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Post by Sharei on Dec 20, 2017 8:46:19 GMT -6
Isaac remained where he was for a half-second more before he jumped lightly to his feet. He did not offer his hand for the other officer, sensing that Stenson would take it as a show of pity instead of an offer of assistance, and instead focused on straightening out his tie while the agent clambered up to his feet behind him. With Brog now out of the way, having disappeared down one of the larger exits, the room was empty save for the two of them.
"You failed in your basic threat assessment," Isaac said with all the tact of a boulder down a hill. "You also failed to initiate the correct type of contact with the target you did choose to engage. Your priorities were in line when it came to the preservation of life, but your execution was lacking. Overall your performance barely qualified you for Bronze. If you intend to go after Silver, you had better try harder."
The little girl that Stenson had left in the locker kicked open the locker door and slid from the metal interior. She landed in a poof of frilly dress on the floor, got up, dusted herself off and tottered over to where her arm lay discarded on the floor. The little girl picked it up and reconnected it at the shoulder, shadow melding to shadow, before curtsying to the pair of them.
Isaac adjusted the cuff of his suit coat and finally turned around to regard Stenson. His expression was flat and unimpressed. "Tell me what you did wrong in that exercise."
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Dec 20, 2017 18:58:31 GMT -6
When Isaac finally lifted from Stenson's back, Stenson did eventually pull himself back to his feet. He hadn't necessarily expected any offering of help, this was training afterall, and therefore thought nothing of doing it on his own. He stood, looking slightly dejected, and watched as the little shadow girl stumbled from the locker and pranced over to her arm which was reattached with little to no effort or discomfort on her end before offering another innocent curtsey.
Isaac, who had given a small assessment as if the training had been a test or exam into the next rank, now regarded Stenson with a question. "Tell me what you did wrong in that exercise."
Stenson rolled his shoulders a bit, wanting to say "everything" but knew better than to just give a general one word answer. Remembering back to all the mistakes, he analyzed them to put them together into words and straightened. When they were clear in his mind, he began to list them off in an obedient, monotone soldier-voiced format the way he would to any of his instructors.
"Overall distraction from combat. Misjudgement of the opponent. Misprioritization of focused targets. Failure to properly deflect and evade. Failure to properly analyze enemy weakpoints in a timely fashion. Failure to prevent civilian injury and collateral damage..."
With every flaw and mistake he listed, his spirit sunk farther and farther into himself. He'd been rushed through Bronze training, yes, and that was necessary due to his past many years as a police officer. Unless he wanted to start as a rookie, he needed to prove himself, but he always felt that doubt in these times of immense failure that he was cut out for WDSA, let alone Silver ranking. He tried not to let this show, however, as he remained straight, arms crossed behind his back and waiting for Isaac's response.
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Post by Sharei on Jan 6, 2018 11:27:31 GMT -6
"Quite right," the Director replied. "All of these things have a common root problem, Jones. Do you know what that problem is?"
Isaac's hands drifted over the front of his suit coat. He undid the buttons and elegantly pulled off the black material. A flick of shadow had the jacket hanging neatly on a hanger in the hallway, where he would retrieve it later.
"You seem to have an inflated sense of self-worth," Isaac continued mildly. He undid his silver cufflinks and stashed them in his pocket, and with careful, practiced movements began to roll up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. "Just because you have a history as a police officer and were rushed through Bronze training does not mean that you are anything special. Perhaps I was wrong to afford you discriminatory treatment. I now see that a firmer hand is required. Or am I wrong?"
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jan 6, 2018 12:59:17 GMT -6
Stenson thought hard on Isaac's words. High self worth? That was a new one, as Stenson had never quite considered himself as such. But perhaps his constant mess-ups made it seem that way? His true fault was in his unwillingness to extend his efforts to fulfill his full potential, but Stenson unfortunately did not see this. Instead, he prefered to rely on old experience, and this he did know. He needed to step up to the plate. Even during the rushed Bronze training, he felt there was always more he could do but...why did he not resort to doing what he knew he could do? Afterwards, he always felt he'd neglected to rise to the occasion in order to obtain success in the goals that his instructors had set for him. He knew there was always more he could've done, but in the heat of the moment, he blanked. He simply stuck to his guns, the same ones that had kept him hidden and out of notice for all his years on the force. At least..in the real world.
