Fantasy Zone (Blue)

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

The Fantasy Zone is generic High Fantasy. Fortunately, Hank was able to restrain his fanboyish tendencies and avoid placing the entire Zone in Rivendell. There is a forest abutting a small village. Across the moat from the village is a castle, complete with knights guarding it.

Players must somehow acquire Excalibur, which is the Fantasy Zone’s flag. It’s likely that King Arthur himself is in possession of the weapon in his throne room.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren closes his eyes as the Danger Room’s holographics “relocate” his team to the Blue Zone (he’s gotten into the habit, since improperly programmed transitions tend to leave him nauseated when the visual and auditory effects don’t quite link up), and gives a low whistle when he opens them again. "Wow."

They’re standing on what appears to be the roof of a medieval keep, three stories high, overlooking a forest that seems to stretch unbroken to the horizon. About a hundred meters away – though it looks further at first glance – is a great stone gate; Warren assumes that’s the entrance/exit. But the most striking aspect of their environment is the army arranged around the keep’s perimeter – battalions of pikemen and swordsmen and mounted knights, archers and spearchuckers and what Warren assumes have to be mages, all camped and ready for battle.

"Wow. If the other zones are as well-defended as this one, I’m not sure anybody’s going to win this little shindig!"

On the other hand, this is supposed to be a medieval fantasy zone; the appearance of overwhelming odds is part of the genre. No doubt there are underground caverns or teleporting gnomes or some other way of bypassing the worst of it. Warren assumes Excalibur is somewhere in the keep, watched over by King Arthur… no doubt embedded in a big rock only the pure of heart can draw it from, or something.

"All right – we have a speed advantage outside of the Neutral Zone; let’s make the most of it and get moving. Not much of a plan just yet: we leave the Yellow Zone for last, since the “victim” will be easy for other teams to take away from us. Green Zone is probably our best first target. We stay together as a team until we get to Green Gate; once we’re in there we split up and search. Don’t engage the enemy unless you have to; don’t let them slow you down. Rasputin, illusions are probably your best bet – distract the enemy, conceal our presence as well as you can. Relax; I’ll carry you to our Gate. " He slips an arm around Nikk’s waist and lifts him.

"Any questions? Suggestions?"

[Nikkolas Blagetovich]

Nikk is utterly surprised when the whole hologram-thingy transported them to this zone. He couldn't help but to just look around for a second. This place was huge. Trees, trees, and even more trees seemed to be planted all across this zone, as well as an army of some sort. Nikk really had no idea how medieval stories went, or even a firm concept on it all. This was all new to him. "Dhis vill be interesting..."

"Rasputin, illusions are probably your best bet – distract the enemy, conceal our presence as well as you can. Relax; I’ll carry you to our Gate. "

He turns to Warren, his team captain for his orders. "OK, my strength and control have grown since our little 'meeting'. I'll do best as I can. Do you not vant me to try melding vith other players if illusions don't vork?" He listens very intently, all up to the part where he realizes that he'll be flying. He wasn't gong to cause any problems or anything for his team, but he would mumble under his breath as a good Russian did. "Vhy do you think I took boat to dhis country?" He said jokingly, hoping to lift team spirit just a little. After all, this wasn't going to be easy to win, especially with all of the great mutants that were against them

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Do you not vant me to try melding vith other players if illusions don't vork? "

‘Melding’? It occurs to Warren that he really ought to have paid more attention to Nikk’s training… he doesn’t entirely know what the boy’s capabilities are. The truth is, he’s been somewhat reluctant to get involved in it after their awkward initial introduction, and has been happy to leave it to Josh and Jake. Of course, it’s not like he can ask them now… and anyway, he has a pretty good idea what Nikk means. "‘Melding’ – you mean like mind-control?" He takes a deep breath, not quite sure how to respond.

