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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:40 pm
It became readily apparent that there was no other way out than however they'd entered, which was notably absent. Tanto continued through the door, a weak tingling passing through him - the remnants of the trap's power. Beyond the door was a curved hallway. The first of the subjects appeared to be entering. A man with a blank stare and glazed-over eyes approached, a gray jumpsuit with 93 emblazoned on the front in yellow his only apparent armor.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:44 pm
They didn't have time for this. Tanto was perfectly willing to leave the others behind and carry on after the being that so fascinated him, so he continued on towards this new opponent.
Since the last few battles had shown Tanto that raw enthusiasm and power wasn't enough to control Chaos, he instead imposed strict control and discipline, over himself and the wild magic he was employing. Instead of flooding the man in front of him with Chaos, Tanto cascaded the Chaos in wave-like fields, intended to wash over him, all the while thinking about rocks.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:54 pm
Cassandra reluctantly moved up. She'd expended some ammo, maybe three magazines outside of the full one in her gun. That would do for now, but she needed to not run out of ammo.
She followed Tanto through the wall, somehow steeling herself to be second through. At this point she recalled that her sight was her most useful ability; she opened her third eye wide and began hunting for signatures and identifying mana patterns.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:57 pm
Yarah realized that of everyone around, the woman was likely the one in need of most protection. For that very reason, he stood beside her while she focused on finding mana patterns. If she does not need the protection, then I shall watch from the background and see who is most in need of healing.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:00 pm
The first wave washed over Subect 93. He blinked. Wave after wave impacted him. His body began to slowly turn into stone. The whole process took about eight seconds. He looked at himself and - wait, that wasn't right, he was stone.
Undeterred, the stone man approached them.
Subject 93, it appeared to Cassandra's vision, was able to absorb mana from magic used against him and take on its traits; she relayed this fact to the others.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:08 pm
No magic, then. That was no problem for Tanto either.
He ran forward, faster than his previous lumbering, and swung his massive sword into the stone man with devastating force.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:15 pm
The Akai Ryu test subject hopped sideways, bouncing off the wall and landing atop the sword before jumping at Tanto's head with a fist drawn back.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:18 pm
Oh, if only she had a firing angle! It would be perfect.
"I can't shoot, I can't do anything, he's right there," Cassandra announced.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:22 pm
Tanto dropped at the knees and ducked his head, faster than expected, and then swung the sword in a great arc over his head, aiming to squash the test subject against the floor.
Or crush him, since he was stone. Whatever happened.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:27 pm
93 swung and missed, catching Tanto's shoulders with his ankles and diving between his legs to avoid the sword.
As Tanto turned, he saw the next subject - it was in heavy, lustrous gray plate mail, with a huge shield and a lance-like weapon; 114 was emblazoned upon the shield. A hatch on the bottom of the lance's shaft opened as 114 approached.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:29 pm
With one hand, Tanto tried to grab 93 and crush him; it had worked before, and 93 was likely less mobile due to the rock. Well, he should be, but nothing ever worked like that.
The other hand shot towards 114, and more tightly controlled waves of Chaos flowed forth, prompting Tanto to imagine a fish. A small one. Like a guppy.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:31 pm
93 ran up the wall, backflipping off to land behind Tanto.
Wow, nothing ever worked like it should.
Subject 114 raised his shield; the Chaoswaves stopped dead against it. 114 raised the lance and a bolt of Chaos fired back at the intruders.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:30 pm
"All of them are absorbing mana!" Cassandra pointed out to Tanto. "Physical strikes only!" She tried to find some sort of cover, firing her rifle at 114 as she sidestepped across the room.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:11 pm
Yarah might have felt irritated at being ignored if it were in his nature to feel anything. But he just stayed in the back and watched all the action occur. It wasn't the job description to get himself shot and die.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:39 pm
Isaac came rushing through the door, though he was fleeing and not trying to join the fight, per se. Upon almost running into 93, Isaac reflexively activated his REF at max power, just as Tanto's long blade whipped at 93 - Tanto still outside of the REF's range.
Isaac swallowed and drew his silver swords, joining in the assault from the other side.
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