Electric Princess Style [Railgun/Exalted]

[NSMS]

Given how he strongly favored charms over esper powers, and believed utterly in their superiority, I think he's a Creation native that infiltrated the esper program to see if it was worth pursuing in general. Ie we are an esper who became exalted, he's an exalted who obtained esper powers.

Click to shrink...

Most of his Charm use was to counter our Esper stuff, and his initial reflexive response to us was to try and fry us with lighting. Not to mention his failgun attempt, and that he attacked almost exclusively with Electromastery. So saying he favoured Charms over Electromastery doesn't seem accurate to me.

Also, the idea that he's investigating how worthwhile Esper powers are for an Exalt doesn't seem likely to me. If Misaka is any indication, and it's not simply an abstraction for the game's sake, becoming an Esper requires losing access to the Occult skill. That is a massive sacrifice to make just to test if an ability is worth having, especially when there are other ways to test how Essence users and Espers mix. I could certainly believe he's using it to develop Esper powers and make himself more powerful or so he can learn to pass it on, but I doubt it's just a viability test.

Seems unlikely, as we seem to be dealing with at least two versions of Creation - canon one, from which our exaltation seems to come, and Exalted Modern, from which Saten's Alchemical exaltation came from. Given that Index had no idea what we were, it's unlikely that exaltations were around for a long time.

Click to shrink...

Makes sense, though there are plausible explanations (DB's having such thin bloodlines they basically never Exalt, the Jade Prison only just having been opened, etc).

 

[Yog]

[x] Take him with you.
-[X] We had to leave, and to do so quickly, but still, I spent a couple of moments surveying the area around us. There was a reason why Morgan went here, and that reason might be more than to simply have a convenient meeting place with his underlings. Following my request, Kuroko teleported around in rapid sequence, gathering small samples to analyze later - the sand and the grass of the hill, the chip from the cursed, and it had to be cursed in some way, church's wood. The metal from the underground factory's carcass was gathered by my power.
--[X] Even as we gathered material objects to be carried away with us, I was committing to memory what couldn't be taken away. All my senses expanded to their maximum capacity, all of what I saw and sensed I etched into the lump of metal I assemlbed together, its magnetic domains ordered by my supreme will, gigabytes upon gigabytes of data written in the span of less than a minute.
-[X] I won this battle, but if I left him here, monster that he appeared to be to my very self... Would I not lose a war? Against him and the likes of him, and, more importantly, against that deep primal part within the core of my exaltation that wanted me to leave him and his follower here to die. There was really no choice but to take him with me. That I needed answers to a lot of questions went unasked.
--[X] To move them, I needed them restrained. Yet, anything I could use to bind the other exalt and his minion, he could use as a weapon if my concentration ever slipped. This would be a challenge to many indeed. Yet, even if I was a novice exalt, I was the master electromancer. Iron flowed, directed by my will, to weave itself around our fallen opponents like cocoons and, as soon as they were bound tightly, Saten stepped in, bathing them in hurricane-like wind that were then illuminated by a pink torch-like glow. Metal faded from my awareness, hardening into ceramic under the effects of esper created plasma.
--[X] If our fallen foes awakened during our escape... They couldn't win, not as wounded as they were, but inconveniencing us? Possibly escaping through some power we haven't seen yet? That was not something I was willing to risk. And so, I stepped forward, laid my hands upon their heads, and slowed them down. Signals crawled along the nerves, and neurons fired weakly, the heartbeat slow yet steady - their metabolism was slowed, so they would not awaken. In effect, they were put into hybernation.
-[X] Even as we cleared the site of the explosions, our bound captives carried along, I contacted the other members of our group and relayed to them a need to meet, to secure a place to interrogate prisoners. I, we needed answers, and we needed them quickly, before the other Esper could disappear or be disappeared. Why had he attacked us? What were his goals? Did we need to be enemies? These and others were the questions I had to ask.


Sorry, I really hate what I wrote. Please help! The ideas are:
1) I think that at least the church might be shadowland. I want samples before they are destroyed.
2) The metal-to-ceramic conversion thing. Basically, plasma nitriding by means of an esper-generated torch discharge (Saten provides gas flow, and we provide plasma). The temperature of those can be pretty much room one (or even below), as it's mostly determined by the neutral component (ie gas). This is basically to make sure the other exalt can't use metal against us.
3) Slowing the metabolism of our captives by means of electromancy control. To keep them sedated, basically.

What I also want to do is to leave some bodies behind for when this is going to be investigated, but I don't know how to write this. Ideas?

