Tim
AnimalExtreme land-claiming action!
Bluetommy Member
Disastrous Enby
STATUS: I remember being on this website all the time. Where does the time go 2 yrs ago
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2 yrs ago
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I remember being on this website all the time. Where does the time go
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4 yrs ago
Buying GF with Fall Guys crowns please pm me if interested
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4 yrs ago
I'm going to beat you to death
4 yrs ago
Today on bottom gear
4 yrs ago
Dear diary, I shat myself to destroy the libs.
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Bio
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Sacred Time
A solemn mood set upon the carls and thanes of the Storm Tribe. Sacred time was a time to place their magic into aspects of their tribe, such as crops, herds, war, trade, or diplomacy, but there was little left, the vast majority having been given to Chalana Arroy and Humakt in an attempt to raise dead tribe members. Some returned, most didn't. Orlanth lead the clan in their magical rituals, just as solemn as the rest of the tribe.
Standing upon the roof of a temple dedicated to him, Orlanth watched as the rituals continued, smoke rising into the air as flames consumed magical artifacts in an attempt to bring the tribe more power. The gods had little power here, it was as if they were on the plain of another god, but they had even less power. Orlanth seemed to be the least affected by this, he could bring storms, thunderstones, and make woad, but others hadn't been so lucky.
The loyal guardian Elmal stood at the doorway to this temple, protecting it from intruders or attackers, meanwhile Humakt, Chalana Arroy, and Eurmal all joined in strengthening the clan's magic. Lhankor Mhy and Issaries argued off to one side. A thump alerted Orlanth to the presence of another, seated beside him. The red hair and sky-blue tattoos identified her as Orlanth's daughter, Vinga, goddess of adventurers and female warriors. He had thought of adding her to his command structure, but she was wild and unreliable, no matter how loyal she was to her family.
"The exploring party and I have returned, we placed border stones a few paces from the river. The Tula is defined now."
Funny, Orlanth didn't recall sending an exploration party. Nonetheless Orlanth nodded without looking at her, steeling himself in an attempt to prepare for what would be sure to come in the next days. The men had cattle, farmland, and enough silver to last them the year, hopefully they didn't need anything more. He was glad that there were yet to be any Chaos creatures, fighting them would put a damper on the already poor mood.
Rolling his shoulder, Orlanth took to his feet and stepped towards the edge of the building. In a fluid motion, he climbed down. A number of Tribe members spotted him and nodded towards him slowly. They were all tired, very tired, but if all went well they would have a permanent tribal location set by the end of Fire Season. Orlanth aided all he could, but he was restless, a vengeful fury in his heart for those who had been lost.
"King Orlanth!" the skitterish voice of Lhankor Mhy stated over the low hum of the magical ceremonies. "We have claimed a Tula, if there are Orlanthi in this world they will have to pay attention to our borders. But first things first, we have little to spare, so perhaps we should attempt to get more cows or silver. Perhaps we could find those who slayed clansmen and demand weregilds?"
Lhankor Mhy was the greatest lawspeaker in the land, he was a living runestone of Orlanthi laws and was as eloquent as their people got, but here Orlanth knew he was wrong, they had no reason to believe there were Orlanthi in this new realm, so demanding weregild would be foolish. Of course they had few warriors to spare for raids, and there weren't any enemies close enough for a cattle raid to be worthwhile.
Orlanth sighed.
"No, until we have evidence of the presence of other Orlanthi we will simply focus on picking up the pieces. Send the thralls to work and put the Carls to the fields, I'll have Humakt prepare patrols."
The elderly lawspeaker nodded, writing feverishly into a suddenly-produced scroll. Issaries scoffed in the distance at the man's detailed note-taking. The two seemed conjoined at the hip, but they were almost exact opposites, Issaries was personable but lacked eloquence, whilst Lhankor Mhy was robotic and exceptionally well-spoken. Orlanth snickered, it reminded him of his own relationship with his brothers.
