Clarence had not walked into this arena without plans and ambitions of his own. His opponents were right to sense his hostile intent – for within his own mind there was no question that he had intended to throw everything he had at his foe as quickly as he could manage. With Time Alter – Final Black Flash on his side though – Clarence could actually manage the feat pretty darn quickly. As the effects of Time Alter take effect the moment he touches his weapon he was essentially already under the effects of Final Black Flash while the attacks were incoming. Clarence’s own plan had been a straightforward one; beginning with the activation of his Subversion Field as the flames around him began to shift from ardent red to an energetic blue plasma.
That blue, “cold” plasma is where Mimring and Jason’s opening gambit made things interesting. Because plasma is ionized (cold or not), and the plasma field formed a dome around Clarence’s body the initial lightning strike would have been deflected to ground by the Subversion Field acting as a sort of Faraday Cage. And even if by some fluke of speed or raw power the lightning persisted in penetrating the Subversion Field Clarence was already using his pyrokinetic abilities to manipulate some of his cold plasma into a fluid membrane around his body that would act as a second Faraday Cage within the first.
Clarence was momentarily distracted by the incoming chunk of armor; however. Still within the effects of his own Time Alter he could spare the time to break the armor piece down with his pyrokinetic abilities. Once he became aware of it crossing into his Subversion Field – he used it to generate more tungsten and form more of the cold plasma membrane now being fashioned into a counter-attack of his own. Even as his Artic Flames gathered at the tip of his Staff – the membrane around his body began to shift forms into several hundred balls of chronotron-infused cold plasma. The original intent had been to pummel Mimring in a shower of his Magma Blossom Bombs while firing off a quick stream of his Artic Flame.
Then came the dragon’s speedy maneuvering after becoming what looked like a lightning elemental. Clarence didn’t come across such abilities very often and was actually taken aback. But as long as Time Alter remained in effect he could keep a rough track of Mimring’s path and so tried to lead his barrage along his right flank. Each Magma Blossom Bomb was individually weak and tiny for plasma – but their infused chronotrons ensured that whatever they struck would continually burn for several seconds at the thousands of degrees plasma burned at. Including the pillars holding up much of the pyramid. And so Clarence kept his Artic Flame in reserve even as he released Time Alter: Final Black Flash. The moment that he exited Time Alter his Magma Blossom Bombs fired off in all directions like a deadly hailstorm.
Only this hailstorm didn’t evaporate. Everything it touched would burn away eventually under the persistent effects of the Magma Blossom Bombs. Sadly the side-effects of Time Alter became apparent as the left gauntlet of his Cryogenic Combat Armor cracked from the haptic feedback as the flow of normal time reasserted itself. But for the moment Clarence got to watch, bemused, to see how Mimring would react to this barrage.
Availability: Due to the injuries of a family member last week I am currently acting as a bit of a nanny. My availability this week will be limited to Fri and Sat from 8-12 PM EST.
Aside from this now being a bit outdated my availability has not changed nor will it change for the rest of the month.
Another day, another battle. Clarence was certainly no stranger to such things but as he found his way inside of the old pyramid he noted just how strange a place this was to do battle. Under ordinary circumstances powers like his are very bad to use indoors and a fragile old pyramid was doubly so. Despite this fact he had followed the compulsion to be here, in this place, to do battle. The sting of it was – Clarence couldn’t think of a single damned reason why he would obey such a compulsion. Of course as far as battlefields went there was some good stuff here: cover, light, and all the usual amenities of warfare. The only real concern that gave him pause was that the venue was indoors. A quick glance at the ceiling made him wonder if it would be possible for him to simply implode the roof and bring it all down on top of his foe.
Luckily for the demise of that bad idea was the fact that Clarence finally saw his opponent. A winged creature that seemed to almost blend in with the ostentatious decorations of the pyramid. The important bit was the wings – crushing something that could fly was essentially pointless. And given its appearance vaguely resembled that of the dragons of lore but for the bits of armor that were visible Clarence was keen to anticipate some type of fire from the beast. Its size was a problem in any case. Clarence doubted getting close to such a beast would produce useful results compared to the risks – but that suited him fine. He preferred keeping his distance as he continued walking towards the position he was compelled to take.
Carried along in his left hand was a large chunk of tungsten plate that resembled the black and bulky armor Clarence was wearing on his torso. That which he carried with him was acid-etched and clearly damaged – a memento of a past battle. Losing none of his stride he brought the plate up towards his face and regarded it one last time before discarding it. As he discarded the plate and let it slip along the floor he regarded his Chrono Staff in his right hand. He seized upon it with his psychokinetic abilities and let it hang in the air besides him while his left hand reached behind him to give form to his second staff. However upon being formed the second Chrono Staff’s tungsten core began falling apart – Clarence choosing to no longer maintain its form and instead allowing it to turn into a fine tungsten dust that had the added visual effect of roiling up his Ember Aura.
Without the second Chrono Staff intact all that remained in Clarence’s left hand was the large psionic energy crystal that formed the weapon. As he assumed his assigned position he spun his remaining staff in the air slowly once, twice, and then a third and final time before it ended up in front of him. Each spin of the staff coincided with the shrinking of the large crystal in his left hand before he reached out to grasp it. When his left hand grasped the Chrono Staff the remaining chronotron energy in the left crystal immediately transferred to his Staff, and through the Staff that energy began to permeate Clarence’s body.
