| Match 1 - Brian Ailshie Team Pern vs. The Great Cats Group W - Pride Rock Brian: In a brilliant flash of light 4 dragons appear high in the sky. Four strong young men are astride their great shoulders. Below them the 4 cats start to prepare their defense. F'lar: It's been a while since we hunted felines in the southern continent, but these 4 seem larger than any I've seen before! F'nor: That's fine, Canth is hungry, and he says the larger ones make good eating! Meanwhile below, the 3 lions and 1 tiger are discussing things in their own way. Aslan: I fear we have a disadvantage in size against these foes. Mufasa: Then we must get to the safety of Pride Rock where the cramped quarters will offset their greater size. Shere Khan: Let's quit talking and make tracks, they're getting closer. Anne McCaffrey: So saying he darts ahead of the others and leaps into the craggy rocks. Aslan, as the largest of the Lions is next to make the refuge, Mufasa clears them a moment ahead of Simba. However, just as Simba starts into the rocks, a shadow crosses over him and a great bronze claw closes around his body. Mufasa roars and leaps at his son's attacker. His great claws rip into the bronze flanks of Golanth. Golanth screams in pain, then twists his head around to bite into the giant cat. Simba's crushed body falls to the ground, followed shortly by the bloodied corpse of Mufasa. Golanth leaps back into the air and disappears. A moment later he reappears a little less than � a mile away in the field. His rider, F'lessan, leaps from his back and begins to slather some ointment on the great dragon's side. Brian: Back at the rocks, the other 3 dragons are circling around the small rise. Suddenly the smallest of them, white Ruth, darts in and hauls out a flailing striped feline. Shere Khan swipes futilely at the dragon's chest, then goes limp as the dragon squeezes his ribcage. Ruth too disappears and appears next to Golanth. He then begins to feast on the tiger's carcasse. Finally the largest of the dragons, bronze Mnementh lands on the top of the outcroppings. Suddenly a sonic barrage echoes out from the final lion. Aslan is more than just animal, he launches at the exposed belly of the bronze dragon. He sinks his great maw into the now screaming dragons neck. With one final bellow the bronze dragon leaps into the sky instantly disappearing. In his pain Mnementh has gone between never to reappear. The other three dragons begin their death creen, but it is cut short as the match ends. Aslan was still attached to Mnementh and was destroyed when the dragon suicided. Winner: Team Pern (1-0) The Great Cats (0-1) Match 2 - RJ Harris Power Rangers vs Solo's Smugglers Group F - Cloud City READY RUMBLE! *FLASH* RJ: And a new flash of light starts us off on Tourney 4--the rumbling continues! Jamie: Yes it sure is amazing what you guys and gals do year after year... RJ: Well, it is better than sitting in my chair and playing mindsweeper during my prep... Jamie: Yes, speaking of that, I thought... RJ: It will have to wait, sweetie, Han Solo has just come around the corner followed by his teammates, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian. Oh this is so exciting!! Jamie: Are you dancing? You don't want to be the first one to be sent to time out do you? Just sit down and commentate because I still don't really know who these people are. (The Audience gasps!) Oh, leave me alone about it. RJ: Yes, I still have not had me wife watch any Star Wars movies, maybe someday that will change--ANYWAY, back to the action. You can tell that Chewy is suspicious--it is far to quiet in Cloud City today. Han nods and the three draw their weapon. Han is sporting his ever ready blaster and Lando has a similar one; but watch out for Chewbacca! He has his crossbow armed and ready. Jamie: Well it is good that they are ready because those annoying Power Rangers are coming around the other corner--their leader the White Power Ranger is in the front. Han to Lando: Why are their Stormtroopers here? (Lando shrugs.) RJ: It appears that neither is willing to find out that their foe is not a Stormtrooper--they both fire and no amount of Power Ranger armor will stop a blaster! The White Ranger falls, dead. Jamie: Now just to reiterate, the White Ranger is only dead until this match is over, for all other matches in this braket he will start out alive. RJ: Yup, hon that is true--I kinda like this new spin on the rules, but we'll have to wait to see how it all plays out. So back to the action, the falling of their leader sent the Power Rangers into high alert. With White gone, Red takes over.. Red Power Ranger: Come out and fight us! We are not afraid of you! Lando: Since when did Stormtroopers wear anything but white? (Chewy howls in agreement.) Han: I plan to fight this battle like the stinkin' Empire...shoot first...ask questions later. RJ: And with a wry smile he darts out blaster firing away. He is followed closely