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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The one benefit to droids of any kind, was that they were harder, if possible at all, to sense ki from. Which meant that as much as Trunks had his attention focused on the task at hand, occasional checks meant he could keep track of Ahsoka's presence too. A bit shaky--but he couldn't tell if that was because of her or him. Not when he was doing his best to play decoy and shield and distraction.

The normal droids were fine, but those tank hits reminded him all too well of 17 and 18. There were more than 2 of them as well... Moving on instinct and automatic against a group of commandos, Trunks took the moment to assess himself internally.

Definitely not going to be able to take another hit from one of those tanks--directly would knock him cold, and indirectly would likely knock him out of Super Saiyan and hurt. Badly. Hopefully Ahsoka would be able to keep that from happening.

Given how they'd worked so far in the week they'd known each other, he trusted her. The reverberations of an explosion had his attention piqued. Then he smirked--and yes, he trusted her. Which meant keeping his promise; sword drawn and focused as he went to work moving through groups of commandos and dekas, then paying special attention to try and find IGs and take them out. Expending a bit more power to blast them from afar as needed, while closer-in he focused on good old-fashioned melee and hand to hand.

For all Ahsoka knew, he was still out there fighting. So she was going to do the same. He'd done a great job keeping her path clear too. After the first explosion of the tank she took no time in moving for the next one. And while she saw it send another blast out, it's shields flickering off, she ducked around it to the back, picking up a rock to chuck at it. It hit the tank. Another flicker just as another rock was thrown. It bounced off a shield.

They had to shut the shield down to fire. That might be a problem, it might help It wasn't a large window. She had one more Ion Charge, and one standard explosive. No matter what she did she wasn't going to be able to get through to that second one without the shield coming down, and they were close together but not close enough that ones blast will take out the other.

For a moment she wished they had communicators on them. Maybe she'd mention that later. Something that would allow them to talk while he was up there being all blond and well built and she was down here mousing around in the woods. No, there was no way to get the other tank to fire on...this... one. Was there?

That's when she did it. She slipped the explosive near this tank, then ran around it, holding the charge with the Force, hand down and curled. She charged after the third tank, making herself clear and open between the two of them. This was a stupid idea. This was so stupid. Still. She was doing it. When the second tank turned to follow her, to fire, she jumped, away, letting the shit hit the third tank, but the shields saved it. Still, she relaxed her hand, and the explosives under the second tank went off, and thanks to it having just fired, the shields weren't up yet. The second tank exploded, loud and strong, a wave of heat billowing up.

The third tank had turned towards her when the second on hit it, and it as charging up too. She intended to make fast work of it as well, using the ion charge to cripple it for a moment. Except it had been charging up a shot when the Ion went off, so, as she did with the first one, blindly trying to hit something to explode it, she found it, but it was a bit more powerful then the other two.

In the end, the explosion was much larger.

Three tanks down though. Ahsoka's body was left, face down in the ground some distance away, knocked out of her controlled jump and sent tumbling in the end. She didn't move for a moment, then gasp, pushing herself up on her arms, shaky. "Ow... over did it..."

That explosion was indeed much larger, as Trunks'd found himself being pushed closer by the swarms to the tanks. The reverberation of all 3 exploding finished things though, sending him flying back and against and into another rock-face.

Knocking him out of Super-Saiyan mode, as the aura and energy faded, and he shakily pushed himself to a knee. Preparing to draw his sword, looking around and trying to sense Ahsoka's ki. Any remaining droids simply dropped however.

Deactivated entirely, before vanishing in flashes of light as an Aurora Borealis shimmered across the sky. Test completed. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, taking several moments just to do that. Then getting to his feet--bruised a bit, clothing slightly torn, but alive and in one piece. "Ahsoka?" Called, a hint of concern as he's trying to find her ki.

Ahsoka could feel a few things. Some were good. Some were not.

The first was that she could feel the sudden drop in the others presence. Her own spike of worry waved in the back of her mind, but she ached so badly that she lost that train of thought too.

Second, she could feel the rock under her ribs that she had landed on and groaned, shoving herself off it, pushing from her hands and rolling over onto her back. Ah, that felt better. She knew she couldn't just lay there though. That there were more droids. Sithspit, there were so many droids. They never seemed to end, did they? In most her life they were there. She'd lost so many good men in her troops due to them. She'd watched people die due to droids.

She then felt everything settle, as she realized she was seeing what could only be what the man called an Aurora over the sky. Lights. Pretty sparkling lights.

She lay there, not getting up at all. She felt as if she was slightly explosion burned, and her head was ringing. That was the other thing she felt. A high pitched ringing in her head, picked up from the montals, shaking through her head. No. She was going to lay there a moment longer and just... just...