Stenson looked down in shame, knowing how all this might appear to Isaac. His superior truly did see him as self-absorbed and that Stenson did perhaps see himself as 'special', but in his own mind, Stenson had struggled with the opposite. To him, everyone else was special, and he greatly struggled with seeing himself as such. His obstacles, his opponenets, were all immense challenges even in Bronze training, and yet he never once considered that he would be allowed to be 'special' in order to face them.
Isaac presented the question of a common root problem as he removed his jacket, and Stenson quietly mulled over what he suspected was that problem. And, for the first time, Stenson spoke up.
"Sir. With no disrespect, I do know the problem. And no, I have never wanted to be treated as special. All of this is special. I...don't know why I have such a problem with meeting the requirements. I know what I must do, I just..." He just...what? Could it be that Isaac was right, that he needed to be pushed back into full Bronze training before continuing with Silver? He wouldn't necessarily be against it...afterall. It was clear, even in Isaac's opinion, that he wasn't ready. But, was he ever really ready?
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Post by Sharei on Jan 6, 2018 13:27:22 GMT -6
"You just, what, Jones?"
Isaac tucked the last fold of his sleeve at his elbow and flexed the fingers of one hand. They were long and agile, complimenting a long palm, but his forearms were well toned and muscular, hinting at what could be found beneath the rest of his clothes. The professional suit and tie gambit hid a surprising physique beneath the veneer of sophistication, and had often served him well in fooling prey.
"You have a hang-up. Anyone with eyes can see it. You've spent so long trying to be something that you're not that you can't bring yourself to use it when it really matters. Your old experiences are enough, you tell yourself. I've never needed it before, I don't need it now. I can do this. It'll be fine."
Isaac took a slow, predatory step forward. He circled around Stenson as a shark might circle a kill. "That's awfully self-absorbed, Jones. What about you makes you think that your second-best is acceptable?" The lights above dimmed more, casting deep pools of darkness in the corners of the training gym. The lockers looked like hulking shadows on the far wall. "Hundreds of agents have passed through here before you trying their hardest and never made it. I find it arrogance of the highest order that you think, that you would tell yourself, that you don't have to try as much as they did."
The bulb on the far end of the room sputtered, and Isaac's eyes glowed like coal fires in the growing dark. "Your B-game isn't good enough. If you want to play in the arena with the big kids, you're going to have to start bringing out your A-game."
Isaac stopped when he was standing in front of Stenson again. "Its hard, I know. Unconscious blocks can be difficult to dislodge. But you need to get past this. So, as I said, a firmer hand."
A slow, creeping smile formed on the Director's lips. "Hit me, Jones. If you can't, you're fired, and you can go back to playing with the toddlers in the sandbox."
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jan 6, 2018 13:52:08 GMT -6
With each and every hard truth Isaac spelled out to Stenson, he began to think that perhaps he was acting a bit self-absorbed. He'd never consciously made an effort to remain restrictive of his abilities especially with the intention of seeming as if he was 'better than his opponents' because he was holding back, it had just always been second nature to him. A rule of thumb, a necessity for survival in the human world. But now, in this world of supers, he began to see that yes, it was incredibly arrogant even if he didn't mean it to be.
Isaac then presented a threatening challenge to Stenson, the cost of which was quite literally his job and future within the WDSA. Even though it stung to hear, Stenson had already resolved to accept the consequences if he did not prove himself worthy of working for the WDSA, especially now that the very possibility of him losing his job had finally loomed over him.
He glanced over Isaac rather quickly, noting the man's physique which had been hidden beneath the professional Director's suit jacket he'd just taken off. Not that Stenson didn't suspect someone of Isaac's caliber and rank to keep in shape, but seeing that this new opponent did have some muscle to him was still enlightening. He had to admit, he was at least grateful Isaac was not the size and bulk of Brog, and wondered if perhaps he could in fact rise to this challenge. However, this time, he forced himself not to hold back on his own strength even if this new opponent was smaller.
A short pause, as if he was hesitating, and soon Stenson had stepped back into a fighting stance and was quickly throwing a harder-than-normal punch towards Isaac. One that he hoped was not held back by his old habits and would connect.
