1.b. Dive
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♦ Topic: Another Gang Fight - another New Cape
In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America ► Brockton Bay
Brocktonite03 (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)
Posted On Jan 16th 2011:
The balance between gangs in Brockton Bay has always been a delicate one, as the Empire 88 and the ABB keep prowling around for any advantage they can take over the other. Small fights in what is considered the "border" between both of their territories are common, and other places have been subjected to their attacks from time to time.
Today, a group of gang members belonging to the Empire 88 decided that the advantage laid in a zone that, curiously, had not been touched much by the gang wars for quite some time - the residential zones west of the Docks (which for some reason are called Docks South).
Unfortunately for those living there, when ABB gang members learned about this, they decided to go in and attempt to do the same thing. After all, if the Nazis wanted it, then it had to be good enough to keep it, I guess.
Unfortunately for both gangs, today was the day where a new heroine debuted. Details are sketchy so far, but from what I have been able to gather, the newcomer singlehandedly beat the tar out of both gangs and forced them to run with their tails between their legs - and followed this by beating an Empire cape. The fight between the gangs took about twenty minutes, and the new heroine's intervention required less than five. I'll update once I get more information.
UPDATE: A brave soul captured this video from one of the buildings near the fight. It begins with the two gangs encountering each other, and the new heroine arrives at 13:21. She begins by landing on one of the Empire gangers and then unleashes a storm of slashes while apparently taking no injuries herself - though, if you look you'll notice no one's actually bleeding (save for the people that get attacked by the eagle), so that sword may be Manton limited in some way. About two minutes later, Stormtiger shows up - and gets pretty much owned in the subsequent fight by the heroine, who, it turns out, can also FLY.
UPDATE 2: Alright, the Protectorate just released a report. The heroine's official name is Asëamahtar (yes, the umlaut is included, and no, I don't know why), this fight was apparently her debut and that eagle, if Asëamahtar is to be believed, is a honest-to-God bald eagle. So far, it appears like she is not interested in joining the Protectorate, but they hope she will change her mind and/or be amenable to collaborate with law enforcement officers.
UPDATE 3: This thread is only about the fight at the Docks South. For matters related to Asëamahtar, please go to her thread.
(Showing page 15 of 15)
►JackBund
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
REDACTED
Tin_Mother: issuing death threats against someone for disagreeing with you is a punishable offence. Take one week off to reflect on your mistake.
►Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a tinker)
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Looking at that video, that sword seems to be made of copper, of all things, but at the same time it gets through everything it hits like a knife through butter. I mean, Asëamahtar parries a katana with it and the katana breaks in two pieces. What the hell is it actually made of?
►Mac's Dual Rocket Propelled Grenades
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Procto the Unfortunate Tinker said:
> What the hell is it actually made of?
It's probably just painted steel with a small forcefield on the blade. Katanas' power is overestimated, and even if they are good they are still more fragile than a normal sword.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 13, 14, 15
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♦ Topic: Aseämahtar
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay ► Capes
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On Jan 16th 2011:
Alright, this is the thread to discuss Brockton Bay's newest Cape as of January 16th 2011. Debuting in the Docks South incident of the same day, Asëamahtar seems to take after Dauntless in her use of non-modern weaponry and armor, only that she seems to go for the medieval look rather than Greco-Roman style. Little is known as of this posting, but we can infer quite a few things from this video of the fight where she debuts.
She fights using a sword that, according to the sources I've consulted, is a "hand-and-a-half" or "bastard" sword. Using it one handed as Asëamahtar does is reportedly hard enough to require special training. This indicates that she is an expert fighter – which also shows in the fight, since there are several instances of her being surrounded by 5+ gang members at the same time, yet she managed to deflect or avoid most attacks.
The police report of her first fight states that the gang members Asëamahtar struck suffered zero actual injuries, even though the video shows Asëamahtar slicing through them all and then the latter collapsing. This could demonstrate that either her sword is Manton-limited or she can apply a field to a weapon.
She has what appears to be either a companion or a projection in the form of a bald eagle that either follows her orders or works with her – per Asëamahtar's own claim, it is a real eagle. I've checked quite a few sources, which agree that, while bald eagles visit the Northeast in winter, they are not so much into nesting. Of course, one eagle being in a city is weird enough, but that's powers for you.
