NorikSigma

IC: Hassan

Hassan put on the hat.

"I put on the hat."

IC: Exxan - Gym. 

 

Nope, nope, nope, karz!

 

Being hit by lightning was painful. But being grabbed by lightning was agonising. 

 

I might've screamed. It was hard to be sure with every nerve ending in my body stinging like it was on fire. I flailed, striking out blindly with my powers, trying to dislodge Glass' grip on my arm. 

IC: Glass

Got to hold on!

Glass attempted to hold on tight as Exxan attacked wildly, blades of sharp air buffeting Glass. Unfortunately for Exxan, he might be powerful, but with electricity coursing through his armour multiple times, even he could not focus his attacks.

Glass used his flight power to push down on Exxan and fall onto him, gripping tightly onto the other Rahk's chestpiece as they toppled, electricity coursing through Exxan. Glass was feeling the strain of using his powers so extensively for so long so soon after evolution, but he needed to end this now.

Come on come on surrender already...

IC: Glass

A little disappointed that he'd missed Exxan, Glass nevertheless slowed, letting the blast of air help him slow down just enough to turn, reach out and grab Exxan, keeping up the pressure (and voltage) to prevent Exxan from using his admittedly terrifying powers effectively.

IC: Glass

Glass racked his brain, trying to see what Exxan was up to once he shut off his power. He wasn't done yet, that's for sure. As the rock and sand settled, Glass began to realise that Exxan might be getting ready to turn the rubble into a very, very painful tornado.

"Flying won't help when that happens..." Glass cursed under his breath, racking his brain for a solution.

Where is the safest place in a tornado?

In the eye.

Seeing no other option, Glass threw caution to the wind (haha ) and flew toward Exxan as fast as he could before he could stop himself, and before Exxan could draw a bead on him. Even if the specifics of the guess was wrong, Exxan's strength was clearly at range, and Glass, even without Terrortooth , would have a better chance at close-range. He electrified his body and spear, choosing not to unleash a bolt of lightning and alerting the Vacuum Rahk.

IC: Hassan - Hangar

Hassan looked over the AWP down towards Gwen.

"Are you sure? It doesn't quite suit my jump-suit.

"Heh. Suit."

IC: Glass

"Oh ###### ###### ###### kaarrrrrz-"

Glass couldn't help but fall off his feet as the platform split, the cracking sound of stone overpowering even the howling wind, courtesy of Exxan's newfound power. He slipped on the sand as the half he stood on tilted, and began falling into the gap.

I need something to stop this, something solid-

Fulgurite?

Too risky, and it wouldn't hold.

Glass grunted and try to press his back flat onto the floor, and pushed himself off, activating his flight powers again. WIth all the sand whipped around Exxan would probably be unable to see him and redirect the air to knock Glass out of the air, but neither could Glass see Exxan.

Resolving not to give his position away, Glass continued to hover inside the sand cloud, maintaining his position above the splintering ground. Exxan could see him at any point in time, and Glass readied to shut his flight powers off at that moment, in order to fall down into the mess of rubble and sand and machinery a foot below him. He was glad for his trifocals that protected his visual detectors (eyes) from the worst of the sand.

Heh. Sand.

I miss that cat.

IC: Glass

Glass swept around, and stopped. Exxan was now opposite of him, and Terrortooth was between them.

I don't like this...

Exxan's power would no doubt be strong enough by now to manipulate Terrortooth as he wished, and with it between the two Rahkshi there'd be no way to get close without Exxan using his powers to use Terrortooth at a distance

###### this ###### ######.

Need to put some distance between us this time...

Glass slowly stepped forward, waiting for Exxan to make a move, and ready to take flight and zoom off to the right once he did.

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

He'd done exactly what I'd expected him to do. Exactly what I'd hoped he would do. Exactly what I would have done had our roles been reversed. Speaking of reversal... I inverted the flow of air, turning the vacuum that was pulling the weapon towards me into a blast that sent it tumbling haphazardly towards Glass' legs. 

 

Of course, by the time I'd finished doing that, there wasn't much I could do to avoid the incoming jolt of electricity, which once again sent a fresh wave of pain crashing through me. I sunk to one knee, sizzling sparks sprinkling from my scorched armour, and waited to see what had become of my opponent. 

IC: Glass

Glass's eyes widened as Terrortooth began flying back toward his legs, the thorns on the blade gleaming cruelly in the light.

