Slowly, you all stumble to your feet. You look at the world through a slightly grey haze - a spherical barrier around each of you, individually.
"Contestants! This marks the beginning of your time in our game of cards and treasures. Now, you shall fight for your place at the top, or you shall suffer the consequences of your cowardice!"
"For those of you who have been unfruitful in your creation efforts - you may replace your treasures with a sharpened bronze dagger, if you so choose. Consider this a move of pity! In future trials, this option will not be available to you."
You tense in anticipation. Even with the haze you can see other bubbles, similar to your own. Six others in the same situation you are. The voice continues.
"In your archaic tongue, this challenge, the first of many, would be known as... king of the hill. I have crafted for you an arena!"
There is no sky, only a black void with a glowing orb of white to illuminate everything.
There is no grass, only a crumbly black dirt.
There is no horizon, only a circle of red-leaved, excessively thorny trees surrounding this clearing.
"In this game, there will be challenges and eliminations! Now is your time to be challenged - and those who fail will find themselves in position to be eliminated, should they slip! And elimination... is your demise."
There is only a dire certainty in his tone.
"I shall ensure that none of your deaths outside the elimination are final - you may fight to injure and kill each other as you please."
The certainty sharpens to an edge.
You may die.
"In this arena, there are three raised platforms!"
You can see them now. Each one is made of some sleek, metallic material, and is circular. They are not large, however. Each one is perhaps two meters in diameter. You map them out in your mind, and they form the points of an equilateral triangle within this arena. The first of them is red, the second blue, and the third green.
"Each platform will depart at a different time! If you are the sole person standing upon it when it exits, you will be carried to safety at that time. If you are not... there will be no safety. And should you claim no platform solely for yourself, you will be vulnerable to elimination. Your final demise."
"The red platform will leave when [three turns] have passed! The blue platform will leave when [five turns] have passed! Finally, the green platform will leave when [eight turns] have passed! Should you leave on the red or blue platforms, you will be rewarded appropriately!"
"I shall allow you the time to plan your approach and decide whether or not you wish to take the dagger of pity for yourself - and that will be all the mercy I grant you."
(Next turn, Turn 0, the barriers around you all will drop and you'll get to see the other contestants and the naked-eye look at what items they have brought with them. You may then submit your actions. Until then, feel free to plan - and decide whether you wish to take your host's offer of a weapon, if your generation was unsuccessful.)
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Topic: CARDQUEST [7 / 7] - Turn 2: First Blood (Read 8792 times)