In any case, I am deeply dissatisfied with what I wrote and would very much like help.

EDIT: Just paging @UberJJK and @veekie - you guys usually write something, and in this case I'd be very grateful for help.

 

[UberJJK]

[X] Take him with you.
-[X] While some alien part of me yearned to leave him I knew that's not me. I knew that it was your actions, not your feelings, that defined you. Every time I reached out and touched someone with my lighting I chose to spare them. I chose to hold back. From simple thugs no one would miss to monsters like Therestina; I spared them all. I wasn't about to let some strange feelings change who I was.
--[X] While ordinarily someone shocked into unconsciousness would remain so for hours I knew Exalts like myself possessed supernatural healing and the Magician was anything but ordinary. With little idea of when they'd awake I asked Kuroko to bind them as securely as possible, reminding her that they may have superhuman strength, and kept my Electromagnetic senses searching for the slightest sign of wakefulness on the journey back.
-[X]We had to leave, and quickly, but still I spared a couple moments surveying the area around us. There was a reason why Morgan
went here, and that reason might be more then it just being a convenient meeting place. I scoured the surrounds with every sense I possessed and applied the Crafty Observation Method to compress what should have taken minutes into mere seconds of investigatin. To help ensure I didn't miss anything I pumped as much Essence as I could spare into my Second Investigation Excellency.
--[X] All the while I was recording as much data as I could into a piece of scrap metal small enough to fit in my skirt pocket for both later review and to ensure I didn't forget anything.
--[X] Before that however I asked Kuroko to grab some samples from the area. Things like wood chips from the church or fragments of metal from the factory. There was just something off about the location that had me thinking magic. Hopefully Index can take a look at the samples once we get home.




To my mind Misaka's choice to never kill is probably something very fundamental to her. After all from a very young age, see the flashbacks to Chibi!Misaka, Misaka has had the ability to kill with a touch. It's just so very easy with electricity; all it takes is a couple milliamps across the heart to stop it. In fact it's so easy she has to continually hold herself back to prevent it from happening. By now I can't help but imagine Misaka would view killing someone as a failure on her part.

So leaving a man to die just because some weird feeling is telling her to is antithetical to her perception of herself. If Misaka ever kills someone is should be because she chose to kill them not because of an accident or because she left them to die. I just can't see her justifying anything else to herself.

I decided that rather then take samples, which are unlikely to tell us anything and difficult to get to a lab for analysis, that we'd be better off applying COM to perform a fast search and use SIE to ensure it's a quality one. While Misaka's perception isn't as high as it could be I'm hopeful her Electromastery senses will provide a bonus here.

By my estimate we should be rolling:
Perception 3 + Investigation 4
for 7 dice, average 3.5 successes, and getting 3 automatic successes from SIE.

The question however is if we have the Essence for that. COM costs 5m and 3suc from SIE costs another 6m. Considering that we've already spent 15m on SEB and probably another 20 on IEM plus whatever combat expenses were not covered by stunts means we're probably getting low on Essence.

Luckily that's not the death-knell for that it would be for a normal Exalt since Misaka is still quite dangerous even operating off just her Electromastery and Essence recovered from stunts.

For the restraints we know form 1.5 that Kuroko regularly carries zip ties because Judgement notices when their handcuffs, probably plasticuffs, going missing:

He said as Kuroko bound his hands with zip ties. Judgement had nicer handcuffs, but they tended to ask questions when they went missing according to Kuroko.

Click to shrink...

zip ties are plastic and hence unlikely to be effected, other then by melting which would probably hurt and be kinda obvious. Plus by adding multiple ties she should be able to prevent them exploiting any potential super-strength.

I left out @Yog 's plan for messing with their biology simply because it's highly likely they have non-standard biology and messing with that could easily end badly. Especially with the Abyssal since he is, effectively, a living corpse so I'm not sure if he even uses his biological functions.

 

[veekie]

[X] UberJJK

Looks good

 

[Yog]

[X] Take him with you.
-[X] While some alien part of me yearned to leave him I knew that's not me. I knew that it was your actions, not your feelings, that defined you. Every time I reached out and touched someone with my lighting I chose to spare them. I chose to hold back. From simple thugs no one would miss to monsters like Therestina; I spared them all. I wasn't about to let some strange feelings change who I was.
--[X] While ordinarily someone shocked into unconsciousness would remain so for hours I knew Exalts like myself possessed supernatural healing and the Magician was anything but ordinary. With little idea of when they'd awake I asked Kuroko to bind them as securely as possible, reminding her that they may have superhuman strength, and kept my Electromagnetic senses searching for the slightest sign of wakefulness on the journey back.
-[X]We had to leave, and quickly, but still I spared a couple moments surveying the area around us. There was a reason why Morgan
went here, and that reason might be more then it just being a convenient meeting place. I scoured the surrounds with every sense I possessed and applied the Crafty Observation Method to compress what should have taken minutes into mere seconds of investigatin. To help ensure I didn't miss anything I pumped as much Essence as I could spare into my Second Investigation Excellency.
--[X] All the while I was recording as much data as I could into a piece of scrap metal small enough to fit in my skirt pocket for both later review and to ensure I didn't forget anything.