Jump!

Heart leaping into his throat, Glass tensed his legs and leaped up and against the direction of Terrortooth's travel. Gripping his weapon in anxiety, his mind filled with one thought:

Don't fall onto it don't fall onto it don't-

Umm... why are we floating?

Oh right... I'm a Rahkshi. I can fly.

Glass looked down at his Rahkshi staff in his hands, thankful that he'd pulled it out barely seconds ago. He watched as Terrotooth landed in the sand, sinking into the platform as it slowly ate its way through the floor.

Guess we'll get it back later, he thought, before turning back to Exxan and diving down at him, staff pointed forward and firing chain lightning at the stunned Rahk.

IC: Hassan - Hangar

Hassan held onto the handrails as the machine slowly extended its height, finally reaching the head.

He got to work removing all the access panels that shielded the internal mechanisms of the lumbering war machine, removing piece by piece to expose the silvery metallic wires and fibres and parts inside. Although it was his first try, with Gwen's hollered instructions (until she realised there was an intercom at ground level that linked to the Platform proper) he got into the rhythm of it, unscrewing, heaving, de-solventing and removing. It reminded him of something he did as a child, disassembling a puzzle board slowly, removing one piece after another, while trying not to jerk the other pieces into a mess and stopping every few parts to try to imagine the assembled work overlaid on the half-complete one in front of him, admiring how all the little parts that looked meaningless fit into a cohesive bigger picture, like some microcosm of the universe and all its myriad-

Woah, I'm getting a little stir-crazy right now. Must be the solvent fumes.

Hassan paused to strap on a disposable facemask.

IC: Glass

Gah- He really wants this thing.

Why don't you give it to him?

...

Glass continued to strain against Exxan, letting the other Rahk tug at Terrortooth even more before pushing it forward and letting go, effectively throwing it at Exxan and letting the strong vacuum do the rest, pulling the weapon at high speed toward the other Rahk suddenly.

A weapon that chewed through matter like it was hot butter.

Exxan might frantically shift the air, or dodge, or even get hit, but it gave Glass enough time to pull out his staff and charge towards Exxan again while he busied himself with the very dangerous weapon headed straight toward him. Glass let loose another blast of lightning for good measure, this time making it a lengthened stream and sweeping it in an arc in front of him so if Exxan dodged, at least one bolt would sting him.

IC: Glass

No... can't lose this thing.

Glass held on tight to his weapon and moved in. He moved his free arm up to block any possible blasts of sand and air coming his way, firing up his power. This time, however, he felt a strange rush of circulatory solvent in his Rahkshi armor up his arm, and just as he remembered what he'd read about his breed's powers, a concentrated bolt of lightning flashed out of his arm, blinding him. The bolt arced towards Exxan, even as he continued to fire blasts of air at Glass.

GM IC Corpus:

 

The Rahkshi of Corpus Acadamy were a tough bunch. They had to be, given their lot in life. A military school was hardly the ideal place for a developing young mind, and yet it was the one they found themselves subject to every day. Their lives, even in this place, were each unique; every one had their own story and experiences.

 

For some, those experiences had finally come to a head.

 

Across the campus, student after student experienced the telltale nausea and undignified mucus overflow that signaled a level up.

 

Rider. Lucid. Rail. Tube. Canvas. Melody. Gaever.

 

And finally, Glass, and Exxan.

 IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

As Glass switched weapons, I prepared to- Oh karz... I coughed, gagging on a mouthful of fetid bile. Inside my suit, my kraata squirmed, fluid oozing from its pores as it underwent its unexpected, uncomfortable evolution. Why now? Glass' staff swipe caught me in the lower ribs, the sudden jolt of electricity sending a spasm of pain through my already-shaken system. 

 

I crumpled, tumbling hard onto the hard, sandy floor near the platform edge.

 

I forced my aching body to roll onto its side, while I finished coughing up the putrid mess of phlegm and mucus that was building up within my kraata case and faceplates. Desperate not to let the fight end in such a humiliating way, I drew Blossom from its sheath and swiped it across the floor, hoping that the explosion of illusory petals would obscure Glass' view of me long enough for me to try to get back on my feet. 

___________________________________________________

 

IC: Illusive - Headmaster's Office.

