A solitary figure strolled into the Kings Row Community Centre. Nodding at the boy on the front desk, she slipped down the side corridor and towards one of the
small workout rooms in the back of the centre. She was now a familiar sight at the centre, appearing on a somewhat regular basis. It would be easy to dismiss
her of little or no account, seeing as she was slightly shorter then average, with a petite build, and a paleness of skin which marked her as not getting
enough sunlight recently. Only her oddly glowing eyes, metal jaw, and the fact that she was seemingly transparent yet solid, indicated she was more then
normal, and was indeed a 'super hero'. But what's one more meta in a place like Paragon City?
Seeing as there was no one else around at the time, Jack decided to catch her as she made her way out of the female change rooms. Now she was out of her usual
well worn leathers that she wore when 'working' as she once put it and clad in some light 'kung-fu' style workout cloths.
"Hey Jelidan," Jake called out, noticing that as usual she was moving with that freaky self confident poise that all elite swordspeople tend to have.
Turning and nodding at him, Jelidan smiled gently.
"You're usual training stuff got moved into the back room. Sorry about that, we needed the space at the time. You know how them festive types get at
times" All he got in response was a slow nod and grin. That and slight interruption to the eye glow as it changed color. There were times when Jelidan,
would be very silent and demure. Apparently this was one of them.
"But seeing as this place is empty at the moment you can use one of the side rooms for your training. You won't have anyone asking for pointers
today." Again, another slow blink, grin and nod, and then Jelidan bowed slightly and turned and moved quickly to collect her training gear. Jack returned
to his placed by the front desk but after a few seconds decided that it was much more entertaining to watch Jelidan train then sit on desk duty. Besides what
could possibly go wrong?
Noting the room that Jelidan was using, Jack as quietly as possibly slipped into it. Thankfully she was still setting up, with a somewhat distracted air about
her. It was almost as if she was talking to someone even though her lip and jaw wasn't moving. Through-out the room she had set-up as selection of
projectors and transmitters that would on command, generate life-like 'combat-dummies' each with a particular attack style, randomized of course. The
attacks from the 'combat-dummies' were detected by the combat harness that she wore under her clothes, so it was basically an advanced form of
laser-tag. Even distracted though she was, it was still a sight to see her go through the paces. There was also a clear section of the room set aside for her
to do various warm-ups and meditative excises.
Jack watched her in awe as she tossed some transmitters over her shoulder without looking, settled, squared her shoulders as the room became alive behind her,
did her trademark focus punch, and then *flew* a blur of action.
Had Jack or anyone else for that matter, been around and able to telepathically listen in to what Jelidan was saying it would have been very surprising for
them to hear. That they had been able to hear in the first place would have surprised Jelidan, for she knows her mind tends to be like quicksilver. For as far
as she knew, the precise conversations that she had with her blade were between her and it.
-What are we doing back here-
-Its called sparing, training-
-We should be out there hunting evil-
-Practice Practice-
-Practice makes perfect-
-And in control you can better serve those you
protect-
-Dodge-
-The boy is over there-
-And cue the whispers of forbidden knowledge-
-Not all knowledge is forbidden-
-Some door are better off closed-
-Ignorance is bliss-
-He holds a key to future beyond telling-
-If he survives to his next birthday-
-Left
Slash-
-IF he survives... what do you know?-
-Nothing and everything-
-Ok... what will get him?-
-Do not meddle in the dealings of Fate and
Destiny...-
-...and don't mess with timelines-
-You think that this is the alpha timeline?-
-Its not?-
-You could have told me that-
-You weren't ready-
-Menders seen to that-
-Not to mention PsychoChronoMetron-
-Nor the messing around that others have done like the Oranbegan-
-The time from before Cimerora, time as be bent and looped, and never
recovered-
-After your dealings with the knowledge about those Ghosts could you have coped-
-Beware that which lurks in the darkness, those that
gather in secret-
-An outpost in the storm-
-Shards of Orange-
-Blossoms of Fire-
-Wisps of Ice-
-Vines of Gravity-
-It devours from within and has already begun.-
-Temple Strike!-
-When the eyes and the Nexus converge, the storm will
break.-
-When Darkness falls and Dark becomes Light-
-Which side will you stand for?-
-Stop talking in riddles!-
-Then know this
Grasshopper, to time to chose is upon you. Use your skills wisely, wield your weapon well. Decide your abilities to use. Honor is to be maintained. The time
for playing and tomfoolery is over.-
-Invaders!-
-Boomdeyada-
-Five will die, Four to survive, Two combine, One
chance -
Jack was thoroughly engrossed in the display of Jelidan's abilities. It was a good way to 'waste' an hour or two, particular as he didn't have
any abilities himself. He was just an average kid, doomed to be normal for the rest of his life. Surely something would have happened to him by now if he was
going to be super. Thus he got his enjoyment watching metas train, and cheer them on when the whooped some goon's butt.