Rulership is tiring, I'd love a nice tankard of ale right about now. Orlanth mentally whispered as he stood, stoop-shouldered and exhausted. He'd done all he could, perhaps Eurmal would set up a feast. Orlanth's face brightened at the thought. Yes, a feast, with bread, pork, mayhaps a little veal, definitely some ale, Humakt would love some cheese...
Orlanthi dislike coasts and rely on rivers, as such, this is my claim
I've added the faction sheet to the character sheet, and if you wish to look over it it's here:
Powerhouse High Tier
I may be pushing it with this, but I hope it's okay.
11:38 PM, December 1st
Berlin, Germany
Wilhelm roughly collapsed to the ground in a heap, unable to stand due to his broken leg, and also the fact that he was still unconscious. The pain of hitting the concrete finally awoke him with a start, and he laid on the ground, every breath painful due to his broken ribs.
"Thanks, doll," he said sarcastically, his words muffled due to the fact that his face was getting well acquainted with the ground. He looked at the number of German police officers and spat on the ground at their presence. "You've betrayed the cause that your forefathers fought and died for! You all disgust me, when the Reich returns, you will be the first victims!"
Wilhelm continued firing verbal abuse as one of the police officers finally approached him and hauled him to his feet. He stared intently at Karen. She fascinated him in a way he couldn't explain, this child had power above even his wildest dreams, and yet she refused to kill him, even after all he'd done. Either she believed in the same ideals as he, or she was truly naive, a form of naivete he'd never encountered, he was intrigued, moreso than afraid. He was too injured to read her mind, but somehow he could tell that as long as he was in her presence, he was safe.
He gave a short chuckle as he began to be hauled away.
"Don't forget me, girl, I certainly won't forget you," he said with a smile, no longer constrained by his mask. He meant that too, he would never forget the one little girl who foiled his plot, the plot which he had spent over fifty years on. The girl who halted the Reich's return, it almost sounded like something from a pulp magazine. "For an inferior, you're rather impressive, perhaps even impressive enough to be an honorary Aryan. But, I shall, no, I promise, that I will return. You barely broke a sweat fighting me before, I wish to see the power that you hide, and I wish to tame it!" He roared in fury, fighting against the police officers even with his heavy injuries.
"Karen Hernandez of Hub City! I will come for you! I will show no mercy! I will bury you!"
Finally Wilhelm was wrestled into submission, but even as he was hauled away, he gave one last look at Karen, a mixture between a smirk and a determined look set upon his face.
The Reich can wait, she's more important.
Berlin, Germany
Wilhelm roughly collapsed to the ground in a heap, unable to stand due to his broken leg, and also the fact that he was still unconscious. The pain of hitting the concrete finally awoke him with a start, and he laid on the ground, every breath painful due to his broken ribs.
"Thanks, doll," he said sarcastically, his words muffled due to the fact that his face was getting well acquainted with the ground. He looked at the number of German police officers and spat on the ground at their presence. "You've betrayed the cause that your forefathers fought and died for! You all disgust me, when the Reich returns, you will be the first victims!"
Wilhelm continued firing verbal abuse as one of the police officers finally approached him and hauled him to his feet. He stared intently at Karen. She fascinated him in a way he couldn't explain, this child had power above even his wildest dreams, and yet she refused to kill him, even after all he'd done. Either she believed in the same ideals as he, or she was truly naive, a form of naivete he'd never encountered, he was intrigued, moreso than afraid. He was too injured to read her mind, but somehow he could tell that as long as he was in her presence, he was safe.
He gave a short chuckle as he began to be hauled away.
"Don't forget me, girl, I certainly won't forget you," he said with a smile, no longer constrained by his mask. He meant that too, he would never forget the one little girl who foiled his plot, the plot which he had spent over fifty years on. The girl who halted the Reich's return, it almost sounded like something from a pulp magazine. "For an inferior, you're rather impressive, perhaps even impressive enough to be an honorary Aryan. But, I shall, no, I promise, that I will return. You barely broke a sweat fighting me before, I wish to see the power that you hide, and I wish to tame it!" He roared in fury, fighting against the police officers even with his heavy injuries.
