against other celestial exalts yes, but once you reach the Solar Circle, you get things like Essence Inversion. If that thing hits and isn't stopped by a perfect defense, the target dies. slowly and painfully.Kelenas said:
Memoirs of a Human Flashlight [Exalted/Worm]
- Thread starter Golden Lark
- Start date
-
- Tags
- exalted (white wolf) worm
Golden Lark
The First Fiction User
Occult, for our purposes, is 'shit motes do.'
Yes, that covers all of known science IN CREATION. Not Earth.
Yes, that covers all of known science IN CREATION. Not Earth.
Observable consistent results at all would break our current understanding of science. It only gets better if everyone else starts getting them too.bobnik said:
Everyone else taught by her (and people who were taught by her, and the later iterations) won't break the world as much. After all, there are capes who can enchant objects (Dauntless). This is not far from that, though bigger and wider spread.Hazard said:
Xexilf
Oblivion Sempiternum Daemonis
There are also capes that grant powers (Teacher, others mentioned) and capes which can create things that spread (Nilbog, others). So someone giving out contagous low-level powers wont necessarily be unimaginable.
Wether people want that to happen is another matter.
Wether people want that to happen is another matter.
However a cape that gives a powerset to people that includes the ability to give other people the same powerset is kinda a big, no, huge thing, even if it a low-level (relatively) power.Xexilf said:
Xexilf
Oblivion Sempiternum Daemonis
Yes. Will be considered S class definitely.Yog said:
And it would be really interesting what the big factions (both open (Protectorat, PRT) and hidden (Cauldorn)) would say or do about it.
Xexilf
Oblivion Sempiternum Daemonis
Um... sorry?Gore17 said:I hate you. So much. Right now.
I think im missing something here....
Search S-class, posted by: Gore17.Xexilf said:
The problem is that feng shui, as practiced by the Exalted, is based on motonic physics. It's also something that Wormverse science will have derided as unscientific or as an allegory for the combined effects of several lanscaping and engineering disciplines as well as social dynamics.Yog said:
Of course, things get interesting if Wormverse is in fact mote based, just in a manner incompatible with Creation (this isn't impossible, the Underworld has this too) or mote starved or with a far lesser free floating mote count, with nearly every mote locked in place.
If any of the above options are true Creation based geomancy/feng shui techniques will need adaptation to the specific physics of the Wormverse but they are a valid means of interacting with the universe, and therefore can be subjected to the scientific method.
Even with Solar Circle spells it's often more effective and expedient for the character in question to just whip out some kind of super-combo based on their preferred combat-charms. Especially since there isn't that many enemies in Worm that would require something on the magnitude of Solar Sorcery to be taken out. For Taylor, Sorcery would be mostly interesting for its various utility-spells; travel, summoning, etc.Rathmun said:
Though admittedly Damsel, or any other followers Taylor might pick up, would profit more from learning Sorcery (or Martial Arts, for that matter), than Taylor herself, since she can already use her Charms to gain similar results as many spells.
- Location
- Singapore
Again, as I said before, Sorcery is only less than optimal in its mechanics. Fluff-wise its entirely viable. You just trade quick casing time and ease for the ability to annihilate armies with the wave of a hand. Or rewrite reality much in the same way the aArchitects of the World did. Either way, Sorcery is a big deal. Its just horribly balanced compared to charms, and not in its favor.Kelenas said:
Fortunately this is a story, not a game. Thus, mschanics like these can b discarded and the fluff used instead. While rules and fluff mix closely in Exalted, they do not for Sorcery's abilities.
Delusionist
Seeker of Truth
- Location
- Land of the Fruits and Nuts
Sorcery is only suboptimal when used in a direct combat capacity. The true power of sorcery lies in utility spells, such as summoning.swordomatic said:
Which what I kept saying, yet remained ignored...Delusionist said:
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
You lack creativity.Silver sun 17 said:
Is She Who Lives in her Name's act of villany any different if her choosen monologues to about how she deafeated her foe any different if it is applied to a dying Sidereal or a Criminal who is being dragged off in chains?