by Chewy and Lando. Jamie: It appears that all the blaster fire has caused a bit of a stir in all the Power Rangers. They have put away the weapons that they just recently brought out and have now pulled out their Morphing Calls! RJ: I guess that they decided a more drastic approach was needed than their normal Oriental style fighting, falling, weapon yeilding, falling, then Driod calling, winning. I don't know how Han's Smugglers will fare against those Dinosaur droids! Jamie: Well I don't even think they will get that far. Those Morph calls that they brought out sure stopped Han in his tracts. Han: Why do Stormtroopers have thermal detonators!!! Lando: Well I am not waiting to find out. Let's just get rid of them all now..2 each, ok Chewy? (Chewbacca howls in agreement again.) Hano: OK! Get them.. RJ: And with that said Han essentially ended the fight. Chewbacca took out the Green and Red Rangers with two quick crossbow shots to the head--that was fairly nasty!--Lando shot down the Pink and Yellow Rangers with dead on shots to their middles--and Han took care of the Blue and Black Rangers with shots to thier morphing arms. But before our victors walk away and end the match they make a startling discovery. Jamie: Yes, as they walk over to the dead bodies they are shocked to see that they had no detonators, just some type of communication device. RJ: Each was slightly saddened to realize that their foes were not Stormtroopers, but really only kids. Their first match over, Han looked around and began to tun and walk away. Han: Well, I bet that we are going to meet up with some weird folks during all of this...I for one will leave the shoot first routine to the Empire. Let's remember what happend here, maybe it can help us save ourselves or (looking at the fallen) others. Jamie: And another *FLASH* of light ends the match. Winner: Solo's Smugglers (1-0) Power Rangers (0-1) Match 3 - Mark Ailshie Team Shakespeare vs. The Forces of Dulba Group D - Baladox Tower Ravanark sat upon his throne and surveyed his forces. His two Barbon knights (three, counting the one he was inside) would serve him fearlessly, die for him gladly, and happily serve as his new host body. At least, they were happy about it until he took control, and then their silent screaming could be ignored. The Barbons he knew and trusted. It was his nephew's presence that he found unnerving. Slink leaned against the wall of Ravanark's audience chamber, on the highest level of the tower and smirked. Ravanark tried not to scowl. True, Slink had been in these foolish "rumble" tournaments before, and true, he was currently in greater favor with Ravanark's father than he himself was. But that was no reason for him to openly laugh at him. Mardra's bastard son cocked his head, as though listening. "I hear someone at the gate. You'd best be ready to fight, Datsu." "Ravanark!" he snapped. "Call me Ravanark!" Slink chuckled. "Come now, uncle. Let's not start arguing about that again." So saying, he faded into the shadows, and began to slip quietly down the stairs. Ravanark composed himself. The Barbons knew him as Ravanark--the title he had taken upon himself when he had conquered the kingdom of Dulba. He had set "Datsu" aside long ago. The unwanted eighth son was now the lord and master of entire realm. He would NOT go back to being under his fathers sway. He would not. Ravanark sighed. Slink was right, however. At a signal, the two Barbon knights raised their broadswords and followed him down the spiraling stairs, their dull steel armor creaking as they moved. Far below, Macbeth ordered his forces. "Hamlet, Mercutio, you head up this stairway and engage the enemy. Brutus, you secrete yourself behind that door to attack anyone who comes in that way. My lady and I will stay here to await their attack." His troops nodded and moved to comply. Macbeth thought he heard a whisper of a laugh behind him, but when he turned, there was nothing but the shadows. Ravanark saw two shambling shadows climbing the long stair and grinned in spite of himself. All too easy. Mercutio came around the corner and Ravanark shot a blast of ice at him, catching him in the face and chest. His lungs froze solid in seconds, and the flesh was ripped from his bones. The Barbons grinned, feeling the bloodlust boiling in them, and stepped forward to fight the lone man with a fencing rapier. Hamlet's dirk dipped to the ground. Hamlet: "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month-- Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman!-- A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she follow'd my poor father's body, Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she-- O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle, My father's brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month: Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue." The Barbon knights falter, and look back at their king in bewilderment. Ravanark urges them forward, but suddenly... Hamlet: "Alas por Yorick! I knew him Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times and now how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now to mock your own grinning? Quite chap-fallen? Now get you to may lady's chamber and tell her, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that." Ravanark is baffled. What's going on? For what he does not know is that Hamlet has the power of Soliloquy. Once he starts talking, everything else stops. No one can move, no one can raise a hand against him, and even he himself can neither escape nor fight back. For the whole of creation must stop while he prattles on, and on, and on. Ravanark raises an arm to shoot another blast of ice, but... Hamlet: "Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind away: O that that earth which kept the world in awe, should patch a wall to expel the winter's flaw!" Ravanark shakes himself again. The Barbons are quite perplexed. "Stop DOING that!" Ravanark exclaims. Hamlet: "Give me your pardon, sir: I have done you wrong But pardon't, as you are a gentleman. This presence knows, And you must needs have heard, how I am punish'd With sore distraction. What I have done, That might your nature, honour and exception Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. Was't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes? Never Hamlet: If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away, And when he's not himself does wrong Laertes, Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it. Who does it, then? His madness: if't be so, Hamlet is of the faction that is wrong'd; His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy. Sir, in this audience, Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil Free me so far in your most generous thoughts, That I have shot mine arrow o'er the house, And hurt my brother." "Die!" screams Ravanark, and blasts Hamlet with Ice. The Danish prince is blasted into dust, and collapses with a melancholy sigh. Ravanark sighs. "Wow, that man was annoying!" The Barbon Knights agree, and the three continue down the stairs. As they round the corner, they spy The Macbeths in the entryway. Ravanark grins. A single man and woman are no match for him. He steps forward, his hands held out... Brutus: Speak, hands, for me! Brutus stabs Ravanark under the fifth rib, and the dark shehap falls with a groan. The Barbon knights immediately fall to their knees. Brutus turns his knife upon them, but he has misinterpreted their gestures Barbon Knights, simultaneously: Oh! Let me be worthy, O Ravanark, Lord and Master!! And one of the knights stands, a rictus of pain and shock passing quickly over his face, on the way to assuming Ravanark's familiar scowl. Brutus is still confused when the blast of cold shocks through his face. The Roman falls, and the Macbeths step back hastily. Ravanark: Attack them, now! The Barbon leaps forward and cuts down lady Macbeth, whose dagger has no real hope against his armor. He turns his sowrd on Macbeth, but the Scottish king is made of sterner stuff. Ravanark watches in displeased detachment as Macbeth cuts his soldier down. "You are powerful," he sneers at Macbeth. "But your power is pointless before me" He raises his hand and a blast of cold envelopes Macbeth... ...and passes by him with no effect. Macbeth laughs. "I bear a charmed life," he intones, "which must never yield to one of woman born!" Indeed, the weird sisters' promise holds true, even here in the rumble. Ravanark steps back, uncertain. The Barbon knight that houses his spirit was, of course, born of a woman. And Datsu himself had had a human for a mother, even if the birth had killed and mangled the poor wench. Macbeth laughs and advances. But suddenly, a shadow melts off the wall and slits his throat from ear to ear. Macbeth gags once and falls dead. Slink grins mockingkly at his uncle. "What an odd group this was, Datsu. It's a good thing my shehap blood came from my mother." Winners: The Forces of Dulba (1-0) Team Shakespear (0-1) Match 4 - Brian Ailshie The White Hand vs The Power Rangers Group F - Cloud City Saruman overlooked this strange fortress. The sign on the tower before him said "Gamorean Gables Casino." He wasn't sure what that meant, but it seemed orcish to him. "Let's see what we can find of use here," he told Ugluk and the Ogre. He didn't know who the Power Rangers were, but if even one of them was kin to that cursed Aragorn there could be trouble. They were outnumbered 7 to 3 after all, and a ranger would be less likely to be seduced by Saruman's power of persuasion. No matter, he was Saruman of many colors. He could find something to defeat 7 of those dratted rangers. The first room they entered baffled Saruman's two dim-witted compnions. There were flashing lights and soft chimes ringing from several strange devices cluttered around the room. Then Saruman saw something that might