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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
9, 2
Total: 11 (2-24)
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 Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:34 pm
He was doing this not because he particularly wanted to, but she had asked him, and he was going to respect that she wanted to be taken seriously and not be considered fragile. And he could understand that - in fact, Gale's mindset was almost the exact same on a daily basis.
He hitched the rifle up a notch.
Steady as she goes, he thought back to Jinhai, repeating the phrase the dragon had just said back to him.
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-8)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:28 pm
Clang!
The bullet struck her weapon with enough force that, despite her attempt to keep it steady, it was pushed up against her shield briefly. Somehow her feet were still moving despite her racing heart telling her you're getting shot at go strike him or something. For a moment Stormy wondered if she had once again pushed herself into something she was not quite prepared for.
< < Now is not the time to secondguess, Hatchling. Once you have set yourself on a path, there is no moving back. > >
I know, I know . . .
< < You are performing adequately. Do not doubt yourself. > >
She didn't dare try to say anything and break either of their concentrations, continuing to zigzag across the field as she hitched the greatsword back before her, the jewel embedded in it like a bright purple bullseye.
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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
7, 9
Total: 16 (2-24)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:35 pm
There was only one way Gale was even managing to do this, and that was imagining that Stormy was, in fact, not Stormy. She was far enough away that he could not see her quite as clearly as he normally would, forcing himself to stay neutral, to remove himself personally.
I wonder if she still wears the bracelet I got her, he wondered, and then pushed this thought from his mind, trying to concentrate.
I have to do this - I need to stay focused, because what if the time comes when I have to fight and Stormy is there? She has to be a strength, not a distraction.
Still, it wasn't that easy to pull the trigger. Gale grit his teeth, holding the rifle steady.
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
8
Total: 8 (1-8)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:42 pm
< < Do you believe he will release his charge on you? > >
That was an oddly disconcerting thought, which immediately filed her with guilt for even considering it as such; hadn't she tried attacking him with hers not once but twice? It didn't matter that only one actually hit home . . .
We can defend from that too, just like any other attack. He has a right to it since this is a spar.
She tried not to shudder as she heard the bang, bracing against the greatsword as she attempted to leap forward and dodge the bullet--it was instinctive to run, after all. But its target was found, and Stormy found that both it and her weapon colliding against her waist and staggered back, almost tripping over herself to keep balance.
< < Are you afraid? > >
That seemed to be Thane's favorite question.
Stormy caught her breath and hid her wince behind a determined look as she jumped right back into fray, adrenaline fueling her steps as she slung the weapon up before her once more. The insinuation behind her partner's question brushed a nerve, that deep-seated but hidden need to contradict her looks and appear strong. She steeled herself and took a breath to calm herself.
If he does, he does. If he doesn't, he doesn't. I can and will handle either because this was what I asked for.
The dracolich rumbled softly with what might have been approval.
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kuropeco rolled 8 4-sided dice:
4, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3
Total: 20 (8-32)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:52 pm
Gale could feel the cold air rolling off the barrel of the gun, icy metal seeping through his gloves and chilling his fingers. He had managed to make the hit well enough, but the thought wasn't really pleasant so much as it was almost disconcerting.
<< Are you? >>
The dragon was coiled, tense in his mind, though not in an antagonistic way, the charge of the gun filling him. << It might go bad. >>
I'll protect her.
Gale took a deep breath - and fired.
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-8)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:06 pm
Cold was nothing new to her, and neither was ice. In more than one way, Thane's presence chilled her, and she was by nature a little colder in core temperature than the national average. What was new, however, was the fact that she had to deal with multiple bullets rather than one at a time.
Thane rattled at the challenge.
Metallic plinks jarred her ears and arms as the icy projectiles pelted against eh greatsword, each one getting closer and closer to her. Stormy saw her only option and swung forward to sling several away, but the barrage was large than she thought; grimacing, she lifted an arm and tilted her body to try and project as small a target as possible as the rest of the bullets struck her shield, feeling blunted impact and a burst of cold with each round--in a way, it reminded her of being struck by snowball-covered rocks.
She shivered at its end, wiping her arm off quickly as she regained her footing (one of her legs had begun to crumple from the weight of both the greatsword and the charge). All in all it went . . . better than expected.
< < Weak, > > Thane chimed with a skeletal grin.
Thane--
He was not chastised but at least kept quiet, unable to hide his smug aura.
"Th-That was awesome!" Stormy called to Gale, still cold from the attack even as the shield was quickly buffering her against it. "You might even say it was cool."
Her way of letting him know she was okay: more bad puns.
She saluted him once more, took a breath, and went back on the move, starting to draw nearer.
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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
12, 6
Total: 18 (2-24)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:14 pm
He could hear the iced over bullets shattering against the metal of Stormy's sword, and Gale felt his heart clatter against his chest, pushing the shooting glasses up his nose so that he could see her properly, suddenly acutely aware that he was shooting at his girlfriend.
But she was smiling, and she was making terrible puns, and Gale physically relaxed, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. He repositioned himself with the rifle and took a deep breath, sighing.
<< See, it wasn't too bad. >>
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-8)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:23 pm
Just a little closer.
That's what she told herself as she ran. Heart thumping, adrenaline rushing, shield weakening, sun beating down on them both.
Just a little further more.
Her weapon was starting to feel heavy in her hands, but Stormy was moving--and when she moved, she didn't tend to stop until something forced her or otherwise distracted her. And if Gale was the target, her focus was rather direct indeed.
