Though the last week had in combat several tis, it had been longer than that since there was any Stargirl fanatic related trouble. Since I couldn't count anything related to patrols as being attacked, that ant Calculator's prediction was wrong. Or more likely just not as regular as actually once a week.
Training continued mostly as normal- power-based sparring, teamwork exercises, physical conditioning and the like. I was always busy in the Power Brigade, and if there was nothing filling my schedule I was supposed to find sothing. At the current mont I was participating in a trouble spotting and avoidance class. It was mandatory, though I did understand the basic ideas behind it. It was good to know a fight was coming.
This particular class was led by Telescope, who was one of the types that liked to wear fancy formal clothes. Her clothes didn't look practical to , but then again Francois was pretty good with his designs so the formal suit was likely more usable than it looked on the surface. We were in one of the training rooms that created functional terrain, looking at… well, that was the question wasn't it? "What do you see here?"
"A street," I said confidently. For so reason Telescope shook her head, as if that answer wasn't correct. But it was, I knew what streets looked like.
"An alley," said soone else in the class.
"A street intersecting with an alley?"
Finally, Telescope could endure no more. "It's a blind corner," she said.
So? I didn't ask that question aloud because I was hoping soone else would. But nobody did, and she continued.
"What's around the corner?" she asked.
Several of us began to step around the corner, and then… we were back where we started? That wasn't quite right. Maybe we were never moving to begin with. "You already ssed up," she said. "Anyone could be waiting around that corner to ambush you. Getting closer might be exactly what they want."
Nobody with an active power though. I was going to say that it didn't matter at that point, but I supposed there were exceptions. Like high power rifles and soone who could instantly activate sothing deadly. "None of us can see around corners though." Scrying wouldn't work since I didn't know who was there, if anyone, and it was not exactly quick. Similar definition abilities were too expensive or too slow to use on every corner.
"It's true that most people can't see around corners," Telescope agreed. "But I can."
"How does that help us?" one of the others asked.
"What's around the corner?" I asked.
"Soone waiting to club your head in," Telescope answered my question. "See how easy that was? But of course, if you don't have an ally with helpful sensory abilities, you have to fall back on more traditional thods like listening. Staying out of reach is usually sufficient as well- it prevents many incapacitation options or being dragged in. You just have to remain cognizant of what you're doing."
-----
There were no thugs waiting in the alleyway next to the coffee shop. Nor were there any in all of the other alleyways along my route. It was sowhat disappointing, but that was just how things were. I wasn't certain if I was supposed to draw them out onto the streets where it might endanger civilians or fight in the alley where they intended anyway. I guess I'd pick one based on what felt right at the mont.
Midnight was not with . He was not terribly far away, because he had no other business at the mont, but he was very specifically not present. Apparently there were reasons I should talk to Izzy and Midnight thought his presence would disrupt things sohow. I supposed I did owe her thanks for helping out Tylissa, but that didn't necessarily have to be said in person. It was just weird, because Izzy didn't really an anything to anymore.
I took note of the twisting feeling in my gut. Was it saying that was not true? I wasn't sure what guts knew about friendship and all that, but I stood by my earlier statent that we were not friends. We just used to be. My gut didn't have anything to say about that, and maybe the first ti it was just concerned about getting coffee, but I still had to note it.
Coffee was still bitter and I still didn't understand why people wanted it. The breakfast foods were good though. I slowly consud my food while I waited for Izzy. If she didn't show up I could just leave and it wouldn't be my fault nothing happened.
But she did show up as promised and then we had to sit awkwardly for a while. I supposed I should say sothing, since I had one of the actual reasons to et up again. "Thanks for helping out Tylissa. She didn't have anyone else who could teach her." A sip of my coffee. "I still owe you sothing."
"I'm… glad to help," Izzy said with little enthusiasm. Her next words were more convincing. "Tylissa is a nice woman. Hopefully having powers will help." Izzy frowned, "It's still weird that not everyone has class abilities."
"Right? It's crazy. There are all sorts of other powers too, but tons of people are left without. I barely get how people function." After that brief spurt of enthusiasm, the conversation fell off again. "... Do you want to go back?"
"I'm not even done with my sandwich," Izzy said.
"I ant back back, like to your world," I emphasized.
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"Oh," Izzy frowned, "I an… I don't know. What would I even do there? The sa thing as before. Here it's at least different. Kind of interesting. Not like I could go back anyway."
"I could… try to get you back," I said. "If you wanted. I know you ca here thinking… that things would be like they were. But they aren't."
"I know," Izzy nodded, the smallest cup in the place looking much too large between her hands as she stared at it. "Could you actually do it?"
"... Maybe. In a few levels." The thing I was thinking of would cost more than just one level's worth of points. And the mana cost would be most of my mana. It would be extrely difficult to cast, but if I got to sowhere around level 25, then using two-thirds of my mana I might be able to do sothing. "It might take longer than that, though."
"That seems like it's a bit early, then," Izzy said. "Given how long it takes you to level."
"Not anymore," I said, unable to keep the enthusiasm out of my voice. "I get in fights all the ti! Real ones. I'm sure I already told you I've been leveling up like crazy. I'm already level 22, you know?"
