Schradinger Member
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The staff twirled in a counter-clockwise rotation as he charged, catching the outside of the young man's right forearm and forcing it to Tom's left, while simultaneously placing it out of position to be grabbed by Gemini's left hand as Tom sidestepped to let the rest of his body pass by. As it did, he brought the opposing end up and delivered a solid smack to the boy's backside, not enough to do any real damage, but enough to sting a bit and fuel the rage that was already boiling over. "You focused too much on strength, believing it could serve you best. That was your first mistake."
"I was actually referring to your chronic inability to land worthwhile blows in spite of your clearly superior strength, but you do have a point." Tom could feel the pressure of the young man's presence growing as his rage increased, could feel the sheer power of the boy's will making itself manifest in the heightened prowess of his body, but even that amount of willpower paled in comparison to his own, to the ability to affect the world with little more than a thought. He shifted the top of his staff forward a mere three inches, and a nearby car flung itself at the teenager at barely subsonic speeds, followed immediately by a lamppost ripped from the sidewalk and oriented as a spear, a stop sign in a similar configuration, and a chunk of the sidewalk itself that was half as big as the car, each object adjusting its trajectory as needed to strike whatever location the boy happened to be occupying when they were launched.
Once the boy went airborne off the building, Tom simply moved himself two meters to the left of his previous position (to Gemini's right as he would pass by), well out of reach of either hand, and watched as he presumably plowed himself into the pavement. "Do you know what your problem is, boy?"
Somehow the boy managed to take some degree of control over his momentum, though it clearly wasn't the control of a man with the powers of flight. At least the unconventional defense had served to reveal that much. Tom had begun to define his opponents limitations, and now was not the time to give up on that pursuit. Giving up on his planned attempt at the world record for a human home run, however, he waited for his opponent to return to the ground, floating back down himself as he did. When the new assault was launched, he was ready, though his stance said otherwise. His feet were placed evenly shoulder width apart, his right hand was gripping his staff (whose lower end was placed lightly on the pavement of the street), and his left hung comfortably at his side. By all appearances, he was simply a very large bearded man taking in the sights.
When the assault came, however, he slipped to the left to avoid the first punch, forcing his opponent to waste precious time re-adjusting for his follow up blow before slipping back to his right to avoid that one too, then side-stepping entirely and turning ninety degrees as the foot shot up just in front of his face. His left hand came up along with it to snag the boy's calf between his thumb and pointer finger, then shove the appendage forcefully back the way it had come, most likely sending his opponent into a series of head over heels cartwheels at a couple hundred miles per hour down the street and into the building he'd just jumped off of. All the strength in the world would do him no good if he lacked the leverage to use it properly.
When the assault came, however, he slipped to the left to avoid the first punch, forcing his opponent to waste precious time re-adjusting for his follow up blow before slipping back to his right to avoid that one too, then side-stepping entirely and turning ninety degrees as the foot shot up just in front of his face. His left hand came up along with it to snag the boy's calf between his thumb and pointer finger, then shove the appendage forcefully back the way it had come, most likely sending his opponent into a series of head over heels cartwheels at a couple hundred miles per hour down the street and into the building he'd just jumped off of. All the strength in the world would do him no good if he lacked the leverage to use it properly.
Tom grunted as the knee caught him in the chest, its momentum carrying him instantly skyward. A blow like that wouldn't even have slowed down upon striking a normal human, leaving their upper body splayed across the landscape as the assailant continued by. For Tom, it was exceedingly uncomfortable, but little more than that. Most of the force of the strike was transferred through his body and directly into upward and backward momentum, rather than rebounding throughout his chest cavity where it would cause the most damage. Regardless, the effect was that which his opponent intended, and both participants found themselves in the air as the boy prepared to unleash his second attack.
It was at this point that things would cease to progress as expected, owing to the fact that once he was airborne, Tom took control of his own trajectory, raising his left arm to block the impending attack and locking himself in place just as the overhead blow crashed down on him. If his suspicions were correct, the boy had no innate control over his own inertia, not like Tom himself did, at any rate, which meant that all he needed to do to turn the attack on its head was block it and not move. The boy's own strength would be turned against him as his vastly enhanced muscles encountered a force they could not immediately move, then went for the next best thing and launched his own comparatively paltry weight skyward at incredible speeds.
Tom would watch with a small smile as the boy was reduced to a tiny speck in the sky. "See what being reckless gets you?" There was no way the boy would be able to hear him, as high as he was, but Tom went ahead and spoke anyway. When gravity finally took a secure hold on him and he began to plummet once again, Tom would maneuver himself to the point where he would impact and take a position a dozen meters above the impact point, readying his staff like a baseball bat. When the boy came in range he would take a mighty swing, twice the speed and force of his previous one, aimed at his opponent's center mass. Should he find some way to alter his trajectory on the way down, Tom would simply re-position himself to the new touchdown location and continue his attack as planned, though if it turned out the boy could fly he would have to scrap the whole thing.