Stormtiger is shown hitting her several times with his air claws, and she barely shows the injuries it would cause on a normal human. This may be a Brute power, or just some really good armor. Or both. Either way, she tanked hits that would have left anyone else unconscious.
She can fly, as evidenced by her following Stormtiger in the air and her appearance by falling on one gang member. Speed and extent of this ability is unknown, given the short time she is shown flying.
While not confirmed, she may actually be able to go invisible.
Judging by the ass-beating she provides to both Empire 88 and ABB, she clearly dislikes the local gangs.
As far as I know, she has been classified as an unaffiliated Independent Hero, with a rating in the following classifications:
Confirmed: Brute, Master, Mover
Potential: Stranger (see invisible above), Striker (depending on the effect that makes her sword Manton-limited), Tinker (if her armor and sword were made by her).
She appears to be quite widespread in her skills - and that's just what we have seen of her debut.
Do we have one of the most varied grab-bag capes in years, or is she an Eidolon-lite Trump?
(Showing page 2 of 4)
►Point_Me_@_The_Sky (Verified Cape)
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Just learned about the new heroine in town, and gotta say, she's kickin' ass! Can't wait to see her in person!
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
She looks like she came out of a videogame.
►YinYangDragon
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
And what does that name mean? Because I've tried to find what it means but it doesn't seem to fit any language in the world. Though, the second half sounds like "kill" in Spanish...
►firetails
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
All I know is that it is derived from Albanian or at the least the closest language I could match was Albanian. That's it.
►VhyAmmon
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Its bloody hilarious how it looks like she's sandbagging in the video...
►SilentCrow
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
firetails said:
> All I know is that it is derived from Albanian or at the least the closest language I could match was Albanian. That's it.
I fed it into TalkCPC and it doesn't quite know what to make of it, other than it not being something common or with a direct translation, it has a very high chance of being Albanian though, its the only language that got any partial translations. Trying to feed it suggestions for things relating to mythology, eagles, wings, or flying just created garbled nonsense. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what she says it means if she ever decides to do an AMA.
►firetails
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
@SilentCrow That explains everything then, ty. Not bad idea using it to make up a name though too.
►Ylisse Infante
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Parahuman powers are bullshit on top of bullshit. Who knew?
►VhyAmmon
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Not sure why, but when Stormtiger tries to grapple her in that video, I have a strange feeling that I should be horrified...
►Quettale
Replied On Jan 16th 2011:
Wow, I never thought that a simple name would generate so much debate!
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Sunday January 16th 2011, 9:45 PM, Protectorate ENE Headquarters, Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth Bet
"It's Quenya."
Everyone looked at Armsmaster as if he had grown a second head all of a sudden, even more because he had just interrupted Miss Militia's report on the fight at the Docks South.
"I... beg your pardon?" Piggot asked, confused at the sudden, out-of-nowhere, comment the local Protectorate leader had just made.
"I was trying to understand the name of the new independent Cape, and I just found its origin."
Leave it to Armsmaster to multitask in the middle of a meeting, everyone simultaneously thought.
"I suppose this... Quenya... thing you mentioned is somehow related to the new Cape?"
"Indeed. Quenya is a fictional, constructed language created by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien in the decades of 1910 and 1920, which he later used as one of the languages used by the Elven Kingdoms in his novel The Hobbit, the The Lord of the Rings trilogy and other assorted writings. Now, while Asëamahtar does not exist as a word, per se, there are two words that can be combined to form it: asëa, which can mean helpful or healing, and mahtar, the word for warrior. From there, we can infer that she has chosen to call herself helpful warrior or healing warrior."
"Also that she's a nerd. You'd have to spend a lot of time looking around on old books to come up with that name," Assault replied, grinning. Everyone ignored him and Battery's reflexive dope slap – it was almost routine by now.
"So, either she's stating her intent to help people..." Dauntless said.
"... or she's saying she can heal people," Velocity finished for him. "If that's for real, I would love to have her on our team."
"That... may be a bit harder than you think," Miss Militia said, looking aside.
"Why? She is new, and even if she is strong enough to deal with Stormtiger, she'll eventually hit a wall, particularly when the gangs attempt to recruit her. We need to get her to join the Protectorate as soon as possible," Armsmaster stated.