And the your understanding of the Great curse is off as well, Solars and the other Exalted who fought in the Primordial War suffer under the Great Curse, they are in fact less trust worthy than Infernals or Abyssals. They at least can sooth their respective forms of limit, the Law Givers can't.
11
Golden Lark
The First Fiction User
Excellence 2.1.2
I have never been a social person.
This is obvious to me, but not to my fellow Wards. Well, Dennis seemed to have picked up on it immediately, but Missy just went with the flow.
When the New Wave members showed up, I did my best to be 'generic Wards member number five,' but all the polite and neutral greeting in the world couldn't get around the fact that Dean had hyped up my appearance. Apparently he was coming to regret that decision, as he visibly flinched every time we made eye contact as a tiny voice inside me called for his death each time I was reminded that he had made me the center of attention today.
I hate being the center of attention.
Well, no small part of that is probably due to the bullying, but the Pavlovian reactions have been burned into me by this point. It was a miracle that my ability gave me enough raw social skill to manage this situation.
Yes, that was definitely it. I sure as hell wouldn't be all smiles and small talk with the other famous local teen capes. This was all Lightshow; artificial expertise applied liberally over my own shortcomings. Sure it sounded like a downer, but I saw it more like cheat codes than legitimate earned ability. No positive or negative stigma applied.
Conversation turned to Missy, and I let Panacea and Glory Girl take the lead in catching up with her. I watched as Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl; she had no secret identity) chatted with Missy, and I could FEEL the layer of polite insincerity, like it was a cheap coat of paint over her words. The difference between her and me here was that I was consciously choosing to be insincerely polite; for naturally confident and extroverted people, I get the feeling that it was more like a mindless reflex. Perhaps I'm just biased.
Just as I noted I should probably pay more attention to what was actually being said. Victoria turned to me.
"So, this is the new girl? I have to say, she doesn't look like much. I mean, seriously, heels with a costume?"
I mentally clenched and shook a first, but kept my smile and responded.
"It's just a draft costume. There's this guy named Glenn-"
"Ah, right right, I get it. Trying to impress a guy is nice and all-"
-Suddenly, I wanted to break her-
"-but you're going to get yourself killed wearing those. Hell, you're exposing enough skin to get stabbed, chafed, or otherwise taken out by any third class cape! Furthermore, your-"
Later Dennis would tell me that Dean had this look at that point, like he was about to be hit by a train. He'd made Victoria angry before, he'd pulled his share of pranks on other Wards, and he'd even put down his fair share of lesser local villains. However, he had never quite inspired or directly experienced 'intent to kill.' Apparently the most disturbing aspect of the situation (to him) was how I didn't change my facial expression to match my feelings. My surprisingly intense feelings.
"-little strappy pants thing you've got going there will attract eyes, and after eyes come hands. Any Brute could probably hoist you by your own petard and send you face first into the dirt."
I smiled and nodded and let her listen to herself talk. I had no stake in her opinion on the draft outfit.
"Oy, Vicky, you haven't seen what she can do. Heels or no heels, I'm pretty sure her ability can neutralize the downsides. The stuff she pulled during testing more or less backs me up."
I turned my smiling gaze onto Carlos the Helpful. He blinked and his eyes widened. I think he mouthed What? at me but I had already turned back to Glory Girl, who was giving me a different sort of considering look.
"Oh really? Well, I can't say that it's obvious. I guess I'd get a better feeling for what she's capable of if we had a little spar."
Dennis jumped in immediately on my behalf.
"Ahh, that might not be the best idea right now-"
"Why not? We can use the gym mats and everything. Amy is here so any bruises can be fixed right up- that's not a problem, is it Ames?" Amy shook her head. "Right. So. how about it?"
"Actually, Lightshow isn't-"
"It would be fine." I cut Dennis off. He looked at me like had grown a second head.
I was new at this social mind games thing, but one thing was shining through clear as day: if I turned down this challenge, for whatever reason, I'd irrevocably lose some kind of face with Glory Girl. I didn't quite consciously understand why I cared, but I knew this was a one time chance.