It was at this point that things would cease to progress as expected, owing to the fact that once he was airborne, Tom took control of his own trajectory, raising his left arm to block the impending attack and locking himself in place just as the overhead blow crashed down on him. If his suspicions were correct, the boy had no innate control over his own inertia, not like Tom himself did, at any rate, which meant that all he needed to do to turn the attack on its head was block it and not move. The boy's own strength would be turned against him as his vastly enhanced muscles encountered a force they could not immediately move, then went for the next best thing and launched his own comparatively paltry weight skyward at incredible speeds.
Tom would watch with a small smile as the boy was reduced to a tiny speck in the sky. "See what being reckless gets you?" There was no way the boy would be able to hear him, as high as he was, but Tom went ahead and spoke anyway. When gravity finally took a secure hold on him and he began to plummet once again, Tom would maneuver himself to the point where he would impact and take a position a dozen meters above the impact point, readying his staff like a baseball bat. When the boy came in range he would take a mighty swing, twice the speed and force of his previous one, aimed at his opponent's center mass. Should he find some way to alter his trajectory on the way down, Tom would simply re-position himself to the new touchdown location and continue his attack as planned, though if it turned out the boy could fly he would have to scrap the whole thing.
I'm still game if you are Drall.
Tom could feel the boy approaching, and spun in place before he drew close enough to deliver his blow, taking hold of one end of his staff and lashing out with the other at roughly elbow height in a vicious horizontal attack. The blow was one-handed, but reinforced with the power of his formidable mind as it hurtled toward the boy's right side at more than a dozen times the speed of sound. Oddly though, there was no sonic boom to be heard.
The boy's power was clearly immense, now that he had given up his facade and Tom could sense it. It was somewhat surprising to encounter a being here whose power matched his own, and still only a boy at that. Perhaps he could be proven wrong about his kin, perhaps there was more to them than using their advancements for harm. Then again, the rage and fury that boiled off him told another story, despite his insistence that he was here to protect his fellow man.
The boy's power was clearly immense, now that he had given up his facade and Tom could sense it. It was somewhat surprising to encounter a being here whose power matched his own, and still only a boy at that. Perhaps he could be proven wrong about his kin, perhaps there was more to them than using their advancements for harm. Then again, the rage and fury that boiled off him told another story, despite his insistence that he was here to protect his fellow man.
It's also your post with Evvie.
Tom stopped and watched the boy as he yelled out his challenge, then broke into gales of laughter when he finished. He calmed himself shortly, though the occasional guffaw still wracked his diaphram. "You ask ME why I destroy YOUR home? I was here centuries before you! I have traveled COUNTLESS WORLDS to return here, and what is the first thing that greets me? Nothing but hostility." His voice began to cool the more his spoke, his anger at being assaulted beginning to subside. "I wanted only to return home, but humans have learned nothing in my absence. You built great cities and achieved marvelous wonders, but still you're no more than the barbarian tribes I left behind. Pathetic."
He hadn't missed the fact that the boy had been all but consumed in fire a mere moment before, yet bore no sign of burns upon his skin, but he didn't give that away just yet. Instead, he turned his back on the young man and haphazardly launched a small block of concrete at his head, too fast for any mere human to even react to, much less avoid. If his suspicions were correct, however, his new opponent would have no trouble dealing with the projectile.
He hadn't missed the fact that the boy had been all but consumed in fire a mere moment before, yet bore no sign of burns upon his skin, but he didn't give that away just yet. Instead, he turned his back on the young man and haphazardly launched a small block of concrete at his head, too fast for any mere human to even react to, much less avoid. If his suspicions were correct, however, his new opponent would have no trouble dealing with the projectile.
Warmth blossomed on his face, and he could feel the air beginning to thicken around him, seeping into his nostrils and half-open mouth as he gave up guiding himself and simply let gravity run its course. The heat intensified as he plummeted through the atmosphere, but he paid it little heed. The thickening atmosphere also had the very distinct effect of slowing his descent considerably. Idly, he reached out with his mind and began to force the air around his body, eliminating the air resistance as well as the friction and heat that it caused.
To say he'd been surprised when the portal he found had dropped him within spitting distance of the moon would be an understatement, and he really hated being surprised. He'd managed to make it to earth's outer atmosphere without running out of steam, but he was still eager to get himself back on solid ground. There was no telling what the rigors of space travel would do to his body if he used up the air in his lungs and passed out, rendering him unable to maintain a protective barrier. Likely a lot of not good things that would put a pretty serious dent in his not dying record. It was of little concern now though as the glorious blue-green orb known as earth hurtled up toward him at breakneck speeds. More specifically, a small island off the coast of asia. It was a place called japan, if he remembered right, but it had been so long since he'd been here that he couldn't say for sure anymore.