"Oh yeah. That's great!" she nodded. "I rember now. What could you do?"
"If I save 13 points from each level, I can get Gate," I said. "... Though I'm not completely sure I could cast it. I have so ideas though. Or maybe I could just find a portal. There were a lot of them around."
"Well don't… you don't need to hurry too much," Izzy said. "I'm doing alright here. I could stay a while, since it's sort of interesting here."
"Right," I nodded. "I can't even try right now anyway." Still needed those points. I definitely couldn't bank on learning it without, since… I had no idea how that worked. And everything I'd learned was of a much more reasonable level. The conversation was quiet for a while. How were social interactions supposed to work again? Usually they just happened. "So how's work?"
"I run packages around," Izzy said. "It's basically the sa. There's a decent market for hand carried things, since traffic is inconsistent. And I don't have a ton of expenses. Extra's housing is cheap."
"Kind of cramped though," I said.
"It's a lot bigger when you're my size," she pointed out. "Even the half-height rooms have a similar size floor plan."
"I'm surprised they have rooms like that, honestly," I said. "I don't exactly see a lot of other halflings. Though I suppose there are a few Martians like Zorphax."
Izzy shrugged, "It's not like anyone my size stands out in a crowd. Mostly when there's a weird gap."
We managed to have sothing that probably qualified as a casual conversation, so I was going to count this one as a success. I didn't feel like anything amazing was accomplished, though.
-----
Was I supposed to like the sounds of panicked civilians? I wasn't seeking out screams of terror for their own sake. We were going to protect them after all. I was just kind of excited because it ant there was sothing to do, and that sothing was probably fighting. "Moving onto the scene," I said tapping on my earpiece to activate the Power Brigade device.
I took the advice of rounding the corner at a liberal distance from my most recent classes, though in this case it didn't matter. I had Shockfire with and he was fairly certain it was Rodentia again, so he would have warned if any rats were too near. Robo-rats, that is. And indeed, the scene that filled my vision was quite obviously Rodentia's work. Robo-rats were there, swarming the scene… but this ti there was more. Rodentia herself was present, unless my eyes deceived .
Then I heard a loud chittering laughter. "Fools! This will be the last ti that anyone underestimates Rodentia! Fear the power of my cheese ray!"
I very quickly looked towards Shockfire. "Did I hear that right?"
"A freeze ray seems pretty off-brand," he shrugged.
My eyes flicked back forward to the scene as I felt sothing drawing in the mana in the area. It wasn't the activation of a power, or soone using magic. Instead, it was the device in Rodentia's hands. So sort of gun she pointed at soone, shooting a beam of yellow light. The man held up his arms to protect himself, but that just changed the origin point of the spreading color. After the beam faded I couldn't pick out the exact shade of cheese, but it was so sort that had holes but was generally yellow-orange.
"Did that guy just get turned into cheese?" Acid Man said from my other side.
"We've got to stop her quickly," I nodded. Fortunately, as we were heading closer to the situation we saw sothing that made the situation slightly less horrifying. Eventually. The rats sward the cheese-man, and within monts there was no cheese remaining. Fortunately, there was most of a man. Maybe a few little bites here and there, and almost certainly so ntal trauma, but curled up on the ground was better than being digested by robots.
Rodentia's head swiveled towards the three of us before we were in range to make a proper attack. Her eyes lingered only a mont on the three of us before her fake rat mask wiggled slightly. I wasn't sure what it was supposed to an.
"New test subjects!" Rodentia said excitedly. "Perfect."
I realized I had no idea how to counter a cheese ray. It certainly wasn't any sort of energy I knew of, and Stoneskin wouldn't do anything. Force Armor… might stop it. Shield would be better to keep it away from , if possible.
I looked for cover behind a light pole. I was fairly certain they were cheaper than cars, and there wouldn't be civilians complaining which was apparently worse than the governnt who knew so amount of collateral damage was inevitable. I was only partially covered as I tried to judge the distance Sonic Lance could go. And if it would be appropriate. Wasn't Rodentia just a woman? Exploding her might take her off the streets but it would be kind of frowned upon.
Acid Man was already charging forward. He was a good counter for the rats, but I was concerned about the cheese ray. He could make his own choices, however- and the consequences were quickly determined. He was an easy target so Rodentia focused her fire on him, striking his outstretched arm. As cheese began to coat Acid Man starting from that arm, he suddenly changed color, becoming green more than yellow. Then his body collapsed into a puddle, leaving behind an empty arm-shaped hunk of cheese that splattered on the ground next to him, and a little bit in him.
If we hadn't seen the effects on a civilian monts before I would have called him crazy, and I was still thinking about it just a little- fully aware what people thought about my proclivity for battle.
Since I couldn't do much damage to a widespread swarm, I tossed a Grease spell on a portion of the street between Rodentia and our side. So of the rats would be slowed there, maybe funneling towards the acid puddle, maybe not. Either way, it was a small expenditure that would provide so advantage while we stalled to let the rest of our squad arrive.
Author's note: I won't apologize for this. Cheese Ray had to happen.
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