There was nothing exotic to ascribe to his armor’s appearance as the armor was simply black, bulky, and deliberately bereft of ornamentation. However the dust swirling inside his Ember Aura caused the embers to boil around him like a horde of angry fireflies as Clarence pointed his Staff towards his opponent and awaited their opening move.
Availability: Due to the injuries of a family member last week I am currently acting as a bit of a nanny. My availability this week will be limited to Fri and Sat from 8-12 PM EST.
Clarence could not have been less surprised at the ambush even if he'd seen it coming with hours to prepare. The arrow flew straight and true with Clarence himself left with a mere fraction of a second to respond. In that fraction of a second; however, subtle and crucial factors began moving. First was of course the arrow whose path remained true. Second, however, was the angry plasma surge of Clarence's Ember Aura which hammered the intruding arrow with several sequential bolts of plasma. Third, however, was the slow thawing of time itself at the moment the arrow struck his right shoulder as Clarence activated his Time Alter – Red Menace.
As time once measured in milliseconds now descended into a flow of mere nanoseconds as Clarence took stock of his situation. His opponent's arrow had burst into a fair approximation of buckshot just prior to impact – and Clarence's own Ember Aura was already pelting it with several plasma bolts as intended. To this Clarence needed only to add his own Subversion Field – appropriating the heat around him and rapidly freezing the air near the point of impact. That included his own plasma bolts, which in the freezing air would become rapidly cooling air breaks hitching a ride on the arrow fragments on their way to impact his shoulder. Time still flowing nanosecond by nanosecond Clarence focused on facilitating as rapid of a freeze in the area near his shoulder as he could effect.
But even within Time Alter the arrow still came onwards, fractured, and eventually – hit. But the shoulder armor withstood the hit – pitted and scarred, but intact thanks to its tungsten construction. Already he could feel the force behind the arrow's energy trying to knock him off his feet despite the effects of Time Alter. Even if he could somehow avoid that kickback from the arrow's impact Clarence was in no mood to do so. As the heat around him was being absorbed the smoke began to clear and Clarence could see his enemy. The velocity of his arrow parting what little grain remained to conceal him.
As such Clarence immediately switched tacks to Time Alter – Final Black Flash. Now time once again proceeded micro-by-microsecond... only this time in reverse. It was Clarence himself speeding up his internal clock. A certainly painful experience, but a necessary one as the additional time relative to the outside world allowed him to gather up a deluge of Arctic Flames and intensify them. He pushed his ability to its limits to gather and direct said deluge of Arctic Flame at his opponent. Under the effect of Final Black Flash – this counter-attack would be launched at speeds in excess of a speeding bullet train the moment Time Alter came to an end. Which it did immediately thereafter.
Clarence would suffer a bruising hit to his shoulder and get knocked off his feet and blown back and additional meter or so thanks to the side effects of Final Black Flash. But in kind – Clarence was able to strike back in the same few seconds with his own torrent of Arctic Flames that rapidly froze everything it touched thanks to its below absolute zero temperature. And that wave of ice was heading straight for Thomas.
Clarence's breathing continued unabated as he gazed out into the almost endless stalks and saw... nothing. No noise save for animals and creaky old machinery. No smells discernible through a helmet – no ripples in the field to betray the path of an approaching enemy. Just gradually growing shadows on a warm and pleasant afternoon in the plains. Despite himself Clarence found a smirk growing upon his lips at the possibility that he might have been wrong about an enemy being present at all. But then experience often told him to always expect an enemy around virtually every corner. A patently paranoid way to live; certainly, but given he was still alive and his enemies were not he saw no reason to change things up now. Besides – for this land to ever be truly useful to him Clarence would need to tame these wild fields at some point. Thus; with one deep breath he extended his pyrokinetic powers and began to manipulate his Ember Aura.
In the space of time it took for him to exhale that same breath the embers grew in intensity to become the sparks of a series of flames. Four jets of ardent crimson flames lanced out into the fields surrounding him on both sides of the road. Each jet guided by the crown of a staff they would set the fields ablaze in mere moments. Already Clarence was stepping backwards into this maelstrom of his own creation as he had no need to fear it. The embers from the nearby flames were being drawn into his own aura – already beginning to intensify his flames further as more of the field was consumed. He back stepped briskly, his eyes scanning te road and the nearby field even as his path lead him back towards the northeast section of the farm fields.
Clarence was already fanning the intensity of his flames still further. The more the field burned the more embers he could draw in and the more effective his aura would become. Already the temperature around his own body burned hot enough to set ablaze any of the grain stalks he stood near – and he showed no interest in slowing down the pace of his heat build up as one of his energy crystals began to crack slightly. Meanwhile the flames expanded in waves the fields – casting everything in an orange light underneath a sky blackened by dust.
Appeaance: Tall but possessed of a lithe build. Athletically fit with long limbs. Face is a bit squarish with pronounced cheekbones underlining a pair of striking blue eyes. His hair is a very dirty blonde color that is usually encased by the helmet of his cryogenic combat armor.
