lynchpin_castle | Challenge Zones

Challenge Zones

Challenges and Challenge Zones

Challenges between Champions will take place in designated areas at designated times, since this is ultimately a formal contest and competition between the Forces of Creation, and the Forces of Unmaking. The landscape in the void will and can adapt to provide these designated areas. Sometimes, a designated area will have a ‘base’ form, and be used again and again in various ways, with different options. These specific zones are listed below.

The Labyrinth (Primarily Mental)

The labyrinth is, in its simplest form, a complex maze. Long have beings used it as a tool of mediation and focus, navigating its walls whether in the physical or mental realms. The Labyrinth is one of the main challenge-zones that always exists, but what form it takes depends on what the current challenge is. What form it takes may also have limits and restrictions to provide a proper challenge to the champions.

The base form of the Labyrinth is an enclosed and complex maze that resists attempts to break out via any means other than navigating it from start to finish. It’s layout-changes every time, but there are ways to help one learn one’s way. (String, marking the walls, etc)

The Labyrinth Zone may be reached via a teleportation pad within the Observation room of the Castle.

The Mirror Gallery (Primarily Spiritual)

The Mirror Gallery has many names, but this is the most common. Mirrors are reflections, and reflections can be distorted or far too accurate for comfort. This challenge zone also takes different forms, but the theme always remains the same in that champions have their spiritual mettle tested, be it facing their worst fears and flaws, temptation fulfilled but with great cost, or making choices that are life-altering.

The base form of the Mirror Gallery is a small building full of mirrors of various shapes, sizes, and types. Depending on what one wishes to gaze on, one may find the mirror they wish to test themselves and attempt to learn what challenges they may face. (i.e: fun-house mirrors, mirrors that show your opposite, mirrors that show what you desire most…)

The Mirror Gallery may be reached via a teleportation pad in the Tapestry gallery of the castle.

The Field (Primarily Physical)

The Field is a designated challenge zone, that adapts and changes as needed for the challenge provided. It is an interdimensional space which may resemble a racing track one time, or a sparring ring another. It can be a vast prairie, or an arctic wasteland. Depending on the climate/atmosphere of the zone, there may be additional challenges for champions here.

The base form of the Field is a large area with mountains, plains, some rivers, and plateaus. It is reachable via a teleportation pad outside of the Castle-grounds along a set path. Where it exists otherwise is not known.

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He was tired too, and her warning was a good one as he'd just started to move like he was going to step into the maze again. Tensed and paused, and then taking a deep breath. Still tense as he watched her closely--unlike her, if he tripped a wire he'd probably trip them all. But if it kept her, and kept them both, safe, Trunks figured the energy was worth it.

Even though he ignored his stomach growling, as he took the ear-piece back. "Let me see it, Ahsoka." Fine it might be, but he wanted to check himself okay? Reaching for her injured hand, and they really didn't have enough space to do this kind of arguing, trapped between the two wire-mazes.

She just looked angry about it all. Something in her head had also compared this to Ty Lee again. Like she would have got through with no problems at all. That had it been Ty Lee and Trunks, he'd be giving her praise instead of asking to see her hand.

The Jedi didn't believe in 'pride' but that was always something she, and to an extent, her master had both been bad about. If they did something well, they were proud. If she did something well, he was proud of her and said it. The same for her to him. And... the same when failing, it was hard to keep that sting out of pride.

"It's fine. I deflected it." She insisted, hand closing tighter on itself. Sadly her hand was bleeding too, so... it wouldn't be hard to hide. "We've got more pressing matters to deal with."

His eyes narrowed, frowning, and he continued reaching. "We have enough space to breathe for now." Insisting, pulling the injured hand gently, but firmly, so he could look at it.

Making it worse, Trunks. As he got hold of her hand to pull it to him she let him, frowning and glancing off at the next problem area, letting him look. She had stopped the knife, though the tip of it had sank into the palm of her hand. Nothing too deep, but it was wide enough to hurt and be annoying.

Her face burned in annoyed embarrassment. He'd have to pull her fingers out of a curl, because holding her hand in a fist felt better. "It's fine. I just misjudged the distance and speed. I didn't... want to fling it back like the first one."