"That's not the reason. It's... just a feeling, which is why I didn't mention this earlier, nor in my official report. Don't quote me on this, but I think Asëamahtar may actually be a minor."
"A minor. Fighting Stormtiger, a veteran from the Empire's fighting pits. With skills that imply she has been fighting with that sword for years," Piggot said, as if trying to comprehend the situation.
"Like I said, it's just a feeling. You know how powers are, they may have granted her the knowledge on how to use it. And when I talked to her... there was something in her voice that made me feel I was talking to a teen. Anywhere between fifteen and nineteen, really."
"Regardless, we must find a way to convince her to join the Protectorate. Whether as a Ward or as a proper Protectorate member," Armsmaster stated, once more showing his skill in stating the obvious.
"Sorry for the interruption, but – do you think she may actually be Auriga, or at least related to them in some way?" Velocity asked, and a few of the others nodded. A week had passed since the event at the Boat Graveyard, and no one had seen hide of the potential vehicle Tinker since then.
"If that's so... then either we would be seeing a very powerful grab-bag cape, or someone with a powerful Trump power that would make her something akin to that," Armsmaster admitted. "The fact that both Auriga and Asëamahtar were able to fight people and knock them out without causing actual injuries would seem to point to being the same person or them knowing each other."
"Whether they are the same person or not does not matter. While Asëamahtar may have said she is uninterested in joining the Protectorate, that does not mean she will remain so. Attempt to establish a rapport with her, and show her the benefits of joining willingly. And if you find her committing a crime, you arrest her and bring her here," Piggot ordered.
"You intend to force Asëamahtar to join the Protectorate? She won't be happy," Battery pointed out.
"I don't care if she throws a temper tantrum. As long as she understands that the only thing between her and jail is collaboration, I'll be happy."
"Very well."
–
10:15 PM, Kenta's Den
Kenta had learned to deal with what life liked to throw into his path for a long time, even before the day he nearly died and found himself waking up with one of the strongest powers in the world.
That did not mean he liked having to do it.
Of course, in situations such as the one caused by what had happened several hours before, he was most definitely not happy.
The man he had sent to stop the Nazi scum from claiming the docks was not happy either. But mostly because he had been terrified into requiring a change of clothes for what was clearly a defeat. He was still alive, but only because the reason for the defeat had been the completely unexpected appearance of a new cape: the man could hardly be blamed by an unknown factor intruding in the plans, particularly when said new factor had managed to capture one of Kaiser's strongest minions.
Not that he had let his man go easy: failure was failure, whether it was against a beat-up cop or against Leviathan. Dismissing him – and barely paying attention as he hurried his way out of the office – he took a seat behind his desk and planned.
If he were honest to himself, he could care less about the Docks zone. It may have been an economic engine in the city a few decades before, but the appearance of Leviathan, followed by the rise of gangs and assorted troubles, had turned it derelict and useless to his needs. As far as he was concerned, it was just an afterthought, something to deal with after he destroyed the Empire and forced the Protectorate to accept the inevitable and submit. The men he had sent had been there mostly to deny the Empire a foothold, although he would certainly have not been discontent if they had managed to lay one themselves.
Instead, he would have to deal with the second cape to show up at Brockton Bay in one month. He briefly considered that they might be the same, but dismissed the thought: the skills demonstrated by this Asëamahtar were markedly different from those of the one that had fought at the Boat Graveyard. Perhaps they were allied, though, which would be a chance to kill two birds with one stone.
Whether one or two people, the same rules would apply. Either they submitted, or they would be squashed like bugs. For that was all they were: bugs, nobodies in comparison to the world's strongest cape outside the Triumvirate. But, still, a bug could be an irritant, and the new cape could be one if not halted.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be used to identify the cape. Asëamahtar was a local female inhabitant, possibly someone that lived near the Docks. Apart from that, there was a dearth of information, and as she held no territory nor made claim to any part of the city, there was no means to reliably bring her into a trap.
No, finding this Asëamahtar woman would require a different type of work. He would have his moles and spies work on finding any information that may exist on her, but her secrecy would make it difficult. If she was one of those 'heroes', though, then she would likely be patrolling the city to stop criminals, sooner or later. He would have to give orders to his men to keep watch for her and capture her if feasible. He did not hold much hope of them being successful, but stranger things had happened.
