Daxam

Scorched Earth

Everyone seems to be getting sick, lately. Pretty much everyone at my work was coughing, other than me.

Hope you feel better soon, @Skittlez!

Scorched Earth

Isaac Ryder

Isaac glanced over at Turzo when he heard him mention showing their lessers what true power was, but said nothing as he stepped into the shuttle. Not only did he not trust his voice to not betray his nerves, but he considered everyone fighting, friend and foe alike, his equal. Not only was not over-confident in his own power, though he knew he could hold his own, he felt that if he thought of himself above anyone, it would only bite him in the end.

A few minutes, the inertia of the launching shuttle made him sway in his seat and he took a deep breath to settle himself, despite the occasional tremor that rolled through the shuttle. Whether it was from turbulence or enemy fire, Isaac preferred not to think too hard about it. The battle was one thing. Once he was on the ground, he'd actually be able to do something to keep himself alive, but in the air, stuck in the confined space of the shuttle, where a lucky shot could spell death for everyone on board...Suffice it to say, Isaac was not the biggest fan of flying.

A few moments later, he felt the shuttle slow down as the front of the ship rose, he knew they were preparing to land. He stood up and joined Turzo at the shuttle doors as the craft touched down. He could feel the heat radiating from the former Vaimese mage and couldn't help but feel sorry for any enemy that crossed his path. As the doors opened, he took another deep breath and said to the other mages with him, the encouraging smile on his face masking his nervousness, "Good luck, everyone. See you all on the other side."

Before the door fully touched earth, Isaac bolted out from the relative safety of the shuttle. Rather than hang back and support the knights from behind, Isaac made a charge straight toward the combat, having quickly found the spot that needed his help the most. The hem of his coat shortened, the carbon material transforming into a black mist as his iron vest flowed out from his sleeves in silver, fluid-like tendrils. With practiced ease, Isaac combined the molecular structures of the two materials and soon had eight double-edged swords with exposed tangs hovering in the space near him. The moment he entered the fray, the weapons began to whirl around him, a personal hurricane of flashing steel and the bright crimson of his enemies. Despite the seemingly chaotic patterns of the weapons that flew around him, not a single one came close to harming his allies, despite the close quarters, thanks not only to the mastery of his magic, but also his finely honed sense of spatial awareness.

It was that spatial awareness that alerted Isaac to the approaching threat. He quickly turned around and shielded himself with his arm as an axe blade came down on him. The assailant looked at Isaac in shock, having not expected his attack to be stopped dead in its tracks, not knowing about the carbon nanotube material Isaac's coat was made of, nor did he know about the kinetic armor underneath. Capitalizing on the Vaimese soldier's surprise, Isaac called one of his swords to his hand and swung it upward, slicing through the haft of the soldier's weapon as two more blades flew into his chest with enough force to pierce through his armor. As the man fell to the ground and Isaac withdrew the weapons, he looked down at the soldier's lifeless body for a moment before he turned away. He threw himself back into the battle, a fresh desire to end it as soon as possible driving him forward.

Scorched Earth

@deadpixel101@Daxam you guys still wanna post?

@TheMerlin

Yeah, I'll get a post up in a bit! Sorry, holidays are a...time for me lol

Scorched Earth

I'll be able to get a post up tomorrow. I had to close at work tonight, but I've got an early shift tomorrow, so I should be able to get a post up after I get home

Scorched Earth

Isaac Ryder

A young man sat on a crate, observing the gleaming sphere hovering just above his right hand, covered up to his shoulder in black, angular tattoos. The sleeveless kinetic armor he wore was almost skintight, maximizing his mobility without skimping on protection. His shoulder-length black hair fell over his face as his silver eyes watched the matching sphere in his hand transform, becoming a cube, then a star, before becoming a sphere once more. Everyone had their own rituals, their ways to prepare for battle: meditation, having one last laugh with brothers- and sisters-in-arms, not knowing when or even if they'd see each other again. This small display of his power, a warm-up, was his ritual.

This wasn't the first battle Isaac had been a part of. The scar over his left eye throbbed, a memento from his first battle, where an enemy's blade had nearly taken his eye. He knew, however, that no matter how many dozens or hundreds of battles he fought, he would always dread it. Though he had long since learned to never hesitate and he was fully aware of what he had signed up for, the thought of having to take a life never sat well with him. His resolve, however, remained unshaken. Whatever it was that awaited them should the Empire win, Isaac knew it wouldn't be anything good.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the voice of Turzo Drunoda. Like everyone else, he was familiar with the Vaimese noble's past, at least so far as the fact that he had switched sides. Unlike most people, however, Isaac couldn't say he had too much of a problem with it. On one hand, he knew that he should be somewhat wary of the possibility that Drunoda could be a spy, but he felt that if the Empire wanted to send a spy, they wouldn't have sent someone so conspicuous. As for whether or not Drunoda might change sides and fight for his homeland in the end, again, Isaac couldn't bring himself to be worried. He knew enough about the Empire to know that if the ex-noble tried to go back, he would be even less well-received than he was by Belisio. Besides, Isaac was the kind of person who was always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt, at least until he was given a reason not to.