"Trunks..." She took a breath, as again that first thing she noticed came back. His presence was smaller again. Was that good or bad. "TRUNKS?!" She yelled out, or thought she yelled. Her head was still ringing. Pushing herself up to sit she shook her head, lekku moving at a sway and falling in place once more. A hand coming to the top of her head. "Trunks?" She called again, in less of a yell, hoping he could hear.

"Right here!" Called, and he had at least enough energy to jog her way, sliding down and then settling by her, flomping on the dirt. Back to his normal self, and that presence was...slightly dimmer than normal when he wasn't masking it. But still steady.

"Don't move, just give me an idea of what hurts and where." Lowering his voice, blue-eyes concerned and a hand reaching out to steady her at her shoulders. Up close, she could see the scratches and small cuts he'd taken too.

She'd at least managed to sit up, drawing a leg in to curl under her. One hand bending around her middle a moment, groaning as he came and plopped down beside her. She let the hand go and rested it on the ground. "There you are..." She let out another sigh and started to smile. "I think I got carried away with that last tank." She said with a half laugh, leaning back on her one arm, and holding her hand out. She called one of her lost Lightsabers to her, and carefully clipped it on her belt. The other sat on the ground where her hand had left it.

"I'm fine. Swear. Nothing broken, that I can tell. That last blast came on a bit faster then the first is all." She tried to assure him, giving him a tired smile. "You got hit. Are you hurt?"

"Exhausted." But he's grinning at her. Moving to lean on his arms, out behind him, and just breathing. "Slightly bruised, not going to be doing anything more strenuous than keeping track of you and me, and scratched." But alright.

A moment or two, and then he was laughing. "Remind me never to make you angry, if that's what you're like when you get carried away." But turning his head her way, and there's an honest and genuine smile on his face and in bright blue eyes. "Glad you did though..those were...yeah."

"You're telling me." She laughed about the exhausted part. Though she had been though worse, and she could still keep going. "I think I could have done a few more tanks, if needed. And I might be able to keep running still. But... I'm glad we don't have to." She said with a grin. She had a very good stamina at least. Where Trunks flashed like a bright fire his energy had to take a lot out of him. She on the other hand could go in small bursts, and keep going for a long time. You had to with the war she had.

"I don't get angry." She said, smirking. It was a bit of a lie. She had a hot head, as did her master. It was something they were both suppose to work on. "Or, well, a bit. But I'm working on it." She dropped back to lean on her elbows, the lekku at her back draping a bit to rest on the ground, the other two on her shoulders. Ah, better. "Though I would rather you be on my side always, then have to battle what I just saw here today. I'd rather you never be angry at me." She said with a grin.

Some of it--he'd burned a lot in Super Saiyan form, mostly because it came with the boosts she'd seen. It was also likely the only thing that had saved his life against those tank-hits. But so long as he wasn't unconscious, his ki remained steady and strong enough, if not the overwhelming presence it had been. It was all in how one managed their resources.

He is raising an eyebrow at her, when she mentions the not getting angry. Skeptical, then grinning at her when she corrected herself. "Depends on what you do." Then he's turning away bashfully. "I don't really get angry easily, except in certain cases."

A sigh, and Trunks just leaned back fully, arms outstretched and fingers not far from her Lekku at the back. "...my world is...under attack by two androids. About as powerful as those tanks, if not more so. They've killed everyone who can give them any kind of decent fight, but me. I can barely survive." A bit more serious, but explaining for her. Trying to give her some context.

She just rested there, taking a moment to collect her breath and try to relax again. She ached, pretty bad. It felt like a long hard fight kind of ache, which she supposed this was. Anakin would have fussed, for a moment after that explosion, and then hit her in the shoulder with a smile. She missed him and she'd barely been away.

"That seems to be how I do it too. I don't get angry easy, except for some cases. We're not suppose to let into emotions. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. These lead to the Dark Side, so we are schooled to not... allow our emotions to get the best of us."

She frowned as he talked about his world being under attack. About the androids. "It's cases like that, that you have to deal with. Alone no less, that I don't know if I could school myself to not be angry." She frowned over at him and let her head fall back between her shoulders a bit. She felt his hand behind her, the touch of her lekku, which felt nice in one moment, but in another she sat her head back up again. "Ah, sorry." Not meaning to squish his hand or something.

"Hmm?" Sorry for what? his head turned to her and there is a question. Blinking at her for a moment, and then his brain caught up. Catching the sudden shift of topics, and he's moving his hand. "No, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to invade your space there."

