Bubble Universe

Bubble Universe is the first round of The Battle Majestic.

Description
Contestants are deposited in the interior of a spherical space colony. Gravity is artificial and radiates outward from a light-producing spherical structure in the center, supported in place by a pylon. There is a hole on one side of the station. There are also many modern buildings, reminiscent of a town or city.

The contestants are informed of a few details about the setting. The station is orbiting the ringed gas giant Wainwright Omega 57, which was in the process of being terraformed. At some point, it was struck by a meteor, knocking a hole in it. Somehow, the air did not escape, but the inhabitants all left anyway. The control center for many of the station's vital systems is in the artificial sun in the center.

Events
John Swift and Alex Striensand develop an immediate hatred for one another (possibly to do with their clashing elements of ice and fire) and proceed to fight to the death in the park they were released in. Jacob, after determining his spatial magic will not allow him to escape the battle, looks for a Starbucks to recharge his mana reserves. Sen wakes up atop a office block in the business district, spots the park, and heads for it. Vexmagog uses his powers to try and communicate with most of the contestants, and after breaking up John and Alex's brawl, convince most of the humans to join forces to find an escape, with the exception of an absent Jacob and a declining Alex.

Sen samples the local flora, before locating Wolf in the town hall and gaining his allegiance after a test of dominance between the pair. Blitz spends most of his time persuading his father not to kill everyone right now. As the humans and Vex approach the coffee shop, a wall explodes as Alex tries some raw coffee beans and expresses his subsequent displeasure at the wall before exiting. The main group meets a freshly caffeinated Jacob, and get him to join the escape team.

While following the group, Steven sends his gloves off on a reconnaissance mission - one gets in a fight with Alex, while the other heads to the park after Sen and Wolf. There, the Tender has planted one of its pods, and the Tree is growing at a rather alarming pace. Sen is aggressive towards the interloping glove, and then takes it out on Wolf when he starts howling in response to Vexmagog's pipe-playing.

The rest of the group reach their target, the pylon; Vexmagog's concerns about being unable to escape fuel Magog and hasten the madgod's effect on the surrounds. Wolf, having gotten out of the way of Sen's temper, joins the group. Within, a very dilapidated robot warns them against ascending to the control centre before dying; the group disregards it and gets in the elevator. Magog's influence is accelerated by the enclosed space, turning it into a horrifying hell-ride culminating in the car falling down the shaft as it reaches the top. In the control centre, a 3D diagram illustrates the Bubble's position in Wainwright's ring of asteroids, and a schematic of the colony itself, which shows the escape pods on the opposite side of the colony, right beneath the roots of one enormous tree - Sen's.

The Tree in question has been growing freakishly quickly, and destroying much of the colony around it in its quest for nutrients. The highest reaches of it, now approaching the Sun/control centre, pierce its outside and kill the power. Realising time is of the essence, Jacob creates a field of gravity around each person, so they walk down the length of the tree safely. At its base, Sen has formed an arena, which it chased Alex into after he attacked the spreading Tree. The two fight, and Alex strikes the Tender down with his fire magic, but it comes back growing a tough, fire-resistant bark over itself. John trips and falls down the tree, breaking his legs; Wolf follows and assists Sen.

The World Tree fully wraps around the sun, and rips it off its pylon, plunging the Bubble in darkness except for a radioactive glow of the generators in the sun. The whole thing collapses without the pylon's support, and knocks a huge hole in the colony, making air rush out. Jacob and Steven make their way down safely, until Blitz's father tires of the teamwork and demands control, lashing out and attacking Jacob and Steven. Vexmagog sees the fighting, and hurries for the escape pods knowing a death will rob them of their chance of escape. Sen and Wolf manage to bring Alex down, but John delivers the killing blow.