He would hold them to a greater standard when it came to bringing any information they could find on the girl, however. It would not help the girl much when the time came for her to surrender, but the more he knew, the easier it would be to control her when the time came.
Or kill her. He would not cry over that. It was not as if he cared any about a bug's life. He might lament the lost opportunity, but not the death itself.
–
10:21 PM, Floor 20, Medhall Corporation Headquarters
To say Max was furious...
… well, it may actually be an exaggeration.
He was angry, yes. Irked. One of his Capes had been arrested by the Protectorate, who most likely were already planning how to take him to prison – they would fail, of course, since his moles would be able to find the route and time. It irked him having to waste time that could be better spent doing other things, but Zachary was a good soldier, and a good soldier was quite hard to find.
The loss of face from the entire fight also irked him. The attack had been a power play, seeking to establish control (or the beginnings of) over one of the few zones in the city that had remained relatively untouched by the gang wars in years. Granted, it was not much in terms of business, but the people living there, the disaffected, would be shown he and the Empire were strong and be forced to accept that joining was the best choice. It would also let him put pressure on the Dockworkers Union, which so far had resisted his organization's infiltration attempts.
Instead, all he had to show for it was the (temporary) imprisonment of one of his lieutenants, fifteen pawns arrested by the police and a loss of reputation. The only good thing was that the slant-eyed lizard had also lost about the same in numbers in the process.
What angered him the most, though, was how that had happened. It had not been after a concerted battle with Protectorate and PRT forces, not the result of a fight that had pressed the so-called forces of law to their limits, or even in a night fight that would have at least kept the masses from seeing it.
No, it had been all the work of a blasted new cape in her first official fight – one that had beaten down thirty-two normal people in two minutes before easily resisting through an attack that would have pushed even Armsmaster to his knees, and then knocked Stormtiger out without suffering any worthwhile injuries. All in plain daylight.
Reputation was half of what made power in this world, and that girl with the unpronounceable name had just managed to slice into his Empire's reputation with a sword made of some metal that he could not identify. Whatever it was made of, it clearly allowed her to knock people out without actually injuring them.
The Protectorate would likely want to pay her top coin for the process to recreate that sword – unless it was just a Striker effect that used the sword as a medium. And, either way, he could imagine Piggot salivating at the idea of getting her to prop up her failed attempts to uphold the Protectorate's control of the city.
Of course, he could not allow that. What kind of leader would he be if he let this insult to him and his Empire go unanswered? Still, he felt he could be gracious about it. After all... well, misunderstandings abounded. Who was to say what could go through a girl's mind? She likely did not have the proper upbringing growing up – a few particular lessons with someone of his choosing would produce the expected result. And, if needed, the right pressure points would accomplish the same thing.
But... there were two obstacles to that.
The first was her looks. He could hardly mold that girl into a proud member of his Empire if she was not Aryan, right? Granted, he could force her to keep that helmet on to prevent her from being seen if it was the case, but on the long term it would not work at all. She would have to unmask at some point. Granted, some of his lieutenants believed as much as he did on the issue, but the others were 'true believers', and liable to react inappropriately.
The second, and most obvious, was that there was no hint of her identity. The only thing that was obvious was that she was young, from Brockton Bay and had had her trigger at least a few weeks before. Her weaponry and armor seemed to be of good quality, so it had had to take quite some time to build – not the usual rushed job typical of Tinkers in the beginning of their careers. Apart from that, there was nothing.
Now he had to find someone else that could find the foolish girl. And the one the Protectorate called Auriga, of course. One new Parahuman on his side would be good. Two would be better.
Perhaps this could be a job for someone younger. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Victor? Come here with Rune. I need the two of you for a mission."
"Got it, boss."
He hung up, and began to deliberate how to deal with this. He now had to deal with three issues, but he was up to the challenge.
–
11:57 PM, Lisa's Room, Undersiders' Headquarters
The phone rang, and she blearily opened her eyes, before turning to glare at the offending object as if it had caused her grievous harm. Which, in a way, it had.
Son of a- I was finally falling asleep, and the son of a bitch picks this moment to call me! Is his power to be as irritating as possible?
