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Post by prime on Dec 31, 2006 5:00:53 GMT -5
OOC: Thought you might appreciate being able to test that Holy Sword of Zebedee's, Lee.
BIC: Prime stood silently on the waters of the ocean. He'd walked out there knowing it was the best place to spar, between two beings of power. The water rippled under his feet, as his shifted his weight, drawing his blade out from under his trenchcoat of shadows. He was looking for a specific opponent today: it'd been a long time since he'd seen the holy warrior Zebedee. Prime raised his sword to the sky, and a glimmer of energy slowly gathered at the tip. The energy turned black, and slowly even became evil. Prime fired it into the sky, keying it so that it would attract Zebedee's attention specifically. He then placed his sword back into his trench, and waited.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 5, 2007 16:25:29 GMT -5
"The good old firecracker friendfinder, hey?" Zebedee had appeared in a small green explosion, a burst of light and nothing more. Sparks drifted to the waves as he hovered over the surface, feeling the spray cover his skin and mark his clothes. "I miss the days when people would use migraine-inducing telepathy to reach me. I get a sore neck watching the sky all day." He paused, smiling with warmth and friendship. "And is there some rule that states superpowers and cellphones are mutually exclusive?"
"It's good to see you again, Prime. How've you been holding up?"
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Post by prime on Jan 5, 2007 17:38:23 GMT -5
"All rright," Prime answered, "Though I have to say, getting stuck with Aurora's blood, plus having half of my soul torn away, was a little bit disturbing." He grinned at the cellphone comment. "And, no, there isn't a rule that prohibits superpowers from using cell phones. Just the small problem that every time we're at the center of a large explosion, the phone usually fries, along with our shirts for some odd reason..." he commented thoughtfully.
Prime sat down cross-legged on the water. "I hear you've been looking for an excuse to use that holy sword of yours. I'd be happy to provide you with one, as I need more training anyways. I've been significantly diminished since the last time we met. And sadly, I see dark things looming on the horizon. Something involving Aurora's people, but I've never been a precog, so don't ask me what's going on." He cracked his neck, then pointed at the platinum shield on Zebedee's back. "Thought you might want to test out that as well. Don't worry, I don't know how to unmake it or anything. It's seriously guarded, even from me. You never know what's going to happen these days."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 6, 2007 18:06:07 GMT -5
Zebedee chuckled warmly at Prime's wisecrack, knowing how disturbingly true it was. "And the thing is, is that it only happens to us guys. I'm not the kind who wishes it on them, but I have NEVER seen it happen to a woman before." Zebedee's face turned slightly more serious with Prime's reminder of the bleak horizon they faced.
"If anything is true, that is. Even the precogs have no idea of what's coming." Lee removed the shield, slipping it over his right wrist and strapping it into place with determined motions. "I'm glad you made it so sturdy. Most artifacts leak magic like a sieve, and that doesn't go so well with my holy powers. This thing is air-tight. I don't get so much as a tingle out of it. Most things go explosive when they meet my aura."
"I'll wait a while for my sword. It drains me way too quickly to start off using it. It tears my arm up pretty bad. You know, way too powerful for a human to use in combat." Zebedee smiled a little, and took a fighting stance.
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Post by prime on Jan 6, 2007 20:44:25 GMT -5
"Up to you," said Prime, rolling backwards and onto his feet. "Of course you probably won't have anything to worry about for a little while yet," he added, thinking of the dragoon spirit and all of its hidden, unknown power. He drew his sword out from under his shadowy trenchcoat. The platinum blade glowed, divine energy flowing off it. And finally the sun had risen enough, spreading light over the ocean, to show off Prime's silver hair and draconic eyes.
Prime grinned, "Through strange paths it always seems that we're opposites through a slightly clouded mirror; we should spend more time together." Prime's aura flipped on: a mirror opposite to Zebedee's, but it was nither negative nor positive, taking no sides. It just was. "Guard yourself," Prime said sharply, and spoke a word.