help. Toward the back of the room he saw a door labeled 'Security'. The guards would need weapons of some kind. Perhaps they would be stored there. "Come on," Saruman called to the orc and ogre, "Let's go in here." "Yes Master," Ugluk responded. The Ogre just grunted and moved toward the door. However the room didn't yield too much. There was a small crossbow, and some black things metal lumps with handles. Saruman figured he could let the Ogre throw the lumps like throwing a rock. For himself there was another staff, shorter and sleeker than his own. Suddenly Saruman heard voices in the room behind them. Time to confront the Rangers. There were 7 of them, but they sure didn't look like rangers of the north. They were brightly clad youths. Saruman put some distance between himself and Ugluk and the Ogre. Perhaps his voice would be useful after all. The 'Rangers' began kicking and jumping toward Ugluk and the Ogre. Ugluk didn't wait too long. He let off a shot with his crossbow. KABOOM!! Instead of the small quarrel Saruman was expecting, the shot exploded outward and blasted 3 of the color-clad kids. Excellent. The Ogre threw one of his lumps and it connected viciously with the blue one's face. He landed sickeningly. Saruman smiled, one more out of the fight. The Ogre's second throw caught the red one in the chest. He went down, but seemed to be still alive. Then Ugluk fired another shot from the magical crossbow. The yellow and pink ones fell in a shriveled heap. But then the Red one fired back! Those lumps the Ogre was throwing were capable of throwing shot like the crossbow! Ugluk went down with the first shot. The stupid Ogre threw a third lump, which missed, but caused the Red one's second shot to go wide. Saruman would have to move fast. He came up behind the red 'ranger'. The red youth turned his weapon on Saruman, but at a word from the wizard, decided he wasn't a threat. When the Red one turned back to try to finish off the Ogre, Saruman jabbed him with the new staff. The tip started to vibrate, and it cut through the annoying youth like a hot knife through butter. Winner: The White Hand (1-0) Power Rangers (0-2) Match 5 - Mark Ailshie We-sa Gotta Grand Army vs. The Decepticons Group Z - The Ewok village, Endor The sun rose over the endless trees of Endor, as two jet fighters and an iron figure swooped down from above and careen toward the village of vines and logs. Megatron: That must be the village we are to fight in. Have no mercy! Starscream: I hardly need advice from you, you great fool. Thundercracker: Not so loud, Starscream! He'll hear you. But whatever Starscream would have replied to this is lost as a strange glowing blue ball flies out of the trees below and strikes the white jetfighter just below the nub of it's wings, prompting a squak of damaged and destroyed machinery. Capt. Tarpals: Hah! Un bombad hit! Starscream tries to correct his descent, but plunges in a fiery mass into a huge tree. Thundercracker: You worthless frog! You killed my friend! Megatron: No, you fool! But Megatron's warnings go unheeded, as Thundercracker swoops down him. Captain Tarpals beats his heels into his kaadu's flanks, but even at top speed, his mount can hardly evade a jet fighter. Thundercracker opens up on him... Thundercracker: Eat energeon, duck-man! ...but suddenly a vine noose is tossed around his nose cap, and the jet fighter finds himself tethered to a tree! He spins around it helplessly before exploding into the base, as Wicket W. Warwick rushes away with a triumphant cry. Megatron: Fools! But even alone, I can finish this! The Decepticon leader lands in a clearing and opens up with his shoulder cannon. He blasts the fleeing Wicket, and the ewok explodes in a spray of fur and dust. He shoots at the fleeing kaadu, and Tarpals only manages to evade a few blasts before being blown to paste. But suddenly, rocks rain down from overhead. Megatron brushes away the debris and looks up to see two skin gliders sailing by overhead, each dropping what look like rocks on him. Megatron: Rocks won't do much good against a metal hide, you morons! That may be true, but boombas, like the kind Jar Jar is dropping from the glider he has borrowed from the ewok chieftain, certainly will. In fact, as we remember from Episode 1, boombas do exceptionally well against droid armies. And ewok resourcefulness is equally tough against any enemy foolish enough to attack them on their own ground. A flurry of boombas smash into Megatron's chest, head, and shoulders, and he falls in a shower of sparks and debris. Chief Chirpa lands on the far side of the clearing, and gives a shout of victory, and Jar Jar responds by throwing his hands over his head, shouting "Yahoooo" and falling out of the tree. Winners: We-sa Gotta Grand Army (1-0) Decepticons (0-1) Match 6 - Mark Ailshie Star/War Craft vs Heroes of Greece Group K - Minotaurs Matrix Maze The zerg drone appears, and the drone instantly begins