The night is hardly ever silent. Days and days of continuous conflict have left a frenzied trail of debris behind. Rotting carcasses of the fallen lie beside the vicious flora seeping out of every crevice. Cries of pained tributes fending off danger ring out intermittently. Some ascend the cornucopia to claim their precious sponsors. In the midst of the chaos, it seems something else has joined the fray. Despite there being 10 sponsor gifts announced, 11 drones have been dispatched into the arena. Significantly different from the others in both size, shape, and purpose, the lone straggler veers off-course into the darkness. As soon as it is out of sight, the drone makes a landing. The outer casings are the first to go, clattering to the ground. Inner layers covered in all manner of warning signs peel off like a blooming flower, freeing the drone’s cargo from their cage. With a hiss of steam, a pair of identical golden cubes are exposed to the “outside” world for the first time. Each spews out into a hologram. Surprisingly, unlike Levi, these holograms have an organic form, moving with determination. Supplied with enough disbelief, they could easily be mistaken for living, breathing cats at a distance if it were not for their distinctive coloring and synthesized voices. The technological predators waste no time in finding their targets. Cutting the shortest path through the arena, they bolt through damaged windows and past hungering mutts, deftly avoiding unintended encounters with tributes. Every living thing with an ability to react seems to instinctively avoid the holograms as if they were a plague. Minutes later, both reach their intended recipients. At the last second before contact, both holograms are pulled back by an invisible force. The cubes come to a stop. One lands in front of Deimos, the other in front of Seafoam. Projected broadcasts come out of both. A familiar voice can be heard once more. “I hope that did not frighten you too much. I thought it would be the quickest way to deliver your prize.” The tiny projection of Levi seems to laugh at itself, appearing to have recovered a little from the ordeal Angel inflicted upon it. ”As promised, this is your reward for gaining the highest scores in The Box.” “Thank you for helping me.” Levi nods. “I am currently controlling the hologram from a remote location, but control will be transferred to you after this recording ends. You will find that activating and deactivating the hologram is highly intuitive and easy to figure out- it will activate in response to you and only you when you hold it. Deactivation is automatic if damaged to a certain point, or if it detects the battle is over.” A diagram is displayed, detailing how the cube unfolds along with simple listing of its major internal mechanisms. ”Please exercise caution when using the hologram. It has been known to malfunction on direct activation, and it is advised you do not activate it unless in battle. In the best case scenario, as it has only 3 activation charges, you would waste one of them. In the worst case scenario, the hologram could deem you its target and maim, injure, or terminate you.” “If you suffer an untimely demise, I will recalibrate the hologram to whoever you intend to bestow it upon. Otherwise, it will become the property of the closest tribute to your location. Any used activation charges will not be restored upon transferral. If all three charges have been used and you are still alive then, please make an effort to bring the cube with you anyways. It would make things easier for me.” “This recording can be replayed if you feel the need to do so. Future recipients will not have access to this recording; a different one will be played for them.” ”On a final note, I apologize on behalf of Angel. You have endured much suffering to get here, and I hope this helps you in your journey.” The recording ends with Levi flashing a brief smile. The sound of whirring emanates from the cubes, repairing and altering their systems for the days to come. The arena is now a brand new home to two erratic heartbeats. Tributes scurry away from the cornucopia, now stronger than ever before. Battles draw to a close. Corpses are whisked away to be laid to rest elsewhere. The unsleeping undergrowth continues to spread, disgusting, fleshy roots conquering the urban jungle. The night is hardly ever silent.
*** The golden cubes are a one-of-a-kind sponsor, given only to the highest-performing participants of Levi's Cage. It is not in the array of normal sponsor options, and there will be no other instances in which the cubes are granted. Upon activation, the cube generates a golden battle hologram with 5 HP, while simultaneously taking away 5 HP from the user due to its reliance on DNA sampling identification. The hologram will act as a stand-in for the tribute, rolling for attack and dodge and functioning identically to a normal tribute. Once its 5 HP is drained, it is deactivated and the tribute continues the battle as usual. Poison does not affect the hologram. The golden hologram's attacks function differently than a tribute or mutt's. Instead of it being based off of the usual 1/2/4 damage scale in which minor rolls deal 1 damage if not dodged, major deals 2, and severe deals 4, the hologram has a 2/3/5 damage distribution in which minor rolls deal 2 damage if not dodged, major deals 3, and severe deals 5. The hologram cannot hold weapons, poisons, herbs, sponsors, or any item that gives it an advantage during battle. Conversely, it is unaffected by any and all debuffs in the arena, though the tribute would nevertheless experience them afterwards. Ultimately, the battle hologram may only be activated three times before it falls into disrepair. All hologram activations must be held at the start of the battle— once the hologram user's first move is dealt without the hologram, it is not usable for the rest of the battle. Battle holograms may not be borrowed or have a change in ownership between tributes while the main holder is still alive. If the hologram still has uses after the death of its current owner, it must be transferred in one way or another. *** Congratulations to Seafoam and Deimos for being the winners of The Box/The Cage. If one or both sponsors are not claimed by the conclusion of the current event (metro battle, August 18), ownership shall be transferred to the next highest-scoring participant(s). *** [ CREDITS ] Art by @Delonix (on the left is Angel, on the right is Leviathan, in the center is the golden hologram) Writing by @Cometflight, @Delonix Code by @Cometflight Music is Disciples by Captain Murphy, albeit the instrumental version THGRP is owned by @Banana203 *** Link back to THG studio v https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/30053961/comments