As the tension reached palpable heights and the din of conversation faded, Isaac sighed and rose to his feet. The sphere hovered in front of his chest before it pressed against him. It flattened out and spread over his chest, sides, and torso, becoming a solid vest of iron. Black mist issued out from the iron and surrounded his body. It solidified as he walked over to his fellow battlemages and by the time he took his place, he was wearing a long overcoat made of carbon. Like always, as he stood with his fellow soldiers, he felt underequipped, even among the other battlemages, but he also knew he was just as prepared for what was to come as anyone else.

Scorched Earth

Awesome, I'll get to writing tonight, assuming I don't lose power

Scorched Earth

Oh, does that mean it's my turn, then?

Scorched Earth

No problem, I'm nothing if not patient!

Scorched Earth

Finally got my CS up! Great to finally be working off some of this rust!

Scorched Earth

Isaac Ryder

Name:

Isaac Ryder

Appearance:

Hider

Alias(es):

The Steel Mage

Age:

26

Gender:

Male

Description:

Isaac stands at an even 6'0" and has an athletic, muscular build with shoulder-length black hair, silver eyes, and a scar over his left eye from a past battle. His right arm is also covered in tattoos, which he has had for as long as he could remember.

Role:

Battlemage

Specialty:

Close- to mid-range combat

Personality:

Isaac is best described as a calm, slow to anger, easy-going person. For the most part, he prefers to avoid violence, but he isn't one to shy away from the battlefield and will take to it with a grim determination. During his downtime, he's usually seen with a book in his hand, outside if possible, though he's always quick to help whenever needed. He will also always put an ally's safety over his own, a habit that had nearly gotten himself killed several times, already, though he doesn't seem in a hurry to change.

Background:

Isaac never knew his birth parents. What he did know is that he had been left at the doorstep of those whom he would grow to call his mother and father. Though he wasn't related to the couple by blood, they treated him like the child they never had, having never been able to conceive their own, and he returned their affections by working hard, both in his studies and around their home, during which time he discovered he enjoyed cooking. While they weren't rich, they were comfortable, and Isaac loved his life.

It was shortly after his sixteenth birthday that things changed. He was walking home one evening, groceries in hand, when he heard yelling from a nearby alleyway. Never having been one to sit by while someone might be in trouble, he decided to investigate and found a man and woman arguing. He stepped closer and attempted to play peacemaker, but it only angered the man further. Isaac knew the situation was escalating and did his best to calm the man down, but it was futile. The man pulled something out of his jacket, cold steel glinting in the low light of the alleyway, and moved toward the woman.

His body moved before he was even aware of it. Isaac dashed forward and put himself between the man and woman. He braced himself for the indescribable pain of the knife piercing his body, the warmth of his own blood flowing from the wound. But...it never came. He heard the man's shuddering breathing, but it didn't sound angry. It sounded...shocked, scared, even. And the object that pressed against Isaac's stomach was flat and felt nothing like the steel of a knife blade. When he opened his eyes, he looked down and saw the hilt of the knife pressed against his stomach, but felt no pain. When he looked up, however, he found himself looking at a small sphere of a silvery substance floating in the air. There were several others, each of varying sizes, but all about the size of a ball bearing, if not smaller. And the way they glinted in the light...

---

After that night, Isaac's life had changed. He told his parents about what happened and the three of them all agreed, as much as it pained them, that he should learn to use his newfound powers and that meant Isaac had to attend a magical academy run by the Belisian government. It was during his schooling that he discovered his calling to military service and so he trained to be a Battlemage. Given his unique abilities, his training was equally unique, covering a wide array of fighting styles, weapon types, tactics, and intensive physical training as a way to help him keep up with other frontline fighters.

Equipment:

- Carbon coat: The trench coat he wears is actually made of carbon nanotubes. In addition to giving him plenty of material for his ability, it also provides protection against bladed and ballistic weaponry.

- Iron vest: Underneath his coat, he wears a 20kg vest of iron. Contrary to assumption, the vest isn't for protection, but rather raw material for his abilities. While his powers would be devastating in an urban environment, he always ensures he's prepared for missions that take him far outside of civilization.

- Kinetic armor: Being a mage and unable to enhance his own body, Isaac has decided to shore up his defenses to keep up with faster ki-users. The kinetic armor he wears is designed to absorb and disperse kinetic energy in the form of a shockwave. While not effective as a means of attack, the shockwave is usually enough to give him some breathing room.

Abilities:

Ferrokinesis: The ability to manipulate metals. In Isaac's case, he can alter the physical properties of iron, changing it from a solid to a liquid, then back again. This allows him to create a wide variety of weaponry on the fly, letting him change up his fighting style at will to keep his opponents guessing.

Carbon Manipulation: As stated on the tin, this is the ability to control carbon. This allows him to use his coat offensively, as well as defensively. He can use threads of carbon from to cut through obstacles and enemies alike or thicker ropes to subdue targets nonlethally. He can also combine carbon and iron to make carbon steel, increasing the effectiveness of his creations.

Fighting style: Isaac is a jack-of-all-trades fighter; well-rounded and skilled in various forms of combat. Swords, lances, whips, hand-to-hand, and even some mid-range options, there's rarely a situation Isaac isn't prepared for. That said, he tends to prefer a quick, high-mobility fighting style, usually with swords, daggers, carbon threads, or a storm of small, flying blades

Extra:

- His magic has a 20 meter range

- Unless it takes a shape or is combined with iron, the carbon that he manipulates appears as a dark cloud or mist

- Despite his almost gentle disposition, his favorite genre of music is heavy metal

- One of his biggest passions is cooking

- He's a dog person