"Karen Hernandez of Hub City! I will come for you! I will show no mercy! I will bury you!"
Finally Wilhelm was wrestled into submission, but even as he was hauled away, he gave one last look at Karen, a mixture between a smirk and a determined look set upon his face.
The Reich can wait, she's more important.
10:38
North Central Street; The Wedge
Wilhelm lazily strutted down the burning street, waiting for someone, anyone to come out to face him, this part of the city was his, no question, and if all went well the rest soon would be the same. He should have left already, no-one here was left to oppose him, he should have gone to aid with the gunfight with SWAT, but he had desired to meet one of the vigilantes that those in the city were so fond of speaking about, they were trusted more than the police here, killing them would horrifically damage the spirit of anyone living in Hub City.
It seemed as if these stalwart defenders were too afraid to face him, like most everyone else. Suddenly, he was proven wrong by the intrusion of a woman's voice, following the sudden crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. Wilhelm stared with a scowl, hidden behind his mask. His companions raised their weapons immediately and pointed them at the woman, one of the vigilantes, clearly. Wilhelm found himself growing excited, this would truly break the spirits of anyone who still dared defy him.
"I am a scion, a remnant," he responded to her words with a sunny and pleased demeanor transmitted through his words. "What, do you not find the flames beautiful? I lit them just for you," he stated as he gestured to the burning buildings around him.
"I doubt anyone would miss these buildings, clearly you wouldn't," he said, giving the first hint that he had begun to read her mind.
---
Karen didn't quite grasp the meaning behind his last words, but they greatly unnerved her. Had she given any outward indication that she viewed The Wedge in an unfavorable light? Well, it didn't matter. He had crossed a major line when he burned her town and hurt the people living in it. It was bad enough when they did it to themselves, she wasn't about to let some asshole from whereverthefuck get away with it.
Her gaze briefly shifted to the men surrounding him; there were six in total, all heavily armed. Much more so than the thugs she had been dealing with up till now. None of them were a threat to her, still, but they would need to be dealt with nonetheless...but only after she took care of their boss.
"You're the one that's about to get lit up, asshole!" Karen finally replied, crouching. Sam had warned her about this guy's weird powers, so she might just have to use a coat-tearing amount of strength this time.
Launching herself forward at about six hundred miles per hour, she dove into Mr. Scion with a subsonic tackle, blasting aside anyone else in her path.
---
Even despite his increased brain power, Wilhelm could barely find the reaction time to make a single thought, and he was sent flying backwards at great speed, but just as suddenly as he had been tossed, he stopped midair, an incredibly sudden stop that in all honesty should have killed him, but he held his organs and bones together in order to prevent them from snapping or being turned to liquid. The blow was hard enough to completely shatter his ribs, he could tell that at the very least, he'd have to focus a portion of his brain power on holding them together now, just grand.
Wilhelm had to wonder just what the hell this woman was, he had to probe deeper into her mind, but her speed made that dangerous. Telepathically instructing his companions to open fire, he began probing. He felt his body shake in shock as he began to recieve her thoughts. She was a girl, not a woman, a child, and some... old man had given... what in the hell was going on?
Most terrifying of all, she seemed to be more powerful than anything he'd ever seen in his life. Wilhelm would have to test the limits of her abilities. Lowering himself to the ground slowly, he hid his pain and watched the... girl, with hands behind his back.
"Ouch, that was a good hit, my little lady," he spoke with a condescending dance in his voice. "I do have one question for you."
He pointed a finger at her, slowly approaching.
"How's mommy?"
---
Karen winced sharply when she felt his ribs crack. Even though she was still only using a tiny fraction of her speed, it had still proven too much and could have easily killed him. Fortunately, he seemed to have held it together in the end, but it was still a harsh lesson learned. Now she had to deal with his men, who were all training their weapons on her. Leaping out of the way before they could fire, she landed behind the first one and seized him by the back of his neck.
