Kirk is standing between the Blue Barracudas and the Purple Parrots in front of the Steps of Knowledge. ?Welcome back to Legends,? he says. ?Now, of course, the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but before we get started, I wanna get to know our two tough teams.? He turns to interview the boy just left of center screen, who has somewhat long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. ?On the Purple Parrots, we have Joe. How old are you??
?Fifteen,? he replies.
?And I understand you like to play soccer and skateboard, but you also want to be a comic artist,? Kirk reads. ?Tell me about that.?
?Well,? Joe explains, ?I got into manga? Japanese comic art? when I was in middle school, in sixth grade, and I started drawing and I?ve been working on comic books ever since.?
?How much work do you usually get done in a day?? Kirk asks.
?Probably? pencil one page and ink the one I just drew the day before.?
?Did you ever finish a full comic book??
?Umm? actually, not yet. Cause I?d go a little ways in and then decide I need to change something. I think I have a good idea now though, probably not gonna change it much now.?
?Well when your comic books hit the shelves, I?ll be sure to read it,? Kirk says, going to talk to the short blond girl on the far left of the screen. ?And Alex-an-dray-uh? did I say that right??
Alexandrea nods.
?How old are you??
?Twelve,? she replies.
?And I understand your friends have a lot of nicknames for you,? Kirk says. ?Could you tell us a few of them??
?Umm?? she begins, ??Lex,? ?Drew,? ?Alex,? ?A,? ?A-Reg?? since my last name?s Regan? ?Blondie,? and sometimes they call me ?Squeaky.??
?Do you have a favorite nickname?? Kirk asks.
?I think I?m okay with ?Lex,?? she answers.
?You won?t mind if I call you ?Lex,? then??
?Sure, go right ahead.?
?Okay, thanks,? Kirk says. ?Let?s hear it for the Purple Parrots!? Joe and Lex clap along with the audience as Kirk goes to talk with the boy just right of center screen, who has short, dark brown hair and brown eyes. ?And on the Blue Barracudas. Scott, how old are you??
?Thirteen,? he replies.
?And you like swimming, rock climbing and you want to be a writer,? Kirk says. ?You already started on a book??
?It?s not like a novel,? Scott explains, ?probably short stories. I got a few down, some of them were based on these less crazy dreams I had.?
?So we got two boys who want to publish books,? Kirk comments. ?Maybe you could trade ideas after the show.? He then goes to interview the girl on the far left of the screen, who has long, curly brown hair. ?And Marissa, how old are you??
?Thirteen,? she answers.
?And I hear you like cheerleading and you have two cats,? Kirk says. ?Tell me about that.?
?Well,? Marissa explains, ?we got them at the same store at the same time, I?ve had them for three years now, one?s all white and the other one?s all black, so we named them Yin and Yang.?
?Is it a lot of trouble to raise two cats?? asks Kirk.
?It was at first,? replies she, ?but I think I know how to take care of them now.?
?Let?s hear it for the Blue Barracudas!? Kirk shouts, and the audience applauds for a second.
?Okay, why don?t you guys go and get ready for those Temple Games,? Kirk says as the players walk offscreen, ?and I'll tell you what's gonna happen here. Now, in the Temple Games, these teams will be competing for?" he opens a pouch and pulls out a small gold medallion to show to the camera? "Pendants of Life. The winning team will need those Pendants to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards as they make their way through the Temple. There are three Temple Games, and Olmec will tell us about Temple Game #1.?
Olmec begins:
?Rurik and his men spent a long time on the rough seas sailing to Russia, but fortunately for you, your voyage will be much shorter. When Kirk gives the signal, row out to the island and, without touching the water, mount your flag on the island. Then, sail back and return to the dock.
?The first player to mount their flag and return with both feet on the dock? or the player that?s furthest along after 30 seconds? wins.?
?Sounds like a challenge, they gotta claim a foreign land and sail back with it,? Kirk says. ?Okay, let?s set 30 seconds on the clock.? The clock appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. ?On your mark, get set, GO!?
Scott and Joe row out from the docks and plant the flags on their respective islands at around the same time, with about 18 seconds remaining. However, then the boats have to be turned around, and Joe turns the boat back around much faster than Scott does, allowing him to take a good lead and run back up the dock with six seconds left.
?Okay, that was over fast!? Kirk says as Scott simply walks out of his boat and up the dock. ?So the Purple Parrots made it up here the fastest. Purple Parrots win a half Pendant of Life!? The audience applauds for a moment. ?The Blue Barracudas can catch up in the next Temple Game, it?s worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about it.?