When he finally hit the ground, it was with a resounding thud that echoed off the buildings surrounding him and he left a crater half as deep as he was tall, in addition to shattering the glass in the nearby storefronts. He rose to his feet as the dust began to settler, clearing it off himself with little more than an off-hand thought, and climbed out of the hole he'd left. The welcome he received was less than pleasant.
A man dressed in a uniform that he assumed meant law enforcement of some sort had pulled out a weapon and aimed it at him, and was shouting something in a language he didn't understand. He ignored the man and looked around for his staff, catching sight of it beneath a nearby vehicle. Still ignoring the man, he walked to the vehicle and shoved it aside, uncaring if his actions injured the bystanders, then called the staff to his hand. Reunited with his compatriot of battles past, he felt immediately more content in his lot. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he gripped the shaft with both hands, running his fingers almost lovingly over the smooth wood. By all rights, the item should not have survived the fall, but it had survived much worse in the past thanks to Tom's connection with it, and it would no doubt survive worse to come. Absently, he realized that something had begun to pelt his skin and clothes from the direction of the man in the uniform, and when he opened his eyes to regard the man he noticed that he had been joined by several of his compatriots, all of whom were now firing on him enthusiastically with their weapons. A low growl formed deep in his throat, and he swept the staff in their direction, using the motion as a guide and causing a nearby car to launch itself through the group, no doubt killing most.
"Is this how you greet your guests!? With open hostility? I have been to PRISONS with better manners than you lot!" More of the men appeared around the corner of a nearby building, these ones carrying larger weapons with a much faster rate of fire. His lip twitched in the beginnings of a snarl and he contemptuously turned the bullets back against their owners, slaughtering the lot of them before a single projectile reached him. From there, the situation simply continued to escalate as more men arrived with larger and larger weapons. It wasn't long before they attempted to use an explosive projectile, though that was turned back even easier than the others, striking a flying vehicle and destroying it instantly. These men were little more than insects before him, and while they may have struck the first blow, he fully intended to strike the last.
To say he'd been surprised when the portal he found had dropped him within spitting distance of the moon would be an understatement, and he really hated being surprised. He'd managed to make it to earth's outer atmosphere without running out of steam, but he was still eager to get himself back on solid ground. There was no telling what the rigors of space travel would do to his body if he used up the air in his lungs and passed out, rendering him unable to maintain a protective barrier. Likely a lot of not good things that would put a pretty serious dent in his not dying record. It was of little concern now though as the glorious blue-green orb known as earth hurtled up toward him at breakneck speeds. More specifically, a small island off the coast of asia. It was a place called japan, if he remembered right, but it had been so long since he'd been here that he couldn't say for sure anymore.
When he finally hit the ground, it was with a resounding thud that echoed off the buildings surrounding him and he left a crater half as deep as he was tall, in addition to shattering the glass in the nearby storefronts. He rose to his feet as the dust began to settler, clearing it off himself with little more than an off-hand thought, and climbed out of the hole he'd left. The welcome he received was less than pleasant.
A man dressed in a uniform that he assumed meant law enforcement of some sort had pulled out a weapon and aimed it at him, and was shouting something in a language he didn't understand. He ignored the man and looked around for his staff, catching sight of it beneath a nearby vehicle. Still ignoring the man, he walked to the vehicle and shoved it aside, uncaring if his actions injured the bystanders, then called the staff to his hand. Reunited with his compatriot of battles past, he felt immediately more content in his lot. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he gripped the shaft with both hands, running his fingers almost lovingly over the smooth wood. By all rights, the item should not have survived the fall, but it had survived much worse in the past thanks to Tom's connection with it, and it would no doubt survive worse to come. Absently, he realized that something had begun to pelt his skin and clothes from the direction of the man in the uniform, and when he opened his eyes to regard the man he noticed that he had been joined by several of his compatriots, all of whom were now firing on him enthusiastically with their weapons. A low growl formed deep in his throat, and he swept the staff in their direction, using the motion as a guide and causing a nearby car to launch itself through the group, no doubt killing most.
"Is this how you greet your guests!? With open hostility? I have been to PRISONS with better manners than you lot!" More of the men appeared around the corner of a nearby building, these ones carrying larger weapons with a much faster rate of fire. His lip twitched in the beginnings of a snarl and he contemptuously turned the bullets back against their owners, slaughtering the lot of them before a single projectile reached him. From there, the situation simply continued to escalate as more men arrived with larger and larger weapons. It wasn't long before they attempted to use an explosive projectile, though that was turned back even easier than the others, striking a flying vehicle and destroying it instantly. These men were little more than insects before him, and while they may have struck the first blow, he fully intended to strike the last.
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