Moving instead to sit up again. Unbuckling the sword and leaning it nearby, then back down with his hands under his head as a pillow. "It's..different where I'm from. There's a difference between anger and rage that you can use as fuel, that you can control with discipline, as opposed to letting it rule you."

She chuckled as he apologized for invading her space. "No. That... wasn't it. I just... didn't realize you were there. I didn't want to just squish your hand or something." She said with a soft chuckle, sitting up on her elbows still. It felt good to just sit for a little bit. Rest.

She did smile though, faintly, looking out that the forest ground they were laying on. No blown up droid parts anywhere. No fires. It was nice. Clean. "There is a group of people, or... an order, who believes the same as you though. To give into your anger, your rage and hate, to fuel yourself enough to conquer anything, but not... to let it rule you. It seems like such a dangerous idea. The Sith, they're called, back home. They believe that to use and control your anger brings you more power." She glanced over at him. "When you went.... all... powerful. That was the feeling you gave off. Such a strong power."

He's still keeping his hands under his head though, even if she said it was okay. Seriously though--she was worried about her...what were those things called anyways? worried about that squishing him?

"It's at least...some of what I do..." Trying to think of how to explain, where to start. "Lemme start at the beginning. I'm not human, not fully. My mother is, but my father was a saiyan. They're an alien race of warriors, now extinct in my home as far as I know except for me." Nope, moving to sit up again, hands resting on his knees as he crossed his legs. "What literally doesn't kill them, if they have time to heal, will only make them stronger. They're adept at learning and training, including ki manipulation except for sensing it. That takes a bit more practice than most of them ever put in."

Turning his head, watching her. Given all they'd talked about, it didn't take a genius to see was bothered. Maybe even a little afraid of him. "Even then however, most Saiyans don't achieve that level you felt. It's a special state, that was thought to only be legendary until a great Hero of Earth named Son Goku achieved it. 20 years before I was born. It's known as Super Saiyan, and it's unlocked by..."

This was the hard part, and he braced himself as he really didn't want her to be more scared, or dislike him. "It's not easy to unlock. With training, you can increase your ki limits, and improve your body and techniques, and learn more--but you don't get that kind of boost. Not without some kind of trauma." Hanging his head, bringing his leg up to curl his hands around it. "I tried, for years, to get it on my own. Because I was convinced if I had that power, then Gohan and me--we could beat the Androids. Several times I was so close. Even Gohan believed so. But it wasn't until his death, that it became unlocked."

Don't laugh. She just didn't want to discomfort him by laying back into his hand or something. It's called being thoughtful, right?

SHe rested there though, turned a bit to watch him s he spoke. Talking about his mother and father, and half human half not. That didn't seem to bother her at all, herself. She knew a lot of people were half two races. It's just ho things worked? It was though, just a bit.... concerning, that his race seemed to be fueled on strong emotions. Like a nightsister or something.

Trauma though. She wasn't scared... more... concerned. Her brows drew in a bit, frowning over at him. There was nothing scary about him. Especially not at that. She moved to sit up, legs crossed under her, and reached over to rest a hand on his one knee. If he looked at her, it wasn't a look of fear or pity, but just a sadness. A soft look. "I am sorry that anyone would have to go through that, Trunks. Especially for you. For as different as both our places seem to be, we do share that in common, in a way. Perhaps not the same level as you, but every experience you live through makes you stronger, and apparently, a drastic trauma like that makes you stronger. It's terrible and i wish it wasn't the way of things."

Blinking, at her hand and at her. Mostly because outside of battle, he still wasn't used to being touched. But he recognized what she was doing, the comfort, and reached out his own hand to squeeze hers. A silent thank you. "I wish there were a lot of things different about my world."

Pausing, before he spoke again. "You're right about that--just seems like Saiyans are made to adapt to it." Another squeeze of her hand, and a tired smile of his own. "I don't care about being stronger except that I need to protect everyone. I've lived with them terrorizing Earth ever since I was a baby. It's..." A sigh, and he pulled his hand away and curled it around his legs as he brought the other up. Breathing, calling on that discipline. "After it's unlocked, Super Saiyan can be accessed anytime but it burns a LOT of ki for all that it provides a boost. I'm a bit...more reckless in it, a bit more ruthless, but I'm always focused on why I have it. What I have to use it for."

She tried to be a comfort, even if she wasn't the best at it, she was better at it then both Obi-wan and Anakin. Still, she sometimes wondered if she wasn't much good at it also. She drew her hand back when he balled up a bit more, talking about it all. It sounded painful. To gain your greatest power through your greatest loss.

She let him talk. Let him get it off his chest. Through everything she had lost... Anakin, the Order, her home, the faith of the council, her best friend, her mentors and purpose. Through all of that and being alone, she still felt his life seemed... worse. Harder.