Olmec continues:
?After landing on the shores of Russia, Rurik traveled much further inland to form the Kievan Rus empire. Before you stands a thick Russian forest. When Kirk gives the signal, put your wooden sword behind your head and make your way through the forest. Whenever you come to two trees, you must find a way to maneuver between or around them, keeping your sword behind your head and both of your hands on it.
?The first player to exit the Russian forest? or the player that?s closest to the end after 60 seconds wins.?
?Okay, so let?s get them going through that forest,? Kirk says as Marissa and Alexandrea put their wooden swords behind their heads. ?Let?s set the clock for 60 seconds.? The clock appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. ?On your mark, get set, GO!?
Marissa and Lex try to search for different paths through their respective forests. Lex has a slight lead through most of the game, but near the end, she lets go of her sword, which causes enough delay for Marissa to take the lead and leave the forest with a healthy 28 seconds on the clock.
?Okay, I think that?s the end of the game,? Kirk says, running over to declare a winner. ?Well, Purple Parrots dropped her sword, so that let the Blue Barracudas pull ahead. Blue Barracudas win the other half Pendant of Life!? The audience applauds for a second. ?So it all comes down to this last game, it?s worth a full Pendant, and whoever wins it goes to the Temple. Olmec, tell us about it.?
Olmec narrates:
?Rurik expanded Kievan Rus by conquering new areas and incorporating them into his empire. On the wall before you are the names of four major cities that were located in the Kievan Rus empire: Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kiev, and Moscow. When Kirk gives the signal, load the slingshot and fire a ball, and your partner will catch the ball and stick it on the first city. Once you?ve covered a city, it means it has been added to the empire, and you can climb up and try to add the next city into the empire.
?The first team to incorporate all four cities into the empire? or the team that?s built the largest empire in 60 seconds? wins.?
?This is for the Temple,? Kirk explains. ?Whoever wins goes to the Temple, if it?s a tie, it goes to a tiebreaker. Let?s put those 60 seconds on the clock.? The clock then appears onscreen. ?On your mark, get set, GO!?
Marissa and Lex fire the first balls at their partners, and it doesn?t take them very long for either team to cover Novgorod; each team has their first target covered within the first ten seconds of the game. Joe covers Yaroslavl with 38 seconds left, but Scott gets it only two seconds later, with 36 seconds left. The Blue Barracudas cover their third target, Kiev, with 19 seconds left, but with 14 seconds left, the Purple Parrots catch up again. However, that?s the last point scored before a pattern of ceiling spotlights flash, indicating that the time limit for the third Temple Game is up.
?Okay,? Kirk says, running onscreen. ?So the Blue Barracudas and the Purple Parrots each got three, so that?s a tie. Bring out the tiebreaker podiums!?
?Okay, just stand behind there, Blue over there, Purple over there,? Kirk says, and the players follow Kirk?s gestures and stand behind the pedestals. ?Here?s the tiebreaker rules. In a minute, Olmec will ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you. You?ll have three seconds and I must accept your first response. If you?re right, you and your partner will be going to the Temple, but if you?re wrong or you run out of time, I'll give the other team a chance. All clear?"
The players nod in response.
"Okay, Olmec!" Kirk shouts. "What is your final question??
Olmec asks:
?Which of these groups was, like Rurik, also from Scandinavia: The Mongols, The Vikings???
The Blue Barracudas hit the gong first and answer in unison: ?The Vikings.?
?That? is? correct,? Olmec replies, and Marissa lets out a squeal of excitement before hugging Scott for half a second.
?Olmec?s made his decision!? Kirk announces. ?The Blue Barracudas are goin? to the Temple!? Scott holds both hands over his head, and Marissa jumps up to high-ten him, but when she lands on the floor she almost falls backward if not for Joe helping her up. ?Careful, almost fell!? Kirk laughs. ?The Purple Parrots gave it an awesome effort too, it was a tough match. But they?re not going away empty-handed, they get a great gift and here?s what it is.? Joe and Lex will each be receiving a copy of the Kingdom Hearts II PlayStation 2 game.
Kirk is now standing behind the tiebreaker podium with his hands on Scott and Marissa?s shoulders. ?We?ll see if these guys can make it through Olmec?s Temple and retrieve that Iron Helmet of Rurik,? he says, ?right after this!? The camera races across the set and zooms in on the Iron Helmet in the Crystal Cave before fading to commercial.
Topic: Rediscovery EP: The Iron Helmet of Rurik (Read 1267 times)