The cryogenic combat armor itself is large and bulky, containing the necessary equipment to keep Retaliation's body as cool as possible in order to prevent his own body heat from interfering with his Pyrokinetic Art. It bears no distinguishing marks other then clear signs of improvised construction and constant repair. It is clearly worn and scarred from many battles.
Section II – Powers
Pyrokinesis: At a young age, Retaliation found that he possessed a gifted skillset of supernatural occurrence. Pyrokinesis – or – the psychic ability to manipulate and speed up the atomic state of molecules to the point of combustion, is most notably known for its ability to create or manipulate flames or heat from seemingly nothing. This manifestation happened to make Retaliation an outcast even among his own family – so for their safety he was sent off to Hashima Island – Also known as Archive City – for training in the hopes of tempering this ability for his own safety.
After many years in the City of Academics, Retaliation found himself more than able to manipulate, control and generate/create fire of different intensities and states at any given moment.
The nature of Retaliation's Pyrokinesis allows him to release a constant high temperature fluctuation of heat decay/enthropy around his being at all times (this field expands 5 feet around him) causing – without constant monitoring – the area around him to heat up. This field is visible in the sense that it’s constantly observed as embers and cinders flaring up around him, hinting that his Pyrokinetic manipulation is constantly active.
The temperature of his natural Pyrokinetic Generation never exceeds 6,000 degrees – however further manipulations and enhancements can augment the temperature of his flames/heat even more than that. Because of this – it is commonly seen that Retaliation uses his Pyrokinesis to generate and create flames that shoot from his hands, explosions that manifest before his eyes and more.
Spellwarp:
During his childhood Retaliation could always be found reading. His parents actively promoted this hobby and as such Retaliation was incredibly well read by the time he reached his teens. In particular he developed great admiration for the magical abilities of fictional knights and wizards of high fantasy stories. As such, a lot of his manipulations go through a process he calls “Spellwarp”. While this aspect of his power is not magical in nature, his mimicry of the fantastical style of sorcery is more than relative to how he utilizes and manipulates the flame. Normally a construct of some strange “Spell” in which he may issue out an incantation or use a somatic component, Spellwarp attacks are usually stylized in common “Magical ways”, including but not limited to – Flaming Sigils, Fire Figures (Elemental Afterimages), Will’o’Wisps and more. Purely an aesthetic choice and not a tactical one, this manipulation of control does come with some interesting benefits.
While his manipulation of flames are limited purely by his imagination, by using his staff as a focusing tool – he is able to combine the unique Psionic Crystal Cartridges and their abilities with his flames to create even more advanced attacks.
List of Unique Flames here:
Lanciaflamme: The name given to a shaped air bust explosion - the force of which originates in mid-air and is directed towards Retaliation's opponent by way of his Pyrokinetic abilities. Essentially a dust explosion shaped by psionics towards a particular object the attack can be generated in open air or space but cannnot displace any physical objects. This makes the Lanciaflamme hard to anticipate and harder to avoid. And even if a target manages to achieve the feat – multiple Lanciaflammes can be fired in succession.
Magma Blossom Bombs: An altogether fancy name for a small chroniton-infused ball of cold plasma that Retaliation generates near his body and shoots at an opponent. The purpose of infusing the chronitons into the plasma ball is to take advantage of a similar haptic feedback effect as his own Time Alter ability should it make contact with any enemy utilizing a type of barrier or wide-area particulate attack. Each Magma Blossom, despite their small size, will “stick” to whatever they make contact with and slowly degrade it over time. The haptic feedback from the chronitons ensures that the degradation is continuous over time. It takes one full turn for the degradation to take effect, and its effects linger for one full turn afterwards.
Combustion Chain: An extension upon the already potent Lanciaflamme, Combustion Chain extends the range of Lanciaflamme beyond Retaliation's line of sight by defecting the force of each explosion – with another explosion. This ability is difficult to use as obviously striking a target one can not see is inaccurate. Nonetheless, Retaliation can easily redirect the force of any particular Lanciaflamme with more of the same – pelting enemies trying to hide from him.
Phoenix Blade: Another name befitting function, with the Phoenix Blade Retaliation wraps a tight cluster of either flame or even straight plasma over any part of his Staves or his Suit an extends it into the form of a blade in order to deal straightforward (and extreme) thermal damage to a target attempting to get close to him. The blade itself burns at similar temperature to Retaliation's aural abilities.
Spell Buffs -
Lanciaflamme Burst: A smaller and more compact Lanciaflamme intended for one singular purpose – using the force of Retaliation's own explosive attacks to enhance his own speed, mobility, and melee attack power. Each Burst dramatically increases the speed and force behind Retaliation's movements but there is an implied limitation – accelerating and decelerating oneself with small explosions is not an action that can be canceled. Thus Lanciaflamme Burst is only used in times of dire need or decisive action. It is especially potent used in conjunction with Time Alter.
Phoenix Soul: As part of his journey to understand and control his powers Retaliation uses his own Subversion Field in order to absorb the thermal energy of his own explosions. As his Suit and Staves are constructed of tungsten specifically alloyed to withstand the kinetic force of his own attacks, this collective set of precautions is referred to as Phoenix Soul. For situations in which Retaliation anticipates needing to use Lanciaflamme within close proximity to himself he has provided his own protection so he can do so without fear.