Another part of me simply didn't want this self-inflated bimbo to know my weakness.
A third and much more sensible part of me was internally screaming You are getting into a fight with Glory Girl, you IDIOT! This is GLORY GIRL! She will crush you like a bug! Even Sophia and Emma abstained from actually injuring you!
Missy wasn't having any of it.
"Ah, Victoria, Lightshow didn't have a chance to catch much sleep last night, maybe we could put this off until next time?"
I turned to Missy and gave her the barest shake of my head before reaffirming my decision.
"No, it's alright, I'll give it a shot. It's not like it would remotely be a fair fight even if I was at 100%." Zing.
We had all started moving towards one of the training rooms. My self depreciation wasn't lost on my opponent. Victoria chuckled, and gave me a 'gentle' pat on the back.
"Don't worry about it. I just want to see what this crazy shiny power of yours can do. If half the stories I heard were true I'd have expected you to be built like a gymnast or a tank, and you don't look like either of those."
I swallowed my reflex response. Don't be provoked. Don't be provoked.
When we got to the room, we took up positions at either side of the mat. Victoria tossed her hair.
"So, ground rules? Should I nix my flight and the force field?"
I shook my head.
"Wouldn't be a proper match unless you used your full suite of powers."
Why did I say that? Why did I SAY that?
She shrugged.
"Fine by me."
Then her emotion amplification aura hit. She gestured with one hand.
"This is a friendly spar, so I won't go all out. That said, I doubt you can do anything to hurt me so don't worry about holding back!"
And with a wink to Dean, she was coming at me.
Fear. Dread. Self-pity. Helplessness. Deer-in-headlights didn't begin to describe my current mindset.
Five strides to go.
I tried to move, I tried to think, I tried to react. The aura turned my slightly paranoid backdrop of mental noise into an all-consuming torrent of paralyzed self-doubt.
Four strides to go.
No.
No, no, no. Not like this.
I found a new button, internally. It would be costly. I pressed it.
A wave of something washed through my mind, dulling out my emotions. I was free to think again, free to act.
Three strides left. She raised her arm for a punch.
She raised her arm? This far back? There's telegraphing and then there's satellite dish broadcasting.
Two strides left. She started turning her torso for the blow. She wasn't slowing down. 'Holding back,' my ass.
One stride left.
For today's episode of Iron Chef, the secret ingredient is: sidesteps.
With an instant to spare I moved aside. Victoria's fist brushed past my chestplate as she blew past me, balance ruined after failing to land the blow.
Before I could turn to follow up she had stopped on a dime with her flight power, spun on her center of gravity, and blasted me with a roundhouse kick to the back. I went sprawling.
Stupid. I forgot to account for her flight. I was operating on the assumption that if we went out of bounds, we'd lose. She didn't have that weakness. Her momentum could be stopped and reversed before her feet touched the floor off the mat.
I vaguely heard Dennis and Carlos cheering for me to get back up, but I was more focused on keeping my attention on Victoria.
Oh. She was posing for Dean while I was down. Well, that works for me.
I rolled backwards into a crouch, then got to my feet. Honestly that kick hadn't been too powerful; she couldn't have had proper footing if I had only flown this far.
Wait, since when have I been able to understand fighting techniques?
She turned and started walking to me.
Three strides left.
My mind went into overdrive. What was wrong with that last exchange? Why am I confused?
She lowered her center of gravity. She was going for a lunging tackle. How do I know that?
Two strides left, she was about to jump.
Suddenly, it clicked. She did the spinning kick because it was a common enough occurrence: terrified enemies dodge at the last second, causing her to develop a secondary reflex move to deal with them.
It was probably just as telegraphed as the first blow; I had merely failed to see it coming.
The important detail, however, clicked into place:
Glory Girl is a shitty fighter.
She dove at me, and I jumped straight up.
Usually, jumping straight up is a terrible idea. It limits your mobility, puts you on a gravity-dictated arc of motion, and leaves you completely vulnerable to counterattacks.
