Another day, another Death Course. Ratchet, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
People who've played Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal will probably like this arc.
Chapter 11: The Death Course
The group of now five members came to a stop in the game show/slaughterhouse that was Annihilation Nation. A bunch of mechanical platforms were suspended above the landscape, which was mainly a river of lava with some rocks jutting out of the ground.
TL, Xem, Sylar, Hanabi, and Rattrap were standing, side-to-side, as the announcer spoke up.
Announcer: HERE TO TRY OUT OUR NEWEST DEATH COURSE ARE SIX NEW PEOPLE! HOPE THEY HAVE INSURANCE!
Xem and Rattrap traded uneasy looks.
Announcer: TLSOULDUDE, XEMNAS1992, GABRIEL "SYLAR" GRAY, HANABI HYUGA, AND RATTRAP! THEY WANT THE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE IN ORDER TO AVOID THEIR HORRID FAMILY REUNION!
"Now, SEE HERE!" TL shouted, but the announcer ignored him.
Announcer: NOW, ALL PEOPLE WILLING TO TAKE PLACE IN THIS MOST DANGEROUS SPORT, TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD!
Everyone EXCEPT TL and Xem took a step back.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" TL shouted to the three deserters, "COME BACK! THIS IS TREASON!"
Announcer: LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE THREE UNFORTUNATE…I MEAN LUCKY PARTICIPANTS! THE WHITE HEDGEHOG THROWING A HISSY FIT, THE BEACH-BUM TIGER, AND THE CHAMPION LOMBAX WHO GETS NO CREDIT WHATSOEVER!
"THIS WASN'T PART OF OUR AGREEMENT!" Xem shouted.
"What was that?" TL asked Xem with a somewhat murderous tone.
"Uh…Lombax?" Xem asked, looking around.
The two looked over and saw that there was, indeed, a fourth member. It was covered in yellowish fur, long ears, a brown nose, and a short tail with a small tuft on it and brown stripes running down its length. He was wearing bluish gray armor on the chest and arms with blue cloth around his stomach, shoulders, and legs (obviously for maneuverability). On his back with a small, white robot with glowing, green eyes.
"So…we're in this together, I guess." TL said, nervous about what they were up against.
"Yeah, I guess we are." The Lombax replied with a surprisingly boyish voice.
"I suppose introductions are required." The robot on the Lombax's back suggested before saying, "My name is Clank."
"And my name's Ratchet." The Lombax, Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank), introduced.
"I'm TLSoulDude, but my friends call me TL." TL said.
"And I'm Xem." Xem finished.
"Do you guys have any weapons?" Ratchet asked.
"Don't need 'em. I've got these powers." TL replied, allowing electricity flow through his hand, causing sparks to come out. Ratchet didn't make any signs of surprise. Obviously, he had seen weirder.
"And I've got this Darkside blaster." Xem said, showing his weapon.
"But it'll probably run out of ammo." Ratchet said, "I don't really need THIS, so…"
Ratchet tossed Xem a gun. A rather large, one-handed gun somewhat styled after a shotgun.
"THAT'S the Shock Cannon." Ratchet said, "Know how to use it?"
"Uh…" Xem then pulled a trigger and blew the tips off of TL's five-point crest.
"HEY!" TL shouted.
"No, not really." Xem admitted.
"You'll get the hang of it." Clank said.
Announcer: ALL PLAYERS GET READY TO RAMPAGE!
The three players got into positions so that they could start at a second's notice.
Announcer: ON THE COUNT OF THREE, BEGIN! THREE! GET GOING!
The Fictorian, Roswellian, and Lombax took off like flashes of white, orange, and yellow. Sylar, Rattrap, and Hanabi watched as the three competitors took off.
"What now?" Hanabi asked.
"Find a place to wait until round two of this begins." Sylar replied.
"How about…in the audience? Then, we'd suffer LESS damage there." Rattrap suggested.
"And I thought Parkman could only read minds." Sylar said with a small smirk as the three made their way to the bleachers.
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
TL, Xem, and Ratchet found their FIRST obstacles—they were on platforms suspended above the lava…and the platforms would fall with the slightest bit of weight. This wasn't too much of an obstacle. They would just get on them at the same time.
The three unfortunates were in a circular room with a switch in the center. Ratchet stepped on it and a small screen began a roulette with two arrows that pointed in opposite directions. It came to a halt on the arrow pointing to the right. A door immediately opened.
"Well, besides some falling platforms, I think we've gotten off pretty easily." TL said.
"I…wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Ratchet replied with a nervous chuckle. He then pulled out a strange gun with two barrels, "Just keep your weapons out."
Xem pulled out his blaster as TL drew his UFO Blade.
They then walked out of the room to see a wider room, filled with tiny robots with rotating blades.
"That's it?" TL asked. One of the robots then flew towards him. The Fictorian jumped up and brought his foot smashing down on the robot. He then flipped over and threw an aura arm out at it, smashing it to pieces. Immediately, five more blade robots materialized.
"I guess THIS is why they call it a Death Course…" Xem muttered as he shot one with his blaster.
"Partly." Ratchet replied as his gun, the N-90 Hurricane, went into its rapid-fire mode. Bolts of plasma burst out of it and blew the robots to pieces.
As soon as all the robots were destroyed, MORE robots appeared. These ones were bigger with laser-cannons for arms. A spiral blast came out and blew TL off his feet. The laser wasn't too strong, so it didn't do much (other than burning some of TL's fur off).
"Ouch…" TL said, silently. He then thrust out his right arm and sent a burst of red electricity.
"How about I take these guys out quickly?" Ratchet asked as he pulled out another gun—the Rhinocinerator. He pulled the trigger and a series of bright-orange lights flew out of it. They met in the sky and a flash momentarily blinded the three. When the light faded, the robots looked gray and fell apart.
"What the…?" Xem asked.
"Rhinocinerator." Ratchet explained, "Destroys all enemies in the immediate area."
"HOW?" TL asked.
"No one is entirely sure." Clank replied.
"Figures." TL sighed, "Well, let's just continue on this slaughter fest."
The three continued through the Death Course.
It. Was. Grueling.
Everything from homicidal robots, falling platforms, lava pits, and shifting platforms were thrown at the three aliens. Somehow, they survived and made it to the finish line.
"Remind me to NEVER come back." TL muttered, darkly.
"No problem HERE." Xem replied, just as darkly.