 

Striding into the office, I knelt on the floor, letting the doors swing shut behind me. I wasn't sure if Icarax was planning to question me properly, or simply rip whatever information he wanted directly from my mind, but either way, I was going to show the proper deference this time. 

 

IC: Glass

"Gurrrgh!" The uncontrollable and rather sudden build-up of mucus stopped Glass in his tracks, forcing him to the floor.

Arghhh... what the karz!?

Is he... urr... doing that?

Glass tried to push himself up, and despite the nausea that washed over his senses like some fetid marshwater, he couldn't help but feel... stronger.

This... seems like something we read once

No way, you mean evolving?

Spotting Exxan rolling away, Glass took the chance to open his Kraata shell ever so slightly, letting some of the mucus out. It helped the nausea, but just barely.

He's got his sword out. We can figure this out later.

Glass couldn't help but grin. The fight was escalating nicely, a perfect build-up for this fight.

Yeah, I don't think that's the focus here.

But it is pretty cool, ain't it?

Not the nausea and mucus, I hope.

Glass drew Terrortooth and slowly got up, holding himself in guard position and wary of the illusory petals. For all he knew this strange feeling was Exxan's doing too, and he didn't want to go in like a Kane-Ra again if that were the case.

OOC edit: oh hey new member title after 3500 posts

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

Well, this is going to end about as badly as I expected. Compared to being lacerated by a whirling storm of broken glass, burned by high-level rahkshi plasma, or buried alive in a tunnel collapse, being body-slammed by a chain lightning rahk making judicious use of their powers was far from the most painful thing I'd endured... but it still karzing hurt. 

 

Agony exploded through me, a paroxysm of pain that threatened to overwhelm every nerve ending in my body. He drove me back a few steps before I managed to dig in my feet, preventing him from simply shoving me all the way out of the arena.   

 

Clenching my jaw to keep from crying out, I tried to push back with my powers, hoping to blast Glass away from me. 

IC: Glass

Another blast of air, this one stronger than the last, forced Glass off of Exxan before he could get a good grip on the vacuum Rahk.

Just need to get in another good rush...

Deciding not to repeat the previous attack, Glass changed weapons to his shorter staff and stepped back into melee range, electrifying the staff and going on the offensive, sweeping the weapon in front of him as he continually moved towards Exxan. The previous attacks might have weakened him enough that he would be unable to dodge the extremely close strikes forever.

IC: Hassan - Hangar

Hassan smiled.

"Born ready."

Hassan began climbing the surprisingly sturdy ladder. He realised that the amount of lead he would have to unload was more than a single ladder's job.

"Hey uh, Gwen, could you maybe get a -what's it called- cherry picker?" Hassan called out, roughly indicating with a free hand one of the aerial work platforms next to Kimberly .

Hassan reached the top and began prising open the ammunition maintenance hatch.

IC: Glass

Exxan dodged, and Glass pulled back, but he was too focused on moving back to see the fist before it was too late.

Now I know how Paladin felt-

"Gah!" The fist landed squarely on the jaw, and his head was rudely knocked sideways. Struggling to get his suit's head to face forward again, Glass decided to counter Exxan's brash move with one of his own. He charged in the direction of the punch, hoping the vacuum Rahk was still busy pulling his fist back to move aside. Throughout the pain, Glass made sure to keep his body electrified as he barreled into Exxan.

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I tried to move back, but was too slow, the bladed edge of the spear scoring a gash across my lower leg as I moved. I retaliated with a concentrated blast of air, hoping to knock Glass back a few steps. 

IC: Glass

"Guh!"

Glass stumbled back as the vacuum blast knocked Glass almost off his feet. His month of training had paid off, and he stuck his rear foot out in time to turn the rearward fall into a slide across the sand. He swung his staff out for good measure, adopting a defensive stance and moving in again, hoping to take advantage of the gash. Exxan's power worked best at a medium distance, and Glass could only use his at melee range.

He stabbed forward again, cautiously, electrifying the staff again. 

IC: Exxan - Gym.

This time, I was forced to use my Level 1 abilities to evade the trio of swift strikes. I blurred to the side, then retaliated with a brief blast of air, intended to blow the sand on the platform floor up towards Glass' eyes. 

 

IC: Glass

Exxan dodged the strike, seemingly disappearing from his spot and reappearing at a new position to the side. As quickly as he could, Glass pivoted and swung his spear low towards Exxan's feet, just as he felt the wind hit his face, followed by the cloud of sand in its wake.

Glass flinched, and while the sand did not hit his eyes he was forced to turn his eyes from Exxan for a brief moment. Hopefully the sweep did something.

IC: Exxan - Gym.

Wary of the drop-off a short ways behind me, I dodged to the side. As I did, I pondered my next move. Remembrance and Blossom were ill-suited to dealing with bigger weapons like this... especially that shreddy thing. Besides, if Glass was anything like Xara, he was probably electrifying his weaponry, so crossing blades with him wasn't going to end well for me. 

 

Karz, this isn't going to be easy. 

 

I kept my distance, circling slowly while I waited for Glass' next move. 

 

IC: Glass

Glass gave Exxan no respite, pivoting with the sideways dodge to keep the two at the same distance. Glass stabbed forward thrice, quickly.

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

For a moment, I considered simply flinging my opponent out of the arena with a couple of well-placed air blasts. But... this was the final round, and it was Glass. He deserved better. We could do better. 

 

Let's give the people a show. I drew one of my throwing daggers, and flung it towards Glass' chest. 

IC: Glass

Quicker than his eyes could follow, Exxan had drew one of his daggers and threw it at him. More by luck than by skill, Glass dodged the dagger by an inch.

Got to get in close... Glass made a quick scan of his opponent's weapons: an ornate dagger, illusory, if GLass remembered right, from Nynrah, and a thin, slender sword. Both were close range weapons, but better to face those than the daggers at range. Glass had no real counter for those.

Glass shuffled forward, getting just into the staff's lunging range. He considered using Terrortooth, which would easily chew through the sword and dagger, but decided against it. He'd won without it already, and besides, this was the finals round. The crowd wouldn't be pleased if he used the macuahuitl, at least, right off the bat.

Glass let his power flow into his staff and feigned a lunge, before stepping back, hoping to keep Exxan moving back again, but not too far away where he could use the throwing daggers,

 

 

IC: Glass

 

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Glass smiled.

 

"Assassination, right? Forgot who won that one. I mean, I know I survived, but that's all."

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Speaking of winning," I readied myself, "These people came for a fight. Let's make it a good one."

IC: Glass

Glass nodded. He raised the staff to guard position and slowly inched his way forward.

IC: Glass

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Glass smiled.

"Assassination, right? Forgot who won that one. I mean, I know I survived, but that's all."

OTOH that leaves a lot of room for characters to interact in between "official events" that move the "official plot"

IC: Glass

"Err, assignment, was it?"

IC: Glass - Gym

This was it. Final round.

Exxan, huh? Funny we should be in the finals.

As Glass climbed the steps onto the arena, he allowed himself a brief moment of reminiscence. The first lesson in the academy, the original headmaster and his assignments, meeting/assassinating Xara, Naming Day raid, the death of Omega...

Omega. Exxan. The days of the young, well, younger, Exxan was long gone, dying on the same staff that took the murderous Omega's life.

Glass looked out over the cloud. In the corner, he saw a Rahk that looked awfully similar to Xara, but it couldn't be her, no, she was with the escapees, plotting a way to free the students from Miserix.

Xara. Their unlikely friendship, budding... romance? ... seemed so long ago, a life time and years ago, though it had been mere months since she'd left.

He turned back to his opponent, unslinging his staff.

Exxan. How have you been?

The question echoed in his mind, unsaid. What could he say? The fellow Rahk's life had been plagued with would-be killers for that one mistake that wasn't his to make. A greeting like that would be rude, to say the least. Glass settled for a simple, polite greeting. It was the least he could give.

After all, Glass grinned slightly. I'm soooo gonna kick his .

"Hey."

IC: Hassan

Hassan put on the aprons as ordered, and tried to see through the goggles. They were scratched, and a little smudged, but they would do.

"Got it," he replied, clipboard and box in hand.

"Let's see... the clipboard says we got an internal Vulcan CIWS in the chest, a GL-04 Falchion Blade, Federated Arms TB-101 90mm Machine Rifle(oh, I remember those from my time in the Sahara) and a shoulder-mounted STech PB-12A Grenade Launcher." Hassan mentally noted Kimberly's surprising lack of sidearms for a Scout, though the vulcans and blade probably made up for those as far as close-combat went.