5282/Proving Ground: Trapper Shingle

Proving Ground: Trapper Shingle
Date of Scene:	29 May 2017
Location:	The Bastion
Synopsis:	Kid invites some folks to try their luck on Trapper Shingle.
Cast of Characters:	The Kid, 799, 278, 1103

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The Kid has posed:
    Trapper Shingle. Only place in Caelondia you could get certified with a Fang Repeater. Although, there's no one around to fill paperwork in anymore. This place, like everything else in Caelondia, was blasted sky high, and stuck there in stark defiance of all known forms of physics.

    The Shingle has been reduced to its more simple components. It consists of two platforms, connected by a zig-zagging, ramshackle pathway. It's made up of multiple tiles, crudely bolted together with hunks of metal to act as the bridges, with weights hanging underneath them. In these winds, they chime as they bump into each other and make the walkway sway precariously. There's no railings, nothing to stop you from going over the side. And once you step foot on the path, you'll be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

    The nearest path is blue, and has minimal weight. But the next part, that splits off at a 90 degree angle, is yellow and has more weights. And then green, a narrower path with even more. And finally, red. With many weights, all lashed together on a narrow platform, so that as one falls, it will drag other tiles with it.

    Kid is standing on the platform that leads into the 'easy' part of the Shingle, which is also where the warpgate deposits visitors. He's grabbed a bunch of guns and ammunition from the Concord armoires to hand out. He also has some first-aid supplies, and plenty of drinks of the alcoholic persuasion.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It's very hard to actually ignore Hisoka. That is, it's hard to ignore him unless he wants to be ignored. In person he's obvious, flamboyant, colourful. When he doesn't want to draw attention to himself however, he can be all but invisible.

    Time, it seems, to draw attention. He's learned interesting things by being quiet and unnoticed. He hasn't made any waves as part of the Concord. But now that he's found some interesting things, it's time to have a little fun. Talk about whether or not given people were worthy of The Mighty have interested him. And now a practice session geared for those who think they are Mighty. Well, this ought to be a LOT of fun.

    The flamboyant Magician saunters casually towards the platforms, a smirk of playful malevolence seemingly glued to his face. He greets Kid with a flip of his fingers. Almost a salute, but if it's a salute it's an insultingly informal one. He turns his gaze to the platforms, studying them, noting the weights. Not a problem, he supposes. Even if he does fall, which he doesn't expect, he'll be safe enough. Which means the challenge of this training session will be minimal. Of course that assumes he doesn't add to the challenge.

    He glances at the guns, shrugs. "I suppose I could use those." he muses. He gestures with one hand, fanning out cards seemingly from nowhere - a stage-magician trick. "I brought my own weapons though. Would these be sufficient?" he asks, still smirking.

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
Bramble Patch was a bit impressed after watching the sparring match the other night, so she decided to come see what this was all about. That and this might be the kind of world she wants to poke around in. Her curiousity can be just as dangerous as her need to prove herself.

So the orange pony with green vine-like curls trots out of the warpgate. Only to stop almost immeadiately after stepping onto the platform, craning her head to look down. An Earth Pony's awareness of the ground beneath their hooves tells her almost immeadately this isn't on the ground at all. Though she wanders over to peer past an edge, just to confirm. "... Huh. This must be what it's like to be up in Cloudsdale."

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus steps out of the warpgate, her boots clinking lightly on the platform. Her hair and long coat whip in the wind, and she brings a hand up to steady her hat out of reflex more than necessity. Her blue eyes scan around for the others, and a sly little smile spreads over her lips once she spots them. "Friends, fellows, Fear not, for the Mad Magician has arrived." she says, as a way of introduction, sweeping a bow before straightening.

The Kid has posed:
    The Kid is far from bothered by the strange greetings. Neither the lackadasical salute, nor the strange titles or talking horses bother him none. "Wasn't always this way. This placed used to sit above a pond," he explains to Bramble. Looking to Hisoka, he says, "Use whatever you like. I just brought these in case anyone needed 'em."