It this case it simply let me plant one foot on Victoria's head and one foot on her butt.
I threw my weight down on my left foot, slamming her face into the mat, sliding along a bit before shifting my weight to the other foot. Her flight had started pulling her up off the ground, but my see-saw motion spun her backwards. I launched myself off her back and landed across the mat again, this time on my feet.
She righted herself, smug smile all but gone. The peanut gallery was silent.
I felt her emotional aura slowly ease off. She was probably going to crank it back up to full force right before her next blow. Predictable.
She held still for a moment, then her smile was back.
"Well, we both ate mat once. Guess it wouldn't be sporting, otherwise. Time to get serious."
I didn't fall for the bluff. She had been going all out from the word go. Well, as all-out as she ever did. If I had to carefully rein in superstrength to stop from punching someone's lungs out then I'd probably hate holding back even further, too. Her sister's presence emboldened her to 'anything short of death.'
Where the hell was I getting this? I mean, it all made sense, but I wasn't even pulling on my power. This was just thinking, and it was better and faster thinking than I'd ever managed under pressure before.
She charge me again. Four strides- no. Three strides left. She was propelling herself forward with her flight power. Both arms were raised. She was probably going to grab me. She could shift into a clothesline on either side if I sidestepped. None of her options gave her proper leverage or power to do serious damage . . . if she didn't have super strength. Unfortunately she did, and that meant I needed to set the pace or get pasted.
I stepped forward and saw her eyes widen. People usually didn't meet her in a charge, I guessed. I slid down and turned to the side, and started a very basic sweep with my full weight. Amateurish to be sure, but then, I wasn't fighting a professional. She responded accordingly, by hopping up onto a slight flight trajectory above me. Before she could decide to drop on me, I rolled and got out of her path.
Her flight was a tugging sort of power. That much I felt during my short surfing trip. She could pull her whole body weight with varying amounts of force, hovering when she was pulling one G straight up, gaining altitude with more. She could reflexively increase or switch this pull, but she still had to accelerate. It wasn't an instant thing. Her earlier stopping on a dime was simply jerking her body backwards with great force while spinning. She wasn't of the mindset to exploit that power to its utmost.
As I got to my feet I barely had a chance to raise my arms to block the double mule kick coming back my way. I went flying backwards. This time I threw my legs up and tucked my knees in when my butt hit and rolled backwards, throwing myself back up to my feet.
Apparently I could analyze her fighting all I wanted, but actually moving to make use of my revelations was going to take a bit more effort.
She wasted no time in spinning and flying directly at me. I cartwheeled to the side, willing myself to pull it off. I found myself in one corner of the mat. Glory GIrl pulled up, did a loop, and landed to cut me off from escape.
"This time you won't get away!"
She charge again, telegraphed right straight punch incoming. My range of motion was limited. She was expecting a sweep or a roll. She closed the distance in a flash.
Out of options, I turned to my left, leaned back, grabbed her incoming right wrist with my left hand, and threw out a right flatpalm to her nose while pulling her right arm past my head.
My right palm and wrist screamed in protest as I gouged them on what might have well been a face made of steel hitting my hand with the power of a truck- then I felt her face give a little. Before I could react, Victoria had THROWN herself backwards, landing on the opposite corner of the mat, her expression incredulous.
"You fight like Über." She said it like an accusation, as if I had done something filthy. Her amusement was completely gone. She clenched a fist, and I knew her next move was going to involve painful speeds and power. It was the simplest response to a more skilled but lesser weight-classed foe.
She was about to go for a knockout blow.
Time to knock her off balance. I realized my batteries had charged a bit since the spar began. I was pretty sure I had figured out why.
"Really?" I asked. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment, then. I haven't even activated my power, yet." My hypothesis confirmed itself as I cocked a hip and taunted.
Her mouth opened, shut, then she bared grit teeth and closed the distance between us in less than a second.
"Victoria, NO!" made its way out of Amy's mouth before she could react to the flash.
