[Nexus] AMEN 32: Srs Bzns

[Lord Iames Osari]

The Anshus are still dueling; it seems that mAnshu is coming out behind. mCerise keeps trying to cast spells, but between the biting, distracting wasps and Cerise's countermagic, so far she hasn't gotten one off.

Anshu smiles thinly. This mirror may duplicate our forms and mimic our prowess to a degree, but it can't truly reproduce the full might of an Exaltation. Eventually, that difference will tell.

And, after a week of deadtime, the difference does tell, because the player wasn't fond of this situation to begin with and wants to move on. After several minutes of quick slashes and dodges from the Water Dragon Style, Anshu suddenly shifts tactics into Solar Hero Style, bodily seizing his mirror duplicate, hefting him up, and hurling him into the mirror with immense strength, almost certainly enough to crack it if not shatter it outright.

((I'll leave the question of whether the mirror breaks and whether such a hypothetical breakage would cause the duplicates to disappear to Phantom before I post what Cerise does))

Darcy follows Ebon and gets caught up in his deadtime.

((She'll be stuck there for a while, alas. ))

[happyturtle]

((I'm going to retcon that she never went after him, since her plot clone ended up getting involved in other stuff and is no longer anywhere near AMEN))

[ThePhantom]

(I'm not sure. While I thought about the mirror breaking, I thought of it getting broken before it reflected anyone? But for the sake of time, let's make it so the mirror breaks.)

The mirror breaks upon the impact, causing the copy of Cerise to break with it. The copy of Anshu however, having been next to the mirror when it broke, still remains.

[Lord Iames Osari]

((Why one and not the other? It doesn't seem to make much sense... ))

[ThePhantom]

(Why not? Wouldn't the remaining magic from the mirror if it was broken by something it created go into that thing, letting it exist a while longer? The copy won't last althrough, just about a minute.)

[Lord Magtok]

Magtok scurries about AMEN, wondering where Anshu and friends are. It'd sure be a pain if he had to go through all the same crazy traps and nonsense as they did, but as an AMENite, I'm sure it won't take anywhere near as long.

Hey Elly? Any ideas for what to do when we're done here? Something far and away from the Exalted, preferably.

[Lord Iames Osari]

(Why not? Wouldn't the remaining magic from the mirror if it was broken by something it created go into that thing, letting it exist a while longer? The copy won't last althrough, just about a minute.)

((It's just it's not really clear why mCerise would disappear right away, while mAnshu would linger on for a few moments. The mirror created both of them, so wouldn't they both either stay or disappear?))

[ThePhantom]

(mAnshu hit the mirror, mCerise was not. And they both will disappear, just mAnshu will disappear a little later.)

[Murkus]

Clearly, it's a variation on the Death of a Thousand Cuts.

And at Jack's suggestion, Shrike's own grin grows. "Oh, I could think of a few possible rules, but they might be more fun if my mate was here." She winks, and takes a defensive position.

((Welcome back Iames. ))

"I'm sure they would." He smiles back, raising his sword and advancing. "Lots of things are more fun with her around, I'd bet. But don't you think that game would get a bit..." He gives the slight quirk of an eyebrow. "One-sided?"

[The Bushranger]

"Oh, maybe, maybe not. Alternatively, it might become three-sided..."
Shrike's grin grows, and she lunges forwards, slashing left-left-left-right!

[Moff Chumley]

Hey chicka bum bum.

[Lord Iames Osari]

With mCerise gone, Cerise directs her swarm of wasps to commence with the stinging of mAnshu to death.

Unfortunately, that would take a while, so Anshu follows up by snapping his duplicate's neck with mAnshu is still stunned from the throw.

"Sorry I wasn't more help there," Cerise apologizes.

Anshu shakes his head. "You've been casting spells all day. You must've been nearly drained of motes."

Cerise nods. "I was. But I've recovered a bit now." She looks over at the fight between Shrike and Jack. "Think we should give her a hand?"

[Murkus]

If someone's gonna say it, may as well be Moff.

Jack is forced backwards, blocking her strikes as their weapons collide once again. "I like the way you think, lady."

"Which begs me to ask the question..." He says between strikes. "Why are you helping these sanctimonious Exalts, anyway?"

"I'm sure we'd all enjoy it if you and your mate had a..." He pauses for... some sort of effect. Or maybe a particularly loud clang. "Change of heart."

With this verbal suggestion comes a small seed of sin, an innate ability of Jack's, perhaps pushing Shrike's disposition more towards the fun end of the alignment pool. She won't notice any magic though.

[Moff Chumley]

You mind if I sig that? XD

[Murkus]

Not at all.