    He stands up and looks to everyone. "Right, the goal is to get from here to there usin' the path," he says, pointing at the far platform across the rickety road. "Targets'll pop up, some of which will shoot back at you. Take 'em out, those are how you get points. Whoever scores the most will get... somethin' I guess. Haven't thought about it. Winner's choice maybe."

    He looks around again and adds, "Ya can go in groups or on your own. Groups'll get you more targets which means more possible points, but you're only graded on the ones you destroy. Obviously, fallin' means you fail, but I'll make sure ya won't die."

    He gestures towards the Shingle. "Who's up first?"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka's smug smirk may well be annoying. He turns it on Theurgus next. "Fear? Why would we fear, Mad Magician? And why would you make it better?" he asks, sounding entirely serious. Serious enough that it sounds like he's mocking her words when they're combined with his expression.

    He considers the trial before them. It doesn't seem difficult at all. Probably a trial along the level of one of the Hunter exam stages, which he excelled at. That sets the bar for this competition, in his mind. People qualified as Hunters, or the equivalent, should be able to finish and should therefore be at least minimally-interesting. People who do well though, well, that should be a whole different level of interest.

    "I'll go." Hisoka volunteers, strolling out to the first road. There, the casualness goes away. He breaks into a run, dashing along the rickety road, flinging several cards at any turret along the way.

    He doesn't actually try to win. He's not about to allow himself to fall, but neither does he want to go all-out. He'll destroy a few turrets but his weird agility will keep him safe enough from return firepower. He won't spend long enough in any given place to be bothered by platforms falling from underneath him. Even should something actually begin to collapse as he sets foot on it, he'll just treat it like he expected it all along, bounding off at some odd angle that looks unnatural yet completely planned.

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
Bramble Patch trots over to the start of the paths. "I don't mind going together, but the first person that tries to -ride- be gets bucked over the edge." Then turns to grin slyly at Kid. "And before you ask, yes, I do have a means of 'shooting' things even without your gangly opposable appendages. So don't worry none about that."

Pause. "And no, it's not shooting rainbows, either. I don't even want to know why I keep getting asked that."

But it looks like Hisoka would rather do it on his own, so she just stands back and watches.

The Kid has posed:
    Kid watches intently as Hisoka blasts through the Shingle, narrowly avoiding falls and taking out the targets, a mix of turrets and strange, spiny fruits that float. The large lanterns that float on their own tiny landmass separate from the path add layers to how he can progress that most wouldn't consider. "He ain't takin' thing seriously," he finally says, more to himself than Bramble and Theurgus. He's not taking shots he clearly could, he's not moving as fast as he could be...

    When Hisoka reaches the other platform, he finds one of those old-fashioned counters with the flipping number panels that gives him his score. He did quite well for himself! Ther eis also something of a prize pedestal waiting for him. However, whatever was here is long gone. He also finds a Skyway that would whisk him back to the start.

    Should he do so, Kid looks to him and nods. "Pretty good. Though I don't think you're the type to order around. More the type to give an objective to and let you loose." He takes something from his belt, some kind of badge shaped like a cog. Raising it above his head... somehow makes the rickety path repair itself, ready for the next challengers.

    "Who's next? You two want to go together?"

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus looks to Bramble curiously for a moment or two, before going back to watching Hisoka's run. "Facinating." The obvious mockery either goes right over her head, or is entirely ignored, as she watches the man move. "He reminds me of an evolved Poochooze... one that's grown limbs and can move through means other than awkwardly hopping." she mentions, arms folded over her chest. "Not bad, but as our host says, he could do much better, that much is certain."

    When asked, Theurgus looks to Bramble once more, then back to Kid. "If our fourlegged companion would like to, I would be delighted. However if she wishes to try the course alone I would be remiss to go against her wishes."

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
Bramble Patch flicks her tail and scrapes a hoof on the ground, the way one would expect to see a horse preparing to run. She still has no real obvious means of attacking, but that just means she must have a trick or two of her nonexistant sleeves. Might have something to do with the way the jewel on her headband flickers with greenish grey gleams.

