Tobias Stalt
04-21-15, 12:29 AM
Closed to Cards of Fate
Bereft of a proper breeze, the room hung silent for two long heartbeats. Tobias reached up with a rigid arm and tore a blade free from the neck of a limp corpse. The body crumbled. "No good," he muttered. Blood gushed up from the wound like a fountain, and the room blossomed with extravagant light. "Too slow."
Before the cadaver touched the ground, Tobias dropped low and grunted. Both his arms shuddered beneath heavy impacts as two new enemies kicked at him. They had not been there a second before. "The spell on this room is faster than my response time." Despite his apparently flawless defense, he wore an expression of dissatisfaction.
Both his opponents came in perfect unison. Blows fired from any direction at random, but Tobias remained vigilant. "One..." he counted quietly as he took a slow step backward. The enemies halted for less than a second. "Two." His gaze perceived their timing, but they were on him before he could raise a blade. "...damn."
From his mouth, a rain of blood peppered the dirt. Tobias staggered away from the flurry of blows with a limp, but recovered quickly. "Tobias Stalt," the amorphous, deep voiced avatar intoned, "this setting is not advised for any of the Hierarchy's members, and absolutely inadvisable for non-Tarot personnel. We appreciate your tests of the system, but..."
He held up a hand. "Please," he responded softly, "I am not badly wounded. I can continue."
"This is the fifteen hundred and thirty eighth failed attempt on your part," the artificial entity retorted, "we would advise that you seek medical attention immediately, as no other member of personnel has attempting this training more than once."
"Fifteen hundred and thirty eighth?" he mouthed. "Well, I'm far from finished with this attempt," he stated flatly. "Until I am down, the simulation continues, correct?"
"Unless I freeze it, as I have currently, yes." The voice sounded almost hesitant, as though Tobias had caught it in a breach of protocol. "I thought it best for your well being, Mister Stalt. Mistress Stevvains expressed a great deal of concern about your dangerous proclivity toward unsafe acts."
"I understand," Tobias sighed with a nod, "and I appreciate the concern, but I fear that I cannot be held back by safety constraints. Continue the simulation until I am unable to complete it."
"...as you wish, mister Stalt." The toneless response did not betray any sort of emotion. Tobias stared toward the edge of the room, a soft sigh on his lips. "Refreshing latest checkpoint... ah... brace for penalty condition."
Tobias closed his eyes. A breath filled his lungs, and in the next instant, his world was pure heat. Arcs of lightning jumped across his flesh and his nerves jolted with intensity. Tobias clenched his fists and bit back the scream that threatened to empty his lungs.
Five seconds, he told himself. Four. Three...
The twin assailants shivered with anticipation as the spell began to lessen around Tobias, who twitched as his body acclimated to the pain. "Each time the simulation causes minor damage to you," the voice reminded Tobias, "it sends a burst of high intensity energy through your body. This amperage is..."
"Enough," Tobias whispered. He held tightly to both blades. "Continue."
"Very well."
Bereft of a proper breeze, the room hung silent for two long heartbeats. Tobias reached up with a rigid arm and tore a blade free from the neck of a limp corpse. The body crumbled. "No good," he muttered. Blood gushed up from the wound like a fountain, and the room blossomed with extravagant light. "Too slow."
Before the cadaver touched the ground, Tobias dropped low and grunted. Both his arms shuddered beneath heavy impacts as two new enemies kicked at him. They had not been there a second before. "The spell on this room is faster than my response time." Despite his apparently flawless defense, he wore an expression of dissatisfaction.
Both his opponents came in perfect unison. Blows fired from any direction at random, but Tobias remained vigilant. "One..." he counted quietly as he took a slow step backward. The enemies halted for less than a second. "Two." His gaze perceived their timing, but they were on him before he could raise a blade. "...damn."
From his mouth, a rain of blood peppered the dirt. Tobias staggered away from the flurry of blows with a limp, but recovered quickly. "Tobias Stalt," the amorphous, deep voiced avatar intoned, "this setting is not advised for any of the Hierarchy's members, and absolutely inadvisable for non-Tarot personnel. We appreciate your tests of the system, but..."
He held up a hand. "Please," he responded softly, "I am not badly wounded. I can continue."
"This is the fifteen hundred and thirty eighth failed attempt on your part," the artificial entity retorted, "we would advise that you seek medical attention immediately, as no other member of personnel has attempting this training more than once."
"Fifteen hundred and thirty eighth?" he mouthed. "Well, I'm far from finished with this attempt," he stated flatly. "Until I am down, the simulation continues, correct?"
"Unless I freeze it, as I have currently, yes." The voice sounded almost hesitant, as though Tobias had caught it in a breach of protocol. "I thought it best for your well being, Mister Stalt. Mistress Stevvains expressed a great deal of concern about your dangerous proclivity toward unsafe acts."
"I understand," Tobias sighed with a nod, "and I appreciate the concern, but I fear that I cannot be held back by safety constraints. Continue the simulation until I am unable to complete it."
"...as you wish, mister Stalt." The toneless response did not betray any sort of emotion. Tobias stared toward the edge of the room, a soft sigh on his lips. "Refreshing latest checkpoint... ah... brace for penalty condition."
Tobias closed his eyes. A breath filled his lungs, and in the next instant, his world was pure heat. Arcs of lightning jumped across his flesh and his nerves jolted with intensity. Tobias clenched his fists and bit back the scream that threatened to empty his lungs.
Five seconds, he told himself. Four. Three...
The twin assailants shivered with anticipation as the spell began to lessen around Tobias, who twitched as his body acclimated to the pain. "Each time the simulation causes minor damage to you," the voice reminded Tobias, "it sends a burst of high intensity energy through your body. This amperage is..."
"Enough," Tobias whispered. He held tightly to both blades. "Continue."
"Very well."