There shouldn’t be any difference between Nikk “melding” with the other players and him slapping them around with his wings, or Storm zapping them… if anything, Nikk’s power is less likely to cause damage. It’s not like covertly manipulating other students during a normal day, any more than Warren or Storm would ordinarily use their powers to attack their students.

On the other hand, having been a victim of that sort of mental attack, he knows how large the difference can be between intellectual acknowledgement that it’s OK, and feeling like it’s OK. Illusions are one thing, but what happens if Nikk uses his powers to mentally dominate other students and they don’t forgive him for it afterwards? The kid is already having enough trouble fitting in.

He’s tempted to tell Nikk to use his own judgment, but that’s a cop-out and he knows it… he’s in charge of this team, and while it’s just a game it’s also supposed to be an opportunity to get used to dealing with real issues. What would he say if they were really caught in a combat situation? Does he really want Nikk to develop the habit of holding back with his powers in combat, when his life might some day depend on not holding back?

Ultimately he settles on a compromise. "Do it if you have to. But remember, our strategy is based on speed and evasive tactics, not toe-to-toe combat. We go after the flags, the other teams are a distraction. Also, remember that Josh and Jake are both Green; I'm betting they'll be able to target you telepathically... so be careful when we go in there. " It’s not a great answer, but he doesn’t have the time to go into it further; he makes a mental note to raise the issue during the post-game debriefings.

> "Vhy do you think I took boat to dhis country?"

Warren laughs as the three of them soar towards the gate, noticing as he does so that Ororo’s tail-wind makes flying easier than normal, even while carrying a passenger. Good… that will come in handy in the “horror” zone.

"Just think of me as a boat, then. Don’t worry… I’ve never lost a passenger yet!"

[Nikkolas Blagetovich]

"‘Melding’ – you mean like mind-control?"

He nodded, "Da, mind-control, much like dhe late Professor Xavier's power, but not as strong and stable." Nikk hoped that he wasn't causing any sort of problem for his team captain, Warren. They did have a slight past incident when Nikk viciously attacked Warren, and he wasn't sure that Warren was completely cool with him yet. More than anything now, Nikk wanted to win this contest, he wanted to prove himself to Warren and hopefully things would get better for him there socially too.

"Do it if you have to. But remember, our strategy is based on speed and evasive tactics, not toe-to-toe combat. We go after the flags, the other teams are a distraction."

Once again, Nikk nodded in compliance with what Warren was telling him. He thought of some of his own personal strategies for the use of his power. He wasn't sure if he would be able to induce the other teams with illusions and such from above, but why not? He'd give it a go, and if it worked it worked and if not, he'd keep trying. "Speed, distraction, got it." He just slapped on a smile and hoped things would go well for him and his team.

"Also, remember that Josh and Jake are both Green; I'm betting they'll be able to target you telepathically... so be careful when we go in there."

Nikk cringed, remembering that Jake and Josh were both on the same team, and would most likely be able to take him in a tele-battle if they teamed up. Nikk felt confident enough though, that he would be able to be subtle enough that they wouldn't know he was using his powers to induce an illusion on them; he wouldn't even attempt a meld on them two. "Ah, I sink I am sneaky enough to evade their detection, though meld vith even one of them vould be insanity. Should be interesting."

"Just think of me as a boat, then. Don’t worry… I’ve never lost a passenger yet!"

Nikk sighed, knowing that he had to fly, though Warren's comment was slightly reassuring. "Let's keep it dhat vay." He didn't couldn't even finish the statement before they were off on their mission.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren nods and grins, pleased with Nikk’s response. The three of them reach the stone archway in very little time.

Warren is surprised as he lands to find the area undefended… it would be the ideal place for an ambush, before an enemy force has yet adapted to the new setting. He is considering returning to the castle and giving new orders to the troops there when a small figure seems to peel itself off one of the tree trunks and gracefully approach the three of them.