Dynamic Strike: With his understanding of thermodynamics comes a great understanding of how to manipulate the potential kinetic energy within his own body. In rare cases where particular armor proves resistant to his flames, bullets, psionics, and basically everything else but raw physical strength Retaliation is not without recourse. By focusing all of the potential kinetic energy of his body into a single point he can deliver a single blow with the approximate force of a collision with a bullet train at full speed upon a target. Because this ability relies on the total mass of potential energy being focused it has very little effect in a bullet and is most potent in melee combat. The more of his potential energy he chooses to focus, the stronger its effect.
Psychokinetics/Subversion Field:
A sub-discipline of and primary design of the Pyrokinetic Arts he developed is Retaliation's intense Psychokinetics and the resulting Subversion Field they create. Consistently present in even the most basic form of manipulation of energy, Retaliation's Psychokinesis allows him the capability of manipulating objects via psionic force around him in extravagant ways. Whether its dematerializing non-organic matter and changing its composition in a system not far off from alchemy or manipulating energy fields or throwing physical objects (up to 1,500 lbs) with little to no issue. Psychokinetics is the core building block of Retaliation's powerful arsenal. With it he is able to manipulate thermodynamic principles of affected objects to create powerful effects.
The Subversion Field builds atop that sturdy foundation by not only restructuring the inorganic matter but also by using his Thermodynamic control to subvert the heat of the objects which surround him – including his own flames. This gathered energy is then used to create a particular type of unstable “cold” plasma around his body. With the correct reactants added that cold plasma field can be made temporarily solid – at which point Retaliation can manipulate it directly with his Psychokinetic abilities. Due to the intense heat of the plasma and the nature of a psychokinetic field – anyone attempting to close in on Retaliation would likely be detected and engaged by a 5,000-degree Celsius plasma bolt the moment they penetrate his barrier.
The Subversion Field is typically limited to a radius of about ten feet around him in every direction.
Thermo-Dynamic Mastery: Archive City, also known as the most Academic infrastructure on earth, was where Retaliation spent his formative years. When he was not learning how to temper and control his Pyrokinetics, he was hard at work studying. Due to his dedication and earnest studies - Retaliation happens to carry numerous degrees in the physics field – as well as a few accreditations for his work in the field of Thermodynamics – including three Ph.D’s (Theoretical Quantum Physics, Chemistry and Thermodynamic Engineering) centered around the study of Thermodynamics.
Thanks to his unique skill-set, Retaliation was able to turn theories into fact by applying years and years of research into his mastery over his own Pyrokinetic background. Due to this, the laws of Thermodynamics and all if the properties therein are at his disposal and mostly seen in the use of his flames.
Pyrokinetic Inversion/Arctic Flame: Due to further mastery of his powers – and thanks to the science team of Academy Island - Retaliation has learned a way to invert his powers over flame in a unique way. While fire is indeed hot, and Retaliation's flame is no different – Pyrokinetic Inversion allows Retaliation the ability to displace the heat aspect of his fire/flames and reverse the flow of atoms to create what is known as “Arctic Flame”. “Arctic Flame”, as the name implies, is a type of Fire that freezes instead of burns while maintaining the physical construction of an actual fire. When the heat is displaced, his flames (which are normal in color on a regular basis) shift colors to blue. Aspects of this type of flame are – as the name implies – below absolute zero and beyond and can mimic the opposite aspects of the fire from which it came (IE: If his maximum heat decay is rated at 6,000c then his Arctic Flame resonates at a maximum of -6,000c). This type of flame can also be integrated within Retaliation's Ember Aura.
Ember Aura: A unique reaction to Retaliation's intense psychic presence is the strange visual of embers rising off of his form at all times. As if the little cinders themselves originated from his body, the visual representation would be a soft snowfall of glowing red particles dancing around his form in all directions (outward 5 – 10 Feet). Because of the unique properties of his manipulation, Retaliation can pull the heat directly from these embers and create flames from the smallest spark alone. Additionally, the intensity of the embers can be dulled or enhanced at will, allowing for a small speckling to a massive downfall (similar to a blizzard) all around him.
The heat of such embers can also be intensified when a number of cinder are accumulated into a mass and manipulated by Retaliation's Pyrokinesis. Thanks to this reaction, Retaliation always has a source of flame.
Subsequently, his Ember Aura can also act as a defensive field by manipulating the density and flow of the embers, Retaliation can engulf himself in a field of heat decay that melts most mundane (Non-Magical/enhanced) Projectiles or reduces them to ash. However, for those objects with enhancements, Retaliation can supplement his own Psychokinetic energy into his Subversion Field for defense.
Time Alter:
One of the greatest manifestations of Retaliation's mastery of thermodynamics comes in the form of the ability coyly named “Time Alter.” Time Alter, as implied by the name, is an ability that manipulates time in the form of accelerating or decelerating (stagnating) time on an internal level. The differing states of manipulation occur on command allowing for two separate types of Time Alter that he's nicknamed “Black Flash” and “Red Menace.” Both of these ability forms are entirely limited to Retaliation's own body as its range of effect wraps around his own physical body and whatever attacks are generated from that body.