Wishing she could just ghost him, but knowing that it would only make things worse, she leaned over and grabbed her smartphone.
"You took your time answering, Tattletale," Coil said, clearly unhappy.
"Well, I was falling asleep when you called, boss," she replied, doing her best not to say exactly what she thought of the supervillain that had forced her into her current position at gunpoint. Alas, the time for that had yet to come. "What's so urgent that it couldn't wait until I got my beauty sleep?"
"The new Cape that showed up today."
"Who? The one that fought at the Docks?"
She had been intrigued by that fight. After all, it was not every day that a fight between gangs was singlehandedly stopped by a debuting Parahuman, and everyone at PHO had been following the updates with great interest. Unfortunately, today had been a messy day for herself and her partners: after knocking down a jewelry shop in Empire grounds – and escaping in time before their 'security team' could stop them – she had spent most of the afternoon in her current investigation scheme and then a bit on plotting how to free herself from the snake's clutches, so she had not had much time to check anything beyond the basics on the attack.
"Yes. I want you to find all the information you can on Aseamatar and pass it to me. I am forwarding you what I have. You will, of course, receive your payment upon delivery of said information."
Oh, oh, can I take that payment in the form of a free shot at your head? she thought, before letting her power course and-
He is unable to find anything. There is something about the new Cape that disturbs him. He wants to control or kill her.
Well, well, well, seems like someone's getting spooked by the new kid in the block.
That was quite the valuable information. If Coil was actually unnerved by the Cape that had showed up a few hours before, then maybe she could be a good ally or asset for her plan to put down the snake-like bastard. But it would still require finding out about her to plot, and even feed Coil just enough info to make him think he was still in charge.
"Will do, boss," she replied, yawning as she did.
"You better do. My patience is not unlimited." The phone began to emit the tone of hanging up, and she glared at it before pressing of the red button.
"No, but you being an asshole is," she grumbled as she tossed the phone aside and tried to fall asleep again, but Coil had winded her up enough that she could not get to sleep. Particularly not since he had given her such a big puzzle to solve. And if there was something that could keep her awake, it was a new puzzle to solve.
Resigning herself to losing a couple of hours of sleep at least, she grabbed her phone again and left her bed – her warm bed, making her regret doing so as she was hit by cold air – and booted up her laptop, intent on getting what that slippery bastard had sent to her and seeing what she could make of the new hero. Thinking it over, she decided to move into her covers to do this late-time work: if she was doing this, she was going to do it comfortably.
Since she had last checked, there had been multiple updates to the thread, in the form of comments, bans, arguments on how Asëamahtar's powers worked and, most importantly, several videos of the fight, one of which was better framed than the first one that had been published in the thread.
Reading on all the theories that were shown – and snickering at some of the most outlandish ideas the cape fans were coming up with to explain some of the stuff Asëamahtar was doing – she went back to the page with the video link and cued it in, forcing her power down so she could have a first impression untainted by the deductions it provided.
As she watched Asëamahtar demolish the gang members – and, she had to be honest, she felt a certain level of schadenfreude at seeing this bunch of mooks getting so easily pummeled – she had to admit this new cape was way better than one would expect from a new cape. Powers might be bullshit, as some people at PHO liked to claim, but there was a certain level of skill that had to be learned, regardless of how much you got after Triggering. This one had had to train for weeks, perhaps months, in order to achieve this level of swordmanship, particularly since she was wielding a large sword that ought to be hard to wield with one hand.
She was also impressed with the cape's gear's quality. The sword clearly had some kind of Manton limit that allowed her to slash anything that came too nearby and make the target faint instead of injuring, and the armor was strong enough to deal with Stormtiger's air bursts. How injured Asëamahtar was after that, she could not tell at first sight, but she barely gave a hint of suffering any damage, even managing to fly after Stormtiger and knocking him out.
Already, there was talk of the new cape being Eidolon-lite or a grab bag. She thought it was likelier to be something like Dauntless, as most of the powers she had demonstrated were remarkably similar to the Protectorate member's: flight, fighting skills, armor and weapon far stronger than what they should be... but Coil's little call had given her cause to doubt.
What else are you hiding under your helmet? Lisa wondered. Whatever had shaken Coil so much, she could not see in the video. Perhaps she had done something out of this video that had prompted said reaction?
