Tension Rising - Main thread [Fight or Flight]

[PicaPirate]

Kojiro

Kojiro scoffed at the idea that he would put the robot together. He would probably stare at the pile of metal in confusion and make a hut out of it like children do. Technology was by no means his strong suit, partially because it broke in his hands half the time. Have you ever tried using with superstrength a game controller and not pushing your thumb straight through?


(Ill answer for her as Proc is asleep)


"This lil runt is a berserker. The pissed she gets, the stronger. Helps take damage too I bet, seein' as ma punch ain't killed her yet! And yes boy, my power is to be raw as fuck and have strong muscle like mine!"


The man burst out laughing in jolliness with a hand on his torso. He ruffled the kids hair again. Julian was like a little sister to who him, someone who looked up to him and he cared for. After all, they did have essentially the same life philosophy, which is to HIT IT HARDER.





He looked around to see the other abilities at display. Hayden's demonstration had him rather in joy, it looked like he would be a blast to spar with. Well, that was for later to ask.


@ProcFailures @Prizzy Kriyze @tomio


Teru

"Well I suppose it teaches us how to fight these rogues without this time bringing down the gym. Plus I guess they want to do a proper assessment this time seeing as the last got interrupted."


He had an arm around Kiara's waist, the touch of her through her clothing was pleasant. He was suddenly remembered of yesterday, but threw out the thought as soon as it came. This was not the time to think of it, nor appropriate right now.


"People seem to be getting tired from this though a lot. I bet you they're gonna be doing stuff to alleviate that. I for one wouldn't mind, it would mean that my power won't be as tolling on me. Plus with more stamina, we can do more with the magic."


@Kharmin

 

[Shura]

Iren Winford


Iren sighed softly as she filled out the last of the forms and paper needed to finish the renovations and improvements to the school. She knew a lot of it was mostly for show since the work had already been done by Jon with out her knowing. However it was one of those a necessary evil to keep everything squared away should there by any kind of investigation or that sort. Iren sighed taking the last sip of Tea, she had been drinking too much coffee lately thanks to all of the stress. Tea was good however, still get the caffeine among other things that were much healthier.


The voice of the secretary came from the small speaker on her desk announcing the arrival of another graduate student. "Another one?" Iren muttered, she hadn't really expected so many to return to the school in such a short time. Hopefully it meant things would be safer on campus. Though some of the graduates tended to have more destructive natures than other. She rose from her seat and left her office figuring it best just to greet them outside since her office wasn't quite as orderly as it normally was.


She strolled causally through the short corridor which opened up to the secretary office. She spotted a young brunet standing by the front desk and warm smile crossed her face as she neared. "Brittney, It's good to see you again." She greeted.


@Kharmin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.df0bb10336c58beeefb5da71098b441f.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29154" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.df0bb10336c58beeefb5da71098b441f.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Brittany smiled warmly and her green eyes lit up at Iren's approach. She pointed her three fingers at the Academy's principal before speaking into her mind.


{{It's good to see you, too, ma'am}} Brittany said in Iren's mind, {{I only wish it weren't under such dramatic circumstances.}} Her smile turned a bit more serious as she continued, {{I heard the news and came as fast as I could. It looks far worse than was reported.}}


Brittany eased her gym bag to the floor alongside of her suitcase. She then crossed the short distance between them and embraced Iren in a brief, but warm, hug.


{{Is my old room still available, or did some undergrad take it?}} she asked. {{I'd like to get a quick shower – it was a terribly long flight – and get started wherever you need me most.}}


@Shura

 

[Shura]

Iren Winford


"Ah you not the only one, my dear." Iren replied honestly wishing the visit was for a better reason, however dwelling on the negatives never solved anything. She hugged the young woman back happily before pulling back. "Ah it has most likely been taken over by one of the undergrads. The other returning graduates are staying with in the staff housing however." She smirked slightly. "Bigger rooms and all." She chuckled. "Go on and get a new ID, It will give you access to the room. We can catch up later."

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.96b281c215b47a241725e987975cfac2.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29157" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.96b281c215b47a241725e987975cfac2.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Kiara leaned into Teru as he put his arm around her and she reciprocated by easing her arm around his waist. As they stood together, Kiara felt comforted and safe next to him confident in the knowledge that he would do whatever he felt was necessary to keep her safe. And, she would do the same.


"I'm bored," she remarked. "There's only so much I can do against a training dummy, and even that is minor compared to many of the other students here." Kiara shrugged. "Maybe the defenses classes will be more to my liking."


Kiara recalled the torrent of bullets that Teru had rained upon her shield the other day. The impact that had vaulted her violently agains the wall still burned in her memory. She hadn't expected the strength of Teru's attack and barely had time to put up a barrier behind her before she struck the wall behind her. Had she not acted quickly enough, she could have broken several bones or even her back.


At least she had that going for her talent. When she had some expectation of a possible threat, she was able to create her shield very, very quickly. And, from what she had seen thus far, Kiara was the only true defender talent in the entire class, which might make her ability more in demand than she thought.