Maybe it was making it worse, but he was tired, and worried, and while he knew logically, she could handle herself---logic wasn't winning many arguments right then. Still careful, gentle even as he held it while uncurling her hand just enough to look. Taking a deep breath, and then curling her fist back up, his over it. Eyes closed, and another deep breath, and another.

Clearly trying to keep himself calm.

Then letting her hand go, and he's turning to study the other wire-maze. This was gonna be harder, not only because they were both tired, but they were more distracted. Her by pain, him by her being in pain.

Another deep breath, shoulders rising with it as he held it, then out, and he's starting the second part of the maze. Leaving her on the ledge with her lightsabers, and his sword. This tangle had a few areas where you had to study, and actually jump or twist through--they couldn't have made it easy could they.

Clearly he's not calm enough this time, mistiming his balance and hitting a wire with the tip of his foot. It wasn't a knife though that came at him, but a hole that was high up in the wall suddenly spritzed...something. It smelled terrible, and he couldn't move to avoid it without triggering another wire. Or at least not move much, avoiding his head, but it stung and burned against his shoulder.

A growl of annoyance, and he stayed tensed and still for a moment, breathing again. Trying to calm himself, focus, calm. Be smart about this.

When he held onto her hand like that and looked as if he were trying to gain his calm again, she felt her face burn, feeling unfocused and unsettled now. Stupid. Had she not messed up out there it would have been fine. If she hadn't of tripped that line, she'd be FINE.

Instead she was wondering if he regretted having her as his partner right now instead of Ty Lee. Remembering how she moved in their spar didn't help Ahsoka at all. Instead her eyes focused on the ground and she took her hand back, holding it close to her side, fingers curling tight still.

Stupid. She felt stupid. The LOGICAL side of her told her that mentally whining about this was dumb. He didn't do anything wrong and she wasn't MAD at him, just herself. And she didn't really do anything wrong herself. She should just have pocketed the coms device is all. Here they were though, her mind so sure that Trunks would rather be working with Ty Lee, who no doubt would have weaved her way through this four times by now.

When Trunks stooped, she lifted her hand, as if to stop a knife from flying or something but... "Trunks!" She called out, pausing there. What ever fell was too small for her to have done anything about, and her eyes went wide as she held there, watchful. She could hold him there in the force if he needed but... "You okay?"

"I'm alright, just stung." Lower in tone than he meant, as he's breathing and refocusing. "We know now it's not just knives." Still as a statue aside from his breathing, before he's moving carefully again. Twisting over one wire, before dropping to roll under another, ignoring the sting against his shoulder. Crouched, and having to sort of slide up against one of the walls to get past the next wires while twisting sharply.

"They made this part a lot more annoying." Still slow and careful, and now he could get a good look at the ledge and doorway, and also the hole in front of it. "OH Hell." Growled out and radiating anger. Getting to a point where he could pause, balanced with most of his weight on one side, and half braced on the wall. "So there's a pit here, with spikes in it. And wires." Carefully, very carefully extending one hand up along the wall and just enough ki to help him see more clearly.

Ahsoka could probably see the tension in him, and he growled again in annoyance. "It's a jump. You have to jump and twist over it some how, and then the ledge is safe."

Trunks had never wanted to break something quite this badly, in a very long time.

She let out a sigh as he said he was all right, though like her own wound, she didn't really believe him. Then again she assumed he could manage. They could try to fix it after, when they were stopped for a bit. IF they could stop for a bit. She too was hungry now, and using the force always was draining after a while. Especially when they had been going for so long now.

"Jumps I can manage. You. Can't you fly over it?" She asked, and moved, leaning his sword and her lightsabers there still. She would float all three over when she was closer, and it didn't look like he needed it at the moment. Better safe than sorry. She moved, slowly, carefully, keeping her lekku close and sliding through places. "A jump should be the easy part of this, yeah?"

She worked through, hand balled up and the other open as she leaned over things, being careful. She got through this one easier than before. She would have been fine before, had she not dropped that damn ear piece.