The ocean exploded around them, forming a 500 foot dome of water, which quickly froze over at a second word from Prime. It glowed eerily with a strange green light. The floor was very clear, and both Zebedee and Prime could see down into the depths below. "I brought the fight out here to avoid hurting anyone by accident," Prime said. "This just reinforces that protection. We can fight at full power in here. Like your shield, this wall of ice will not be broken by anything we throw at it. And the energies it absorbs will be fired down into the ocean, through the floor. So don't hold back, show me your best. Our lives may depend on it in the future." Prime took on his fighting stance, carefully searching Zebedee's eyes.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 6, 2007 21:26:41 GMT -5
"Indeed. You were chosen by the gods from your very existence to be essential to this universe, while I defied the laws of the universe to steal my strength and have any effect on this dimension at all. Yet we use our powers in the same way. Arbitrarily, decided by our personal codes, to try and do the best we can for those that we care about. We're opposites, or we are the same. There is no degree between us." Zebedee's stigmata glowed brilliantly, energy seeping out in place of blood. It pooled in a glowing mass of crimson on the flawless icy floor.
Zebedee rose up, hovering over the floor. His eyes flickered grey, then snapped back to brown. He didn't want to tap into holy yet. It wouldn't kill Prime like most people, but it would be self-destructive. And the last thing somebody would want to do in a sparring match would be that. His magic resistance meant no healing spells would patch him up, so he needed to avoid injuries like the plague.
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Post by prime on Jan 6, 2007 21:48:37 GMT -5
Prime nodded. "I never resented my position. While I was locked away I made friends, and they grounded me. Now that position is gone, and though I no longer need to be grounded in the neutral, I find myself needing to be grounded by my friends. In one way or another."
Prime shook his head. He'd always wanted to be self-reliant, completely on his own, untouched by the world or its problems. "Sometimes I just want to curl up in a secluded corner of the universe, and read a good book. But we never get what we want do we? Its always us, we're the ones bound by honor and duty to do what we must." Prime gripped the sword tighter, channeling his energy into his blade. This was a spar, so he withheld a great deal of it, but it'd still hurt if Zebedee didn't avoid it. "So let's do what we MUST!" Prime yelled. "GOD SLASH!"
A platinum field of energy whipped towards Zebedee, crackling in the air, almost like a ghost. Prime muttered a word, and rode a field of energy around behind Zebedee. "Heads up!" he yelled, slashing from behind Zebedee.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 6, 2007 22:08:14 GMT -5
Zebedee teleported sideways, evading the wave of energy by a hair. With his jacket and hair swept to the side by the wind, he raised the shield instantly. Prime's blade met his shield. Zebedee feinted away immediately after the slash connected. He had to stay mobile, stay canny. If he remained in one spot too long, he'd lose quickly. His edge was his mind, his tactics. Zebedee pointed at Prime, a bolt of lightning lancing down from the skies instantly. Zebedee teleported back some more, avoiding the insane heat of the blast. In his current state, he still was only human.
He concentrated, forming a pocket of intensely heated air at the edge of his aura. He kept the heat contained to a narrow field, ensuring that it would not ignite the atmosphere, while taking a defensive stance. He'd force Prime to dispel the heat before attacking, giving him a little extra time to work on his strategy.
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Post by prime on Jan 6, 2007 22:36:46 GMT -5
Prime caught the lightning on his blade, where it hung for an instant, before he flung it at Zebedee. He fell through the air for a moment, then bounced off the ground, jumped off a wall, and shot forward at high speed, his blade reaching for Zebedee's throat. At the last moment, with a muttered Word, five more Primes appeared, in a circle around Zebedee. They all imitated the real Prime, as he yelled "GOD SLASH!" and flung energy off five blades at Zebedee. POHATU EDIT - OOC: Shouldn't everything around Prime blow up now?Prime teleported in behind Helen, and raised an eyebrow at the 8 men across the table from him. "That's a neat trick." He said, honestly wishing he could do that. "Sadly, if I tried, everything around me would probably blow up."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 8, 2007 12:50:37 GMT -5
OOC: Post almost done. Should be up by three.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 8, 2007 15:33:34 GMT -5
Zebedee held up his shield, knowing that its absorbing properties would protect him better than anything else he could attempt. The electricity harmlessly flickered out on the platinum, momentarily causing the cross to glow with the energy. He took a ready stance, waiting for Prime’s next action. Zebedee understood Prime's strategy the moment the other five appeared. Uncertain whether they were illusory or real enough to harm him, Zebedee concentrated, forming a protective barrier around himself. He then dismissed his gravity, leaping high into the air to get as far clear as he could. A blade clipped his leg, not hitting anything too important, but still drawing blood.