At first, Warren thinks it’s a child wearing camouflage and a bow, but when the “child” pulls back its hood to reveal a cherubic face and large pointed ears, he finally gets it. “Hail the Warlord! My troops are prepared to defend the gate to their last arrow, and beyond.”

Troops? Warren almost expresses his confusion before realizing the elven archers must be hidden in the trees, just like their leader had been. He nods encouragingly and takes a moment to work out a sentiment appropriate to the setting. "The King and I honor your valor. The, um, the Great Forest could ask for no better defenders." It feels a little foolish to talk like that just to keep up the morale of a hologram, but Warren has no way of knowing how sophisticated their programming is; it might actually help. Besides, encouraging employee morale is always a good habit.

He takes a deep breath before approaching the gate, which turns out to be a solid slab of stone on which is carved, in elaborately ornamented letters, “SPEAK FRIEND AND EXIT.” He sighs melodramatically "I have to admit, this is a side of Hank I never knew existed.

All right," he adds, turning to face Ororo and Nikk. "Once this thing opens we’re fair game. We’re probably moving a lot faster than anyone else, so it’s probably just Team Beast in there right now. If all the Zones are the same size we should be able to stay out of their way for at least a little while, but they’ll probably come after us as soon as the gate opens.

“We head left, hugging the far wall; make them come to us. I’m assuming Tempero will have borrowed Warcraft’s strength and endurance and refined his control of those radiation blasts, so don’t engage physically with either of them and avoid clear line of sight with them if we can. Remember, we can’t afford to let them pin us down… besides, in there anything that looks like a defensive position is likely a trap, so keep moving. We stay in sight of each other but don’t bunch up too much or we might all get tangled up at once. Three-point watch: I’ll keep lookout ahead, Rasputin behind and to the right – I mean, to my right -- Storm behind and to my left. Storm, that has you watching the wall mostly; I’ll bet a week’s bathroom-cleaning duty that that’s where the trickiest traps are going to come from."

All of this was standard Danger Room tactics, but no-powers exercises were always the hardest, and Nikk was new enough that he could probably use the reminder. Hell, Warren could use the reminder.

"Also, Storm, before I open this thing, give us a foggy cloudbank… it might spill over into the Neutral Zone and give us some cover when we go in for a few seconds, even if you can’t actually use our powers in there." He thinks for another moment and adds "All right, I think that’s everything for now. Any other ideas?"

[Ororo Munroe]

Ororo listens quietly to Warren’s instructions. Her plan was to behave exactly as she would in a normal scenario or mission, except to avoid giving orders. Warren was their team captain, not her. And it would be much more beneficial to give him leadership experience than for me to take over.

She figured it was going to be hard to avoid; tactics were kind of what she did now. But she’d try her best.

As Warren and Nikkolas lift off from the roof, Ororo begins to manipulate the wind currents. Unfortunately, the feel of the wind in the Danger Room tended to be very artificial, which always threw her for a couple seconds. Storm rises into the air and speeds after the two of them.

On the way to the ‘world entrance’, Ororo marvels at the time and effort Hank put into the game environment. She’d had a few moments before the session to skim over the game code, but the mere words and numbers didn’t do it justice. I wonder if the other areas are as amazing?

> "Ah, I sink I am sneaky enough to evade their detection, though meld vith even one of them vould be insanity. Should be interesting."

“Warren’s correct. Be careful, Nikkolas. I don’t mean to insult your skills, but Joshua and Jake combined are far stronger than the two of them apart. I suspect they could pick you to pieces if they wanted to.” Ororo tries to keep a note of pride out of her voice. They're our opponents! It was hard; she was proud of everyone’s progress at the school. She knew Josh had had a hard time following Jean’s death, and it was great to see his powers developing under the instruction of Jake.

After they land at the stone gate, Ororo chokes back a laugh at Hank’s extreme devotion to thematic elements. Idly, Ororo sends the wind whistling through the nearby trees, and her eyes widen. There were far more elves present than she’d originally thought. Hopefully they’ll be able to defend the area while we’re gone.

