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Post by Ayen on Aug 19, 2024 16:01:00 GMT -6
Gaia flew high above the city's streets on a platform of cement. Dressed in a red bicycle helmet, black goggles, a short sleeved green shirt, black elbow pads, red gloves, blue jeans, red running shoes, a red backpack upon her back, and a black bulletproof vest underneath her shirt. She was known as Gaia the defender of the Sunflower State.
'Metro City. How can a city so beautiful have so many problems?' she said in thought. Swooping down on a random building's rooftop and standing on the ledge. Looking out to the city's horizon.
'And it's my job to protect it. Ever since that earthquake I made a vow to protect the people of this great state. But can I ever hope to make up for all those lives loss the day I came into my powers? The day I lost control?'
It was a weight that pushed heavily on Gaia's shoulders. Giving her a sense of responsibility to use her powers for good. As she was deep in thought Gaia noticed a couple of people going into a jewelry store.
'What are these guys up to?'
There was suddenly an explosion and the two guys came running out with bags of jewelry in their hands.
"Apparently up to no good!"
Gaia swooped down on her platform and blocked the path of the two thugs.
"What's the hurry, fellas?"
"It's Gaia!" one of them yelled. "Kill her!"
The two thugs began to shoot at Gaia, but Gaia raised up a wall to block the bullets and then sent it crashing into the thugs. She then used her plant vines to tie the thugs up and render them immobile.
"Now remember guys when they take your mug shot don't forget to say cheese."
Gaia then turned around in time to see a bunch of other thugs with their pistols locked on her and surrounding her by all sides. Gaia laughed nervously and looked around her.
"I'm guessing you guys aren't here for the gun show down the street."
They aimed and fired.
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Post by Jadeite Athelstan on Aug 23, 2024 0:31:51 GMT -6
Jadeite was close to having experienced the single most annoying 5-hour period in his entire life. Somehow a problem with the Parabola had ejected him not only all the way to the surface, but in the wrong bloody parallel reality. It was kind of funny the first time someone ran away screaming or demanded to know how a statue was walking about. Yet in the time it took Jadeite to attempt asking direction three times, the count of panicked civilians was well over three dozen. At least this ‘Home Depot’ store he’d made his way into to inquire about local metals wasn’t prone to such theatrics.
No this was a whole other kind of daft. Jadeite had found some samples of local led and steel in the form of assorted building supplies… And all had been well until trying to finalize the purchase. A small crowd had gathered about a check out lane, where Jadeite and the cashier were debating over rather the currencies offered were acceptable. Samples of several acceptable Neathy coinages and barter payments lay about the counter. Shards of glim, a modest cluster of moon pearls, classic rostygold rings, even a few jade fragments and assorted surface currencies.
“Alright the barter trinkets I can understand but this is a bloody dollar bill. We both have eyes in our eyes, yea?” Jadeite had only raised his voice slightly in irritation. Yet with the stony baritone of a Clay Man, a few passersby had mistaken it for a yell. Jadeite had to hand it to this young lady for being exceptionally stubborn. Harping on a point of “Dollars from the wrong year.” Several times over… Eventually there is a sound of an explosion a few doors down at a jewelry store. Jadeite lets out a long hissing breath and simply drops his intended purchase on the counter. “Y’know what? I’ll grant you some time to rethink your fictious definitions of funds and go file a noise complaint regarding that fracas next door.” And just like that, Jadeite turns on his heel and trots off toward the same crime scene that had attracted Gaia.
The noise complaint had been an understatement. Jadeite picks up speed toward the jewelry store. First a non-alarming trot, an eyebrow raising jog… Yet the situation is clearly escalating as Jadeite draws his rapier and breaks into a full run. Whatever passed for the constabulary in these parts could pick a number. Jadeite was in a right mood to ruin a criminal’s day. He had arrived late of, course. Someone else had gotten a head start and… rooted several criminals in place? Ironic for the reactions he’d elicited all day, but Jadeite raises an eyebrow to the sight of Gaia. Jadeite mutters something nearly incomprehensible that sets his teeth sparking as a ring of burglars gather around the heroine. Ink in a strange almost-red color leaks from the tip of his rapier and flows down its blade, writhing into sigils at Jadeite’s spoken, sparking, command.
Jadeite draws back his arm hurls his rapier as a javelin shortly before the gunfire starts. One sigil, [As Damocles, looming over the maiden] causes the rapier to come to a sharp stop midair. Seemingly having stabbed into something solid three feet over Gaia’s head. Then more sigils on the blade start to gleam. The first reads - [These boundaries betraying space unto distortion.] While a second commands – [Flying formless from one boarder to the other.] A bubble of air around Gaia subtly warps. An unseen spherical barrier formed of a Red Science Treachery… and the final sigil – [Malice shall carve itself into the malevolent.]