< < Will I get to strike him once more? > >
She didn't have the mind to answer, concentrating on keeping her strides as smooth as she could. Turns were growing harder to lean into, but she kept up her zigzagging pattern as she drew near.
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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
1, 11
Total: 12 (2-24)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:31 pm
The sun was watery through the fog, but it was still enough that it felt hot and sticky against his skin. Gale took another breath and redirected the rifle, turning it sideways, his cheek laying flat against the cool metal.
One...two...
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-8)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:34 pm
Momentum.
That's what felt so nice about this, what let her shrug off bullets and mist that dazzled her eyes in the sunlight: the feeling of moving towards something. For months she had felt like she was stuck in place, despite what her whimsies might have made others believe. Still a little girl in a much too large room with a much too large weapon.
Today, at least to one person, she was starting to rebuild that image. Even if Gale didn't think of her like that, she was at least beginning to see herself in a new light.
She wasn't bothering to zigzag now that she was mere yards away from Gale. Stormy headed straight at him, the greatsword still held out before her like a shield. Perhaps an easier target without the moving tactic, but at least one who looked ready to strike once she closed the gap just a little bit more, if that offered any incentive.
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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
10, 5
Total: 15 (2-24)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:13 pm
He switched positions now, moving to lie fully on his stomach, the pushing the kickstands of the rifle away so that it was on the ground. Training the gun in Stormy's direction, Gale curled his hands around the gun and took aim.
I don't like shooting at her.
<< You're not shooting at her. You're helping her gain confidence. >>
I sure hope so.
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medigel rolled 2 10-sided dice:
10, 9
Total: 19 (2-20)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:30 pm
Part of her realized she ought to stop before her shield got broken. The point had been made, the practice gotten. But the problem with Stormy was that she often liked to push the envelope once she was comfortable with something, just to see where the line could be drawn. Her shield was still up; therefore, simply, she was still safe.
Even when the bullet ricocheted off her sword and knocked against her legs painfully, she stumbled onwards and kept moving, feeling her heartbeat between each step. Gale was on the ground, flat with his weapon--
Bones jangled in her ears along with a rusty laugh.
The momentum carried her forward, helped her arc the blade up, helped her fight past the growing stitch in her side, the pains and aches of her body, the sweat on her brow and the glaring mist in the sun, the undeniable need to take heavy breaths to keep going. For she could see Gale's figure quite clearly, almost intensely even, as she swung down.
In a manner of speaking she was testing his reflexes from being flat on the ground to a position more defensible.
In another, and at a far away corner of her mind, she was enjoying the idea of brandishing her newfound power.
Quote: HP: 7 Defense: n/a Damage: 13
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kuropeco rolled 2 12-sided dice:
9, 7
Total: 16 (2-24)
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:48 pm
She was still running towards him, and he did not have much time. Gale shoved the rifle horizontally and rolled over onto his back, thrusting it upwards, the sun bright in his eyes, the metal of Stormy's sword clashing with his gun in a horrible screech of metal. He could hear the FEAR shield crack, just a little, and Jinhai made a sound inside of his head that sounded half between a growl and a grunt of surprise.
Gale lifted his chin, sweat sliding down his face as he stared up at Stormy, his breathing labored.
"Looking good, Sherlock," he gasped out, and grinned a little, struggling beneath the weight of her sword. "I was right - you are strong."
Then he shoved her backwards, swinging the rifle upwards, momentum carrying the push a little too forcefully, more so than he had intended.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:03 pm
Thane was hissing something about crushing, but it sounded far away and underneath the sound of her breathing and heartbeat. Despite the weight of the weapon crashing against Gale's, she felt oddly light on her feet. Maybe her exhaustion was catching up and mixing badly with the adrenaline, or maybe she was just thinking too much on it somehow in the breath of a few seconds, but it felt good. That was the only way to describe it. A small surge of energy, of primal glee she didn't know she could tap, at the sight of him beneath her.
Stormy grew too distracted by the notion, of simple pride getting in the way of her focus. She heard Gale's words in a delayed fashion, a compliment playing in her ears as the rifle swung up at her. Mist had clung to her form, mixed water with sweat, and suddenly the white and gold of his weapon was too bright to look at, a ball of light pushing back her dark blade like it was nothing.
Crack.
She was thrown back with a startled cry, and for once the greatsword's weight worked against her, throwing her more off balance until it clattered to the ground with its wielder soon after. Stormy wheezed for breath, winded by the unexpectedly strong strike, and let herself lay flat on the ground for the moment, jaw and eyes clenched as her head reeled. The soon-to-be-bruise on her neck and chin was slowly working its way above the general pain, throbbing heatedly with her rapid heartbeat.
< < And you had been doing so well. > >
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:09 pm
The unexpected force of the weapon combined with the momentum had meant that Gale had pushed too hard. He heard the FEAR shield crack beneath his thrust, and felt a low, swooping sensation of panic in his stomach, Gale scrambling to his feet and clambering over to where Stormy lay on her back, crouching over her. He felt sweaty and gross, covered in the mist that hung heavy around them, dirt and grass streaked across his forehead and back.
"Oh jeez, I'm so sorry, Stormy - are you okay?"
He touched her chin tilting her head to the side a little, his fingers light on her neck as he examined the already purpling bruise. Disgust at himself for allowing this to go this far made him feel mildly ill, but Gale swallowed back the sensations, not wanting to pity her or make her feel any less strong because she was, she had already proven that.
His fingers moved to her cheek.
"You okay, Watson? Still breathing?"
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