It functions by encasing his own body in a chroniton field produced when he touches one or both of his Chrono Staves. Retaliation is able to manipulate the flow of internal time within his body and all connected physical movements of his limbs. Literally speeding up or slowing down his own movements within himself for a few seconds. However Time Alter in either form does not effect the outside world; its reach purely affecting himself and any attacks originating from his own body. This, incidentally, means Lanciaflamme (even its Burst form) is not enhanced by Time Alter. As a failsafe Time Alter can be stopped by the user at any time as it puts considerable stress on the body.
The variants of Time Alter are:
Black Flash: Black Flash is the name for the variant responsible for accelerating Retaliation's internal and external processes. This process occurs by speeding up the flow of his blood, hemoblobin, metabolism, and muscle fibers simultaneously – allowing him to move faster then the human eye can typically see. This does not mean he cannot be seen with the naked eye, only that it would be difficult for those with unaugmented vision to keep up. This enhanced speed is a direct consequence of him accelerating time by a few seconds within himself. This accelerated movement allows him to make split second reactions and evasions at speeds most would consider superhuman.
The degree of this increase is deliniated by how much time Retaliation is increasing, which he does in tiers. Normally he can achieve running speeds of 50 km/h, with a Double Black Flash that increases to 100 km/h, Triple Black Flash goes up to 150 km/h, and Final Black Flash taking him up to 200 km/h. Each tier of the ability denotes an additional second of increased time – beginning with two and increasing to five. However the ability can only be used for brief periods of not more then two to ten seconds of time to the outside world.
Red Menace: Red Menace is the counterpoint to Black Flash in that it stagnates time within Retaliation's body for a set period of time. During this period of time all of Retaliation's internal processes are slowed as the time in which they would be operating are slowed. This ablity is not tactfully useful in most situations so it is rarely employed but when it is it is often used as an emergency control of his own powers. As Retaliation's powers are based on heat; yet too much heat will send his powers spiraling out of control the only time Red Menace is ever employed is to slow down his own internal entropy and prevent his own powers from consuming him.
Section III – Weaponry, Equipment:
Cryogenic Combat Suit: Ironically in his adventures on Academy Island before his accident, Retaliation discovered that the best way to make really hot flames was to cool yourself as much as possible. To this end he designed, tested, and constructed a personalized suit of combat armor designed to keep his body as cool as possible. The Cryogenic Combat Suit serves a vital function for Retaliation's powers as without it he would simply keep heating up until his body was enveloped in a super heated plasma cloud he could only barely control.
Chrono Staff x2: Essentially large Psionic Energy Crystals infused with chronotons and wrapped in a study tungsten alloy staff – these weapons were chosen specifically for their compatibility with Retaliation's powers. Each Staff can project flames from either tip and their tungsten shell allows them to react with Retaliation's Subversion Field whenever the need arises.
Psionic Energy Crystals x12: Retaliation can infuse special crystals with his own psionic energy and use that energy to buff up his Pyrokinetic and Psychokinetic attacks. Each Crystal is expended after three uses. The extent of the psionic buffer is limited to the amount of concentration Retaliation devotes to each attack. Never exceeding a straight doubling of the ability's potential outside of Time Alter.
Section IV – Biography:
Sent to Archive City at a young age to learn how to control his Pyrokinetic abilities, Retaliation found himself deeply enjoying the academic lifestyle that he found in Archive City. He excelled quickly in his education and was praised as a prodigy. That praise, however, turned into a curse. Ultimately in college he tried to impress his mentor of the time, Voltz, however that ended in a tragic accent that maimed Retaliation. Enduring a long period of rehabilitation; Retaliation could only watch as Vertex dismantled Voltz's organization. When they offered to assist in his rehabilitation Retaliation reluctantly agreed. In the end he profited greatly from his association with Vertex, finally gaining true mastery over his Pyrotechnic Arts and becoming an effective agent.
Clarence took his time to marvel at the opportunity stretching infinitely before his eyes. Long stalks of yellow grain swaying in waves across a windswept plain. The afternoon soon casting amber light down upon the world; allowing his bulky black armor to stand in stark contrast with everything around him. The soft, inviting colors of this world also stood in contrast with the dull rust-covered vehicles and the blackened rot of abandoned barns. Yet despite this contrasted scenery all the thoughts in Clarence's mind ended with an angry wave of red flames spreading outwards. Feeding his powers and, in turn, his powers expanding his knowledge of the laws of nature. The death of this field, this State, and all the lives within it paving the path for his own ultimate ascension.
Clarence understood why so many people call him insane in their final moments. Having arrived in this place a few days ago by foot to explore Clarence had found an ideal place to perform his experiments. This abandoned farm was noticed by no one, had access to tons of flammable material, and was in terms of food fully self-sufficient. His roaming across the fields saw him meander from the western side of the road to the east. He had spent the night within a silo that was handling the depravities of aging disgracefully. Now, here below the afternoon sun on his second day as he came up to the eastern side of the roadway, he began to feel a certain unease. Then came the sounds – the rapid fluttering of a bird's wings, the crunch of wheat stalks underfoot, the barking of a stray mutt. Someone else dared to invade territory he intended to claim for himself one day.