He focused, drawing more energy into the heated air around him, then released it in a destructive burst. With the explosion of heat still distorting the air, Zebedee formed a bolt of brilliant energy around his left fist, and hurled the attack towards Prime. The attack exploded in the air before reaching him, hopefully catching him off guard with the concussion.
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Post by prime on Jan 8, 2007 15:45:59 GMT -5
Prime shot through the air, and smacked into the ice below him. That concussion really had been a bit of a surprise. He quickly got to his feet, and jumped back into the air, a muttered word aiding his trajectory. He landed in the middle of the floating arena. "No fair Zebedee," Prime said, taking off his coat. "I can't fly."
He chuckled as the dragoon spirit in his left eye shone. He was momentarily covered in platinum dragoon armor, six great wings erupting from his back. His platinum/gold aura slowly extended to fill the dome. His wings beat in separate strokes, taking him up to Zebedee's level. "At least, I couldn't a moment ago," he said, grinning. He shot forward, ignoring the heat haze around Zebedee, his dragoon armor glowing brilliantly as it dissipated the heat, and flowed into a complex pattern of forms, weaving a complex web of steel.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 9, 2007 16:53:33 GMT -5
"Okay. We want to take it to the next level..." Zebedee teleported his racquet to hand, a forcefield surrounding it to help prevent utter destruction of the weapon. He kept his shield close, deflecting most of the frontal assaults with the divine armor. He used his racquet to parry as many of Prime's attacks as he could, some still slipping through his defense and nicking him, one or two actually causing considerable damage.
"Here goes..." Zebedee teleported back a large distance, dismissed his racquet, and focused on the holy powers as he drew them to himself. "Lord, grant me the might to prove your glory and justice to all before me," he murmured, and began to glow brilliantly, golden feathers of light spiralling around him in a dance too complex for mortal minds to comprehend. There was a blinding flash of light, and when it settled, Zebedee's garb had been bleached white by the sheer holiness flooding his form. Columns of light shone straight through his stigmata, and an exquisite halo of golden energy shimmered above his head. Zebedee was obviously in pain from pushing himself so hard, but he gritted his teeth and looked Prime in the eyes. Blood pouring from several luminous wounds on his face and arms, Zebedee concentrated.
"Better be ready!" Zebedee concentrated, blades of light suddenly sprouting from his back, tearing holes through his gear. The six rays seemed similar in placement to Prime's own wings, though they were blades of energy instead of wings. Zebedee closed his eyes, the points all clapping inwards to his spine. The three blades then moved to Zebedee's left shoulder, leaving a set of glowing lines along their paths. They reached his hand, and then pointed forwards with a loud whoosh.
Zebedee concentrated with all of his might, bringing his right arm forwards. "And now you get to see what these stigmata can do! Sword of the Seraphim!" Zebedee thrust the combined blades through his right stigmata, a brilliant red light flooding the arena and glaring off the ice. There was a pause, all was still, the light and its flickers the only motion in the arena.
There was a sudden whoosh as thousands of tiny darts of holy energy began pouring out of the stigmata, exploding violently the moment that they came in contact with anything. The ice began to shudder violently as Zebedee focused the blade of energy. The lance of light slid through his stigmata, rocketing forwards at the speed of sound and exploding with a deafening blast on the far side of their improvised arena. Zebedee stood still, his wounds shining with immeasurable holy power as he awaited Prime's counterassault.
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Post by prime on Jan 10, 2007 3:53:16 GMT -5
"Oh shit!" Prime cursed. He lifted his right arm, the organic gun that was his most deadly weapon forming on it. It quickly shone with blue white light as it was charged. Prime swung it forwards to face the oncoming attack. "DIVINE DRAGON CANNON!" he screamed, a lance of blue white energy tearing through the air and impacting with Zebedee's attack, causing a considerably large explosion.
Prime was flung back against the opposite wall, his armor actually digging into his skin. A long tail of blood was left behind him; his back had been cut and torn by the force of the impact. One of his wings was useless now as well, the webbing having been blown right off it due to the concussion wave of the blast.