Well, there were ways to find out, and she had one in hand. So she paused the video, restarted it, and let her control over her power go-
Female.
Between sixteen and thirty years old.
Years of fighting experience.
Can make sword unable to injure people. Might drain stamina.
Flight through c̸̳͇̥̭̀͌͑͂̾͒̎̊̂̚h̵͚̰̿̽̀̉̔͝ä̵͇̮̞̣́̆̏̇̋̏͋͛͌͒́̉̀͋ǹ̸̨̜̮̘͈̫̰͓̣͉͔̘̰́̐̓̀̊̕͜͝-̶̮̐̅͆͆͒͗͊̎̽̌͜͜͠s̶̨̙̮͌̑̃̚ͅp̸̯͈̙̹͔̞̓̈́̈-̷̧̠̳̲̙̳͎͈͙͎̻̯͋̓ͅͅc̴͔̯͚̥͎̖͒̓̽́̈̏͑̓͜͠ă̵͉̪̯̟̫̼̼̼̙̔́̋̊̐͋͒͗̕s̵͓̟͈͓͊-̷̡̢̖̲̲͍̱̻͈̞̗̻̒́i̶͙͆̓n̴̡̙͈͚͈͈̻̭̲̗̫̙͖̭̯̉̓̋̏-̵̧̖͈̦̠̙̥̼͖̫͓͚̯͐͑u̷̢̡͓̥̣͈͉̦͚̮͆͊̈́̈́̀n̵̪̙̼̬̞͓͓̺̻̭̈̈́̀͑͐͋̌͋̐̑͋͆̏k̶̝͊͛̽̔̈́̓̈́̂͑̑͐̂͝n̶̨̟̩̙̥̳̯̥̠̯̘͑̿́̐͐ͅǫ̸̛̝̲̦̱̻̲͉̜̭͈͇͙͕̈́̈ẃ̵̢̧̼̦͕͓̙͚̳̜̫̀̾̎̎̃̂̾́̒̑̎̍̓̐n̴̩̔̂͐̑̚Ę̵̣̖̟͂͑̆̀̈̓͛̐̋̒̑́̅Ŗ̶̺̘̰̠̺̺̯̣̕R̴̳̱̹̖̼͎̝̼̦̫͉͖̙̙̽̄͝Ǫ̶͇̝̗̌̀̚͠R̷̡̧̛̲̜͖͖̹̟̮̳͇͂̓͗̔̅͛͜E̷̢̧͎͖͓̞̣̙̙̗̣͗́̽͋́̌R̸̢̰̳͕͕͖͉̫̱̻̭̟̯̗̿̈́͑̍̽́̂͛͊̍̂̀̚R̴̨̨̧̪͎̮͓͓͈͎̰̳͙̄̄̾͒̔́̂͒͛̄̎̒́̂͝Ō̶̠̬̂̑̔̕R̴͇͚͎̠͔̩̱͈̫̻̮̫̂̀̊̍̀͝Ĕ̶͈̦͉̯͓̘͖͓̠͇̘̎̔̈́͒͆͌̂̅̂͗̽̅̒͝R̵̡̡̜̬͎̪̩͇̜̫͉̱̍̐̌͜9̷̛͈̈̅̽̎̀͛̿͋͛͑̀̊̕͜ã̴͖̖̝͚̱̺̥̯͓͊͆̉̅̓̚͜͜f̸̠͎̣̪̲̩́̽̈́̍̅͆̽͠8̶̗̼̪̞͇̦̤̃͝͝ḓ̸̨̑2̴̺͖̟̯͇̗͎̣̯̳̹̤̣̇̊́̑̔͂́̊̎̉̃̕͠͝ͅb̷̨̛̪͖̠̣̲̳͙̉̋̏͊͐͗́́͑̃̽͌̏͘a̷͎̠̻̗̖̮̗̹͂̇̍̉̅́̓2̷͍̞̖̯̻͓̋ͅĝ̷͓͕̝̟̲̼̬̺̱̻̠̻̲̱̝̈́9̸̧̱̀̐)̴̨̧̧̰̬̘̪̜͚̗͎͒̃%̶̛̱̤̪̘͈̻̩̠͖̮̹͍̐͋͌̃(̶̛̪͈͎̥̰͋̿̉̅͌̇͗̍̇͝)̶̧̧̢̩͕̝̟͖̦̯̭́̓͂̓̈́͌̃͂̈̓͜͝͝&̴̡̡̖̞̗̙̜̱̣̯͉̪͕̙̝̓̈͑̊̈́͊̈́͑͝$̸͓͈̮̏͗̾͋͐̽͛̐͒̊͛̑́͠͠=̶̧̛͔̜͔̻͓̤͍͓̼͚̠͓̭̂̔̓̿̾̓̓̄́͛͌̆̐̚€̶̲̩͙̅̑̓̓̂͌͊͌̃̕#̵̧͓̩̟̹̭͔̦̟̹̭̞̃́̽̚
Lisa crumpled in pain and collapsed on her mattress. She had had her large share of Thinker migraines since she Triggered, but this was not so much a migraine as a stab in the back of the head with an industrial blender set to 'mist'.