When the light died down, it revealed Glory Girl once again on me with a right straight punch; the difference was I had simply planted my legs and let loose one of my own. We both had our right firsts in each other's faces, but a glowing sheet of red light was blocking hers from connecting.
My strike on her was, on one hand, less powerful because her force was mostly cancelled by my cape-shield. On the other hand, that leftover minority of energy transferred from her face to my knuckles was far greater than my earlier counter-flatpalm. I felt her face go from steel to soft again, and this time I reacted before she did.
I vaulted myself over her extended arm, grabbing her forearm and wrist like a gymnast bar. I flipped down, bent my legs forward, and didn't let go. I swung under her arm (which she was raising up in shock, and folded my knees in, then pulled my arms inwards, rapidly increasing my rate of rotation. She had started to bend to the right with my motion, but I was going too fast for her to match.
The torque on her arm went up to her shoulder, and by the time I was once again over her arm, it dislocated with a crack. She yelped in pain, and I flipped off onto the mat. I turned around and her left hand grabbed my face in a vice grip.
"I give up! You win," I said. No mockery in my tone.
She froze, then let me go, falling to her knees in pain. Amy dashed up and helped her reset the joint, and when she was done, I offered Victoria a hand to get up.
She blinked at it for a moment, then smiled and took it.
"Thanks."
I pulled her up and it turned into a handshake. Seeing that, Amy nodded.
"You've got to be bruised too. May I?"
I blinked. I hadn't even noticed.
"Ah, sure. Go for it."
She laid a hand on my face and my thigh. Her expression shifted rapidly, and then she pulled back.
"That was funny. Are you a Brute or a Trump?"
"I was confirmed for Brute, but not for Trump. Let me guess: wonky cell behavior?"
"Ah, you could say that. To start."
"Yeah, I figured. Anyways, you guys hungry?"
Victoria raised a hand.
"Yes. Getting my arm ripped out of its socket seems to have worked up an appetite. Let's go! I know this great place by the Docks-"
***
Dennis had posted the whole thing on video on Youtube from his phone while we walked to lunch. By midnight it had over 20,000 views.
I have never been a social person.
This is obvious to me, but not to my fellow Wards. Well, Dennis seemed to have picked up on it immediately, but Missy just went with the flow.
When the New Wave members showed up, I did my best to be 'generic Wards member number five,' but all the polite and neutral greeting in the world couldn't get around the fact that Dean had hyped up my appearance. Apparently he was coming to regret that decision, as he visibly flinched every time we made eye contact as a tiny voice inside me called for his death each time I was reminded that he had made me the center of attention today.
I hate being the center of attention.
Well, no small part of that is probably due to the bullying, but the Pavlovian reactions have been burned into me by this point. It was a miracle that my ability gave me enough raw social skill to manage this situation.
Yes, that was definitely it. I sure as hell wouldn't be all smiles and small talk with the other famous local teen capes. This was all Lightshow; artificial expertise applied liberally over my own shortcomings. Sure it sounded like a downer, but I saw it more like cheat codes than legitimate earned ability. No positive or negative stigma applied.
Conversation turned to Missy, and I let Panacea and Glory Girl take the lead in catching up with her. I watched as Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl; she had no secret identity) chatted with Missy, and I could FEEL the layer of polite insincerity, like it was a cheap coat of paint over her words. The difference between her and me here was that I was consciously choosing to be insincerely polite; for naturally confident and extroverted people, I get the feeling that it was more like a mindless reflex. Perhaps I'm just biased.
Just as I noted I should probably pay more attention to what was actually being said. Victoria turned to me.
"So, this is the new girl? I have to say, she doesn't look like much. I mean, seriously, heels with a costume?"
I mentally clenched and shook a first, but kept my smile and responded.