Prime climbed shakily back back to his feet, and looked around for Zebedee, coughing up blood in the process, but enjoying himself all the same. He certainly hoped Zebedee couldn't keep up those kind of attacks, Prime only had one more shot with the Divine Dragon Cannon before he was tapped. "I have to admit Zebedee. That really f*cking hurt!" Prime called out loudly.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 16, 2007 20:18:18 GMT -5
"You think that hurt? Try shoving it through a hole in your arm. Not pleasant. And don't worry about me spamming that technique... I could unleash a couple more of those, but I doubt I'd be conscious after the third." Zebedee looked down at his wrists, where huge burns had surrounded his wounds, leaving substantial damage. Blood dripped freely onto the ground, staining it crimson. Wounds and burns covered most of his body, not to pressing in individual severity, but taxing as a whole. This fight was taking a lot more of a toll on him than he was showing. People assumed that he could keep up, just because how far he could push his powers. He had a feeling that they forgot how human and fragile his body was. He'd give out after a lot less damage than any of his stronger acquaintances.
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Post by prime on Jan 16, 2007 21:42:30 GMT -5
"Yeah? Well at least shoving it out of your arm doesn't give you a concussion." Prime said under his breath, struggling to keep his vision focused. He straightened; it looked like this fight was going to take more than he could give out unassisted. He had only one choice at this point: to push further. To reach into something through ancient memory, something humanity had possessed since its birth. Something every human had, but few could endure. "All right Zebedee," Prime said, looking up at the warrior respectfully. "I can't beat you as I am, but I remember something from my time as the so-called guardian of reality. I remember what humanity was made to be capable of, I know what lies under the layers of the mind. So, I'll try to show you. There's every chance this could kill me, and every chance it could kill you. Stay on guard." Prime took a stance, tensing his muscles, readying himself for something that would most likely be painful.
"After all, if we don't push forward, then who will be left to do the fighting when it needs to be done?" he muttered. He pushed his mind in a new direction, reaching for... something. Something he once knew and even then only barely understood, with hidden depths and unknown forces. Light burst out of his left eye as the dragoon spirit flared, sensing power. Prime pushed himself further and further, delving down into the back brain, and then, the undermind. Lightning crackled off his body, conducted by the ice around him. Power blazed up from the undermind, almost destroying Prime from within. He screamed horribly, falling to his knees. His body emitting light on a prodigious level, he turned towards Zebedee, clenching his teeth so hard the roots dug into the bone. Blood slowly dripped down from his mouth, then off his chin, and pooled on the ground around him.
Unable to channel the energy, he redirected it to his dragoon spirit. It flared with energy, blazing like a star. His six wings began to merge, slowly reforming into two much larger ones. His armor condensed, becoming thin sheets of silk around him, and then reforming into loose martial arts attire. The intense heat and light slowly subsided, though his left eye was now free from armor, and shone almost like the sun. Prime's new strength beat on the air, flooding his body, even as it destroyed him from within. He wiped the blood off his chin, then looked up a Zebedee. "Prepare yourself, my friend. Here I come!" His massive wings beat on the air, and he shot forward, sword singing.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Feb 1, 2007 15:32:44 GMT -5
Zebedee whistled loudly, impressed with the new transformation. He was dealing with something he had never even seen before. He teleported sideways, a clap of thunder accompanying the attempted dodge. Prime's sword still nicked his ribcage, tracing a path of luminous red across his skin. He was... MUCH faster than before.
Zebedee turned, facing Prime and readying his shield. If that attack was any indicator of his capabilities, he'd be more than Zebedee would be able to handle. Pretty soon, it might just be time for him to call forth the Maranatha. Not quite yet. Always save it until there were no more options.
Zebedee slammed his fist into the floor, concentrating. A geyser of flames shot out of the ground near Prime, hopefully at least affecting the mighty warrior.
OOC: My post is meh.
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Post by prime on Feb 1, 2007 15:42:00 GMT -5
Prime grinned at the geyser of flame, stretching out one of his wings. The fire slowly balled under his wing, quickly becoming a massive fireball. "It'll take a lot more than the base element to hurt me now," Prime said, grinning. He whipped his wing forwards and the fireball quickly followed, easily large enough to cover half of the arena. Prime shook his shoulders for a moment, trying to resettle the new silks, then lifted his left arm. A far more compact, organic handgun formed in his hand. "Beware Zebedee, I don't know if I can control this strength!" he yelled, pulling the trigger.