To my mind Misaka's choice to never kill is probably something very fundamental to her. After all from a very young age, see the flashbacks to Chibi!Misaka, Misaka has had the ability to kill with a touch. It's just so very easy with electricity; all it takes is a couple milliamps across the heart to stop it. In fact it's so easy she has to continually hold herself back to prevent it from happening. By now I can't help but imagine Misaka would view killing someone as a failure on her part.

So leaving a man to die just because some weird feeling is telling her to is antithetical to her perception of herself. If Misaka ever kills someone is should be because she chose to kill them not because of an accident or because she left them to die. I just can't see her justifying anything else to herself.

I decided that rather then take samples, which are unlikely to tell us anything and difficult to get to a lab for analysis, that we'd be better off applying COM to perform a fast search and use SIE to ensure it's a quality one. While Misaka's perception isn't as high as it could be I'm hopeful her Electromastery senses will provide a bonus here.

By my estimate we should be rolling:
Perception 3 + Investigation 4
for 7 dice, average 3.5 successes, and getting 3 automatic successes from SIE.

The question however is if we have the Essence for that. COM costs 5m and 3suc from SIE costs another 6m. Considering that we've already spent 15m on SEB and probably another 20 on IEM plus whatever combat expenses were not covered by stunts means we're probably getting low on Essence.

Luckily that's not the death-knell for that it would be for a normal Exalt since Misaka is still quite dangerous even operating off just her Electromastery and Essence recovered from stunts.

For the restraints we know form 1.5 that Kuroko regularly carries zip ties because Judgement notices when their handcuffs, probably plasticuffs, going missing:

zip ties are plastic and hence unlikely to be effected, other then by melting which would probably hurt and be kinda obvious. Plus by adding multiple ties she should be able to prevent them exploiting any potential super-strength.

I left out @Yog 's plan for messing with their biology simply because it's highly likely they have non-standard biology and messing with that could easily end badly. Especially with the Abyssal since he is, effectively, a living corpse so I'm not sure if he even uses his biological functions.

Click to shrink...

The samples are for Index. I suspect that the Church is a shadowland, given the feelings it produced in us. Also... Why not make ceramic restraints? I thought that was quite a nice trick. Shame we don't have titanium on hand. Titanium nitride is gold, after all. Still, I like it. With some minor grammar modifications, I'll take it (I might go over the charm use later, as I really dislike just saying the charm name we use, instead of description):

[X] Take him with you.
-[X] While some alien part of me yearned to leave him I knew that wasn't me. I knew that it was my actions, not my feelings, that would define me. Every time I reached out and touched someone with my lighting I chose to spare them. I chose to hold back. From simple thugs no one would miss to monsters like Therestina; I spared them all. I wasn't about to let some strange feelings change who I was.
--[X] While ordinarily someone shocked into unconsciousness would remain so for hours I knew Exalts like myself possessed supernatural healing and the Magician was anything but ordinary. With little idea of when they'd awake I asked Kuroko to bind them as securely as possible, reminding her that they may have superhuman strength, and kept my Electromagnetic senses searching for the slightest sign of wakefulness on the journey back.
-[X]We had to leave, and quickly, but still I spared a couple moments surveying the area around us. There was a reason why Morgan went here, and that reason might be more then it just being a convenient meeting place. I scoured the surrounds with every sense I possessed and applied the Crafty Observation Method to compress what should have taken minutes into mere seconds of investigatin. To help ensure I didn't miss anything I pumped as much Essence as I could spare into my Second Investigation Excellency.
--[X] All the while I was recording as much data as I could into a piece of scrap metal small enough to fit in my skirt pocket for both later review and to ensure I didn't forget anything.

 

[Koden]

[X] UberJJK

 

[UberJJK]

The samples are for Index. I suspect that the Church is a shadowland, given the feelings it produced in us.

Click to shrink...

I suppose that makes sense. I'll work that into the vote.