[EleventhHour]

Whereever

"Weeell... There is a certain island getaway that's been rotting away out there, or something." Elle smiles back at him, carefully stepping around the traps and whatnot, "Not paticularly much for us to get up to around, eh?" Well, it was true for her anyway. "Superpowered goons, and random magical whatnots isn't really something I deal with."

[The Bushranger]

Claaaang! Cling! Clang! Clang! Whaaaaaaaaaang!

The suggestion, had it been made to Shrike some time before, might well have taken root. Now, though...well, it runs up against the work of the Unconquered Sun.

"Oh, the reason I'm helping them is simple: I'm one of them," Shrike explains, parrying another blow and then counterattacking with a fury. "How about you, why are you wasting your talents with this hive of scum and villiany?"

[Lord Iames Osari]

((Murk, BR - do you guys want to keep this a one-on-one, or do you mind if Anshu hops in?))

[Murkus]

((Well, I'd like to keep one-on-one for now, as the conversation is pretty interesting. At least till Maggie comes along and breaks things up.))

Jack attempts to force her counterattack up, hopefully making it graze past his shoulder and then giving a low swing at her abdomen.

"Well, it's a long story, and honestly a difficult one to tell, but in short..." He smiles a bit wider. "They have a lot of potential. And I've got some long-term plans invested in this organization."

"Now, so what if you're one of them? I was a human, at one point. You don't see me wasting my precious time to do charity work."

[The Bushranger]

((Either way is cool with me))

Shrike spins away, but gets nicked across her stomach...or, at least, the lower part of her top gets sliced away.

"Ah, but I bet whatever gives you your power doesn't come with memories of a few thousand years of heroism, does it?" she quips as she jumps, bounces off the wall to the ceiling, then off the ceiling to land behind Jack, and slice at the back of his legs!

[Murkus]

Jack mimics Shrike's move from before, leaping backwards as his shoes are cut in twain. They are kicked off mid-flight, leaving him wearing socks. "Honey, you have no idea the things I remember."

"I remember a time when sentient beings cared only about pleasing themselves. When the multiverse was a perfection in the eyes of whoever made us. When all we did all day, every day was enjoy the gift that was life."

He lands behind Shrike, trying to cut away another, slightly larger section of her top. "I'd like to reminesce a bit, I think. Maybe you could help with that?"

[The Bushranger]

Jack's attempt is successful! Shrike's top now a bit looser, as she spins around to face Jack, and smirks. "Somebody has a dirty miiiiiiiind," she sing-songs, before turning serious, and taking a defensive position. "Alas for you, my memories are of a world not your own. Of Creation, and of the First Age, when the Solar Exalted both ruled and defended. You might not find my memories of past lives to your liking."

[Murkus]

"Oh, don't pretend you don't." He says teasingly, and then switches back to serious again, raising his own blade and running his fingers along the not-sharp-part. The flat, I believe it would be called, if the sword were flat.

"Oh? You remember your past lives, you say? A fresh start every so often, then? If only I were so lucky."

Jack dashes forward and moves for a massive, arcing overhead swing.

[The Bushranger]

"I never, ever do. And yes. Not all do. But sometimes the memories of the past Exaltation don't -"
She brings her Daiklave up to block the massive, arcing overhead swing, a mightly clang echoing!
"-totally get cleaned off. It's both a blessing, and a curse," she continues casually.

[Murkus]

"Well, I can't say I know much about Exaltation--" He rolls sideways, promptly thrusting towards Shrike's bare side. "But it doesn't sound all that bad to me. A better deal than some of the ones I've made, anyway."

[The Bushranger]

She spins away, a scratch appearing on her skin...and a smile spreading on her face as she's scratched.
"Oh, trust me. It' s the biggest rush imaginable."

And now she's...
...dropping to the ground, and thrusting her legs out to try and take Jack's out from under him!

[Murkus]

Shrike, also being superhumanly fast, knocks Jack to the floor. Hard. He rolls his head, trying to push a few feet back just in case she decides to go for a killshot.

"I can think of a few other things that might provide a big rush..." He manages to say competently, despite the brief haze.

((Probably deadtime.))

[The Bushranger]

"Now who has the dirty mind?" Shrike says with a smirk, as she swings up to her feet, Jack's moving away havign been a good idea, as she has to balance herself instead of trying to stab him. "But do tell, it'll have you go out with a smile on your face, at least."

[Lord Iames Osari]

Anshu starts walking slowly toward the fight.

((Murkus, would Jack be considered an unholy being?))

[Lord Magtok]

Whereever

Oh right, there. Yeah, it's been a while. Well, I'm sure we won't be here for too-

Magtok suddenly gets quiet, and begins slowly creeping along, quietly approaching the room with Jack, Shrike, and in a moment, Anshu. He has to approach this carefully, lest he startle Jack and the Exalts, and die five hundred different ways before hitting the ground.