It felt almost like her brain had tried to divide by zero.
She wordlessly moaned, holding her head in a futile attempt to stave off the pain coursing through her brain. The pain was so intense that she was crying out, she was breathing in and out through her mouth in an attempt to fighting the headache off. The only reason she hadn't screamed was because of a combination of not wanting to disturb the others and the fact that the pain was so bad she couldn't even summon the strength to do it.
It felt like she had spent hours in a fetal position, but when she was able to sit, her computer happily informed her that it had only been fifteen minutes since her sudden date with an imaginary drill through the brain. Quickly stopping the video that was about to begin, she waited until she was certain she wouldn't keel over to get out of her bed and walk up to the bathroom.
Holy fuck. I don't want to go through that ever again, she thought as she washed her face with cold water. When her heart finally stopped playing a drum solo against her ribs, she returned to her bed, started the video again – and restrained her power as hard as she could.
For the first time, it felt like it said power was all too willing to follow on her request. Which was another can of worms she really did not have the time or the will to unravel at the moment.
This time, she concentrated on the one part that had been out of place: when Asëamahtar had started to fly. She had said something, there had been a flash of light, and suddenly she was flying as if it was natural that she was there. With the aid of a program, she managed to block everything but the other Cape's voice, and listened multiple times, before coming to a conclusion.
It was all gibberish. At least if one only thought in English. Either Asëamahtar had made up something on the spot, or she could now speak in a language that did not resemble any other she had heard.
A Cape that, after Triggering, had suddenly learned a language not spoken on Earth. Quite the novel concept.
And, of course, that still left unanswered what the chant was meant for. Had it been some kind of war cry before she went after Stormtiger? An activation code for Tinker tech that nullified her gravity? Or just a mnemotechnic trick to know how to activate that power?
Either way, the best way to find out would have been to ask the source, but Lisa was certain Asëamahtar was not going to share her secrets so easily. So, best available option was to dig for any videos where the Cape showed up, until she found the secret or, at least, a pattern.
And if there was no pattern... well, that would mean she spent a lot of time that she would be unable to invest in more important matters (such as how to tell Coil to pound sand), and if it turned out to be all for nothing, then it would just be a mess.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess," she told herself, finally shutting down her laptop and getting well wrapped into her blankets to attempt to fall asleep.
A small detail of the events got into her mind.
She was a Thinker, and her power had suddenly crapped out on her when she tried to study Asëamahtar.
She was ninety percent sure that Coil was a Thinker as well.
Had Asëamahtar caused his power to crap out as well? Was that why he wanted to get her under control or dead? If so... then it was certainly going to be interesting, and she was thinking that Coil was not the sure bet this time.
"Looks like you've bitten more than you could chew this time," she mumbled, smirking, before closing her eyes.
----
A/N: Yes, I used some of your comments. Thank you very much, I had an empty spot there that I didn't know what to fill with, and you provided me the solution.
At least, you got your answer as well. And yes, I fired a shot at myself because I really spent a while coming up with a good name (the original version was "Herald", because I had made Taylor Iomedae's Herald as if from the "Wrath of the Righteous" Adventure Path, but for this version I chose to put out that because I couldn't see Taylor as Lawful Good aligned).
I'm halfway done with chapter 1.6, which will close the Life Arc from Taylor's POV, and Interlude 1.c is already plotted.
No lists of spells or objects because there's none.