It surprised him when all of a sudden Jelidan stopped mid-pattern against the latest set of 'combat-dummies'. She had finished off the ones she called
'Porcy rec' (pronounced porky racks) and was now onto the 'bad clowns'. Jelidan had stopped with her blade poised mid-stroke as if hitting a
solid slab of dermacrete instead of thin air and was glaring intently at a spot beyond the roof of the building, as if she could burn a hole through the roof
with just the power of her anger alone.
It was then that the klaxons sounded, startling Jack even more. He glanced away from Jelidan, his head spinning trying to get a fix on where exactly the sound
was coming from. Oddly the klaxon in the centre was out, and not working, so the sound was coming from outside.
"Rikti!" Jelidan ground out in her soft voice. There was a flicker of movement outside the corner of Jack's eye as he swung his head back to
Jelidan. She had changed. Gone was her workout outfit, there stood Jelidan, defender of the city, clad in her usual leathers, almost quivering in anger. As the
flash of light from where her blade caught the overhead light faded, Jade saw that the color of her scabbard had changed color. Indeed, it looked like the
work-out clothes were tightly wrapped around it. Thinking back, Jack realised that it had been the same color as her outer jacket, so it must have been wrapped
around it previously as well.
Jack blinked, and then Jelidan was gone. She had not teleported, as there was a rushing of wind to mark her passing. Rather, she had run out of the room and
was now making her way out of the centre. She was running that fast, listening that intently to the whisperings of her blade.
Her voice floated back to Jack on the breeze, "Get to the shelter! And fix that Klaxon!"
The Ritki were coming...
But so was Jelidan...
small workout rooms in the back of the centre. She was now a familiar sight at the centre, appearing on a somewhat regular basis. It would be easy to dismiss
her of little or no account, seeing as she was slightly shorter then average, with a petite build, and a paleness of skin which marked her as not getting
enough sunlight recently. Only her oddly glowing eyes, metal jaw, and the fact that she was seemingly transparent yet solid, indicated she was more then
normal, and was indeed a 'super hero'. But what's one more meta in a place like Paragon City?
Seeing as there was no one else around at the time, Jack decided to catch her as she made her way out of the female change rooms. Now she was out of her usual
well worn leathers that she wore when 'working' as she once put it and clad in some light 'kung-fu' style workout cloths.
"Hey Jelidan," Jake called out, noticing that as usual she was moving with that freaky self confident poise that all elite swordspeople tend to have.
Turning and nodding at him, Jelidan smiled gently.
"You're usual training stuff got moved into the back room. Sorry about that, we needed the space at the time. You know how them festive types get at
times" All he got in response was a slow nod and grin. That and slight interruption to the eye glow as it changed color. There were times when Jelidan,
would be very silent and demure. Apparently this was one of them.
"But seeing as this place is empty at the moment you can use one of the side rooms for your training. You won't have anyone asking for pointers
today." Again, another slow blink, grin and nod, and then Jelidan bowed slightly and turned and moved quickly to collect her training gear. Jack returned
to his placed by the front desk but after a few seconds decided that it was much more entertaining to watch Jelidan train then sit on desk duty. Besides what
could possibly go wrong?
Noting the room that Jelidan was using, Jack as quietly as possibly slipped into it. Thankfully she was still setting up, with a somewhat distracted air about
her. It was almost as if she was talking to someone even though her lip and jaw wasn't moving. Through-out the room she had set-up as selection of
projectors and transmitters that would on command, generate life-like 'combat-dummies' each with a particular attack style, randomized of course. The
attacks from the 'combat-dummies' were detected by the combat harness that she wore under her clothes, so it was basically an advanced form of
laser-tag. Even distracted though she was, it was still a sight to see her go through the paces. There was also a clear section of the room set aside for her
to do various warm-ups and meditative excises.
