The cowboy stuck out a leg catching and balancing one of the deflected crossbow projections on his foot Then he twisted and kicked it up sending the bit of metal smashing into the chakrams and somehow deflecting them into each other the wind shrieking as the two manifestations of ChakramÆs image working against themselves
This gave Duskfist time to gather an even thicker padding of shadows around himself and stomp forward but then HankÆs leg came whipping back planting his weight on the ground and his body pivoted smoothly around as his hips turned back square to Duskfist
Unlike the sharp jab he used earlier this was a blow meant for power Chakram could see the sinuous grace of the cowboy as he threw his arm forward the shoulder rotating inward as his knuckles crashed up against the heavy layers of shadows around Duskfist The shadows broke the blow landed
It was to ChakramÆs eyes just a punch
Duskfirst dropped bonelessly to the ground He didnÆt even make a sound as all that oppressive image power he had squeezed underneath his robe dissipated
Looking at Hank Howard Chakram felt nothing like a zealot who had willingly spent the last several years training to bring about a revolution to build a better world He felt like a child a forgettable Danny as he looked at this manÆs shadowy silhouette There wasnÆt the faintest whiff of images around him yet that fact only made the three remaining agents of the Order Patricide more petrified
The images they had seen had feared and been taught to fight against were flashy and overwhelming things But this quiet competence the easy smile on the cowboyÆs face that spoke of the inevitably of their loss that chilled them to their core
Now donÆt rightly make sense why ya keep resistinÆ Hank cracked his knuckles and spread his arms wide as he turned to regard them Chakram couldnÆt remember the last time that he took a breath We can do this thaÆ easy way or thaÆ hard way And believe me the easy way involves a polite drink YÆall thirsty
The living legend seemed tall enough to reach up and rip down the sky His smile promised something a sort of suggestive image that Chakram felt himself helplessly succumbing to Weakness crept into the back of his mind carrying with it a shivering fear It was an image virus both much more targeted and more effective sapping at their resistance without even having to show itself
Yet despite Hank HowardÆs clear superiority all three of them had been shaped for years to reach this point The cold eyes of the Order PatricideÆs leader lingered on their minds so they raised their weapons and flared their images
After a theatrical sigh Hank Howard shook his head and got to work
Chapter 1920
Cards chips and tension this was his element
Hank smiled easily knowing that even with a two and an eight he was going to win the hand He wanted it and had the moxxy to take it He spun one of the dirty and worn poker chips across his fingers Moments like these he definitely appreciated the additional capability gifted to him by the System Just added a little extra spice to the storytelling
And honestly wasnÆt Hank doing them a favor WasnÆt every day that you could lose money to a modern day cowboy He just needed to do some groundwork to set up the perfect scenario YÆall ever hear about the first time I fought Alana Donal
The two night duty officers looked up awe and anticipation glimmering in their eyes They sat in one of the break rooms of the station keeping watch for any associates of the men Hank had brought in to show up for some sort of daring rescue Or honestly to silence the captives Not that either seemed likely but this group had proven their unpredictability several times over
For now Hank didnÆt call the prior bet He wanted to be sure that their minds were thoroughly distracted before he gently reminded them they were playing cards The day was warm and cloudless I had just
HankÆs pupils dilated as the wall behind them caved inward blasted to smithereens by fire and concussive force The two guardsÆ were frozen likely without enough Reaction to even register the sudden attack with the speed that he did Drawing his heavy metal revolver Hank stood The chair tumbled slowly back in the air behind him However as he turned to unleash a focused mental pulse to protect the guards it occurred to him that this wasnÆt the outer wall but the inner one
The explosion came from the holding cells
Unpredictable indeed
Hank left his hat on the table as he stepped forward with enough force to puncture the explosion and leave it sagging and hot A few tongues of flame mixed with the smoke and charred plaster in the next room but largely the destruction receded once it had been struck vanishing as quickly as it came He found a profoundly annoyed looking Annie next to the ragged looking entrance to the cell her arms crossed and her foot tapping
They wanted these expendable pieces to get captured Annie grimaced Had bombs implanted in their bodies Likely without their knowledge Fucking savages
So they Hank began but he paused as he saw that while most of the cell was scorched concrete one corner was encased in ice The young man who threw the wind image metal circles seemed to be asleep completely covered in ice and thoroughly un exploded
You managed ta get ta him in time Hank asked mildly
Annie nodded her eyes still fixed on the mostly empty cell Her mind seemed to be chewing furiously at the development a dog gnawing its way through an aggravating bone Yea Luckily he was on the far wall while the others were over there So when the first started erupting I could draw my bow and fire an arrow before the signal reached him Gonna be a real bitch unfreezing him and taking out the bomb We will probably have to go into a Dungeon to make sure we donÆt lose this lead
Hank remembered the way that the guardsÆ in the poker game had seemed motionless to him Then he imagined the Reaction required to see several bodies pulp themselves on one side of a cramped holding cell react and fire and arrow with enough speed image power and capability to freeze a person His jaw worked saying a private thank you that Annie was on their side
Ugh and Zone 1 is going to throw such a fit Annie shook her head in disgust I bet they will somehow make it my fault that I needed to freeze this guy to save him from the bomb planted inside of his body They better not try to accuse me of kidnapping when I take him away
The colors didnÆt cease their relentless assault during this interlude which meant that keeping himself focused was a bit fraught But Randidly endured the distractions and found two clear expressions of the affect he needed within the two newly evolved Skills
Randidly sucked in a breath He needed both of them balanced and keeping each other in check to achieve the result he wanted Both surged to life in his chest demanding attention On the one side was Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs a clear blast of radiant light that began everything The glittering sun drop represented responsibility and life being given out from the source and igniting the cosmos
On the other hand there was Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins It possessed a malicious certainty a jaunty bloodthirsty patience for when that beautiful world created by the primordial light began to shrink and tear at the edges Because opposite the sense of responsibility was a horrific sense of purpose He had begun this world and he possessed the capacity to crumple it into litter
That was the brutal prerogative that suffered nothing but fealty from the natural forces of the world
Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins has grown to Level 470
Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has grown to Level 451
Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins has grown to Level 525
RandidlyÆs form rippled In a few moments his skin was bark His emerald eyes were warmed to golden by a blast of sunlight The toes of his bare feet stretched into the ground digging into the area beneath the Sea of Dreams Lapis Lazuli flows twined around his legs trying to slow him down but Randidly had the glee of the worldÆs first and only carrion