(VII) Week 2 Submissions
22 posts in this topic.
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1,086 words! (Will likely write a lot more this week and track in my writer's corner thread, but posting here now so I don't forget.
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20-something lines so far.
LMS VII: Crimes in Diaspora -
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Yo.
Spoiler
“I need to test your mettle because I’m a battle specialist.” Lylatt continued. “How you battle gives me vital information on how you are, and how much I need to help you — which you’re going to need if I’m to accompany you. Not to worry, however: I’ll see to it that you aren’t put in any danger.”
“Okay… And what happens if I lose?”
“Fortunately for you, that is not the basis of my work. To answer your question: all losing will do for you is giving me more information on your fighting style, which in turn will give me more information on your very being. View this as an evaluation, as opposed to a test of strength.”
Valmond fell silent for a moment, visibly absorbing the information. “...So… So what would get me in trouble is if I don’t fight? Or if I lose on purpose, or if I’m so clumsy I don’t show you anything?”
Lylatt nodded in approval. He wasn’t planning any kind of punishment for the boy at this time — especially not after a successful summoning — but it was good he understood the gist of his situation. “Precisely. It would also make my job harder.”
A satisfied grin came to decorate Valmond’s. “Okay! I can do that. What are the rules?”
Lylatt reached for the large pouch behind his back, hidden behind the waist cape that concealed it. He pulled out a glowing blue crystal the size of his palm, and extended his hand. “This is a vitaspark. As we are linked by contract, I can more easily infuse you with some of my vigor; so, I will do so at the beginning of our spar and then aim to deplete said vigor. Once you're knocked out, this vitaspark will replenish your strength, and the sparring will end. The same will apply to me if you prevail instead."
"You have a spare, right?"
"Dozens."
"Okay cool."
"Now, you are expected to use everything you have on hand to knock me down once, and I will do so as well. Once we begin, none of our blows will be lethal to each other, so you can let loose.”
Valmond delicately took the item into his own hand, observing it with quiet interest. “Do I have to chant something else to activate it?”
“No, you just need to have it on your person. To make a long story short, it activates as soon as it needs to.”
“Right.” with a smooth motion from the hand, Valmond made the vitaspark vanish within one of his outfit’s inner pockets. “I’ll be right back!”
“Of course. I’ll get us ready.”
As Valmond leaped down the short flight of stairs, Lylatt calmly walked down instead, taking another good look at the temple. The altar behind them was barely elevated, and pleasant cold air whistled from above, courtesy of the opened roof. Pillars, broken and intact both, stood at the edges of the corridor leading to the altar, placed with perfect symmetry as if to frame the richly decorated blue carpet below. Then, far beyond Lylatt and Valmond both was a single door, which would no doubt serve as their exit once their business was complete.“Dome of dueling dread
Share thy Pulse and passion
Teach through tussle’s tale”
Lylatt felt the familiar pink light of his parluz emanate from his body. Outwardly, his entire armor began to glow in response, and a dome of light — this time transparent — once again burst from it. It retained the pink hue of Lylatt’s own light, pulsing rhythmically as if it were a gentle heartbeat.
“How… do you keep doing that?” Valmond said as he approached the new dome (wearing his shoulder bag), which quietly expanded further and further. “I know about your weapons, and your armor, but there was nothing about all this… light.”
“As we are outside my realm of residence, we can refer to it as its more common name: Pulse. Pulse’s light is energy, as it is an outward expression of the self. Though primarily used for communication, it can also be an amplifying agent of the will. And as you might see later, it can very much be weaponized.”
“So much of what you’re saying sounds so cool.” Valmond commented in return, shaking his head in disbelief as he entered the approaching light.
“I have a feeling you’ve been meaning to summon an Invoke for quite some time, based on your reactions.” Lylatt observed in return, amused once more.
“You have no idea.” a voice from within Valmond’s opened bag replied, sarcasm dripping from the sentence. Out of said bag came the creature: a metallic scarab-shaped doll with glowing cyan eyes, endlessly moving horn-like antennae, and cutely enough, a red scarf long enough to form a trail behind the creature’s wings. “Dreamy-eyed drama queen over here’s really into grand-sounding anything.”
“Hey man, summons are cool.” Valmond replied with a shrug. “I dunno what to tell you.”
Ignoring him to stay focused on Lylatt, the creature cocked his head to the side, narrowing his pupil-less eyes in a mixture of annoyance and resignation. “Do you even need my name?”
Lylatt smiled behind his helmet, very appreciative of such expressiveness. “You must be Aporia.”
“Uh-huh. And do we get to have yours? Your actual name.”
“When I’m off the ‘grand-sounding anything’, certainly.” Lylatt replied playfully. “If I were to speak in some version of familiar vernacular for you two, I’d say that my current verbose streak comes with the work shift. We’ll revisit colloquial bonding once I’m off the clock.”
Oh, you’re on your nine-to-five? Understandable.” Valmond said with an earnest laugh. “When’s your break?”
“My first one should be after meeting your party. Which should happen soon after our bout.” Lylatt gazed at Aporia. “If there are still any lingering trust issues by then, let me know — we’ll talk it out. Given my position and my title-name, I’m quite used to it.”
Aporia slowly nodded. “I guess that’s fair.” he briefly pointed at Valmond. “Val would say I’m just being grumpy. So…” then he shrugged in mid-air. “Yeah.”
1022 words in. Bit later than I wanted, but what can you do.
Y'all keep at it. -
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