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Post by Sharei on Jan 6, 2018 14:25:10 GMT -6
Stenson had good form, and the punch was well aimed, but the fist passed through nothing but air as Isaac stepped to the side of the blow with liquid grace. The sharp-edged smile he sent Stenson's way showed off the glint of his fangs in the darkness.
"You didn't think that I would make that easy, did you?" he demanded, and planted one hand on the gargoyle's wrist. Though Stenson was probably stronger in an out and out contest of physical power, Isaac knew that he was probably faster. He moved into the other man's personal space from the outside, and with his hand still on the offier's arm, hauled back his other hand and leveraged a sharp jab for Stenson's face.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jan 6, 2018 16:59:25 GMT -6
Stenson felt the jab connect with his own face before he even realized he'd completely missed hitting Isaac. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn he'd just punched himself.
'He's so fast!' Stenson thought to himself in shock.
The blow knocked him from his stance slightly and the side of his jaw stung from the impact. His hands were up again in defense as he caught his balance, and he could already feel the heat of a bruise starting where Isaac's fist had connected. He could feel Isaac's other hand upon his wrist, and he quickly made to counter-grapple with the other man in retaliation before Isaac could decide to let go. Stenson rotated his own arm and wrist under Isaac's grip and made an attempt to grab the hand now holding his own arm so that he could pull Isaac into his next swing. This time, however, the skin of his jaw and face had begun to harden in preparation for Isaac's next hit. The change was subtle, only a slight darkening of the grey skin on those areas as they turned from flesh to granite in seconds.
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Post by Sharei on Jan 6, 2018 18:15:59 GMT -6
Stenson turned his wrist over in an attempt to grab the Director in a reverse grapple, but Isaac felt the motion before he saw it. As the gargoyle's fingers started to close over his arm Isaac let go of Stenson and slipped easily out of reach. While he was confident in his ability to win what essentially amounted to punching down, he was not fool enough to let Stenson get a hold of him so early in the bout. For all of Isaac's skill and power, Stenson was stronger than he was, and a grapple was a bad place for a ranged fighter whose body could break apart if they were hit hard enough.
The point of this, also, was not to get hit at all.
Isaac danced back from Stenson on quick feet and disappeared as the shadows of the room swallowed him up. He reappeared a couple dozen feet away, down at the other end of the gym, with one knee on the ground in a crouch. He was not injured though, nor was he planning to close the gap again. Instead, Isaac placed his hand on the ground in front of him. The darkness seethed and roiled, and a massive head and shoulders began to rise out of the floor. It didn't take near as long as one would have expected to carve the golem, and if Stenson chose to rush him, Isaac would already be done by the time that he reached the pair.
The golem itself was made out of black shadow like the girl had been, but it was much larger, with a helmet-covered head bigger than Stenson was tall. Isaac sat perched on one of its plated shoulders, reclining almost lazily in the crook between its pauldron and the gorget. The rest of it was similarly armored, with huge gauntlets and massive, crushing boots. It had no weapon, but the black, fathomless eyes that peered out through the helmet suggested that it didn't need one.
"This is a fight for survival, Jones," Isaac warned as the golem lifted one of its massive feet and tried to step on the agent. It was a good thing that the ceilings in here were tall enough to support aerial combat. "I'm not going to hold back. I will be trying to hurt you, just like everyone you fight out there is going to. Best be prepared."
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jan 6, 2018 18:52:13 GMT -6
Once again, Stenson's fist hit nothing but air, and the hand that he was about to grapple disappeared from within the circle of his own hand. Stenson nearly stumbled as his opponent vanished, not quite expecting Isaac to disappear so quickly and spotted him crouching a good distance away. The speed at which Isaac was able to move began to wear on Stenson's hopes of ever catching him, let alone landing any kind of hit on him.
Just then, shadows in the room began to move and pool at a point near Isaac. Stenson watched in silent amazement as a helmeted head and shoulders began to rise from the very ground, taking shape into a massive shadow golem of sorts. He'd never expected such skill or abilities from Isaac, or any vampire for that matter. This was nothing short of incredible. And frightening. Soon, Isaac was perched lazily on the thing's shoulder as it raised a foot to stomp at Stenson who was still on the ground craning his neck to look up at the golem.