> Storm behind and to my left. Storm, that has you watching the wall mostly; I’ll bet a week’s bathroom-cleaning duty that that’s where the trickiest traps are going to come from.

“I should point out that Hank is a big fan of traps that test agility. Hopefully he kept in mind the power-ban in the central zone… but this is Hank we’re talking about. Let’s move as fast as we’re able.” Ororo walks closer to the stone entrance.

> "Also, Storm, before I open this thing, give us a foggy cloudbank…

“Coming up.” Ororo extends her hands to each side, sensing the current wind patterns and their temperatures. Her eyes turn white. A quick adjustment sends thick fog rolling in from seemingly nowhere. She concentrates on herding it towards to doors so it will spill over into the central zone.

“Hank, I haven’t seen Lord of the Rings in years, so the word ‘friend’ better work.” As soon as ‘friend’ echoes through the area, the elaborate words begin tracing over themselves with bright glowing letters. Thin tendrils of glowing marks spiral their way towards the corners of the door. With barely a sound, the door slides upwards on some kind of track, revealing the central zone.

“Everyone ready?” The three of them charge through the gate, on the lookout for trouble.

[Nikkolas Blagetovich]

Nikk had seen nothing like this little world ever before in his life. Sure, he'd seen pictures in old, tattered story books back at home when he was young, but this wasn't even comparable. He couldn't believe that all of this was just a hologram, and the size of the world compared to the actual size of the room just boggled him. "Dhis is amazing..." He whispered softly to himself, as Warren shuttled him to the other side of the 'world'. Flying wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, and he'd just have to get used to it for the time being because there was no way he could keep up with his team if they didn't carry him along.

“Warren’s correct. Be careful, Nikkolas. I don’t mean to insult your skills, but Joshua and Jake combined are far stronger than the two of them apart. I suspect they could pick you to pieces if they wanted to.”

Nikk had never really had a class with Miss Munroe yet, just mostly sessions here or there with Jake or Josh. He planned on taking more classes, just as soon as is English skills got better...or so he kept telling himself. None the less, he listened to what she had to say with the utmost respect. He nodded his head in agreement with Storm. Josh and Jake were too dangerous to go up against alone, Nikk was sure of that, and Warren had explicitly said that they were to evade, so he would do so. But, if the situation did come up, and he did have to encounter either one of them, hopefully not together, he would do what he had to do. He was Rasputin, and that name carried deception, manipulation, cunning, and tactfulness. "You do not insult me, Miss. Munroe. Do not vorry about me, if dhe situation comes up vhere I must encounter either one, I vill do vhat I must." He was sure he had the advantage of stealthy telepathy, but he wouldn't take any chances, he would avoid them.

“I should point out that Hank is a big fan of traps that test agility. Hopefully he kept in mind the power-ban in the central zone… but this is Hank we’re talking about. Let’s move as fast as we’re able.”

More things that Nikk wanted to hear...This Hank, whoever he was, seemed to have an open and creative mind. Nikk stayed silent while Miss Munroe spoke, and remained silent after. He took a deep breath, preparing for what was going to come. And they were off...

[Toni Craft]

Toni lets loose a low whistle as she stares up at the magnificent castle. “Man...how come I got the fuckin’ bird? I want a castle...” The grand spectacle is no distraction for the sheer about of arrows that are suddenly hurtling toward her. “And just when I decided I liked it here...”

Most of the arrows bounce harmlessly off her iron armour as she stands in front of Tobias. No need for her teammate to get skewered if it can be avoided.

The archers, realizing quite quickly that their assault was useless nuisance, decide to change their tactics. “Release your trebuchets, men! Do not let the fiends enter our castle!”