"Oh, by all means missy, come along. I may be a jerk at times but I'm not beyond working with others," she replies to Theurgus, and gives the girl a change to join her at the start.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It seems Hisoka's holding back is seen through. Well, no big deal really. It's the mark of a good Hunter (or the equivalent) to be able to judge a person's capabilities, and he has no real interest in fooling someone suitably interesting. "Probably a good idea." he muses, narrowing his eyes to study The Kid with something like approval. He has no problem with taking orders, at least if he feels like it, but it's often a very good idea to just let him do things his own way.

    With that he turns to watch the paired participants. This should be interesting. Hopefully for everyone's sake, not TOO interesting...

The Kid has posed:
    Kid honestly seems relieved that at least some people want to do this as a group. "Okay, whenever you're ready. Even though you're scored individually, try to work together. Just for the sake of makin' sure I don't have to explain how someone died in a training exercise." He gestures to the path for whenever the two are ready.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus nods to the pony, then smiles. "Just for safety's sake, let me do this." she holds her right hand forward, as if grasping something. A smooth metal rod, about six inches long appears in her grasp. She twirls it, then throws it straight down into the starting platform. It emits a thin beam of light. "Charta. Begin transfer."

    The blue haired girl is then engulfed in a blue-white glow with code fragments and pixelated flashes, before emerging in her HDD form. Rainbow coloured hair, a flowing white cloak over a tight fitting body suit, and mismatched blue and red eyes that swap sides occasionally between blinks. "Diamond Soul has arrived." she intones, voice a little deeper.

    Another thing she exhibits, apart from the various clockwork assemblages on her hips, feet, shoulders and atop her head, is the fact she isn't even touching the platform anymore. No, she's floating an inch or two off the surface, and begins to float forwards when Bramble begins.

    She attacks using her staff, sending out bolts of colourless light, or blasts of wind, bolts of flame and zaps of lightning, never using the same 'element' twice in a row. Theurgus, Diamond Soul, also covers for Bramble, aiming specifically for the things targetting her comrade and trusting the pony would return the favour, though she uses her flight ability to basically cheat her way out of the falling platforms and evade around return fire.

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
"Then lets get this rodeo started!" Hooves clatter as Bramble Patch takes off onto the path. Not at a full out gallop since she's still got to have time to react and aim, but being a small horse it's still fairly fast to avoid the panels dropping off under her hooves while still giving her time to react to evading shots.

As soon as the turrets are up and active the others get a glimps of just what she can do. As she darts past the shots the Everfree Gem glows faintly and a twisted ring of thorns appears in her mouth. A whip of her neck flings it through the air liked magical charkam, ricocheting between several turrets and spiny fruits to take them out. A process she repeats as necessary, using the magical rebounds to hit targets at angles that might be hard for Theurgus' bolts to reach.

Though when the turrets are close together, instead of the thorn ring she pulls out one of her alchemy vials and throws that, which works pretty much like a magical grenade. Boom! Acidic blast to burn down things. WHo says you need opposable thumbs to throw and shoot things?

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Seemingly fascinated, Hisoka watches to see what tricks the two would pull. Floating seems a bit like cheating, but it wasn't against the rules either. Hisoka's own movements, if the course becomes tricky enough, would seemingly defy momentum. That in itself would be cheating as well... if subtle.

    The pony is intriguing too, considering he's not hugely familiar with such creatures. She's not necessarily someone he'd want to fight, but he can appreciate skill without necessarily wanting to murder someone. A person using their abilities without waste, turning apparent disadvantages into strength, is something he can appreciate. Far better than trash surely, such as someone who has a lot of advantages but squanders them. The pony's clever with her attacks, using ricochets to her advantage. Yes, she too is someone he'd accept as passing his own unspoken tests. So far.

The Kid has posed:
    Kid just stares at Theurgus suddenly shapeshifts. His brows furrow has he notices that her feet no longer touch the ground like this. Well, that's his own damn fault for not making it a rule, but... shaking his head, he just watches as the two get to work.