Also... Why not make ceramic restraints? I thought that was quite a nice trick.

Click to shrink...

While I'm not an expert the article mentioned the lower temperature range being a very lethal 260C. Plus it sounds like it would take a while, which seems to be backed up by the video I just watched on the topic, and we have bombers incoming.

I might go over the charm use later, as I really dislike just saying the charm name we use, instead of descriptio

Click to shrink...

I also dislike it but I wrote it that way to make it clear for @Tekomandor since I Gelya remember a previous complaint about the charm use in a stunt not being entirely clear.

 

[Yog]

I suppose that makes sense. I'll work that into the vote.

Click to shrink...

Thanks.

While I'm not an expert the article mentioned the lower temperature range being a very lethal 260C. Plus it sounds like it would take a while, which seems to be backed up by the video I just watched on the topic, and we have bombers incoming.

Click to shrink...

Temperature is kinda sorta dependent on a lot of factors (we made 80 C flame recently, and are palnning to try for -50 C or so by using liquid nitrogen vapor for working gas later). Basically, Saten would provide cooling via gas flow. As to taking a while... Normally yes, of course, it takes time. But we have direct control over plasma ions, so it sohuld be faster. But ok, maybe we should experiment with this later.

 

[wingstrike96]

[X] UberJJK

 

[MinorGryph]

[X] UberJJK

 

[UberJJK]

Just a head's up I edited this:

--[X] Before that however I asked Kuroko to grab some samples from the area. Things like wood chips from the church or fragments of metal from the factory. There was just something off about the location that had me thinking magic. Hopefully Index can take a look at the samples once we get home.

Click to shrink...

into my vote as I mentioned I would here:

I suppose that makes sense. I'll work that into the vote.

Click to shrink...

 

[Yog]

Ok, for now

[X] UberJJK

I think there might be some grammatical issues still, but otherwise it's good indeed.

 

[azoicennead]

[x] UberJJK

 

[megrisvernin]

[X] UberJJK

 

[NothingNow]

[X] UberJJK

 

[Look to the Left]

[X] UberJJK

 

[00mega]

[X] UberJJK

 

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Besides the grammar,

[X] UberJJK

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Yog

 

[Blight]

[X] UberJJK

 

[ApocalypticFish]

[X] UberJJK

Did I vote yet?...

...No, no I did not.

 

[SCO]

[X] UberJJK
You know, i just noticed now near the end, that the author is linking songs in the start of chapters.

Good quest, nothing too wrong, makes original characters 'better', removes irritating harem context. I'm fine with it. liked it, but i'm negative.

Also thank god that the Touma ship has sunk. Irritating loser token male characters for audience identification are almost as bad as gary stu.

 

[Tekomandor]

ELECTRIC PRINCESS STYLE 4.9: THE HOT WIND IS BLOWING
Previously on Electric Princess Style...
​

I knew instinctively that this man was a mockery of everything I was; a foul and twisted creation. Something inside me and yet not screamed at me to leave him to his fate. Leave him here, condemn him to an anonymous death at the hands of a computer's bomb. He was evil incarnate.

And yet I had spared Therestina. Every time I reached out with my lighting, I spared the life of another. The human heart is a fragile thing, all it takes is a few milliamps in the right place. I've spared the life of everyone I've touched with my power since I was six years old. These feelings I have; they are not me. They are not who I am, who I will always be.

I will not throw away my sense of self for this man.

"Kuroko, he'll be awake soon. Can you restrain him?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"He has healing like your own, onee-sama?" She asked; looking down at the unconscious Exalt.

"I think we should probably assume so." I replied, as Kuroko picked a dozen splinters of wood up. Then they appeared in his joints. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't object. If I had to restrain an evil version of myself, nonmetallic objects inserted via teleportation would probably do it. Academy City could repair the damage easily enough, and at this point I was fairly certain why we'd been sent here. Maybe the old bastard had wanted whatever this guy had been planning stopped, but he wanted him more. And I was still stuck doing what he wanted, until I could find some way to disable the kill switches embedded in the Sisters. "Okay, can you take some samples for evidence, Kuroko? I want to be able to have Index analyse them after Academy City blows this place to bits." Kuroko replied in the affirmative, and I focused on what I saw.

I used my power to compress the work of hours into mere moments; and yet I still only knew the barest parts of this complexe's purpose. I knew that there was a significant amount of essence involved with something within the structure; a bizarre set of what looked like magical symbols. I had no idea of their mystical meaning, but their mathematical one was vastly complex. Comparing it against what I knew of Esper theory, I thought it was probably used in the creation of his monsters; perhaps by combining his powers and that of the sorcerer's. I recorded everything I could into a tiny piece of scrap metal, slipping it into the pocket of my skirt.