“Oh fuck no!” Toni yells grabbing Tobias and dodging a giant flaming ball of oil and straw and stone. “And all I got was a bird!” She shouts angrily. Another projectile lands several feet behind her, but the heat is enough to get her X uniform a little too glossy.

The pikemen were next, charging with their spears in hands. Some chose to launch theirs early to avoid the majority of the hand-to-hand combat, but most of them tried to stab her up close. “Stop it! That tickles!” She giggles, using a long iron blade to sheer the metal points from their spears.

Okay, this is getting repetitive and annoying. It was becoming obvious that despite her strength and invulnerability, getting through the hoards of armoured castle defendants would be a long and tiresome battle. When in Camelot, do as the Camelotians do... She had to think of another way to get into the castle without having her and her teammate poked at.

Toni grins as an idea flashes into her head. I always knew watching those cheesy Disney movies would come in handy. Retracting her armour and falling to the ground, she places the back of her hand against her forehead and feigns injury. “Someone please save me!” She wails, relatively unconvincingly. “I am lost and all my knights have been slain! I wish a noble hunky prince on his even nobler steed would come rescue me for I am a damsel in distress!” The pikemen and knights immediately stop and withdraw their weapons and stand back.

Off in the distance, the massive castle doors thunder open and out trollops an extraordinarily large white horse, complete with the noble golden armour and possibly the most gorgeous man (albeit holographic man) Toni has ever laid eyes on. “Dear diary...jackpot!”

“Fear not my fair maiden, for I am here to save you! Come, mount my steed and I will take you to my castle where you shall be safe and we shall wed and you will be my queen!” I’ll mount more than just your steed... Toni thinks with an impish grin, looking her saviour up and down slowly. Long brown hair, crystal blue eyes, perfect white teeth, a strong chiseled jaw...daaaaamn. Taking his offered hand, she vaults up onto his horse and encircles his chest with her arms. So...firm...!

“And what be thy name, my noble prince?” She asks, tightening her grip on him as his horse struggles to carry off the especially heavy couple.

“I am Prince Henry, son of King Arthur. But you my lady, you may simply call me Hank.” Toni can’t help the small snort as they ride off into the castle, leaving the offending pikeman and Tobias behind.

[Tobias Smith]

There are so few words in the world that have as much impact as the profanities when one is faced with real, or even virtual doom. As such, when Tobias is bombarded with arrows, (which, thank you God, Toni blocks), and assaulted by pikemen, (which, damn you God, Toni "saves" him from by dragging him like he was a limp piece of crap without any warning) he says most if not all of the profanities that he can think of, which come out in a blur like this, "DAMNSHITHELLFUCKSONOFABITCHBASTARDDAMNDAMNSHIT!"

Thank God it comes to an end...but then, as he regains his bearings, Toni chooses THAT moment to repay him for saving her, and becomes witty...and ditches him.

>“I am lost and all my knights have been slain! I wish a noble hunky prince on his even nobler steed would come rescue me for I am a damsel in distress!”

Then comes the prick...

>“Fear not my fair maiden, for I am here to save you! Come, mount my steed and I will take you to my castle where you shall be safe and we shall wed and you will be my queen!”

More of Toni playing it up to be with a hologram...

>"And what be thy name, my noble prince?"

And the spike of "I hate Hank" feelings...

>“I am Prince Henry, son of King Arthur. But you my lady, you may simply call me Hank.”

And then, like that, Tobias is left alone...with the pikemen...dessed like he is, trench coat and all. Needless to say, as soon as that bitch Toni rides off no doubt letting her imagine run rampant, Tobias is instantly faced with all of their weapons pointed at me. Who else would kill all her "knights?" Tobias gulps slightly, and turns in a circle to assure himself that he's surrounded...and SO fucked. But, naturally, if it works for Toni, it should work for him...perhaps playing World of Warcraft COULD be useful at some point in time.