Jack watched her in awe as she tossed some transmitters over her shoulder without looking, settled, squared her shoulders as the room became alive behind her,
did her trademark focus punch, and then *flew* a blur of action.
Had Jack or anyone else for that matter, been around and able to telepathically listen in to what Jelidan was saying it would have been very surprising for
them to hear. That they had been able to hear in the first place would have surprised Jelidan, for she knows her mind tends to be like quicksilver. For as far
as she knew, the precise conversations that she had with her blade were between her and it.
-What are we doing back here-
-Its called sparing, training-
-We should be out there hunting evil-
-Practice Practice-
-Practice makes perfect-
-And in control you can better serve those you
protect-
-Dodge-
-The boy is over there-
-And cue the whispers of forbidden knowledge-
-Not all knowledge is forbidden-
-Some door are better off closed-
-Ignorance is bliss-
-He holds a key to future beyond telling-
-If he survives to his next birthday-
-Left
Slash-
-IF he survives... what do you know?-
-Nothing and everything-
-Ok... what will get him?-
-Do not meddle in the dealings of Fate and
Destiny...-
-...and don't mess with timelines-
-You think that this is the alpha timeline?-
-Its not?-
-You could have told me that-
-You weren't ready-
-Menders seen to that-
-Not to mention PsychoChronoMetron-
-Nor the messing around that others have done like the Oranbegan-
-The time from before Cimerora, time as be bent and looped, and never
recovered-
-After your dealings with the knowledge about those Ghosts could you have coped-
-Beware that which lurks in the darkness, those that
gather in secret-
-An outpost in the storm-
-Shards of Orange-
-Blossoms of Fire-
-Wisps of Ice-
-Vines of Gravity-
-It devours from within and has already begun.-
-Temple Strike!-
-When the eyes and the Nexus converge, the storm will
break.-
-When Darkness falls and Dark becomes Light-
-Which side will you stand for?-
-Stop talking in riddles!-
-Then know this
Grasshopper, to time to chose is upon you. Use your skills wisely, wield your weapon well. Decide your abilities to use. Honor is to be maintained. The time
for playing and tomfoolery is over.-
-Invaders!-
-Boomdeyada-
-Five will die, Four to survive, Two combine, One
chance -
Jack was thoroughly engrossed in the display of Jelidan's abilities. It was a good way to 'waste' an hour or two, particular as he didn't have
any abilities himself. He was just an average kid, doomed to be normal for the rest of his life. Surely something would have happened to him by now if he was
going to be super. Thus he got his enjoyment watching metas train, and cheer them on when the whooped some goon's butt.
It surprised him when all of a sudden Jelidan stopped mid-pattern against the latest set of 'combat-dummies'. She had finished off the ones she called
'Porcy rec' (pronounced porky racks) and was now onto the 'bad clowns'. Jelidan had stopped with her blade poised mid-stroke as if hitting a
solid slab of dermacrete instead of thin air and was glaring intently at a spot beyond the roof of the building, as if she could burn a hole through the roof
with just the power of her anger alone.
It was then that the klaxons sounded, startling Jack even more. He glanced away from Jelidan, his head spinning trying to get a fix on where exactly the sound
was coming from. Oddly the klaxon in the centre was out, and not working, so the sound was coming from outside.
"Rikti!" Jelidan ground out in her soft voice. There was a flicker of movement outside the corner of Jack's eye as he swung his head back to
Jelidan. She had changed. Gone was her workout outfit, there stood Jelidan, defender of the city, clad in her usual leathers, almost quivering in anger. As the
flash of light from where her blade caught the overhead light faded, Jade saw that the color of her scabbard had changed color. Indeed, it looked like the
work-out clothes were tightly wrapped around it. Thinking back, Jack realised that it had been the same color as her outer jacket, so it must have been wrapped
around it previously as well.
Jack blinked, and then Jelidan was gone. She had not teleported, as there was a rushing of wind to mark her passing. Rather, she had run out of the room and
was now making her way out of the centre. She was running that fast, listening that intently to the whisperings of her blade.
Her voice floated back to Jack on the breeze, "Get to the shelter! And fix that Klaxon!"
The Ritki were coming...
But so was Jelidan...