AN: I rewrote the chapter but it still seems to be missing something.
I still like this one better though. Let me know what you think.
I'll be working on actually writing chapter 5 after a bit, I'll use this one as the foundation but I can write one for version 1 if that is preferred another time.
Chapter 4: Where I debut and everything goes wrong
On the one hand: This is a bad idea. I barely read through the user's manual. I should at least come up with a plan. What do I even plan to do when I step in? Should I risk myself for people I don't know?
On the other: Let's compete with the Main Character! I could totally do the mysterious black ranger act. I have to ensure the safety of the civilians, even if they seemed to be safe in the story. Eh, I can wing it. Even in games I usually try to be helpful when I can.
One hand is reasonable, the other is emotionally invested, and my hand rested heavily on the trigger to transform. In this case, I was holding onto my pendant. And when the darkness covered the area, I reflexively tightened my grip, my instincts screaming at me to at least do something. So half unconsciously, I gave my response, my transformation hidden in the darkness.
15 seconds is a long time, fortunately they needed to gather the people they intended to send to distract the wards. Unfortunately, my transformation attracted the attention of two people, Grue, the one who spread the darkness, and Bug girl, the one who tagged all the hostages. And I just remembered, she was keeping track of everyone in the bank. Stupid! I should have done something about the bugs first.
Too late, and not that I had an idea of how, I decided to at least take care of it now. I mana-fested(heh) an iron humming bird to peck at the ones on still on my body. I'm sure there was a better way to do this but I couldn't think of anything. I was still stung a few times here and there but it wasn't as painful as I thought it'd be. Only after the bugs were completely removed did I move from my location and hiding behind a desk, just in time for the shadow to disappear. I moved again, flying low through ferrikinesis, avoiding detection a second time and clinging to the ceiling. The villains looked around but nobody looked up. Well except for Tattletale but for some reason, she only smirked, than ignored me.
I overheard them talking about another cape(me) being in the area but Tattletale insured I wouldn't do anything to harm them. Which was true, for now at least. I haven't actually decided on my method of engagement yet and would rather not jeopardize my chances for any sided I might join or ally myself with.
However there is one thing I can do. Yesterday, what I did for training magic wasn't anything special, mostly because I had no idea how to begin. Instead, I went over the user's manual (Golden Thorn or goldie as I lazily call her) showed me. Magic can be generally broken down by levels. 0, where everyone starts, allows for the understanding of one's element and minor special effects, if for fire is to start a spark, than for metal, it's softening the material. Further understanding of this level allows for sensing of these minor effects and changes, this was what I was practicing on my way here and it's also what allows me to sense wherever I place my tags, metal disks I manifested and attached to the civilians.
When I was done, Clockblocker and Aegis were down and Bitch was charging after Vista even as Kid Win and Gallant were shooting at her. Vista escaped by Pinching back and Expanding forward, stepping over the pinched space and releasing, traveling a great distance in a single step while reducing the distance her pursuer covered.
Gallant took the chance to hit Bitch with an Emotional Blast(TM): Rage and I winced at the scream. I don't know if he was thinking anything in particular when he made that shot but I honestly think it was a far less effective move than shooting a calming thought… I looked closer. I couldn't see his eyes but I could have swore I saw them flicker when he took that shot. It was enough that I started looking at every parahuman's eyes, or at least the ones I could see.
I was pretty sure my eyes were playing tricks on me at first when I saw it but when I looked at regent's eyes, in the pupil, there was movement. (How am I getting this much detail?) It wasn't anything you would see normally. It was as if more color was added to the visual spectrum, enough to tell the difference between black and infinitely transparent and comparing Regent's Eyes to the civilians, I was able to see what the difference looked like. I can't quite describe it, like how it's difficult if not impossible to describe color to a blind person. A flicker of light entered his eyes and it twisted, moving in directions that didn't exist and revealing something large that all fit inside his pupils and I slammed my eyes shut, wincing as I felt my brain being drilled by nails.
I tried opening my eyes again and slammed them shut again for a moment as I tried to change the focus of my attention even as the last image burned into the front of my mind. All the parahumans and their active powers distorted the space around them as the glow coming off everything was stretched, pulled and scattered in all directions as if the world was being twisted. I could see it crying in pain, but I couldn't hear anything, making the image all the more disturbing.
What was that? I thought. (Mana Vision: Enhancing one's senses with mana allows one to visualize different energies and distortions in space. In this case, you overload your mind by visualizing the mana spectrum and forcefully visualizing higher dimensional distortions without the needed understanding.) Goldie supplied. (Simply undo the Visual Enhancement spell and your sight will return to normal.) Oh… That might explain why I could see through Grue's Darkness. I was wondering why the big guy was turning in circles.
I followed her instructions and cracked my eye open, relaxing as I was able to see without giving myself a headache. Suddenly, a beam flew right under me and I stiffened on my flying disk. I wanted to yell, call out to 'watch where you're shooting!', but I felt like I lost my chance when I noticed a piece of paper burning, starting at the bottom right corner.
PAY TO THE ORDER OF ALEX-
My check! It was burned in half by the time I realized what it was. I flew down and stomped it out before pocketing it. I'll have to get it replaced and it would be best to have evidence of what happened. I froze when I felt a bunch of eyes on me. I didn't want to look up but I did anyway, noticing bug girl getting up from her position, wincing even as she surrounding me and Kid Win at the same time. She ran to the other side of the bank, obscuring my vision in an impressive show of multitasking.
Aegis dived towards the bank before shooting into the ground. Kid Win was taking shots at both me and bug girl forcing me to dodge. I saw bug girl covering her ears and I did the same while shutting my eyes. The flash still hit me before I could close my eyes completely and I found myself stumbling into a desk as I recovered. This isn't going well at all. I was smacked upside the head and knocked out before I could even figure out what was going on. This is so unfair!
if she is feeling a bit musical and whimsical.