Lifting the man by both the rear collar and hem of his pants, she hurled him into another of the wackos with enough force to ensure they would be soundly taken out of the fight. Proceeding to deliver a solid palm strike to the face of her next target, she quickly moved on to slam the head of the fourth attacker into the pavement. Now only two remained, which she swiftly rectified by seizing one's rifle and belting the other upsside the head with it. Placing the now unarmed man in a sleeper hold, her eyes were pulled back to their leader when he began speaking.
Letting his final companion fall to the ground, she tilted her head when he asked how 'mommy' was. "Uh...did I knock something loose there?"
She would feel bad attacking him further if he was already out of his head.
---
Wilhelm sputtered as the girl misunderstood his words. He wasn't that bad at speaking the English language was he? Perhaps he needed to be a bit more clear. Oh, and his men had been beaten quickly, what a shame, but now he didn't need to focus on controlling them, so he had more room to use his powers.
"I meant... er..." he sighed angrily. His intimidation factor had just been divided in fifteen by that misstep. Oh well, he supposed, he'd find a way to beat her eventually... even though even she didn't know her weakness and he had basically no way of finding out. In cases like these, mental warfare was a substitute for overwhelming force.
He calmed himself and focused his thoughts.
"I was referring, to Julia, how long has it been? Four years? Around there, or at least that's what I think. It makes me wonder, did she think of you as the blood drained from her body? Or did she think of how she should have never had you, she should have simply lived her own life, moved away, perhaps then she still would have been alive. In some way... it's your fault she died," he stated coldly. "And I'm sure daddy Manuel enjoys having to work so hard just to keep you, a parasite, alive. How often do you think you've thanked him for that? Not enough clearly, for when he dies the same way as his wife, you'll think you hadn't said enough."
He began his verbal assault, focusing on the easiest target, the deceased parent. That always got a reaction.
"And the old man? The one who thought you a worthy successor? He made a mistake, you're a pathetic child in over her head, you may think you're invincible, but you're wrong, Karen, you're just as mortal as your mother," he finished with a shrug. "But what do I know? Easy to answer, you said it yourself, 'Alone we can't make a lasting difference', and you are very clearly alone."
---
Karen blinked in a mixture of confusion and shock when he mentioned the name of her mother, and then proceeded to talk about her death. Struck silent by his inexplicable knowledge of her past, she felt her blood starting to boil when he started speaking of her mom's last moments, questioning if she had regretted having her in those final moments.
"You...you don't know anything about my mom..." she muttered, her rage barely suppressed.
He then started on about her father, calling her a parasite. Well, that was pretty funny considering that even a seventh grader knew parasites just exploited their hosts. While it was true that her dad worked hard, he was also completely unable to take care of himself at home without her...something she'd learned quite well these past four years. The only point he had was that she really should thank him more.
Still, his lack of understanding in her relationship with her dad had given her a chance to regain some composure. She didn't know how, but he knew who she was. Even more shockingly, he knew about Shazam, somehow!
"Wait..." Her eyes narrowed. "You move objects and you suddenly know about my past...you're a telepath?!"
---
Wilhelm chuckled.
"More than a telepath, I am an Ubermensch, and your attempts to ignore the facts to convince me I was wrong about your father are humorous and inconsequential, perhaps I should have known better than to try to break a child mentally. Instead, I suppose I shall break you physically."
Truthfully Wilhelm wasn't so sure about that, again, not even the girl knew her weaknesses, though his ability to infiltrate her mind was a good sign. He had been taught to prepare for anything, and these teachings were the only reason he had yet to suffer a mental breakdown from the revelations that he recieved from this infiltration, hopefully these same teachings would prepare him for what came next.
Holding out a hand, his abilities took hold of the girl, rooting her in place.
"I will hit you until I find something that hurts you, no-one is invulnerable, especially if they come from an inferior race."
