissenters or rejuvenate the faltering government of this world's superpower? Or maybe you'll choose to simply let that power harmlessly dissipate, leaving the conflict unresolved until a later battle, when one of our kind will eventually gain control over this place and claim it as their own?>

((Yay, infodump! Sorry for making this so long, I was originally going to write less (because I don't think it makes sense to give detailed exposition in the middle of a battle, even with near instantaneous telepathic communication) but Tiruin hasn't posted and Fniff hasn't posted and I happened to have a lot of free time (managed to finish all homework early), so I thought I should use it to give you something.))

"Hmm..."
Nikolai thinks for a few seconds.
"A swiss army knife."

"Swiss army knife? That's sooo booring. Couldn't you choose something more fun like... I dunno. Fireworks. A guillotine. A horse with built in chainguns. A saxophone. An amputation saw. Even a power glove. Eh, anyway. Let's see what I can do with that..."
Two Swiss army knives appear in your hands.
At the same time, a woman appears about a dozen meters away from you. She has short black hair, shaved on the sides. They seem to float away from the ground like they defy gravity. She's dressed in black, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts. On one arm she has a tattoo of fire going all the way around it in a clockwise spiral while on the other she has ice doing the same counterclockwise.
And most importantly, in each hand she holds a small metal rod. From one end of the rod comes a thin, flexible metal wire that ends in what could had been a Swiss army knife, although it looks a bit bulkier (but not enough to make it very heavy). Some of the tools (like the corkscrew) seem to be missing while there are other, non-standard ones, like one that looks like a sewing needle.
"You two have fun~ Try not to hurt him too much, will you darling?"
The woman smiles with a mischievous grin, showing sharp, shark-like teeth and begins to spin her weapons in wide circles while slowly walking towards you, her legs slightly bent on a ready stance.

[DarkArtemisFowl]

Zechariah was annoyed by Scion's words, but he knew what she was doing. It was the same test Eido Aeterno put him to a few years back. He would not fall for the same traps.
Interface, Scion: <And what happens if I do not try to have him live? Artemis once told me a phrase: 'Laiku nāca un gāja, the time came and went.' What happened already has passed me by and cannot be retrieved. The best I can hope for is to correct my wrongdoings and have my host live. At the very least... I owe him that.>

He hated thinking about Artemis but, regardless of the damage he had done, Artemis had taught him a few good things. Maybe he could put some of those things to good use.

>If I cannot move anymore, simply get behind the dumpster and relinquish my control of the host, allowing him to rest. If I have a little bit of energy, continuing moving into a building. Secure it off as best as I can and then relinquish control.

[Tiruin]

{Lenglon, if you can, please post for me :X
Net is going silly these days. Thank you.}

[NAV]

"Nice tattoos. I'm thinking of getting some of my own."
Check what tools I have in my knives. Just the standard stuff?
"Do you know what I can do?"
Try to get a better look at her weapons.
"Lets fight."
Nikolai copies her fighting pose, and he also copies her smile, not that anyone can tell with his mask on.

For now don't attack, back up and try to avoid and dodge if she attacks.

((Is she one of the characters you used to test the system?))