"It's just a draft costume. There's this guy named Glenn-"
"Ah, right right, I get it. Trying to impress a guy is nice and all-"
-Suddenly, I wanted to break her-
"-but you're going to get yourself killed wearing those. Hell, you're exposing enough skin to get stabbed, chafed, or otherwise taken out by any third class cape! Furthermore, your-"
Later Dennis would tell me that Dean had this look at that point, like he was about to be hit by a train. He'd made Victoria angry before, he'd pulled his share of pranks on other Wards, and he'd even put down his fair share of lesser local villains. However, he had never quite inspired or directly experienced 'intent to kill.' Apparently the most disturbing aspect of the situation (to him) was how I didn't change my facial expression to match my feelings. My surprisingly intense feelings.
"-little strappy pants thing you've got going there will attract eyes, and after eyes come hands. Any Brute could probably hoist you by your own petard and send you face first into the dirt."
I smiled and nodded and let her listen to herself talk. I had no stake in her opinion on the draft outfit.
"Oy, Vicky, you haven't seen what she can do. Heels or no heels, I'm pretty sure her ability can neutralize the downsides. The stuff she pulled during testing more or less backs me up."
I turned my smiling gaze onto Carlos the Helpful. He blinked and his eyes widened. I think he mouthed What? at me but I had already turned back to Glory Girl, who was giving me a different sort of considering look.
"Oh really? Well, I can't say that it's obvious. I guess I'd get a better feeling for what she's capable of if we had a little spar."
Dennis jumped in immediately on my behalf.
"Ahh, that might not be the best idea right now-"
"Why not? We can use the gym mats and everything. Amy is here so any bruises can be fixed right up- that's not a problem, is it Ames?" Amy shook her head. "Right. So. how about it?"
"Actually, Lightshow isn't-"
"It would be fine." I cut Dennis off. He looked at me like had grown a second head.
I was new at this social mind games thing, but one thing was shining through clear as day: if I turned down this challenge, for whatever reason, I'd irrevocably lose some kind of face with Glory Girl. I didn't quite consciously understand why I cared, but I knew this was a one time chance.
Another part of me simply didn't want this self-inflated bimbo to know my weakness.
A third and much more sensible part of me was internally screaming You are getting into a fight with Glory Girl, you IDIOT! This is GLORY GIRL! She will crush you like a bug! Even Sophia and Emma abstained from actually injuring you!
Missy wasn't having any of it.
"Ah, Victoria, Lightshow didn't have a chance to catch much sleep last night, maybe we could put this off until next time?"
I turned to Missy and gave her the barest shake of my head before reaffirming my decision.
"No, it's alright, I'll give it a shot. It's not like it would remotely be a fair fight even if I was at 100%." Zing.
We had all started moving towards one of the training rooms. My self depreciation wasn't lost on my opponent. Victoria chuckled, and gave me a 'gentle' pat on the back.
"Don't worry about it. I just want to see what this crazy shiny power of yours can do. If half the stories I heard were true I'd have expected you to be built like a gymnast or a tank, and you don't look like either of those."
I swallowed my reflex response. Don't be provoked. Don't be provoked.
When we got to the room, we took up positions at either side of the mat. Victoria tossed her hair.
"So, ground rules? Should I nix my flight and the force field?"
I shook my head.
"Wouldn't be a proper match unless you used your full suite of powers."
Why did I say that? Why did I SAY that?
She shrugged.
"Fine by me."
Then her emotion amplification aura hit. She gestured with one hand.
"This is a friendly spar, so I won't go all out. That said, I doubt you can do anything to hurt me so don't worry about holding back!"
And with a wink to Dean, she was coming at me.
Fear. Dread. Self-pity. Helplessness. Deer-in-headlights didn't begin to describe my current mindset.
Five strides to go.
I tried to move, I tried to think, I tried to react. The aura turned my slightly paranoid backdrop of mental noise into an all-consuming torrent of paralyzed self-doubt.
Four strides to go.
No.
No, no, no. Not like this.
I found a new button, internally. It would be costly. I pressed it.
A wave of something washed through my mind, dulling out my emotions. I was free to think again, free to act.
Three strides left. She raised her arm for a punch.
She raised her arm? This far back? There's telegraphing and then there's satellite dish broadcasting.