Suspended safely within the chill air of his own cryogenic armor Clarence had little recourse but to return to the eastern side of the road. He knew not who approached but in the end such details would prove trivial. Clarence had searched for a long time to find a place in which to safely pursue greater understanding of his powers. Those whom he was about to engage in battle were also merely research samples in his pursuit of his penultimate state of existence. Taking both of his Chrono Staves in hand, held out to his sides, the ever-present embers flowing around his body in tune with the wind began to intensify. Each breath would dim the flames – each exhale intensifying them. In this way Clarence awaited his enemy on the battlefield. One way or another; his future in this world would begin here.
Edited 5/11/17, 5/12, and 5/15 to comply with some suggestions for my character and judge changes.
TZDL Character Dossier
----- Section I – General Info
Name: Clarence Lass
Nickname/Alias: Retaliation
Age: 35
Height: 6'2”
Weight: 280 lbs.
Race: Human
Appeaance: Tall but possessed of a lithe build. Athletically fit with long limbs. Face is a bit squarish with pronounced cheekbones underlining a pair of striking blue eyes. His hair is a very dirty blonde color that is usually encased by the helmet of his cryogenic combat armor.
The cryogenic combat armor itself is large and bulky, containing the necessary equipment to keep Retaliation's body as cool as possible in order to prevent his own body heat from interfering with his Pyrokinetic Art. It bears no distinguishing marks other then clear signs of improvised construction and constant repair. It is clearly worn and scarred from many battles.
Section II – Powers
Pyrokinesis: At a young age, Retaliation found that he possessed a gifted skillset of supernatural occurrence. Pyrokinesis – or – the psychic ability to manipulate and speed up the atomic state of molecules to the point of combustion, is most notably known for its ability to create or manipulate flames or heat from seemingly nothing. This manifestation happened to make Retaliation an outcast even among his own family – so for their safety he was sent off to Hashima Island – Also known as Archive City – for training in the hopes of tempering this ability for his own safety.
After many years in the City of Academics, Retaliation found himself more than able to manipulate, control and generate/create fire of different intensities and states at any given moment.
The nature of Retaliation's Pyrokinesis allows him to release a constant high temperature fluctuation of heat decay/enthropy around his being at all times (this field expands 5 feet around him) causing – without constant monitoring – the area around him to heat up. This field is visible in the sense that it’s constantly observed as embers and cinders flaring up around him, hinting that his Pyrokinetic manipulation is constantly active.
The temperature of his natural Pyrokinetic Generation never exceeds 6,000 degrees – however further manipulations and enhancements can augment the temperature of his flames/heat even more than that. Because of this – it is commonly seen that Retaliation uses his Pyrokinesis to generate and create flames that shoot from his hands, explosions that manifest before his eyes and more.
Spellwarp:
During his childhood Retaliation could always be found reading. His parents actively promoted this hobby and as such Retaliation was incredibly well read by the time he reached his teens. In particular he developed great admiration for the magical abilities of fictional knights and wizards of high fantasy stories. As such, a lot of his manipulations go through a process he calls “Spellwarp”. While this aspect of his power is not magical in nature, his mimicry of the fantastical style of sorcery is more than relative to how he utilizes and manipulates the flame. Normally a construct of some strange “Spell” in which he may issue out an incantation or use a somatic component, Spellwarp attacks are usually stylized in common “Magical ways”, including but not limited to – Flaming Sigils, Fire Figures (Elemental Afterimages), Will’o’Wisps and more. Purely an aesthetic choice and not a tactical one, this manipulation of control does come with some interesting benefits.
While his manipulation of flames are limited purely by his imagination, by using his staff as a focusing tool – he is able to combine the unique Psionic Crystal Cartridges and their abilities with his flames to create even more advanced attacks.
List of Unique Flames here:
Lanciaflamme: The name given to a shaped air bust explosion - the force of which originates in mid-air and is directed towards Retaliation's opponent by way of his Pyrokinetic abilities. Essentially a dust explosion shaped by psionics towards a particular object the attack can be generated in open air or space but cannnot displace any physical objects. This makes the Lanciaflamme hard to anticipate and harder to avoid. And even if a target manages to achieve the feat – multiple Lanciaflammes can be fired in succession.
Magma Blossom Bombs: An altogether fancy name for a small chroniton-infused ball of cold plasma that Retaliation generates near his body and shoots at an opponent. The purpose of infusing the chronitons into the plasma ball is to take advantage of a similar haptic feedback effect as his own Time Alter ability should it make contact with any enemy utilizing a type of barrier or wide-area particulate attack. Each Magma Blossom, despite their small size, will “stick” to whatever they make contact with and slowly degrade it over time. The haptic feedback from the chronitons ensures that the degradation is continuous over time. It takes one full turn for the degradation to take effect, and its effects linger for one full turn afterwards.
Combustion Chain: An extension upon the already potent Lanciaflamme, Combustion Chain extends the range of Lanciaflamme beyond Retaliation's line of sight by defecting the force of each explosion – with another explosion. This ability is difficult to use as obviously striking a target one can not see is inaccurate. Nonetheless, Retaliation can easily redirect the force of any particular Lanciaflamme with more of the same – pelting enemies trying to hide from him.