"Okay, let's get back to Uiharu before they blow us up along with this place. Kuroko, you take Saten along with you. I'll carry this guy. " I said, and my two friends nodded. Kuroko held her hand out, Saten grabbed onto it and they were gone. I picked the elderly man who had been masquerading as Morgan up; and then I shot up into the air. I carried my metal supports with me. I sped across the landscape, though my speed was significantly less than my 'wings' would have granted me.

We were all a significant distance away when the plasma bombs hit the corrupted church-factory. It was certain in my mind that there was nothing larger than an atom left there. Whatever it's purpose had been, it would no longer be fulfilled. We made our way back to the campus and to Uiharu in a somber mood. That wasn't exactly improved to see who was waiting along with Uiharu and a pair of large VTOLs for us. Gensei Kihara stood there, an insufferably smug look on his face. I landed, applying another targeted burst of electricity to keep the Exalt unconscious.

"Ah, my favourite student. How has your trip been so far, Mikoto?" He said, geniality playing across his face. I felt my anger bubble up inside of me, and so i let it out.

"You know exactly how it's been! You set the whole thing up to get at this guy, and put my friends in danger for what? Some guy who's power you won't be able to replicate!" I almost shouted.

"Why, dear, he's an alternative to you of course. We can't take you apart and then put you back together again, at least without unfortunate consequences."

"Y-y-you..." I growled, sparks cresting around me.

"Well, in any case, I'll take the rouge Esper off your hands. The American government have asked us to take custody of him, seeing as they lack the facilities required to contain a multi-skilled, level five electromaster." Gensei smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. This was what he wanted, yet I had little choice but to hand the Exalt over. I was nowhere near close to confronting him, and any conflict between the two of us would surely result in the detonation of the Sisters. I let the two Anti-Skill officers clamp headphones over his head, and drag him off into the substantially starker of the two VTOLs. "Why don't you and your friends go and head on home now?" He finished.

"Sure. Let's go, guys." I said, struggling to keep my voice even. Kiyama sat in the compartment of the plane, giving me a pointed look. Our things had already been brought aboard - and wasn't that a comforting thought - so we were essentially ready for take off.

"Mikoto? Was that the higher up you told us about?" Uiharu asked.

"That's him, alright. He was probably behind us coming here and just happening to run into the creepy old dude pretending to be a student." We were all silent at that, and slept for most of the plane ride home. I was tired, beat up, and had just gotten played so thoroughly I should be spitting out arcade tokens. It wasn't like my day could get any worse, was it?

++++////\\\\++++
​

"THAT CHAIN SMOKING BASTARD THREATENED TO DO WHAT?" I shouted into the phone. How dare that overgro-

"Ah, ah I don't think he was very happy about it either. But I do really need your help." Touma replied. A girl had been kidnapped by a rouge magician, hoping to use her power for his own ends. Touma had apparently been called in via a threat to Index, delivered by a very unhappy Stiyl. Thus, he was calling in his big guns - namely, me.

The only problem would who I'd take with me. Kuroko and Saten would be useful, but both had new abilities that it might not be wise to reveal to the various Churches. Would I...

[x] Go Alone
-[x] Stunt it
[x] Take only Kuroko
-[X] Stunt It
[x] Take only Saten
-[X] Stunt it
[x] Take both of them
-[X] Stunt it​

 

[ShadowAngelBeta]

Right, I stopped reading this because Kihara showed up, I'd like to keep reading it at some point though, so does anyone have any idea how much longer we'll have to deal with that thing? I just don't think I can bring myself to read this until I now we're out from under that thing's thumb.

 

[UberJJK]

I almost responded with anger - but that would make my friends ask questions. My pact with the Kihara was my shame to rectify, and mine alone.

Click to shrink...

@Tekomandor I really hate to point out a flaw after my favourite quest returns from the dead but Misaka already told her friends about this and Gensei:

"A lot has happened in the two days since the downfall of MAR, onee-sama. Saten was transferred into Tokiwadai by order of the Directors, Kiyama was appointed as the head of some new research facility based there, and Uiharu was appointed to oversee it's computer systems. Someone very high up in Academy City was intent on us all being in one place." Kuroko said, her concern clear.

"I think I know who that is. His name is Gensei Kihara, and he's the one behind the assassin that attacked me when we were fighting MAR." I said, before going on to explain about the ultimatum he'd offered me.

Click to shrink...