mutating into a hatchery. The peon appears and instantly begins building a great hall. Kerrigan cloaks, just in case, and Cho'Gall sends out an eye of Kalrag, to scout for the position of their opponents. It takes him a while, for the maze is long, but eventually he spots their four quarries. Hercules, Xena, Achilles are picking their way through the maze, following Ulysses' lead. Ulysses: Every maze has a key. It's just a matter of finding it. Achilles: Just let me at them. I'll tear our enemies limb from limb! Hercules: Patience, my old friend. First we need to find them. Xena: I can't believe I'm stuck with you three idiots. Cho'gall reports his findings, and Kerrigan grins. The hatchery is already complete, and there are three cocoons making drones. The great hall is also up, and there are now three peons building two farms and a barracks. Cho'gall continues to send out eyes, to watch the progress of their opponents, but Kerrigan goes one better. Cloaking, she decides to lead their enemies on a little goose chase. Much time passes. Xena has spotted the eyes that keep appearing, and has now struck two or three out of the air with her chakram, but they are no closer to solving the maze then they were before. Suddenly Ulysses' eyes light up. Ulysses: I've got it! Hercules could just knock down these walls--that would make the maze infinitely easier to traverse. Hercules: Hey, that's an idea. Ulysses: Yeah, I figure if--urk! Suddenly an unseen force strikes Ulysses in the throat and cuts him down. Achilles roars and swings his sword randomly. There is a strange alien chuckle from behind, and he swings for that, but Kerrigan ducks away again. The three heroes spend a bit more time swinging at the walls, before realizong she is gone. They will be more cautious in the future. Hercules begins knocking holes in the maze, but finds it is still pretty complicated. Meanwhile, the creep has begun to cover the maze for several acres. It is beginning to annoy the Orc pig farmers, which blanket the area around the edges. An altar of storms has begun to go up, and the zerg lair is mutating again, this time into a hive. Hours pass. And it is this, ultimately, that seals the doom of the heroes. Xena: Hey, Herc' toss me up to the top of this maze! Hercules: Hey, good idea! (he does so) Xena: From up here, I can get an idea of the maze's layout. Urk! Suddenly, the air is full of mutalisks. Their acid spit (is that what it is?) rains down upon Xena, and bounces off her into her two male compatriots. Achilles is unaffected, since he has mail over his leg, but Hercules is much annoyed. Xena throws her chakram, which blasts mutalisks by the hundreds, but more keep coming. Hercules and Achilles are chucking rocks at the sky, bringing the mutalisks down, and generally not looking around them, until suddenly, they find themselves surrounded by dozens of little goblins. Hercules: What the heck are... 15 Goblins sappers, in unison: We've got explooosives! KABOOOM!! When the dust clears, Achilles is alive still, and mostly unharmed, but Hercules is paste. Xena has meanwhile driven off the mutalisks, but is now very tired. Xena: I think that was the last of them. But a lone queen flies up behind her and spits something that punches into her back. In a matter of seconds, two broodlings explode through her armor, leaving Xena a bloody mess. Achilles disposes of the broodlings quickly. Achilles: Okay, now I'm mad. Like a single soldier on "god" mode, Achilles begins following the zerg and orc soldiers to their lairs. Hydralisks pop out of burrows, and trolls and ogre-mages ambush him from all sides, but the unstoppable Achaen warrior fights on. Nothing can stop him. He plunges into the midst of the Orc farms, and begins attacking everything. A death knight appears and casts whirlwind, but only succeeds in hurting his own people. Dragons appear out of the sky, but Achilles just ignores them for now. He spots Kerrigan across a mile-wide field of creep. Achilles: Now you die, monster. Kerrigan: I think not, human. Now, my pets! And suddenly, as Kerrigan cloaks, hundreds of vicious zerglings with adrenal glands raging pop out of the ground and stream toward the Greek warrior. He is overwhelmed by the sheer force of them! Whatever he kills rises up immediately as an undead skeleton, thanks to the scores of deathknights circling the melee. And still, hordes of zerglings pour from the seven hatcheries that surround the central hive. By luck, one siezes on Achilles single vulnerable spot and chomps it off. Achilles cries out in pain, but fights on with no foot. But now, the zerglings smell blood, and cho'gall and his fellow ogre-magi cast bloodlust upon the horde. In moments, the Greek warrior's invincible skin is all that is left of him, as the zerglings have hollowed him out from the stump of his foot and inward. Winner: Star/Warcraft (1-0) Heroes of Greece (0-1) K bracket is extremely lucky this will reset now. |