Phoenix Blade: Another name befitting function, with the Phoenix Blade Retaliation wraps a tight cluster of either flame or even straight plasma over any part of his Staves or his Suit an extends it into the form of a blade in order to deal straightforward (and extreme) thermal damage to a target attempting to get close to him. The blade itself burns at similar temperature to Retaliation's aural abilities.
Spell Buffs -
Lanciaflamme Burst: A smaller and more compact Lanciaflamme intended for one singular purpose – using the force of Retaliation's own explosive attacks to enhance his own speed, mobility, and melee attack power. Each Burst dramatically increases the speed and force behind Retaliation's movements but there is an implied limitation – accelerating and decelerating oneself with small explosions is not an action that can be canceled. Thus Lanciaflamme Burst is only used in times of dire need or decisive action. It is especially potent used in conjunction with Time Alter.
Phoenix Soul: As part of his journey to understand and control his powers Retaliation uses his own Subversion Field in order to absorb the thermal energy of his own explosions. As his Suit and Staves are constructed of tungsten specifically alloyed to withstand the kinetic force of his own attacks, this collective set of precautions is referred to as Phoenix Soul. For situations in which Retaliation anticipates needing to use Lanciaflamme within close proximity to himself he has provided his own protection so he can do so without fear.
Dynamic Strike: With his understanding of thermodynamics comes a great understanding of how to manipulate the potential kinetic energy within his own body. In rare cases where particular armor proves resistant to his flames, bullets, psionics, and basically everything else but raw physical strength Retaliation is not without recourse. By focusing all of the potential kinetic energy of his body into a single point he can deliver a single blow with the approximate force of a collision with a bullet train at full speed upon a target. Because this ability relies on the total mass of potential energy being focused it has very little effect in a bullet and is most potent in melee combat. The more of his potential energy he chooses to focus, the stronger its effect.
Psychokinetics/Subversion Field:
A sub-discipline of and primary design of the Pyrokinetic Arts he developed is Retaliation's intense Psychokinetics and the resulting Subversion Field they create. Consistently present in even the most basic form of manipulation of energy, Retaliation's Psychokinesis allows him the capability of manipulating objects via psionic force around him in extravagant ways. Whether its dematerializing non-organic matter and changing its composition in a system not far off from alchemy or manipulating energy fields or throwing physical objects (up to 1,500 lbs) with little to no issue. Psychokinetics is the core building block of Retaliation's powerful arsenal. With it he is able to manipulate thermodynamic principles of affected objects to create powerful effects.
The Subversion Field builds atop that sturdy foundation by not only restructuring the inorganic matter but also by using his Thermodynamic control to subvert the heat of the objects which surround him – including his own flames. This gathered energy is then used to create a particular type of unstable “cold” plasma around his body. With the correct reactants added that cold plasma field can be made temporarily solid – at which point Retaliation can manipulate it directly with his Psychokinetic abilities. Due to the intense heat of the plasma and the nature of a psychokinetic field – anyone attempting to close in on Retaliation would likely be detected and engaged by a 5,000-degree Celsius plasma bolt the moment they penetrate his barrier.
The Subversion Field is typically limited to a radius of about ten feet around him in every direction.
Thermo-Dynamic Mastery: Archive City, also known as the most Academic infrastructure on earth, was where Retaliation spent his formative years. When he was not learning how to temper and control his Pyrokinetics, he was hard at work studying. Due to his dedication and earnest studies - Retaliation happens to carry numerous degrees in the physics field – as well as a few accreditations for his work in the field of Thermodynamics – including three Ph.D’s (Theoretical Quantum Physics, Chemistry and Thermodynamic Engineering) centered around the study of Thermodynamics.
Thanks to his unique skill-set, Retaliation was able to turn theories into fact by applying years and years of research into his mastery over his own Pyrokinetic background. Due to this, the laws of Thermodynamics and all if the properties therein are at his disposal and mostly seen in the use of his flames.
Pyrokinetic Inversion/Arctic Flame: Due to further mastery of his powers – and thanks to the science team of Academy Island - Retaliation has learned a way to invert his powers over flame in a unique way. While fire is indeed hot, and Retaliation's flame is no different – Pyrokinetic Inversion allows Retaliation the ability to displace the heat aspect of his fire/flames and reverse the flow of atoms to create what is known as “Arctic Flame”. “Arctic Flame”, as the name implies, is a type of Fire that freezes instead of burns while maintaining the physical construction of an actual fire. When the heat is displaced, his flames (which are normal in color on a regular basis) shift colors to blue. Aspects of this type of flame are – as the name implies – below absolute zero and beyond and can mimic the opposite aspects of the fire from which it came (IE: If his maximum heat decay is rated at 6,000c then his Arctic Flame resonates at a maximum of -6,000c). This type of flame can also be integrated within Retaliation's Ember Aura.