A moment later, half of the arena was gone. The twisting energy blast had even overrode the magics Prime had put in place to stop it. He looked quickly around for Zebedee. He was still half-blinded by the massive amount of light the gun had produced. He was having not a little bit of trouble seeing.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Feb 1, 2007 23:49:24 GMT -5
Zebedee plunged into the ocean's depths, the shock of the cold awakening him again. He had cowered behind his shield as the attack struck, but the insane power was too much. Although safe behind his shield, he also was affected by the energy that missed him, the heat having overwhelmed his aura and made him pass out. He shook his head a few times, trying to focus his mind. The power of that attack... He had had thought that with all of his increases in power, he might be able to match Prime... He had been proven totally wrong. After all, he still was only human... His Full Holy Form had kept him alive, but it was still nowhere near matching a powerhouse on their own terms. Maybe that was it. He needed to fight his own way.
His aura ignited once more, and he burst out of the waves. "That's it. Now I've got to max myself out, I'm afraid. Dear Lord God, grant me strength. Send forth the sword that you have granted to me, and let me wield it in service to you." There was a flickering light as space tore open, and Zebedee plunged his arm into the gap. He gritted his teeth as the energy tore at his arm, but managed to endure. Pulling his arm free, he smiled with a subtle confidence. Hovering over his arm where he normally would have a self-crafted blade of holy energy, an elaborate blade of divine craftsmanship hummed. Every time that he moved his arm, reality ripple around the blade, warped by its power and even sundered open at its point. Where ever the blade swung, a trail of light followed, dancing like grace incarnate.
"This is the Maranatha, an angelic sword I obtained with your assistance, Prime. Ironic that you'll be the first to taste its power and live." Zebedee extended his arm, showing Prime the mighty weapon. "Thank you, by the way. If not for you, I'd still be even lower in power. I do not seek much more, I fear that it would kill me. But this is certainly a comfortable point to be stuck at."
Zebedee teleported again, a loud blast like thunder accompanying the movement. He appeared in front of Prime, swinging directly at the organic gun. Reality itself tore wide open in the path of his swing, gaps to alternate dimensions opening wide. Following his first swing, Zebedee spun, attempting to backhand Prime in the hip, possibly taking his leg off if he wasn't ready.
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Post by prime on Feb 2, 2007 0:03:47 GMT -5
The gun disintegrated, and Prime caught the ancient, angelic blade with his bare hand. He casually blocked the back handed blow at his hip, and looked Zebedee directly in the eyes. "Did you forget why I was born?" Prime asked, alternate versions of reality flashing through his eyes. "What I am?"
He placed the blade of his own sword against Zebedee's, and pushed him away with a mighty swing. "Zebedee, you cannot cut me with that blade. It is true that it cuts reality." Prime raised his hand. A portal, a small singularity opened in his palm. "But I control and shape reality, through an effort of will." He lifted his palm, and the singularity blazed into a much greater life, transformed into a great star, composed of blue fires. Even Prime froze for a moment, caught in wonder at something reawakened, then he looked at Zebedee.
"I can no longer do battle with you Zebedee. You should trancend your merely-human limits, before they destroy you." His aura snapped off and his wings faded away in a slow mist of energy, though he continued to hover in the air. The blue star still hung above his head, and he looked up at it, and found that he no longer had any need of it. He was himself now, no longer a god created by a greater one.
"Take this and grow Zebedee, I'm sure you'll have need of it soon enough." Blue tendrils of energy forged a link with Zebedee's heart, and then the star shot up unto the sky.
When Zebedee looked back down at Prime, he was already gone.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Feb 2, 2007 0:41:25 GMT -5
"I will not transcend my humanity. The moment one sacrifices that, they may be sacrificing more than they comprehend. I'd sooner die than surrender who and what I am," Zebedee muttered, drifting down to the surface of the ocean.
"I've had many opportunities, many chances to transcend these mortal bonds. Become more than who and what I am. Become a demon, an angel, a Planeswalker, a God... It matters not for me. I cling to my own being, my own reality. If I change my body, who's to say it won't change the mind that compels it," Zebedee said, looking at the holes in his wrist. "I need to stay grounded. Those around me may rise, but if I ascend, who's to stay tied down, messenger between those above, and the commoner below? My purpose is to bridge the gap between men and these ascended beings, to represent humanity to them, and them to humanity." Zebedee closed his eyes, letting the wind ruffle his hair.
"A limit is as much part of what you are as your strength is," Zebedee said quietly, before teleporting home to pray.
THE END
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