Two strides left. She started turning her torso for the blow. She wasn't slowing down. 'Holding back,' my ass.
One stride left.
For today's episode of Iron Chef, the secret ingredient is: sidesteps.
With an instant to spare I moved aside. Victoria's fist brushed past my chestplate as she blew past me, balance ruined after failing to land the blow.
Before I could turn to follow up she had stopped on a dime with her flight power, spun on her center of gravity, and blasted me with a roundhouse kick to the back. I went sprawling.
Stupid. I forgot to account for her flight. I was operating on the assumption that if we went out of bounds, we'd lose. She didn't have that weakness. Her momentum could be stopped and reversed before her feet touched the floor off the mat.
I vaguely heard Dennis and Carlos cheering for me to get back up, but I was more focused on keeping my attention on Victoria.
Oh. She was posing for Dean while I was down. Well, that works for me.
I rolled backwards into a crouch, then got to my feet. Honestly that kick hadn't been too powerful; she couldn't have had proper footing if I had only flown this far.
Wait, since when have I been able to understand fighting techniques?
She turned and started walking to me.
Three strides left.
My mind went into overdrive. What was wrong with that last exchange? Why am I confused?
She lowered her center of gravity. She was going for a lunging tackle. How do I know that?
Two strides left, she was about to jump.
Suddenly, it clicked. She did the spinning kick because it was a common enough occurrence: terrified enemies dodge at the last second, causing her to develop a secondary reflex move to deal with them.
It was probably just as telegraphed as the first blow; I had merely failed to see it coming.
The important detail, however, clicked into place:
Glory Girl is a shitty fighter.
She dove at me, and I jumped straight up.
Usually, jumping straight up is a terrible idea. It limits your mobility, puts you on a gravity-dictated arc of motion, and leaves you completely vulnerable to counterattacks.
It this case it simply let me plant one foot on Victoria's head and one foot on her butt.
I threw my weight down on my left foot, slamming her face into the mat, sliding along a bit before shifting my weight to the other foot. Her flight had started pulling her up off the ground, but my see-saw motion spun her backwards. I launched myself off her back and landed across the mat again, this time on my feet.
She righted herself, smug smile all but gone. The peanut gallery was silent.
I felt her emotional aura slowly ease off. She was probably going to crank it back up to full force right before her next blow. Predictable.
She held still for a moment, then her smile was back.
"Well, we both ate mat once. Guess it wouldn't be sporting, otherwise. Time to get serious."
I didn't fall for the bluff. She had been going all out from the word go. Well, as all-out as she ever did. If I had to carefully rein in superstrength to stop from punching someone's lungs out then I'd probably hate holding back even further, too. Her sister's presence emboldened her to 'anything short of death.'
Where the hell was I getting this? I mean, it all made sense, but I wasn't even pulling on my power. This was just thinking, and it was better and faster thinking than I'd ever managed under pressure before.
She charge me again. Four strides- no. Three strides left. She was propelling herself forward with her flight power. Both arms were raised. She was probably going to grab me. She could shift into a clothesline on either side if I sidestepped. None of her options gave her proper leverage or power to do serious damage . . . if she didn't have super strength. Unfortunately she did, and that meant I needed to set the pace or get pasted.
I stepped forward and saw her eyes widen. People usually didn't meet her in a charge, I guessed. I slid down and turned to the side, and started a very basic sweep with my full weight. Amateurish to be sure, but then, I wasn't fighting a professional. She responded accordingly, by hopping up onto a slight flight trajectory above me. Before she could decide to drop on me, I rolled and got out of her path.
Her flight was a tugging sort of power. That much I felt during my short surfing trip. She could pull her whole body weight with varying amounts of force, hovering when she was pulling one G straight up, gaining altitude with more. She could reflexively increase or switch this pull, but she still had to accelerate. It wasn't an instant thing. Her earlier stopping on a dime was simply jerking her body backwards with great force while spinning. She wasn't of the mindset to exploit that power to its utmost.