Diving to the side, Stenson rolled out of the giant foot's way right as it pounded into the ground where he once stood. His blood rushed in his ears and the ground seemed to leap beneath him from the impact.
"This is a fight for survival, Jones." Isaac called down in warning, "I'm not going to hold back. I will be trying to hurt you, just like everyone you fight out there is going to. Best be prepared."
Once more, Stenson's subconscious seemed stubbornly focused on keeping the thought of resorting to greater measure from the gargoyle's thoughts. Stenson quickly attempted to assess his opponent from the ground up, and instead of relying on the obvious answer, he was already auto-piloting into running for one of the thing's legs. He leaped mid-sprint and wrapped his arms around the golem's armored shin before delivering a granite-hardened punch to the back of the thing's knee in an attempt to cripple it. He did at least manage to granite the skin of his shoulders and head as well, in case the thing attempted to swat him off, which he would make his best attempt at shifting about to avoid getting hit at all.
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Post by Sharei on Jan 22, 2018 18:02:50 GMT -6
"What do you think you're trying to accomplish, Jones?" Isaac shouted, his voice carrying over the noise of the golem as it shook its leg violently in an attempt to dislodge the being clinging to it. It seemed no more bothered by Stenson's attack than if a fly had landed on it. In fact, the shadow beneath Stenson's hand was still cool and solid, with no give like one would expect of muscle. It had little more than the faintest dent to suggest that it had even been hit at all.
"Volume two of Occult Studies, chapter four, Magical Constructs. 'A construct is an animated object or artificially created creature brought to life by practitioners of magic. Most true constructs possess no skeletal or muscular structure and do not need the basic necessities for survival'," Isaac chastised. "You can't honestly have expected that to work! Stop treating this like its even remotely similar to your days as a beat cop."
If the golem had no success at shaking Stenson off, it tried a different tactic. It would reach down with one massive hand to grab Stenson and peel him off that way.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jan 22, 2018 19:13:17 GMT -6
Stenson's grip on the thing very quickly began to slip, and even as Isaac explained idly from its shoulder how Stenson's attacks would be in vain, he came to realize it on his own nonetheless. He was making one mistake after the next. Of course, constructs weren't of flesh and bone, they never were. He knew that, and yet still he successfully managed to embarrass himself before the Director of WDSA. His grip continued to slide with the violent jerking motions of the giant construct's leg until finally he felt a large hand pluck at him from above. Relinquishing his grip, Stenson fell to the ground and managed a half roll, half flop onto the hard mats below.
This wasn't going anywhere and he could feel himself beginning to crack on the inside from the pressure of trying to figure out what to do. The construct was so huge, and he had moments to think before it would come for him again. Something tightened instinctively in his chest as he stood up and braced himself for the golem's next move. Perhaps if it tried to kick at him again, he might be able to get a hold of it's grounded leg to try and push it off balance?
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Post by Sharei on May 6, 2018 15:53:12 GMT -6
Stenson still wasn't getting it. It seemed so obvious an answer that Isaac failed to understand how he could be struggling. He tipped his head to the side and regarded the agent with a rueful expression. Perhaps more than a firm hand was required, here - perhaps some handholding was in order. Isaac generally didn't like to do it, but sometimes there was no choice but to.
"Where are you aiming?"
The construct's arms raised above its head.
"You're letting yourself get sidetracked, Jones. You're not here to fight a construct. Constructs disappear when their caster is defeated. You need to hit me."
I have to alert his trainers to the fact that he's easily influenced... Isaac thought, imagining all the ways that could go wrong.
The construct's hands came together to form a pair of fists.
"And to do that, you need to let yourself out. You can't get to me if you can't get past it," Isaac growled.
The construct swung its hands down to pound Stenson into the ground.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on May 12, 2018 10:11:09 GMT -6
[Rolled an 8 for how bad the construct hit him, and a 16 for Sten's counter attempt, woo!]
"Where are you aiming?" Came Isaac's voice from above. "You're letting yourself get sidetracked, Jones. You're not here to fight a construct."