    Theurgus is clearly a powerhouse when she's like this. A good breadth of damage types at a constant rate. She's also pretty keenly aware of her allies, he notices. She always picks targets that Bramble isn't focussing on. A pretty dependable sort, if not a bit of a kook. As for Bramble... well, that's a somewhat horrifying power, but it's clearly effective. Reminds him of the needle-spitting game people would play with Stabsinthe. The rebound seems controlled too, very effective. The alchemy grenade draws an eyebrow raise from him too. So she uses gear like him...

    Once the two arrive at the end, the score tallies up... huh. A total draw. Kid observes this through binoculars and smirks a little. "Guess I don't gotta cough up a prize now," he says as the two return. "But that was good. Nice teamwork." He produces a bottle from his belt, yellow and shaped like a heart, and pours out a cup for everyone to celebrate with.

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
"There was possible prizes? I thought this was just to show off so you could see what your allies can do?" Bramble Patch snorts a little, but then shrugs. Hey, it also means no one lost so.

She plops down on her haunchs, taking the cup between her front hooves. Which seem to be able to hold it just fine. Pony hooves don't work quite the same as normal horse hooves, at least for objects with enough size to apply some pressure to.

Bramble tilts her head with interest as the contents of the bottle are poured out though. Followed by taking a nostril flaring sniff of the cup. "What's this stuff made from?"

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus comes around with Bramble, and detransforms with the same rush of light and code. Her boots click back onto the platform, and with a flick of a wrist, she recalls the Relay back to her hand, then 'dissolves' it into her Inventory. "Kukukukuku, WAHAHAHAH! Oh, that was exhilirating. Reminds me of the courses my mentor had me run while she was training me."

    The cup is accepted, and the bottle eyed curiously, but she accepts some of the liquid regardless. "To a draw. A meeting of equals and an exchanging of knowledge." she offers as a 'toast', raising her cup.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    "As a test, it's not really the sort of thing I'd consider useful for the Mighty." Hisoka muses. A chance to show off, if you're into that sort of thing. Hisoka isn't. He's not really into tests either. Not tests of himself at least. Tests for others can be entertaining.

    "But then, we're not in this group because we want to cooperate, but because we seek out fights, aren't we?" he says. "I wonder what such a battlefield..." he gestures out to the falling roadways, the seemingly bottomless plunge. "... would be like if we were all out there, competing against each other instead of against the obstacles?" he asks, apparently amused at the thought.

The Kid has posed:
    "Lifewine. Made from a mix of nuts mainly. It's good, keeps folks goin' through rough spots." And indeed, those who try it would find that it's a deliciously creamy, nutty flavour, not at all like actual wine. Just a sip makes the heart beat more fiercely, driving one to courageous acts. Or is that just the booze sinking in?

    Kid taps his cup against Theurgus' own, honoring his toast. "To hard work, and becomin' better than you were." He drains his in a single go, carrying the air of an experienced drinker.

    Although, Hisoka's words make him frown a little. "It ain't really a test. I'd make it harder if it were. More... teambuildin'. I wasn't in a faction before, and I hardly know anyone here. Can't really do much as a division leader if I don't know folk." Boy, this guy's a real loon, but Kid doesn't let it phase him. "Would make an interestin' fight. I'll keep that in mind."

Bramble Patch (278) has posed:
Bramble Patch clacks her cup to the others, then takes a sip from it. Followed by a bit of lip smacking. "Nuts, huh? I ain't no squirrel, but it tastes fine. Pretty strong, too." It doesn't take long for her to gulp the rest of it down. Might have to see if she can brew something like this up.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus sips from her own cup, and tilts her head curiously, as if analysing what she just drank. "Facinating." is her only observation.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka sips his own drink, tasting it. He seems to approve. More a liquor than wine really, but certainly tasty. As to driving him to do courageous things, well, he doesn't have an issue with that. He does what he does, and danger is a spice more enticing than any other. He tosses back the wine cheerfully.