As I got to my feet I barely had a chance to raise my arms to block the double mule kick coming back my way. I went flying backwards. This time I threw my legs up and tucked my knees in when my butt hit and rolled backwards, throwing myself back up to my feet.
Apparently I could analyze her fighting all I wanted, but actually moving to make use of my revelations was going to take a bit more effort.
She wasted no time in spinning and flying directly at me. I cartwheeled to the side, willing myself to pull it off. I found myself in one corner of the mat. Glory GIrl pulled up, did a loop, and landed to cut me off from escape.
"This time you won't get away!"
She charge again, telegraphed right straight punch incoming. My range of motion was limited. She was expecting a sweep or a roll. She closed the distance in a flash.
Out of options, I turned to my left, leaned back, grabbed her incoming right wrist with my left hand, and threw out a right flatpalm to her nose while pulling her right arm past my head.
My right palm and wrist screamed in protest as I gouged them on what might have well been a face made of steel hitting my hand with the power of a truck- then I felt her face give a little. Before I could react, Victoria had THROWN herself backwards, landing on the opposite corner of the mat, her expression incredulous.
"You fight like Über." She said it like an accusation, as if I had done something filthy. Her amusement was completely gone. She clenched a fist, and I knew her next move was going to involve painful speeds and power. It was the simplest response to a more skilled but lesser weight-classed foe.
She was about to go for a knockout blow.
Time to knock her off balance. I realized my batteries had charged a bit since the spar began. I was pretty sure I had figured out why.
"Really?" I asked. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment, then. I haven't even activated my power, yet." My hypothesis confirmed itself as I cocked a hip and taunted.
Her mouth opened, shut, then she bared grit teeth and closed the distance between us in less than a second.
"Victoria, NO!" made its way out of Amy's mouth before she could react to the flash.
When the light died down, it revealed Glory Girl once again on me with a right straight punch; the difference was I had simply planted my legs and let loose one of my own. We both had our right firsts in each other's faces, but a glowing sheet of red light was blocking hers from connecting.
My strike on her was, on one hand, less powerful because her force was mostly cancelled by my cape-shield. On the other hand, that leftover minority of energy transferred from her face to my knuckles was far greater than my earlier counter-flatpalm. I felt her face go from steel to soft again, and this time I reacted before she did.
I vaulted myself over her extended arm, grabbing her forearm and wrist like a gymnast bar. I flipped down, bent my legs forward, and didn't let go. I swung under her arm (which she was raising up in shock, and folded my knees in, then pulled my arms inwards, rapidly increasing my rate of rotation. She had started to bend to the right with my motion, but I was going too fast for her to match.
The torque on her arm went up to her shoulder, and by the time I was once again over her arm, it dislocated with a crack. She yelped in pain, and I flipped off onto the mat. I turned around and her left hand grabbed my face in a vice grip.
"I give up! You win," I said. No mockery in my tone.
She froze, then let me go, falling to her knees in pain. Amy dashed up and helped her reset the joint, and when she was done, I offered Victoria a hand to get up.
She blinked at it for a moment, then smiled and took it.
"Thanks."
I pulled her up and it turned into a handshake. Seeing that, Amy nodded.
"You've got to be bruised too. May I?"
I blinked. I hadn't even noticed.
"Ah, sure. Go for it."
She laid a hand on my face and my thigh. Her expression shifted rapidly, and then she pulled back.
"That was funny. Are you a Brute or a Trump?"
"I was confirmed for Brute, but not for Trump. Let me guess: wonky cell behavior?"
"Ah, you could say that. To start."
"Yeah, I figured. Anyways, you guys hungry?"
Victoria raised a hand.
"Yes. Getting my arm ripped out of its socket seems to have worked up an appetite. Let's go! I know this great place by the Docks-"
***
Dennis had posted the whole thing on video on Youtube from his phone while we walked to lunch. By midnight it had over 20,000 views.
People are going to start making comparisons to Eidion really soon.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
Probably. Or she already had it as part of the Exaltation package and simply didn't realise until that moment.Darik29 said: