[12]
You sift through old memories. You do not remember the exact schedule, only that it was grueling. The Void Slayer broke you down to nothing. Weeks upon weeks of sleep deprivation, starvation training. You lifted weights until your bones shattered from the strain, then you rebuilt yourself and did it all over again. When normal gravity could no longer destroy you, you began training under higher and higher gravity. He made you train fine manipulation for extended period of time -- no rote arithmetic, no, you had to improvise each new line while focusing on other tasks. He forced you into Disruptor chains and attached you to battalions of normal soldiers.
He turned you from a new Ascended, weak and unsure, into a god of war...and then the Emperor assigned you to civic duties. Ho-hum.
[20]"Cephie, William?" You state, after some quiet contemplation of Eric. "Both of you will fight Eric at the same time. Non-lethal force, but if he spends another few months in the hospital, then so be it. Cephie, you may use your powers. William, do the same. No healing surge unless it's life-threatening. Don't hold back."
Eric swivels to stare at you in surprise. William and Cephie, however, are a little less shocked. They dip nods. William cracks his knuckles with a clank of metals, and Cephie twists wings from the earth. Eric frowns. Then, he nods. "I want a shield."
You arrange for one.
The two Ascended stare down at Eric, who rolls his shoulders. The heavy steel shield is strapped to his handless arm, and in the other, he wields the rubber sword. He glances up at Cephie, who's wings beat lazily over the sparring room, then backs down at the shirtless William. After a nod, he pulls on a Crusader's helmet, hiding his face beneath the gas-mask. "Ready."
[16+2 vs. 3+2/14] William surges forward with a savage strike as Cephie begins to fire dulled shots of carbon at the Crusader. Eric deftly blocks the projectiles, stepping to one side and slamming his sword into William's chest. William grunts in pain, but tries to catch Eric with a backhand blow -- he blocks it.
[18] You pay attention to his Willpower -- it dances across the battlefield, splitting its focus between Cephie and William. It beats with a rhythm -- that of his heart. It steadily increases as he divides offense and defense between the two Ascended.
[---17] William's willpower surges as his muscles twitch and bulge. He growls as he begins to lay a flurry of blows down on Eric. Lines of blood drip from William's ears -- no doubt he forced the command through.
[14+2 vs. 14+4/13] Eric grunts as he's struck across the head, across the chest, on his shoulder, but he keeps his shield up to prevent Cephie from drowning him in bolts of carbon. She twists one around him, coming from an unguarded area, but he steps smartly to one side-- even as William smacks him again.
[20] You feel a change in Eric's Willpower. It begins to tighten around him. You follow it into his limbs, into his bones, into his flesh. Ever the stoic, you are surprised when he growls a swear word—the rubber hilt in his hand creaks.
[19+3 vs. 13+4/12][5] A thick snare of carbon wire wraps around his ankles, rooting him in the spot. William takes the opportunity to step forward, but Eric breaks free with a twist of his legs. He steps into William's guard as the prince charges him, and slams his shoulder hard into William's chest. William staggers back even as Eric blocks a blow from a wild shard of carbon directed by Cephie's manipulations.
[13+3 vs. 9+4/4] Cephie's projectiles are more of an annoyance than a severe threat to Eric, as dull as they are. Whatever he doesn't block, he tries to dodge. Whatever he doesn't avoid, he shifts to try and take less of the impact-- William, on the other hand, continues to strike at him relentlessly. The rubber swords bend and twist -- until they shatter.
[20+3 vs. 17+4/11] Eric suddenly shifts -- and slams his shield into William's face. Blood splatters out across the floor, but Eric doesn't even glance at it. He grabs William by the neck, ignoring the prince's grasp on his wrist, and lifts the man. You wince as Eric slams him to the ground face-first--
He brings his shield down on William's back with a sickening snap that echoes through the area. William yelps, going still with a helpless growl. He tries to drag himself back into the fray even as Eric trudges away. With one threat gone, Eric turns to stare at Cephie through his mask--
"You aren't human anymore." Cephie muses.
Eric is silent.
"You're infected. Part of the Plague."
[15+3 vs. 16] A mass of carbon lashes out, scouring at Eric's flesh, but he stands steadfast, weathering the storm. He twists his shoulder back, his fingers loosening his shield--
[15] Eric's Willpower once again reinforces his body. You can hear his bones creak, his tendons strain -- the beat of his heart is hammering out a buzz-saw's staccato.
[18+4 vs. 19] A bolt of carbon slams into his head, and he staggers, but stays on his feet.
The shield launches through the air, a blur of steel, and slams into Cephie's chest. She grunts, her concentration faltering. She hits the ground with a thud, coughing horribly. Eric approaches--
[7+4 vs. 13][5] A coil of carbon twists itself around his ankles but shatters easily under his heavy steps. He reaches down to grab Cephie and --
"That's enough." You call.
Eric hesitates, his grip tightening enough to make Cephie wince -- she growls, and a spike juts from the floor to threaten Eric's center of mass.
He lets go of Cephie, as she wipes the blood from her mouth. Eric turns to face you, his gas-mask hissing heavily as he catches his breath. The Willpower falls away from his form, and he slumps beneath his weight. Blood drips from his scoured flesh, and he lifts his mask only to spit out a tooth. "Well, Pheobe? Do I have your approval?" He questions, voice dull through the filter.
William groans as he rises to his feet, and Cephie coughs up another bit of blood as her punctured lungs and broken ribs heal. "I...he caught me by surprise." She mumbles, rubbing at her side, "He's not human. That's for damn sure. I couldn't directly effect his carbon or calcium."
"He broke my fucking back!" William growls, "The fuck man!?"
"Orders were not to hold back or restrain myself." Eric dully notes, even as he sways. "And I've wanted to do that for a long time."
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Topic: McCreary's Planet -- (FINISHED) (Read 258737 times)