Ember Aura: A unique reaction to Retaliation's intense psychic presence is the strange visual of embers rising off of his form at all times. As if the little cinders themselves originated from his body, the visual representation would be a soft snowfall of glowing red particles dancing around his form in all directions (outward 5 – 10 Feet). Because of the unique properties of his manipulation, Retaliation can pull the heat directly from these embers and create flames from the smallest spark alone. Additionally, the intensity of the embers can be dulled or enhanced at will, allowing for a small speckling to a massive downfall (similar to a blizzard) all around him.
The heat of such embers can also be intensified when a number of cinder are accumulated into a mass and manipulated by Retaliation's Pyrokinesis. Thanks to this reaction, Retaliation always has a source of flame.
Subsequently, his Ember Aura can also act as a defensive field by manipulating the density and flow of the embers, Retaliation can engulf himself in a field of heat decay that melts most mundane (Non-Magical/enhanced) Projectiles or reduces them to ash. However, for those objects with enhancements, Retaliation can supplement his own Psychokinetic energy into his Subversion Field for defense.
Time Alter:
One of the greatest manifestations of Retaliation's mastery of thermodynamics comes in the form of the ability coyly named “Time Alter.” Time Alter, as implied by the name, is an ability that manipulates time in the form of accelerating or decelerating (stagnating) time on an internal level. The differing states of manipulation occur on command allowing for two separate types of Time Alter that he's nicknamed “Black Flash” and “Red Menace.” Both of these ability forms are entirely limited to Retaliation's own body as its range of effect wraps around his own physical body and whatever attacks are generated from that body.
It functions by encasing his own body in a chroniton field produced when he touches one or both of his Chrono Staves. Retaliation is able to manipulate the flow of internal time within his body and all connected physical movements of his limbs. Literally speeding up or slowing down his own movements within himself for a few seconds. However Time Alter in either form does not effect the outside world; its reach purely affecting himself and any attacks originating from his own body. This, incidentally, means Lanciaflamme (even its Burst form) is not enhanced by Time Alter. As a failsafe Time Alter can be stopped by the user at any time as it puts considerable stress on the body.
The variants of Time Alter are:
Black Flash: Black Flash is the name for the variant responsible for accelerating Retaliation's internal and external processes. This process occurs by speeding up the flow of his blood, hemoblobin, metabolism, and muscle fibers simultaneously – allowing him to move faster then the human eye can typically see. This does not mean he cannot be seen with the naked eye, only that it would be difficult for those with unaugmented vision to keep up. This enhanced speed is a direct consequence of him accelerating time by a few seconds within himself. This accelerated movement allows him to make split second reactions and evasions at speeds most would consider superhuman.
The degree of this increase is deliniated by how much time Retaliation is increasing, which he does in tiers. Normally he can achieve running speeds of 50 km/h, with a Double Black Flash that increases to 100 km/h, Triple Black Flash goes up to 150 km/h, and Final Black Flash taking him up to 200 km/h. Each tier of the ability denotes an additional second of increased time – beginning with two and increasing to five. However the ability can only be used for brief periods of not more then two to ten seconds of time to the outside world.
Red Menace: Red Menace is the counterpoint to Black Flash in that it stagnates time within Retaliation's body for a set period of time. During this period of time all of Retaliation's internal processes are slowed as the time in which they would be operating are slowed. This ablity is not tactfully useful in most situations so it is rarely employed but when it is it is often used as an emergency control of his own powers. As Retaliation's powers are based on heat; yet too much heat will send his powers spiraling out of control the only time Red Menace is ever employed is to slow down his own internal entropy and prevent his own powers from consuming him.
Section III – Weaponry, Equipment:
Cryogenic Combat Suit: Ironically in his adventures on Academy Island before his accident, Retaliation discovered that the best way to make really hot flames was to cool yourself as much as possible. To this end he designed, tested, and constructed a personalized suit of combat armor designed to keep his body as cool as possible. The Cryogenic Combat Suit serves a vital function for Retaliation's powers as without it he would simply keep heating up until his body was enveloped in a super heated plasma cloud he could only barely control.
Chrono Staff x2: Essentially large Psionic Energy Crystals infused with chronotons and wrapped in a study tungsten alloy staff – these weapons were chosen specifically for their compatibility with Retaliation's powers. Each Staff can project flames from either tip and their tungsten shell allows them to react with Retaliation's Subversion Field whenever the need arises.
Psionic Energy Crystals x12: Retaliation can infuse special crystals with his own psionic energy and use that energy to buff up his Pyrokinetic and Psychokinetic attacks. Each Crystal is expended after three uses. The extent of the psionic buffer is limited to the amount of concentration Retaliation devotes to each attack. Never exceeding a straight doubling of the ability's potential outside of Time Alter.
Section IV – Biography:
Sent to Archive City at a young age to learn how to control his Pyrokinetic abilities, Retaliation found himself deeply enjoying the academic lifestyle that he found in Archive City. He excelled quickly in his education and was praised as a prodigy. That praise, however, turned into a curse. Ultimately in college he tried to impress his mentor of the time, Voltz, however that ended in a tragic accent that maimed Retaliation. Enduring a long period of rehabilitation; Retaliation could only watch as Vertex dismantled Voltz's organization. When they offered to assist in his rehabilitation Retaliation reluctantly agreed. In the end he profited greatly from his association with Vertex, finally gaining true mastery over his Pyrotechnic Arts and becoming an effective agent.