He will deny that the thought never even occurred to him about the flying. NOPE--taking that to his grave, because he'd been caught up in other things. Studying what he could see again of the wires right before the spiked pit, and yes...yes he could. First piece of good news about this whole corridor.

"It should be, but I'm taking nothing for granted right now." Another deep breath, and he's moving. Twisting around a wire, over another one, ducking, and then the tricky part. A short hop over one wire, to duck and twist over the last, and then jump over the spiked pit...

Except he's hovering over it, turning back to watch her, just in case. One hand still holding enough ki in a small ball to provide light for them.

She was silent for a bit. It wasn't that she thought he forgot he could fly, just that she thought it was a good idea, and that he much have been worried about HER getting by. Like this jump might have been taxing or hard. She assumed he already knew how he was getting through.

"I swear, this next door better not lead to man eating creatures and explosions, or I'm going to be really mad." She muttered as she had to turn ehr head just right to get her montrals past some trip wires. By time she got to the other side, having caught up with Trunks, she sighed, half straddling over a wire, and looking at the jump. She wasn't as close to the wall as he had been.

For a moment she just let out a deep tired breath. This reminded her of times in the war. Having gone all day with no rest, food or water, and just pushing on. Leading to something stupid they'd have to jump through to keep going. Except they'd always made it. Mostly. "Just like Ord Matell all over again, Ahsoka." She told herself carefully, looking over at him. "From here to the ledge. Any obstacles to worry about?"

Edited 2017-05-30 02:39 (UTC)

“If it leads to anything other than a safe room, I'm blasting it and to hell with using my brain.” Trunks grumbled, agreeing with her. “Otherwise, it looks clear. Just the spike-pit, and the ledge on the other side is clear.”

Back to her, and as tired as he was, frustrated, hungry, and concerned, he offered her a smile. “You have this, Ahsoka. I know you do.” She'd come through worse, he was sure of it.

She gave him a nod, very sure on her stand point in this as well. As she moved, she sighed, crouching a moment to call the Force around her. "Just another day." She said back, and jumped, a nice graceful force jump, one that took her over a short pit distance with out going too high. Her feet hit the other side and she stuck the landing, turning to lean back away from the ledge.

She let out a sigh and with out saying anything else, lifted her hands to call for his sword, lifting it and wiggling it through the maze, to bring it right to his hands. "You mind if I do something pointless, reckless, and... maybe helpful if we have to come back this way?" She asked, and as she asked it, he'd see both lightsabers turn on, on their own, in that middle resting spot. Just standing there for the moment.

Maybe they should open the door first... but, well, here we are.

Calling it to him was appreciated, as he floated the rest of the way over to join her, strapping it on over his shoulder. "I think we've both earned pointless and reckless, at this point Ahsoka." She could see now, the slight burn--not bad, but enough to sting as he'd said--on his left shoulder. A few inches to the right and it would've been his face or neck instead.

A step closer, but behind her and out of her way. No objections to reckless here, and no--he wasn't thinking about the door. He was remembering his first instinct that he'd had to quell, once he'd seen her wound. Remembering well how she'd reacted last time, and that it was his problem. His feelings were his own issue, not hers.

When he was there with her she saw the burn, frowning more. She wanted to ask, to double check, but... would wait. First, she had to consentrate on this. "Can you get the door open? We might need to make a fast escape."

But even after saying it, she drew one lightsaber up, the shorter one, and short it forward through the first half, back towards where they had come. And the longer one towards her, turning in the air until it hit everything. Knives, sharp objects, acid, it seemed, and other things dropped, flung, flew, and were also deflected. The long saber came to her hand and she used it as a guard, covering them in case something did happen. The short one spin around again, clipping a few more lines before flying through it all to her. Only a few objects came their way. The floor was going to be ruined because of what ever dripped.

She stood there a moment, both weapons in hand, glaring at it. And then turning them off, winced as the short one had flown into her wounded hand and smarted.

Huh, yeah--glad she was thinking about that because he hadn't been. A determined push and the door opened, and then Trunks was close to her again. At her back, closer than before and easily ready to guard her as much as she guarded them.