"So," she asked Teru in a quiet, conspirator's voice, "what do you want to do after school?"


@PicaPirate

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.f2c63d431666d23b162daf8c49a1632b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29158" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.f2c63d431666d23b162daf8c49a1632b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> {{Fine, fine, I'll get settled, and then we should talk,}} Brittany replied. {{Are you occupied for lunch, or should we find a time after that?}}


Brittany collected her things and headed to the office where a new ID card could be made for her. Once done, she carted gym bag, suitcase and herself to the staff building, ascended the elevator to the fifth floor and found her room.


The small suite included it's own, small but servicable, bathroom along with a queen-sized bed, sturdy table and chair, and a matching lounging set. Heavy, dark blue curtains off-set the beige walls and held the room in relative darkness as the cloudy skies held back the sunlight.


Brittany set her suitcase next to the free-standing wardrobe, deposited her gym bag on the bed and crossed to the window. She pulled the curtains aside and peered down into the courtyard below. A flood of memories of her time as a student washed over her and Brittany felt content as if she had returned to a second home.


She unpacked a few items, hanging shirts and blouses to get the wrinkles of travel to fall out of them, and set her various toiletries around the bathroom. After a brief, hot shower, Brittany dressed in her business casual attire: dark blue dress pants, white blouse and matching blue jacket. She pulled her hair back and fixed it into place with a pair of barrettes that were decorated with red and yellow feathers and beads. A quick check on her make-up, she grabbed her ID card and set out from her room to explore the campus and see, first hand, how extensive the damage had been.


@Shura

 

[SkyGinge]

Jon collapsed against the bench, exhausted. Emily plopped herself down next to him, the pair of them breathing heavily.


"It's funny," Jon gasped, catching his breath, "That thing never gets any less terrifying no matter how many ties we go through it." The pair of them had now ben through the ordeal five times apiece, with very little progress. After Emily had inadvertantly startled him again the second time, they had agreed to stand further apart, but Jon had still found himself unable to fully focus to the extent that they needed. He had made a little progress, he felt, but the end outcome was still the same.


"It's not just the terror that gets me though," Emily nodded, and Jon nodded frantically in agreement.


"Oh, I know what you mean!" he said, a little loudly. "It's like... It just feels wrong. Like we're doing something we really shouldn't be." It was true: they had both felt sorry, strangely filled with guilt as the fog climaxed around them each time. Jon shuddered.


"Jon, voice," she mumbled with clenched teeth, and he realised he'd been speaking a little too loud.


"I'm sorry," he smiled apologetically. "It must be really hard for you."


"Please don't pity me," she said with a caring sigh. I presume that's why she doesn't want people knowing, in case they worry for her. He smiled sadly again. She's a lot more selfless than she lets on.


"I won't, don't worry," he assured her, just as Timestorm approached as before.


"That's enough for today," he nodded, "I will speak to Iren and arrange a time for you both. In the mean time, I have a science lesson for last year students which I need to attend. You should give this to whatever teacher is doing the trails," He handed Jon a sheet of paper explaining why they were late, with Timestorm's signature at the end. It looked more like a kind of artistic hieroglyphic, and Jon noticed just how poor Timestorm's handwriting was. It was almost uncanny given how collected and mannerly he always seemed. Jon looked up to make a comment, but like ever, the teacher was already walking off. However, he paused at the corner, tilted his head back. "Do not feel disheartened by the lack of progress," he stated, "These things take time, but with regular lessons I am sure we can have you almost completely ready by the end of this year alone. Good day."


"He hasn't half got a habit of making quiet exits, has he?" Jon asked, and Emily giggled slightly. "Come on then, we should be heading back to class." Jon groaned to his feet, fatigue set in once more. He wondered if with keeping up the new training he would ever feel refreshed and fully himself again. Emily was a little slower, fishing around in her bag for her headphones and putting them over her ears once more. With that, they headed off down the corridors in the interrupted course of the classroom.


After a few minutes of smalltalk, they arrived and instantly approached the teacher. The hall was amass with students and older graduates, though things seemed to have slackened down now and post people were slinking off at the back of the room in conversation. Things seemed surprisingly calm though given who their teacher was: a certain Mr Van Middlesworth, the instigator of the great ceiling table congregation. There seemed to be some kind of dummies against the far wall, some looking rather worse for wear. It was abuzz with raucous chatter and laughter, and he couldn't help but feel for Emily who was really getting a baptism of fire into the regular speaking world.


"Sorry we're late," Jon presented himself to one of the teachers, handing over Timestorm's note, "Professor Timestorm was giving us a little bit of tutoring. What exactly are we up to?"


@Godman or @The Kaosophile

 

[PicaPirate]

Teru chuckled at what she said. She was essentially as overtly defence as one could possibly get. She did have essentially have the power Iren was infamous for on a smaller scale. Maybe she should go see Iren to help her with her ability later in the form of tutoring of some sort.


Teru was appreciative of the arm around his waist. He really did feel with Kiara that though only have gotten together so recently, they trust each other more than probably most siblings do. Not to mention the fact they made a rather interesting tag team, with one pure offence and the other pure defence. They could probably both sit inside her force field as they shot at enemies all perfectly safe.


He was caught completely off-guard by Kiara's statement at the end. He hadn't thought on that at all.


"Skinning rabbits? You tell me." He said with an intonation which hinted something probably illegal to say publicly in a classroom.


@Kharmin

 

[Shura]

Morgan Winford


Morgan made her way through the academic bulling towards the class room where nicolas was holding class. Her boots quietly thud against the ground as whe moved at a brisk pace. The vice principal had traded her usual professional attire for something more suitable for training, black cargo pants and a gray shirt with a black jacket worn over. The sound of crashing could be heard echoing around the halls as the class went on. She smiled slightly interested to see how each student would be able to handle the next coarse.


The challenge its self was a staple in the school. All students had to run it a had full of times a year and it was one that only graduate students had been able to complete. She noticed the door knocked off its hinges and just shook her head before stepping into the room and observing for a few minutes. They all seemed strong in their own ways but there was many limitations and faults that had to be overcome if they were going to stand up to a real fight against an enemy that did not hold back. Once there was a moment of silence she called over from where she stood. "Looks like everyone is warmed up. Should we proceed to the challenge?"

 

[Robin man]

Malcolm looked over and saw a new person standing. She looked like a graduate to him. And she looked tough in her own rights. "And who are ma'am? You look like a graduate to me." For all he knew, she could've been in his class seven years ago.


@Shura

 

[GeneralZod]

Nikolas


Nikolas watched as the students finished up with showing off their powers. He couldn't wait until he showed them what the stamina training would be and it was one of the graduation tests. If Nikolas's memory served it was also the easiest graduation test, not just for him but for everyone. It didn't take long for Nikolas to notice Miss Morgan standing not too far off. Looking in her direction he nodded acknowledging her sudden appearance. After he had heard her question Nikolas promptly answered. "Yes they have just finished. The challenge awaits them!" Nikolas exclaimed happily only to hear Malcolm's question, he hid his disgust of him through cheerful words. "She is Miss Morgan Winford, the vice principal of the school." Nikolas turned his attention back to Miss Morgan. "Lead the way Madam!"

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.10cdf219e7966af97a009aec5e218c91.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29220" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.10cdf219e7966af97a009aec5e218c91.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Kiara scoffed at Teru's reply. "I think we could find bigger game to skin," she said softly, "but if it's rabbits you want ... "


She completely sensed Teru's tone. Kiara had similar thoughts in mind and was tempted to skip the rest of classes for the day. She knew better, but it didn't make the allurement any less strong. Her mind itched at the memory of their day off yesterday and in anticipation of them seeing each other when their classes were done.


Her internal musings were interrupted when Morgan entered the room. Kiara nudged Teru lightly in the ribs and then tilted her head toward the vice principal. "What's she doing here?" she asked curiously, not really expecting him to answer.


Kiara was surprised by the woman's attire. Having seen Morgan in her more business-like clothes, the outfit she currently wore was more like workout clothes. Was she going to show her talent against these targets? Kiara thought not really knowing what Morgan's talent was.


After Morgan made her brief inquiry, Kiara wondered about the challenge that was now mentioned. Wasn't this exercise their challenge? What could possibly be next and why would Morgan be dressed in such a manner for it?


@PicaPirate

 

[Shura]

Morgan Winford


Morgan was taken off guard by the older man asking about her, he looked familiar however she couldn't place the face. She didn't have nearly as good a memory as her mother. She could remember most students but not all of them. She smiled as Nikolas introduced her and nodded. "Vice principal but I also teach." She added before looking around to the rest of the group gathered in the auditorium finding a mix of graduates and students. Oh the challenge was definitely going to be interesting to watch...


"Alright everyone! Follow me." She announced to everyone in the auditorium, her voice loud but holding a surprisingly up beat tone for someone who dressed all in black and usually looked like she was going to kill someone. Morgan made her way out into the corridor and into the grand hall, which had livened up a fair bit in comparison to the early hours of the morning. She lead the way out to the back of the academics building where a large square arena of sorts stood where there was once grass. There were raised platforms two side of the arena and bleachers on the other two sides around the arena and large blocks of some kind of metal spread out evenly in the arena like some kind of grid.


Once everyone had gathered up Morgan stepped up onto one of the stairs leading up to the plat form so everyone could hear and see her.


"Alright everyone! For those of you who are new to the school this is The Grid. A time honored tradition here at The school. All students who have attended classes here have had to run this challenge on different degrees of difficulty. I'm sure you all did well against stationary targets however enemy's are not just going to stand there and let you hit them. The targets here will be moving and be fighting back. These blocks will act as cover as the targets will be firing paintball's at you. If you are hit five times your out, if you manage to catch all ten targets, congratulations you've manage to beat it. On this level of difficulty anyway."


She motioned to the graduates who had all been given painballs except for Kojiro who had been given balloons filled with paint. "There is a light upgrade in the difficulty this time around as the graduates here will be shooting from the platform while the rest of you will watch from the viewing areas. This is not meant to be an easy test, most do not make it very far on their first attempt so don't be discouraged. The only ones who have been able to complete the challenge are the graduates you see standing here." She announced before clapping her hands. "To demonstrate first how this works Nikolas will run the first round."


She looked over to the teleporting meta. "Shall we get started?"

 

[Robin man]

Malcolm smiled softly as he walked to the course. "This should be fun." He chuckled as he got a paintball gun. "So I try the target. Doesn't seem too hard. He very foggly remembers beating the course. And if it's as hard as the vice principal says, then he's impressed himself again. Then he got in position to shoot the students.

 

[Elegy]

Vladislav felt the weight of the paintball gun, growing accustomed to it within seconds. This reminded Vladislav of the times when he was in the war where he would have used modern weaponry much more than his swords as his ability only worked in a relatively small area. Vladislav became well versed with most rifles and had become particularly skilled with sniper rifles. Vladislav had his specialty as mobile infantry when he first joined the military, though when he obtained some value as a metahuman and capable combatant his role changed to that of an entrenched sniper. Vladislav was not the best out of the military in sharpshooting, but his fine eye for accuracy combined with endless hours of constant practice blossomed considerable skill with long range fire arms, which he used in conjunction with his valor to make his name distinguished enough to be promoted to an officer. Anyone well versed in recent history would know of Vladislav's valorous exploits in the war and quite a few students had been able to recognize him since his first appearance.

Vladislav twirled the paintball gun around his left arm adeptly and flipped it over his head in a swift, practiced motion before gracefully catching it with his right hand behind his back and flipped the rifle back back towards the students; this motion was part of the military march routine to look aesthetically appealing, or "cool" towards the citizens to garner support and Vladislav had practiced it thousands of times. It was a motion that aided in shifting Vladislav's mindset into a clearer, sharper one more suited to sharpshooting.

Vladislav smiled. He would not go easy on these students.

Most of the students that saw Vladislav became pale as they realized that they were in for one hell of a challenge to avoid Vladislav. Some of them shifted quickly away from Vladislav's center of sight to avoid him when the time for the exercise came.

Vladislav scanned the Grid and immediately took not of all the barricades and cover that the students could use, analyzing their dimensions and calculating angle of attack to subvert these barriers and blockades with the cold efficiency of a soldier that had seen eleven large scale battles.​

 

[GeneralZod]

Nikolas


Nikolas smiled ready to demonstrate. He held the record for quickest course time on any difficulty, though staff were only allowed to use levels 10 and 11 while students were only allowed 1-6 and non-staffed graduates could use levels 6-10. Nikolas drew his rapier and teleported into the grid. A loud buzzer was programmed in through speakers so you knew when to start, he silently counted down with each buzzer sound off. "1..." His muscles tightened and he drew his rapier. "2..." He tilted his hat so he could get a better view of the grid. "3..."


The paint balls immediately fired off as he disappeared right on top of one target with his rapier directly through it. One down. He teleported again with his rapier through two of them conveniently lined up. Three down. On his third teleported he laid down on the floor and stabbed the dummy through the bottom. Four down. He teleported behind a wall as he let the dummies try to fire in his direction. While the dummies were busy firing in one direction he teleported behind one stabbed it then moved on and with a quick horizontal slash he cut through another. Six down. Nikolas teleported behind one and ran his rapier through it upping the count. Seven down. He finished off the last two by teleporting on top of one, kicking it onto a then impaled it through the wall. Eight down. He teleported to one of them, swung his sword to it had gotten halfway through the body as he teleported mid swing and to the side of another finishing the swing and taking down the last one. Finished.


He teleported back up to where everyone is watching. "That is the challenge. As you will notice I have not been marked by a single shot, spare the occasional splatter and my challenge was at the difficulty of 11. Yours shall be level 1." He did a quick 360 showing off the lack of large paint marks on his clothes indicating that while he had not been directly hit the paint splatter had gotten on his clothes.

 

[Shura]

Hit and Run

Objective:


Hit all 10 targets while trying not to get hit. Targets will be moving randomly along the track at a rate of 15 miles/hour. If you are hit 5 times you are out.


Setting:


There is a large square arena (Click here for image) The large blocks are 3ft by 3ft and 7ft tall and spaced 6 ft a part. They are made of solid tungsten. (Extremely heavy, and extremely durable. Kojiro is only able to dent it) There are tracks running in between the blocks in a grid which the dummy targets zip around on while rigged to shoot pintballs at random.


Graduate students


Positioned along the outside of the arena on a slightly raised platform armed with paintball guns to shoot at their leisure. Kojiro will be throwing large balloons filled with paint.


Note: Mica will be using illusions to project false targets and other nonsensical things. (Please do not metagame for this)


Rules


- You cannot interfere with the track or movement of the dummies


- targets must be hit with enough force to count as a solid punch even when using small objects.


- Walls and floors are extremely durable so damaging would be very difficult.


- Have to stay with in the grid.


- Graduate students are not allowed to make any head shots


Reason


Test and practice


- Awareness


- Quick Thinking and adaptability


- Combat readiness against multiple targets and attacks


Please be careful with metagaming. Just because you know something doesn't mean your character does as well. This a difficult test one that most students even on level one takes months of training to complete.

Given that this is the first time these students are running the coarse so most are expected to do okay but not pass. Most should only get about 3-4 targets at most given that the graduate students are making it more difficult. Later on students will get better and be able to beat challenge. It's a bit extreme but given that they will be fighting very powerful metas in the future its a good starting point that's relatively harmless.

​

 

[GeneralZod]

Nikolas


Nikolas looked around at the group of students who did not look too thrilled. "Come! It is wonderfully fun!" He looked to the students instantly recalling the injured student, what was her name? Sen? He looked for her in the crowd as he approached her to tell her she didn't have to go through with it given her injury. "I hope you are aware you do not have to do this, you are still recovering after all and the last thing you want to do is be hurt further." He was honest and hated seeing a student get hurt. "You can just take it later once you are at full strength."

 

[Wrath Of Athena]

Madison let go of Mark, then followed Morgan and the rest of the students. She began to get nervous as Morgan explained the training exercise. I can't do that! Then saw that no one else was volunteering to go through the course... She raised her hand, then said "I guess I'll go first..." She walked into the course, then walked to the entrance to the course. The first buzzer went off. Madison clenched her fists nervously. The second buzzer went off. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. The third buzzer went off. Madison immediately made a portal next to her and one right next to the first target, stepping through it and punching the target. That's one dow- Her thoughts were interrupted by a paintball hitting her square in the back. Ow! That really hurts! She ran towards the next one, but was hit again, this time right in the chest. She stumbled backwards, then was hit again, in the shoulder. She hit her head on one of the obstacles, but not too hard. Then she saw a purple dinosaur... What the fuck?! Gah, must be the hit on the head. She tried creating another portal to a target, but as soon as she did, a paintball went flying through it, hitting her in the head. OW! "FUCK!" She swore aloud. The portal closed, and one final paintball hit her in the leg, the same place where she was stabbed the other day, causing a lot more pain than it would have normally caused, and she fell to the ground in extreme pain, the challenge over.

 

[Elegy]

Ardghal shrugged and also went up to the grid after witnessing Madison's failure. He knew he could never hope to finish this exercise because his powers were not suited to this sort of multi-target exercise. Nor was Ardghal used to anything like this, as his combat experience only came from fistfight brawls in a fight ring. He did know how to dodge projectiles rather well due to his sensitive hearing, motion tracking eyes, thermal receptors and vibration sensing, but these enhanced senses would not help him to hit the dummies which was the objective. Fionne went with him, cautiously curling around his neck, serving as another pair of eyes. By faint bodily vibrations, she could signal impending danger to Ardghal even when he couldn't see it, which further increased his evasive ability.


"I'll go next then" said Ardghal calmly, with no hint of anxiety or worry in his voice as he had no expectations to be crushed to begin with.


The first buzzer went off.


Ardghal breathed in.


The second buzzer went off.


Ardghal exhaled.


The third buzzer went off.


Ardghal focused his concentration around his environment with burning intensity, the same intensity a snake would view its prey with for tens of minutes with unerring concentration.


Thup thup thup thup thup thup


The sound of paintballs being fired.


Ardghal pinpointed around six of these paintballs in mid air, his sensitive eyes tracking down their trajectory, the paintballs to to Ardghal's side emitted vibrations which reached Ardghal a second before the paintballs themselves did. Fionne signalled the position of paintballs behind Ardghal.


Ardghal readied himself, his muscles tensing as he prepared to dodge.


The resulting series of movements was like a wild dance. Ardghal twisted, turned, contorted, bent over, jumped, rolled, and crouched with alacrity, evading paintballs from all directions. He performed agile and acrobatic maneuvers quickly and gracefully. Although a casual observer would think Ardghal to be clearing this with ease due to his ability to dodge these paintballs, they would be sorely wrong. Ardghal was not gaining any ground. He moved forward towards a dummy, before being forced to dodge three more paintballs by moving back, losing his ground. Ardghal was accomplishing nothing, and because he had no reliable way to close the gap between himself and the dummies, he would never be able to succeed. Ardghal began to redirect his evasive maneuvers by moving forward and backwards while going slowly sideways, allowing him to dodge the paintballs while getting some ground although this meant that he could only take out the dummies to his left. They numbered an outstanding one, and Ardghal quickly jabbed it's head to claim one dummy, his only dummy, to his success.


Ardghal swayed to his right, dodging another paintball before performing a flip to dodge two more. As soon as he landed, he arced his back to dodge two more paintballs before becoming tired. As he attempted to perform another flip to dodge a volley, he was hit twice in the back. Realizing he had no chance, Ardghal just stood still and let himself be hit by the last paintball, catching it in his hand, before shrugging nonchalantly again. The challenge was over, Ardghal had gotten even less dummies than Madison. He took a few moments to catch his breath before calmly strolling out, covered in a splatters of pain. Fionne peeked out from under his shirt, unscathed due to the protective layer of cloth she had hid under after Ardghal was hit by the first paintball.

​

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


Sen looked over the course with a bit of uncertainty and anxiety. It looked impossible really, even as the assistant teacher teleported around, managing to just barely keep up with the targets. Granted, that was on a higher setting however it still seemed almost too hard to even attempt. She frowned slightly wondering if she could even try to do it. Her eyes moved from the Grid to Nikolas as he informed her she didn't have to try it, which was a relief.


When Madison volunteered Sen recognized the girl from the fight that happened in the gym. She was the ones who was in the infirmary and got hurt as well, if memory served her right. She watched curiously, smiling slightly when Madison hit the first target.Then things just went down hill from there. The girl put up a good run but the course was still very difficult. Sen cringed in sympathy pain as the girl was shot in the leg and collapsed. She rubbed her own injury subconsciously watching as Nikolas helped the girl off the grid.


"If she gave it a shot I should at least try..." She muttered softly to her self as the next person stepped up. She had to say the strange pale guy was very good, it looked like he was dancing around the grid for most of it but the paint caught up to him in the air. Still it was very impressive.


Sen raised her hand as they called next. She moved through the group and approached the grid, getting a strange look from Nikolas who was most likely worried about her. She just shrugged slightly "Rogues aren't exactly going to just wait until I'm all better." She shifted her stormy gray gaze to the grid feeling anxiety clench up in her stomach but took a deep breath before entering. The buzzer reset and she watched it intently. She didn't have a whole lot to work with. She remembered the chain connecting her wallet and smirked slightly pulling it under her control. She noticed the pillars were made out of some unfamiliar metal as well which could work as a last resort.


1. 2. 3. BUZZ


Sen ducked behind the nearest wall as a wave of paint balls were fired her way plats of multi colored paint spraying all over the sides. Sen quickly pulled the lings to the chain apart reforming them into small stainless steel pellets. A stinging pain caught her right shoulder, making her wince, but she started moving again, adrenalin starting to kick in. She saw several of the targets zipping around and shot half of the pellets hoping to catch one, which unfortunately she missed. However someone else didn't as another shock of pain hit her square in the back "Fucking hell.." She growled, stumbling forward but turning it into forward momentum to keep moving. Another gimps of movement and she shot two more hitting one. She rounded a corner getting tagged aground in the right shoulder for not being quick enough and spotted another one. She scattered the last she had, missing one of the targets completely but luckily hit another.


The one she missed however struck her in the chest. She saw several more targets slide into the same row as her and panicked. The pillars! She tried grabbing the metal from the pillars but to her dismay the metal was dense heavy and hard to mold. The second taken to try and use her surrounding to her advantage backfired. Another shot to back, most likely from one of the grads meant that she was out. Unfortunately the bots that had targeted her fired hitting her with several more paintball from various sides. Sen stumbled back, one of the pillars being the only thing keeping her from falling back completely. Somewhere in the barrage a buzzer had gone off sounding the end of the round, but Sen barely heard.


Sen panted heavily but managed to push off the wall and head towards the exit which was thankfully close, she hadn't exactly gotten very far at all really. Adrenalin was already starting to leave her system and her leg was throbbing with sharp stabs of pain. She plopped herself on the closest bench with a small hiss in pain just wanting to sit after the admittedly stupid stunt. Still whether by skill or pure luck she managed to tag two while not being able to move much. Hopefully her leg wound heal soon and she would be able to move freely and maybe catch one or two more.


@Godman873

 

[PicaPirate]

Teru

He looked over the course, already dreading doing it. He turned to Kiara, who appeared to have given up all hope at this point already. Looks like she would need some convincing.


"You better do this too if I'm doing something as crazy as this." He said in a less than serious tone.


Entering the stage, he breathed out slowly. 3.


Teru flexed his fingers, ready for firing bullets. 12.7mm AP rounds with the hope of multiple penetration.


2. The clicking of the reloading and checking of paintball guns echoed the otherwise silent room, watching with fascination his to be performance.


1. The started feeling a bit...odd. Wait wait wait WAS THAT A TYRANOSAURU-


*BUZZZZZZZZ*


Teru started with a combat roll to the side of the block so he was not in the line of fire of the graduates. But one had bombs, so he had to move soon.


And a dinosaur can't exist so...bollocks.


One of the graduates must be messing with their minds. Fan-fucking-tastic.


A paintbomb as he predicted splashed near him and Teru just about dodged it with a roll....right into a paintball at his back.


Teru saw two targets and clicked as he moved. Only one of them could be heard connecting though, so the other must have been an illusion.


He saw another target and he fired, but went straight through. That one second to watch the result left him open and was fired upon again and hit his calf. Ow.


He saw two targets from opposite ends firing. Teru clicked to fire both ways, hitting both and ducking to dodge the crossfire of shots from the targets. They exploded mid air into one paint splat, getting him now for the third time.


Then the dinosaur came. They didnt exist so he ran straight through it...into another paintball. These guys were clever.


Once again a target came in target. Or three. Well then.


Teru fired at all three with only two connecting, the last an illusion. He then heard a roar from a man and a paintbomb landed at his feet.


5 targets. 5 paints. Incomplete.


Teru walked off taking off his shirt, ignoring the trousers for now.


His well built lean chest was visible from here.


"I must admit, that wasn't too shabby a performance."


He went back to Kiara's side, wondering if she was going to do it.


@Kharmin


@Everyonethere?


Sent from my stone tablet using Tapatalk because I used a Tardis.

 

[Gobbo]

Zach smiled his thanks, watching as Sen left. She was a nice girl, and one he certainly wouldn't mind getting to know better. His thoughts were interrupted by one of the nurses leading him back into one of the rooms. He figured he'd be there for a while, so he wasn't too concerned about getting back to class.


---


Gray stood off to the side, watching as the other students ran the course. He chuckled a bit, watching as they failed one by one. Of course, he didn't think he would do much better, but at least his speed and reflexes would help him out. He patiently waited his turn, stepping up after Teru was finished.


He let out a long sigh and pulled his blades from under his shirt, giving them a quick, spinning flourish as the timer counted down. When it hit zero he launched forward with enough speed to almost appear to have vanished. Before the start buzzer had even finished, the first target was in two pieces, Gray pausing for a moment to redirect his movement. In his mind he could see the paintballs flying at him in slow motion, which made it easy to dodge them as he shot around, aiming for the next three targets.


Sliding into place he brought his blades up in a quick strike, causing one of the three targets to split apart. He cursed under his breath, realizing that the other two were fakes, and quickly dodged to avoid a barrage of paintballs headed in his direction.


He misjudged the trajectory of one and brought his blade up, splitting it in half. He tried to avoid the paint splatter, but it would still register as a hit. Cursing again he shot like a bullet towards the next set of targets, hurtling right for a... dinosaur?!


Out of reflex he skidded to a stop and redirected, the dinosaur causing enough of a distraction to get hit by three paintballs before he could get back up to speed again. He shot towards the next set of targets, hacking them apart without slowing down. To the others, it would just look like another three targets just fell apart.


He shot towards cover, bringing his legs up to ricochet off towards the other targets, but as his feet touched the block he went right through it. He rotated his body like a cat to try and land on his feet, but failed, and was promptly lit up by a barrage of paintball fire. Five hits, five targets gone, the ordeal had only lasted a short few seconds. The buzzer went off and he stood, making his way back to the crowd. He looked dejected, as he was trying to clean the paint off his blades from the paintballs he had cut.


"That course is freakin' hard..."

 

[Procculus]

She liked today's activities. She growled in the sidelines as she watched the other students head on up first, and her lips curled upwards into a grin, the incisor-lined inside of her mouth gleaming in the light of day. Her heart started to pound on her chest, her blood began flowing once more. As more students went into the arena, the faster her heart beat, and the faster her blood flowed. The beast within her, the thing they called the Berserker, clawed at her insides, screaming at her to let it out. Only a portion of it had been released earlier, and it wanted all out, now, right at this moment. Her pupils narrowed and with a single bound, she leapt towards the starting line.


"Heh heh heh heh...hahahahaha..." a small chuckle rose from her as she straightened up to the buzzer counting down. She arched back, and let out a howling laugh that echoed through the hall. "HAH HAH HAH HAH HAHAHAHAHA!"


As soon as the buzzer rang, she sprang forwards on all fours, not unlike a wild animal bounding through the forest. She was led only by the want and need to destroy....destroy...destroydestroydestroybreakthemintopiecescrushthemturnthemalltodust. The targets began firing, and the graduated students began their own firing. Dumbasses. They can't stop her with such puny small arms fire. She sprang left and right, racing and weaving through the rounds fired at her.


"NUMBER ONE!" She gave a cry to indicate she would take her first victim, and took off to one of the pillars, and slammed her feet onto it, boosting herself towards one of the targets. It fired one shot at her. Her hand swatted it away, causing it to explode, covering her right arm in paint. That was the last shot the target fired, as her lunge at it ended with her arm through the torso. She retracted her arm, and spun around, only to have a paintball striking her across the shoulder.


A snarl rose from her lips and she bared her teeth. She dug her heels onto the ground and sprinted forwards to the next target. Her feet pounded on the ground, each step as heavy as the next, and cracks began to form on the earth as she sped towards the target, as it continued firing at her. She gave a roar of anger, her eyes widening, and her pupils dilating. She threw forwards her fists, punching each and every pellet aimed at her way out, spraying herself with kaleidoscopic colours. With a swipe of her backhand, she sent half of the target soaring into the sky. "SECOND ONE!"


"BZZZ!" came the buzzer, signifying that she had failed.


Julian, however, was lost. The Berserker took control, and she sprinted across the field once more, seeking the next target. In her clouded mind, she could saw, much to her surprise, some sort of giant reptile looming over her. That was going to have to go down as well. Anything in her way was going to have to deal with getting beaten down to the ground. "OUTTA THE WAY, LIZARD!" She reared her fist back and lunged forwards, and....


Promptly hit nothing. She stumbled and whirled around, looking for the giant thing that just vanished, her snarl still present.


"BZZZZZ"





"SHUT UP. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Julian punched one of the pillars. Her vision blurred slightly as her energy began to slip away from her. She took a step forwards and fell forwards. She felt like lead dropped into the sea as she tried to stand. Her hands clawed at the ground, attempting to drag her forwards. Her vision dimmed and spun out of control, and the world darkened slowly.


Julian's head hit the ground, and she remained motionless. Her energy was spent, and there would be nothing else for her until she ate something else.

 

[Kharmin]

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Kiara watched with feigned interest as Nikolas teleported around the range and successfully completed the task. "Well, sure," she said indignantly, "anyone should be able to complete this without all of the grad students shooting at you. I don't care what level it is, if you only have to contend with just the targets, this entire exercise is significantly easier."


Madison, Sen and a few others she hadn't met all attempted the Grid with the same failed results. "This is designed for failure," Kiara said with her hand in Teru's where they watched from the bleachers. With her free hand, she raked her hair back with a sigh.


She would have to attempt it, Kiara knew, if she wanted any chance to graduate. Success simply wasn't an option here; rather, the teachers were once again evaluating the students. With the grad students above, raining their own hellfire of paintballs the running of the Grid seemed more of a hazing ritual than a true test. The idea soured in Kiara's mind.


When Teru volunteered, Kiara replied with an annoyed, "Yeah, yeah, I know." She watched him as he worked his talent amongst the targets before his inevitable defeat. Kiara sighed.


She rose and headed to the entrance of the Grid. As she passed Teru, she handed him her sunglasses. "Nice effort. Keep these safe for me, will ya?" she asked.


Thoughts about how she would not completely embarrass herself echoed in her mind. Kiara was more concerned with a good showing than actual victory as she resigned herself to the fact that winning was simply not an option.


She entered and waited for the infernal timer to count down. At the last buzz, she took a deep breath and held it. The first barrage of paint was easily repelled by her dome-shield and her lip curled up in a wry grin. Kiara timed the initial assault, exhaled, dropped her shield and ran in a straight line toward the center of the Grid.


Paintballs whizzed by her as her speed was perhaps a bit more athletic than the grad students had given her credit. The swimming over the years gave Kiara strong, powerful legs that propelled her into the heart of the Grid unscathed. She knew that was the only chance; they would certainly find her an easier target as things progressed.


She stopped against one of the pillars, sucked in air and held her breath again. Paint again splattered all over the dome around her. When one of the targets came into view, she initiated her plan.


She exhaled and dropped her dome again. Then, she ran directly at the practice dummy while putting up a wall of force between them. Paintballs zeroed in on Kiara as two hits were scored. She ignored the pain of them as she was focused on her plan.


She reached the target which had plastered multiple rounds of paint on the invisible wall before it. Kiara juked around it, hurtled up on it's back and quickly re-asserted her dome.


Sea-green eyes grinned at her small victory. Kiara knew that she would never complete the course, but this little move might have at least raised a few eyebrows.


As she was carried around the tracks, she spied other targets homing in on her. With timing, and rapid exchanges of holding her breath and exhaling, Kiara managed to use small walls of force to slam against the heads of two targets, breaking their necks and putting them out of commission. She alternated between slamming force walls into heads and dome-shielding her and her mechanized mount with fair success.


Kiara was so entirely focused on her technique that she didn't keep track of the number of targets hit. It took all of her attention to shield and fire, shield and fire. After her first, two rapid successes, things immediately became more difficult. Targets she struck simply vanished and she realized that the illusionist was now taking extreme interest in her personal failure.


Still, Kiara continued in this vein. Her plan had merit, but with the additional, overhead assault it was doomed to failure. Three more targets were hit, and vanished as Kiara cursed under her breath at the illusionist. The randomness of the dummy on which she rode made targeting her more difficult, but between the grads above and the eight remaining automated dummies, Kiara's time was quickly running out.


She accepted two more hits without complaint. She force-walled the dummy on which she rode and broke its neck. Then, she dove to the side and dome-shielded herself against one of the pillars. Paint rained down on her as both the targets and the grad students realized the inevitability of her plight. Kiara couldn't hold her breath for ever, and everyone knew it.


She saw no further opportunities to score points, so she simply dropped her dome. Countless balls of paint instantly scored all over her and she crumpled under the assault with her hands over her head to protect it.


The final buzzer sounded and the barrage stopped. Kiara stood weakly. The exertion had taken its toll and her body now registered the pains and aches of probably hundreds of welts and bruises from that final assault. Wearily, she stood and braced herself against the column.


"How many did I get?" She asked as she exited the Grid in search of Teru.


@PicaPirate


@Godman873