Slowly, the construct began to put both hands together into a fist, it's arms raising. Stenson looked to the director, to the construct, and then back to the Director. He raked through memories of all his schooling, his mind blank in the heat of the situation. He knew what he needed to do, but at the moment, it was a loss to him. Stress, exhaustion, and the fight itself filled the gap where answers to his puzzle should be, at least until Isaac continued.
"Constructs will disappear when their caster is defeated. You need to hit me. And to do that, you need to let yourself out. You can't get to me if you can't get past it."
Yes he knew that, Isaac had said that in the beginning. Hit me, and you win. That was the assignment. But now, of course, that was more than just the assignment, Isaac had given him the answer from the beginning. Stenson felt stupid, he should've-
The balled double-fist came down swift and unexpectedly which Stenson attempted to roll once more, but his tired limbs only gave him half an effort. The weight struck him square in the back from above, and Stenson felt both giant hands cover him in a slamming motion, pressing him into the ground. A sharp pain shot through the center of Stenson's shoulder blades, and terror struck him. In the darkness that followed, all of Stenson's fear, embarrassment, and frustration finally snapped. That moment of pain, the sudden scary thought that this thing was going to break his body, he saw flashes of the little shadow girl. She smiled at him, then opened her mouth in that silent scream when Isaac ripped her arm off. The girl was replaced by the little boy Jake from the school bus and how that little boy had looked at him pleadingly, tears streaming from his small, terrified eyes as the gunman had held the pistol to his head. Failure was not an option.
Stenson roared, the sound muffled but equally thunderous from under the construct's hands. Without realizing it, his head, face and shoulders had already begun to shift and reform, fangs sprouting from the muzzle that was his mouth. His arms and legs began to strengthen again, bones cracked and re positioned as his pained shoulders popped out to sprout two leathery wings that pushed up against the palms of the construct. Spikes and hornlets sprouted upon the crown of his head and along his back, and his ears lengthened at their tips, swiveling back flat against his head in anger. His knees and ankles bent into the digitigrade posture of his true self, each digit ending now in a curled, ivory talon. The muscles of his arms, legs, and torso bunched and coiled beneath thickened skin, giving him newfound strength.
Stenson planted his own hands to the ground beneath him, black claws digging into the mats, and pushed. The construct pushed back, but even with its own weight leaning down, it was being lifted ever so slightly from where it pinned the gargoyle. Beneath its hands, Stenson's wings unfurled to the sides and he gathered taloned feet beneath him so that he now resembled a gruesome, monstrous version of Atlas. With another grunting snarl, Stenson shoved the construct's hands skyward until he was able to sidestep from under them. Once free, Stenson turned, flared his new set of grey wings and bellowed up at the construct, orange eyes glaring with fierce light and only the vision of the children in his mind. Still, he needed to focus. Isaac. He needed to get at Isaac.
Charging forward, Stenson loped towards the construct in a half-gallop and with one strong pump of his wings, he launched himself up at the Director, slamming into the construct with razor, digging claws that kicked and pushed the Gargoyle up the side of the towering figure as if it were some kind of exotic rock-climbing wall. From afar, it might've even looked comically like the ugliest winged monkey now scaling the side of a giant, unsuspecting tourist.
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Post by Sharei on Jun 18, 2018 17:02:46 GMT -6
It was an easy thing to get past. Stenson had left himself open in several ways - the roaring challenge, the moment to flare his wings, the half-second's pause right before he launched himself at the construct. Isaac could have struck him in any of those moments, and the fanfare itself meant he had time to recover, even if his giant black creation was reeling under his feet. He could have dodged it.
But that would have been counter-productive to Isaac's intentions. Stenson had finally transformed, and it was best to reward him for the action, rather than suggest it wouldn't matter even if he did. It sent the wrong kind of message.
So when Stenson collided with the construct he allowed it to wave, and tip, and lose balance. One of Stenson's claw-tipped hands swung out toward Isaac. He made a convincing attempt to launch himself away from the other man on the falling creature but fell short. Stenson struck him with enough force - perhaps more than Isaac had expected, even transformed - that he was sent flying into the gym's matted floor. He skidded to a stop several feet away, a nasty bruise already blossoming across the side of his face.
"Ugh," he groaned and tentatively touched the bruise with his fingertips. "Well done, Jones. You've won this round."
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