Malice could be many things, bullets fired to kill easily fitting under this umbrella. Any projectiles fired into this Treachery would vanish upon reaching the sphere… re-appearing on the other side of it. Now with its trajectory ever so slightly adjusted. Angling this re-emerging bullet at someone nearby that held killing intent… Say, another criminal thug operating under that order to ‘kill her’. Jadeite’s esoteric arts having physics jump through a few hoops to ensure any shots fired at Gaia will find their way instead to shooting one of the surrounding thugs. Perhaps even lethally. Gunfire doesn’t leave all that much reaction time to both deflect and ensure someone isn’t harmed in turn...
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Post by Ayen on Aug 23, 2024 14:58:51 GMT -6
Gaia knew she only had a split second reaction time to respond to the bullets or she'd be shot full of holes. As good as the bulletproof vest underneath her shirt was it could only hold back so much. She had planned to create a dome of earth around her to protect from the onslaught of bullets, but it appeared that wouldn't be needed as some kind of protective veil had covered her and caused the bullets to be shot back towards the shooters as Gaia saw the man made out of stone with the rapier. Now that was a sight.
"Uhh... thank you?"
Gaia then looked back at the thugs who ceased shooting at Gaia and turned their attention towards the man of clay. They raised their weapons and fired at him as Gaia clapped her hands together and raised up a wall between the clay man and the thugs so their bullets would never reach him.
"I believe introductions are in order, I'm Gaia. But I have one rule. No killing."
That was going to be hard to enforce when the enemy was literally trying to do just that.
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Post by Jadeite Athelstan on Aug 23, 2024 16:51:04 GMT -6
That particular treachery always got a chuckle out of Jadeite, including now. So much for firearms solving everything. The laughter is short lived as more of the criminal group had survived than Jadeite expected. There's a soft groan and a roll of the eyes as he shifts one arm to cover his face from incoming fire, the other reaching for his second weapon... A thought process which derails as Gaia returns the prior favor. A few confused blinks follow, as her powers lacked any sign of the methods Jadeite had grown accustomed to. Perhaps something similar to the Shapeling Arts? Regardless...
"You're quire welcome. Jadeite Athelstan, Correspondent. And now attempting mercy despite these buggers insisting otherwise."
Explanations could wait, clearly. And Gaia had given Jadeite a nice tool for bypassing the gap in attack range between himself and these thugs. Jadeite's hand instead goes for his inkwell, a light tap and it spurts some of the violant substance onto his index finger. He makes a quick sigil tracing on the stone wall before him. [A harsh reprimand that ends no one.]
Then Jadeite takes a ace to the left, draws back his fist, and punches a different section of the wall. Sure, this leaves a gap around his abdomen... Yet one of his attackers is going to have to deal with a fist-sized chunk of that wall flying at his chest. The prior sigil limits the impact force. The criminal will still be bowled over, maybe breaking a rib or two, yet it won't be a lethal blow. Jadeite can endure quite a bit of small arms fire anyway, and thus has no problem utilizing this improvised ammunition twice more.
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Post by Ayen on Aug 24, 2024 9:26:11 GMT -6
In Gaia's short time as a crime fighting superhero she has seen some strange things. Like Medusa severed stone head. Thanatos the Greek god of death. And Medusa herself in the flesh. But she hasn't seen a clay man made of stone who could do all of this before. It was quite weird, yet not completely out of the wheelhouse Tori was used to working in. She wondered if this being was a mystical creature like Medusa had been. But there'd be time for all of that once these thugs were taken care of.
Some of the thugs went down and went down hard. Others took behind cover and fired more shots at Jadeite. Gaia released a surge of plant vines from her hands to wrap around the unconscious thugs and tie them up to leave them for the police. The remaining thugs started to run away, but Gaia placed a wall in their way and then that wall slammed into them knocking them out. Gaia walked over to the scene and tied them up in plant vines. She then wiped her gloved hands together and sighed.
"That takes care of that."
Gaia then stood up and walked back over to Jadeite.
"Thanks for the assist. How about we take this to a more private area? A rooftop perhaps?"
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Post by Jadeite Athelstan on Aug 25, 2024 14:14:12 GMT -6
For mere surface thugs, Jadeite had to hand to this gaggle of fool that they had tenacity. Jadeite rolls his eyes and mutters to himself. "Ah the overconfident bravado of firearms." Aiming to strike behind cover with the prior tactic was going to be difficult... Yet a peek around the edge of that wall shows that's a problem for Jadeite alone. He'll call Gaia's techniques magic for now, until there's a better chance to study them. That might yet be an upside to this unwanted journey.
A few moments later as the thugs begin to retreat... Jadeite turns his attention toward cleaning up. That sigil he'd made on the wall would be a hazard to leave unattended. Thus Jadeite cups his hand around it, and digs his fingers into the stone. He tears out the entire sigil and crushes the attached stone to pebbles marred with illegible ink. As for the rapier. Jadeite holds his right hand overhead and mutters another command. A syllable or two of barely audible gibberish. The rapier twists in mid-air and then begins flying backward toward Jadeite. That initial twist is all that's needed to end the 'spell' of the malice redirecting veil. Shortly before Gaia approaches. Not that it's veil would have hindered her movement.