Dimmer again, without light-sabers or ki, and he was breathing. Then hesitantly, because they're both injured, he put his hand on her shoulder. Squeezing gently, understanding, agreeing--and then he's stepping beside her and aiming a few good ki blasts at the bottom of the spike-pit.

There was something cathartic about just bluntly destroying something like this. Though she did notice that had they done it from the other side, they would have been in a world of hurt. Clear up to where the door was lay a layer of smoking ground, like acid or something had been sprayed that way. Knifes too. WELP, guess it was worth it.

The strong hand at her shoulder made her take in a breath a moment and she stepped back, both sabers on her hip again as he took and blasted the pit. she deflected a few chunks of flying wood away from them and stood there a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"Well, I feel better." Her voice was flat and dark, like she didn't actually feel better, but did.

"You don't sound like it though." Turning back to her, to study her again. "But sometimes a little destruction is good, helps you vent in good ways." Hey, he wasn't going to judge. Another deep breath himself, and then releasing it. "I'm not sure if I feel better or not."

More quietly to himself though, looking back over the way they'd came. "I am glad I didn't go with my first impulse though..."

"I'm... just tired." She said, curling her hand closer to her chest and letting out a sigh. "Let's see what trap they have set for us next." She said with a huff and sigh. Though she paused, hearing his comment even if he didn't mean her to. Instead she spoke to the other one. About him not sure if he felt better or not. She looked over at his burned shoulder.

"You all right? What is that, acid?" She asked, not reaching out to touch, but leaning a bit to try and see in the dim lights here. "We should find a place to get that cleaned out."

"I have no idea, but it still stings." Definitely a patch of red and angry skin, but not blistered yet. "I mean, I know how to identify a chemical burn or an acid burn but right now I am too tired to care which it is." He didn't move away though, letting her examine the wound.

It had been close, but at least while it stung and wasn't pretty, it was solid on the shoulder muscle itself--but moving it had to be highly annoying. Moving it would just pull against the skin which was raw and red and angry. Letting her look for a moment, before he's turning his attention to the door.

Narrowed eyes, suspicious and peering through it carefully first. It was brighter, another empty hallway that was well lit and with a door at the end. He glared at it resembling his father very much. "I am more suspicious that it's empty, than I would be if it were full of more traps."

He did not sound happy, but while Trunks was studying it carefully, he took a cautious step forward. Then blinked, and relaxed some. "Ahsoka, I'm tired...are you able to sense anything beyond that door? Because I'm reading two ki signatures that are familiar."

Hmm. She hummed looking at it at the moment. A burn but not bad yet. "Too bad we didn't have that flood after this. Could have helped sooth that." She teased, then her face fell, looking up as if someone from above was watching. "Joking. Joking. Please no more flash floods." She said, the n sighed, running her good hand over her face.

She pushed on, to follow him to the door, peeking past him as he peeked in. A hall. And one door. She sighed, not liking this either, but the feeling wasn't bad. She took a slow deep breath, let it out, closed her eyes and felt for it. It took a bit longer than normal, but...

"I think...--hey, I think that's part of our group." She said, rubbing her wrist over her nose and eye, frowning. "How'd we end up back near them, I thought we were going the other way!" Caution should be taken, but she moved into the hall and stared towards the door. "I can't be positive, but unless this place is messing with what I feel, I think we know them."

"That's what I'm reading...and if I"m right, it's Tamaki and Himawari." Her ki was definitely odd, but he couldn't tell how easily. "Besides, at this point I'm not sure which direction we're headed, so who knows where we are." Yep, Trunks was tired, but with Ahsoka's confirmation he moved towards the door.

He stepped lightly, and kept himself alert, but he didn't stop. Again the door gave at an easy and determined push, opening indeed to one of the safe rooms. Don't mind that Trunks hasn't even realized he's still glaring and frowning, and Himawari can likely see the family resemblance now to his Father.

Tamaki grinned once he saw them, getting to his feet! His hair was mussed, and he had a small cut on his cheek, and a few bumps and bruises along with rumpled clothing. "Trunks-kun! Ahsoka-san!" Cheery, and the room they could see was quite nice. Dark stone, but with comfortable cushions on the floor and low tables, with an open sky-light window of some kind along with smaller lamps. Against one wall was a spread, similar to what they'd find in the dining hall at the Castle under various platters. The table also held a lower-shelf stocked with various first-aid supplies.

