[Nexus] ISF HQ

[horngeek]

Rose nods. "Fair enough. I can also demonstrate a couple of the points I'm going to make, if you want. All of them relating to Exalted defenses."

[UncleWolf]

Edijar stands in the room. "What would they be? Demonstrate them here. Against me if you must."

[horngeek]

"I need to be attacked to show the primary one I'm intending. It is, however, purely defensive. I intend to show the reason why big, flashy attacks are the complete worst way to go against fighting Exalted, and why lots of smaller attacks work much better."

[UncleWolf]

He nods. "We know that in part at least. And have tactics designed to do such things. To immobilize while another uses a sprayer unit, with either napalm, liquid nitrogen, or gas. I've seen your defenses in action, and know a few ways to subvert them. However, in melee combat, most of us are too slow, even with power armor, to last very long."

[Morty]

The Mortal Coil's newest recruit, Anatolij is also attenting the course.

[horngeek]

Rose nods. "There are some things that make even that a hit-or-miss proposition. I'd have to show more in the class itself, though. To demonstrate one of them, I will need a short-ranged weapon of some kind, preferably one of the swords you're currently holding, since mundane blades tend to break when they parry tank shells and the like."

[UncleWolf]

There's a moment of silence when he speaks to the guards on the Comm System in his suit. He nods when done. "You will be allowed one Orichalcum daiklave. Is that sufficient?" He asks, holding open the door. "I apologize for my restrictive methods, but our security has been tightened recently."

[horngeek]

She nods. However, she picks out... the starmetal one, which has a Orichalcum disk of some sort stuck to it. "That's fair enough. I also will need something that's able to fire heavy shells of some kind for the proper impact of the demonstrations."

[UncleWolf]

(I mentioned that one so she wouldn't get the seemingly special one. But oh well. )

"That can be arranged. Eventually. And as I said, that is just one of the more common ways. A few are...classified." And rather inhumane.

But he won't mention that.

Edijar guides the exalted to the common grounds, where a massive anti-personnel cannon is being set up, the ammo belt showing 1 inch wide shells being set in.

The Instructor looks at Rose. "That good enough?"

[horngeek]

She nods. "Wait for me to call it before you fire, though. Okay, I'm ready to begin the lesson."

Actually? It's no more powerful than the Orichalcum Daiklaves. It just has sentimental value for Rose.

...

I really need to tell her backstory sometime. The full one.

[UncleWolf]

The short woman at the trigger of the gun looks like she's about to fire, but a quick gesture from Commander Vasquez stops her as she walks back. "Showing is fine. But I think we'd all appreciate an explanation about why it doesn't work first."

[horngeek]

"Firstly, some terminology: the supernatural abilities of the Exalted are called Charms, and we use Essence to power these charms, as well as attuning to artifacts and the like.

Some of these Charms are what are known as perfect defenses. Essentially, they do exactly what they sound like. Allow us to block, dodge, or just plain ignore any attack we can activate that Charm against. Everyone, please step back, then you can fire one shot when ready."

Rose stands steps in front of the cannon, a bit of a distance away, and stands ready.

[UncleWolf]

The canoness almost fires again, but sighs when cut off by a gesture from Edijar this time. "So, all in all, you're drawing power from a source not native to this realm, to accomplish acts which cannot be done by mere mortals, with a force that we cannot hope to comprehend? Sounds like normal magic to me. Is there a difference?" He sounds rather skeptical.

[horngeek]

"You could call Charms magic, yes. There's also Sorcery, but that's a different matter, and you'd have to actually ask a Sorcerer about that. Also, Essence isn't from a different realm. It's actually part of the essential makeup of Creation itself. I'm not really familiar with what you'd call 'normal magic', unfortunately, so I'm not sure how to answer it any better than that. Plus, I'm a Dawn Caste. I hit things and lead men into battle, not analyse them. A Twilight would be better to ask about this point, I'm trying to teach practical points that I know."

[UncleWolf]

"So you're drawing energy from the world itself? Then you're basically a cross between a mage and a druid?" Vasquez asks, eyebrow raised. They suspected it was something like this, but it was different when an Exalt said it themselves.

[horngeek]

"I think so. As I said before, you'd have to ask a Twilight to get a full explanation."

Rose shrugs.

[UncleWolf]

"The explanation is good enough." It also allows them to come up with several more ideas.

Edijar looks at the Anti-Personnel Cannon. "This will fire a single shot at you, as you request. Then if allowed, we'll try to find your limit by improving the rate of fire. Possibly from several turrets like this at once. We'll give you a safeword for you to use so they'll stop firing. Considering what you are, we'll also be using live ammunition."

[horngeek]

Rose nods. "All right."

[UncleWolf]

Edijar and Vasquez take several steps back and the Commander gives a nod at the Cannoness. The mighty gun swivels towards the Exalt, and fires a single 1inch round shell, it's loud report cracking as it echos inside the walls of the HQ.

[horngeek]

As the shell speeds towards Rose, she shouts, and a brilliant golden corona bursts into life as she swings her sword towards the shell, and it deflects as it hits her sword, slamming into the floor and leaving Rose completely untouched.

Rose takes up a ready stance.

[UncleWolf]

The shell doesn't seem solid however, and fragments when hit, sending sharp shards of metal in all directions.

Mortal Coil and Edijar are all armored and protected, but Rose may not be. The shards won't kill, but they'll sting and slice.

[horngeek]

The Essence, however, deflects the fragments as well, leaving Rose untouched.

[UncleWolf]

Three nearby shipping containers open up near by, the walls collapsing, revealing three more cannon like the ones from before. Each takes aim. "They will be firing faster. Much faster, about the speed of a light machine gun. The safe word is..." Edijar thinks, trying to keep it simple.

"Waffles."

See? Simple.

"Once you say it, they will stop firing. Have any objections?"

It seems they're wanting to test the "teacher's" limits as well as learning what she offers.

[horngeek]

Rose nods. "All right."

[UncleWolf]

All four of the cannon fire at the same time, each aiming at Rose, but at various heights. One at her feet, another at her knees, then waist, then torso.

Vasquez gestures for Arla and Taul, the team's clerics, to get ready, in case Rose gets shot. Even though she didn't like Exalts, and hoped Rose would simply die, she knows it's better if she lived, giving them tips as to what the Exalted were and how to kill them easier.

[horngeek]

Rose almost erupts in a corona of Essence as she deflects the shots, lasting for a full ten seconds before shouting. "Waffle!"

By this time, her anima is fully iconic, rose blossoms seeming to fall in her wake.

[UncleWolf]

There's about an eighth of a second's delay by the time the word is shouted before the bullets stop. Edijar takes a step forward after they do, and looks closer to inspect any damage done.

The gun crews reload quickly, tossing out their half-used belts for new ones.

[horngeek]

Rose is... untouched. Her anima continues to glow in its iconic state for a moment, then dies down, still burning in a bonfire around her. "...that did deplete my Essence quite quickly. I could have withstood that for another half a second, maybe. Then again, in most situations you won't be forcing an Exalt to use Essence that quickly."

[UncleWolf]

"And how powerful are you? An average Exalted?" Edijar asks. Vasquez orders the cannons cleaned and put away, listening closely to what Rose has to say.

[horngeek]

"To be honest, I don't know. There are some more powerful than I am. But, at the moment, no Solar Exalted has borne the Exaltation for more than... ten years. Actually, that's not entirely true, but for the most part, the Solar Exaltations have only been cycling around again for ten years, and I'm pretty sure no one's been a Solar Exalted for more than a century. Given Celestial Exalted can live for well over fifteen hundred years? I don't think we've come into our full power yet, and won't for a while."