Jadeite's attention has turned to Gaia, as the conversation starts with his hand still up in the air waiting on his rapier. "You're quite welcome~" In a cheerful, almost singing, voice. Then a more serious tone follows. "Ah, the Flit approach to privacy. A rooftop will suffice, though I hope whatever route leads upward is a sturdy one... Wouldn't be the first time a Clay Man's weight was the final nail in the coffin of a rickety staircase." That's the point when the hilt of Jadeite's rapier returns to his hand. It's promptly grasped and angled away from Gaia. And soon Jadeite is re-sheathing it at his waist. "That tidbit aside, please lead the way." Considering Jadeite could only guess at which rooftop was the private one.
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Post by Ayen on Aug 25, 2024 15:47:17 GMT -6
Gaia blinked blankly beneath the veil of her black goggles at Jadeite's last statement. Though there was some truth to it. Gaia didn't know how much he weighed being entirely made of stone so hopefully he wouldn't collapse any staircases or rooms. Gaia merely nodded her next response as she hoisted herself up on a platform of cement and then flew upward and high into the air thanks to the amazing gift of geokinetic flight.
Gaia flew through the air hoping that Jadeite could follow from there and landed on a high rooftop building so no one on the ground could hear their conversation. Gaia then stepped off her platform and sat down on the ledge waiting for Jadeite's arrival. Needless to say she had a lot of questions and hoped the clay man could answer them all in one sitting. This was going to prove to be an interesting day.
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Post by Jadeite Athelstan on Aug 26, 2024 16:23:39 GMT -6
Jadeite takes Gaia's cement platform as a cue of sorts. Rather it was her intention or not, Jadeite took a 'room for one more' approach to following along. "This will resolve the potential complications nicely. Sorry but mind your balance a moment." On one hand, Jadeite hopping up and latching onto the platform's edge with one hand rocked it briefly. Jadeite kept his other hand on the inkwell, a small sigil forming on the glass that bolstered the platform's balance. It's only be a few moments of awkwardness added to Gaia's flight... In Jadeite's mind, this was less awkward than keeping a lady waiting.
Once up above the roof Jadeite seeing himself off the platform is a simple process. These high rises were built to last, reducing Jadeite's presence on the roof to a soft rumbling sound from his landing. One thing in particular had been bugging him... "Now I must insist I confirm something about a recent... transportation accident I suffered. I'll answer questions in turn of course. Back in the year 1862, London migrated underground as the result of a most exceptional bargain. Does this event or any similar cases of a city 'falling' into The Neath ring any bells?" Jadeite spoke of the event as if it was entirely logical in it's own way. History altering, sure, not something he was making up. While speaking, he'd trotted several paces off from Gaia. Jadeite lightly leans backward and plops down on his rear, pulling his legs inward to seat himself cross legged. He'd a feeling they'd be here a fair while indeed.
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Post by Ayen on Aug 27, 2024 7:03:34 GMT -6
Gaia once again blinked blankly at Jadeite's statement about London from behind the ebony black goggles that helped conceal her identity. She of course have heard of no such thing happening to London and knew this man was either severely insane or from another dimension where the event did take place.
"London was still very much surface level last time I checked."
They certainly didn't migrate underground back in the 1800s. Unless there was a history lesson Tori missed. But Gaia could explain the confusion. What she understood of it anyway.
"I think I know what happened. You see, lately there have been portals opening up all across the city bridging the gaps between different worlds and dimensions. Chances are you got sucked through one of these portals and that's how you got here, and our history is a little bit different from yours. Dimensional rifts they call them."
Gaia hoped that explained some things to Jadeite as she really didn't know much more beyond that. Her friend June would've been better equipped to answer those kind of questions than she was.
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Post by Jadeite Athelstan on Aug 27, 2024 22:53:48 GMT -6
Jadeite quirks a crystalline eyebrow to Gaia's answer. There's a thoughtful look on his face as mental gears start turning. The fact that London remained on the Surface was sufficient to discard many a hypothesis. Granted, some of those were rather unlikely. As the superheroine continues, a mix of comprehension and annoyance crosses Jadeite's features. "This is most certainly not how I'd have preferred to confirm the multiverse theory." A little sigh follows.
"Putting that moment of thinking aloud aside for now... I did promise a question in turn. Let's get the obvious confirmation out of the way. I believe you're entirely accurate on what brought me here. So what else would you like to know?" With that asked, Jadeite lapses into silence. He imagines there must be quite a few questions drifting about. If he had to explain things to Surfacers from his world who were a page short of a book on the Neath... Jadeite could probably make a full curriculum out of things to explain to this world's inhabitants.
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