Tamaki had near his backpack on the table, a small tea-cup and a pitcher, as well as what looked like half of a tea cake.

"Now where are the other two..." She said softly, moving along with him to the door. As Trunks pushed in she followed, suddenly feeling more tired than before. Like any time she got to a place that was safe. That point where you let yourself go for a moment and let your shoulders drop.

Their first 'test' had been him and her on a battle field. It was easy to understand. The objective was clear. Fight. Stay alive. It also didn't take most the day. This was... different. More taxing.

Himawari stood as well, a small bandage around her wrist but nothing bad. She smiled at the two of them, hands coming to cover her mouth. "Oh my, you two look like you've been through a lot." Himawari tucked her hands to herself and gave them hopeful smiles. "I'm glad to see you though." Trunks really did resemble his father right now. Just needed the darker hair.

Ahsoka gave a tired smile, and then it fell, looking the mover. They looked okay, but still. "Are you two all right? Tamaki, what happened to your face?" He had a good face too. It would be a shame if it scarred.

"Eh?" Tamaki responded, what... "OH, I tripped and scraped myself against a vine." Then he's taking them in more and, "Hima-san! Would you rather bandage, or get them comfy with food?" Already back in take-charge mode. "You two, come, sit. You look as if you've been through hell."

Even if he was pleased (and unsurprised) to find Trunks' jacket enveloping Ahsoka. What had HAPPENED to them? "We really are glad you're safe. All we've gotten from Logan is the occasional growl, and some babble from Ty Lee. They seem to be handling it though." Speaking as he moved, and looping an arm around Ashoka's own carefully, and the same to Trunks, and about to try and drag them further in.

Nor was Trunks protesting, at least at first. Then he shrugged lightly out of Tamaki's grip and flomped on a cushion. Just sort of folding himself down, tiredly. "A flood, trip wires, and the man-bull thing that's been chasing us. Not quite hell." Blue eyes focusing on Ahsoka, specifically on where Tamaki was hovering around Ahsoka.

"I'll get them some food." It was something she could do with out having to touch them or the food. So it would be safe. And Tamaki would do a good job, she knows it. There were plates, and there were warm drinks, and so she carefully got some for both of them as Tamaki lead them in.

Ahsoka was a little surprised by Tamaki pulling her in more, and only glanced at Trunks as he too was pulled in. As Trunks took a seat, Ahsoka moved with Tamaki, holding her hand close to her chest as she said. "I lost my ear piece in the flood. Almost lost the second on as well. I'm glad you all are keeping in contact though." And then as she sank down into a seat her body almost wilted back into it, eyes closing. "Trunk's has a chemical burn at his shoulder. I think we need to clean that off before it gets worse." She pointed out to Tamaki, softly. Ignoring her own closed fist bleeding hand.

Oh two could play that game, Ahsoka. "She's bleeding. Took a knife to the hand, and stopped most of it. Those trip wires were made like a maze or web we had to weave through." You do not get to deflect this, but he sighed and thanked Himawari as she passed him food and something hot to drink. Ignoring his stomach growling again, and trying to at least eat with some manners.

Tamaki headed for the first aid boxes and pulled out bandages and ointment. Looking between the two, as honestly both were concerning to him. Ahsoka was bleeding, but Trunks had a burn and.... Looking at the other's shoulder he winced. That did look nasty. Frowning at the younger man, and marching over to him. "She's right though. Even if she is bleeding, that," Not jabbing it, but close to as he pointed "needs attention first.

Plopping himself down beside the other, and ignoring as he ate to fish more in the first aid box. Gloves pulled on, and finding some sterile wipes, and Tamaki was reaching out with it towards the burn.

Trunks hissed, holding his food away--especially as Tamaki had reached out and tried to pull the other's arm closer, straight, jostling the shoulder inadvertently. Blue eyes glaring met purple eyes glaring, both stubborn.

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