"You've sacrificed a lot to protect so many others. I wonder if they even know you're fighting for them. Those people. The planet. Do they know what you do for them?"

"Some do." A tired smile there, bringing his head back up and facing her. "It doesn't even matter if they know it's me, or not. So long as I can keep them safe, so long as Mom and I can help...we will."

Powered by strong emotions he might be, but his intentions and heart were clearly as honorable as any Jedi Knight's. It was comforting though, as she did understand.

A slow blink, still with that tired smile. "Glad you had my back though, Ahsoka. I'd have you at my back with me anytime."

"So long as someone knows. Even just one. It might seem silly, to want someone to know what your doing for them, but in my experience, so long as someone knows you are out there for them, it helps. Maybe it's just me, but it helps me remember that... they might be thinking about me. Worried about me, and so I have to make sure I fight hard for them." She gave a small shrug, looking down at her dirty knees and scrubbed up leggings.

"Maybe your time here can be a good break you need. Even if... you might not remember it all if you go back. Still, it can't hurt being here." She smiled faintly at his comment though, head tilting. "I'll fight with you as best as I can, Trunks. Even if I pale in comparison to your skills."

He shook his head. "Only on this kind of battlefield, Ahsoka." Uncurling, and then stretching a bit before getting to his feet. "There are different ways to fight and be effective, and we just hit my strengths this time." Offering her a hand up if she wanted.

He wasn't sure about that not-remembering thing too. Then again, if they were the first--maybe the Master was still learning about them and how to do this as much as they were. Maybe they thought their champions wouldn't want to remember.

"Yes, but on a power level, you out class me, and you can't deny that." She said, and did take the hand to help her up, giving a soft groan as she stood for the first time since the blast. "Oh, gosh, I regret that third tank." She said with a groan, curling her arms around her middle a moment, then groaning as she reached down to pick up the other lightsaber, clipping it on her belts as she stood again. "That was such a good fight though..."

He didn't; and in physical areas that was likely true. But Trunks was far from stupid, and he had grasped some of why they were there. Certain that Ahsoka would be more than capable in other areas.

Her comments though, brought the grin back. "It really was. I still envy your lightsabers." An easy smile. "Pretty sure I have enough in me left to get us back to the teleportation pad the easy way. Maybe not as fast as before, but still better than walking."

Offering, not assuming.

"As you should envy my lightsabers. They are amazing, and I don't know what I would do without them." Actually, she wasn't meant to have them anymore. They had been taken away from her, but here they were with her, and she took that as a sign that they needed to be with her.

"What? Too tired for a bit of a hike back?" She teased, moving as if to try to put some pep in her steps. "Can't make it back to the... ah, to the..." a pause, and she frowned, glancing back to where she thought the teleporter SHOULD be but then... where it COULD be? Then, frowned at him a moment after. "Okay, first off, I know you took us way far from the pad, and walking back sounds terrible, even though I could do it, and I know I could do it, because I've had to do it before? But..." She gave him a small grin. "I am not too proud to say that I might also not remember which way we came and thing we'd end up going the wrong way."

Which is a yes, if he can manage a quick flight, she'd not fight it.

"If I was too tired, I wouldn't be flying. I'd be walking, and have also done so before." Trunks responded teasingly, but he was amused. "And yes. Your lightsabers are amazing. You wield them well, and with far more grace than I could manage." She did a lot of things with more grace than he did.

Reaching up and rubbing his neck a bit he commented. "Besides, that was the other reason I was offering. The sky'll let us get a better idea of where we are, and how to get where we want to go."

He'd already told her had learned to do this young, and had to do it as easily as breathing.

"Did you feel secure enough earlier, or would you rather a different way?"

She didn't have too many pride issues, really, and asking for help wasn't one of them. She was mostly trying to tease a bit. Keep it light. She was used to holding light conversations like this. Mostly the teasing helped from letting everything go to dark.

"I suppose grace is something you learn with my kind of fighting style." She said easy, and flexed her hand a bit as he asked about being secure the way they flew before.

"Is there another way to do it? I mean... Other than feeling like I might be able to fall? I think it was fine. I'll also have you know that if for some reason you do have to drop me, or we do fall, I'm pretty good at not dying that way as well." She said with a small shrug. "I think I'll be fine."

"Not sure whether I should be sad you weren't an artisan then like most of your people, or glad you're the you I know, considering your grace." Head down a bit after that, ducked into his collar as he blushed slightly.

"The other ways, are I carry you or I piggy back you." A serious response, for all that he still had a grin. "And I won't drop you. Not unless I'm dropping too. But I'm glad to know."

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