"Erm.....Lower thy weapons fools. You DARE threaten the-" He hates himself for saying what he does. "Beautiful and noble Lady Toni of...Craftington's chief-" He hates himself even more for continuing it. "...Wizard? How DARE you, you should all consider yourself lucky that I'm in a good mood and merciful, or else you'd all be swine by now! Now then...as the Lady is to marry your prince, I demand you take me to...wherever the 'arcane tomes' are!"

Hey, if physics work the way they do in Fantasy realms, then Tobias should be getting some offensive power. And, thank God, the pikemen lower their weapons, nodding quickly. After all, who else but royalty and wizards wore long, draping robes like this black-clad lad did? Then again, he was probably ancient, taking on the form of a boy. Yes, that made sense...as such, they led Tobias, who is now chuckling quietly, into one of the castle's towers.

Okay...get myself some 'Fantasy' weaponry, find my way back to Toni, and kill the king, take his throne for myself and---just take the flag, and do NOT get into this crap. Gotta stay cool...grab a book, rant off some bullshit, stop time and run if necessary, and just stay with it...

The holograms lead Tobias to a large room...filled with books...tons of books...a fucking miniature library...all of them with no titles or anything. There were a few things floating also, which only raised more questions.

"Erm, the High-Wizard Merlin's Library, magister! Will you be needing anything else sir?"

Tobias briefly stopped time and walked behind the man before starting time again, just to keep with the illusion. "Yeah, I mean, yes...after I grab the 'tome', lead me to the throne room...I care to meet up with the "Lady" and offer my thanks to the...King."

The pikeman probably shits himself, and Tobias calmly looks at all the books, but goes for the largest, which is being shone on with a light from nowhere, and is on a pedestal, and so is probably the most important...or powerful. Tobias picks it up, noting that its lighter than it seems. He holds it in the crook of his arm, and opens it. For a second, all he sees is a shit language, before the letters reform into english. Another reason to hate Hank...

Tobias nods, and quickly scans the page he's on. Pyrotica Arcana. Underneath those words is an illustration of a robed figure with his hand raised, and a man infront of him exploding in hellfire. Needless to say, as Tobias begins to walk out, led by the holographic soldiers, he smiles. He's going to hang onto this...

[Toni Craft]

“Lady Toni, I hope everything is to your liking.” Says Prince Hank, bowing slightly.

“Efferting ith fecking fonderfuuul!” Toni replies through a mouthful red grapes. The complexity of the castle illusion is quite remarkable, considering that the grapes actually taste like grapes. The Prince smiles at her approval and steps up the carpeted steps to kneel by her cushioned chair.

“That is good to hear, my lady. Soon my father will arrive and approve the marriage. I promise that we will be wed by sundown.” Toni swallows the grapes and grins.

“That’s super fantastic, Princey boy.” But then of course she just happens to remember that this is all an illusion (insert dramatic sigh here), and that there is a purpose behind the whole thing. “Say...there was this funny looking goth kid with me earlier…”

“Ah! Your mage!” Toni rolls her eyes at the comment. Go fuckin’ figure the kid’d pick something as dark and evil-like as that.

“Er...sure, I’ll run with that. Where’d he go? I kind of need him for...uh...consulting before the big wedding.” The Prince stands.

“I will fetch one of my men to retrieve him at once.” He promptly turns and speaks to the closest armed guard, who then scurries toward the door, his armor clanging away.

“Awesome, my sexy, chisled jaw dude.” She pops a few more grapes and considers her next line. “And get him to bring him up to your pop’s sword room.”

“My father’s sword room?”

“Yeah, that place where Excalibur is. I want to go see it. I’ve heard that it’s really shiny and pretty.”

“Of course! Anything for my bride!” The Prince turns again and shouts the orders to the same soldier again. With a bow and a clump of metal-on-metal, the messenger of sorts dashes out the door. “Now my lady, shall we?” He asks, holding out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

“I do believe we shall!” Toni grins and hooks her arm through his and takes another bunch of grapes for the road.