In the air around Wilhelm, a great number of glass shards gathered, then were suddenly shot forth, where they worthlessly shattered against the girl's body. He frowned under his mask. He again raised his hand, this time picking up a car, he tossed it, and watched, wide-eyed, as it collapsed against her, just as worthlessly as the glass. He sighed to prevent anger from seeping in, and closed with her, taking up fighting posture. He reeled back, and then smashed a telepathy-enhanced fist into her jaw, tossing her skyward. He frowned, realizing that this had set her free and done just as little damage as the car and glass, and now his fist was killing him.
Lifting himself into the sky after her, he attempted to strike with a rising knee to her jaw, hoping that she would prove unable to react to it, perhaps with more momentum behind him he could do more.
---
"Eh?!" Karen gasped in reaction to something he had said, only to be doubly shocked when she felt an invisible force restrain her with a strength far greater than any human would be physically capable of. Before she could put much thought into trying to break free, she was bombarded with a hail of glass shards that completely tattered her red overcoat.
"Oh shit," Karen yelped, "Sam's going to kill--"
Her sentence was cut short by a car smashing its way through her. Or rather, she smashed her way through it, further damaging her overcoat and exposing her uniform beneath it. From the ripped torso of the coat, the thunderbolt - a metaphysical conduit to the Rock of Eternity, as Samantha had explained it - crackled with raw arcane power beneath the oscillating light of the surrounding fire.
There was just no way she was going to be able to fix this. She would have to get an entirely new overcoat now, though none besides this one had actually fit her in her mom's wardrobe. Her ruminations would be broken, however, when her opponent drove his fist into her jaw.
"Woah!" Karen exclaimed when she was sent flying back by a punch that would have probably splattered a normal human's skull instantly. It didn't hurt, though, and she no longer felt the weird pressure constraining her.
Watching him lift off the ground and soar towards her with an extended knee, she calmly extended a hand to stop him dead in his tracks, a minor sonic boom resulting from the impact. She hadn't quite mastered flying yet, but she could hover in the air well enough for something like this.
"Okay, chill bruh. I get it," Karen calmly eased his knee down. "I understand why you're so pissed at everyone now. You Ubermen have to put up with a lot of crazy passengers, and it can be maddening...but seriously? Burning down The Wedge is so extra I don't even know where to begin!"
---
Wilhelm grunted as his knee connected with the girl's hand, a crunching sound and immense pain showing that he had managed to snap something. Thankfully it was his femur and not his kneecap, and he quickly moved it back into place. What confused him more than ever, however, was the strange dialect the girl suddenly assumed, perhaps some form of patois? He was clueless, and it honestly annoyed him. He was far more intelligent than he'd ever been, and even now he was entirely clueless, though perhaps he was less intelligent than he liked to think, he had made quite a few mistakes in attempting to manipulate the girl, it was either that or lack of practice.
Floating back slightly and tilting his head in confusion, he stared as she spoke, some insipid statement about him being an "Uberman", which he assumed to be a mondegreen of "Ubermensch".
"...Was?" he responded in his native tongue, confused enough to be unable to think of the correct word in English for that moment in time.
Wilhelm brought his head back up and gave one last brainstorm. She was immune to all physical forms of damage he could try, and she was too naive to be mentally manipulated. The only solution was to drown her, like a sack of dumb puppies. Again he grabbed her with his telekinesis, struggling now due to stress and overexertion, as he did so a number of his brainwashed servants broke free and ran away from fighting, terrified for their lives.
"Enough of this nonsense, how about zis? I vill bring you to ze closest lake, and hold you under, until I'm finally through vith your insipid, foolish... existence!" he said, breathing heavily between words, his German accent becoming far more noticeable as he grew less and less stable.
Pulling both of them away from the city, he scanned the area for any lakes he could find. Finally, he found a small one not far from the city, and tossed her into it, utilizing all he had left to hold her under.
"Ertrinken! Drown! Sterben!" He yelled as he pushed her into the lakebed with a series of mental blows, cracking it under the force. Blood began to run from his nose, he was going to lose, he had to win this if he had any chance left! There was no running! He continued to attempt to convince himself that this was the only option as his hold on her grew weaker and weaker, until eventually it was to a point where she could probably break free.
---
She offered him a chance to talk, but he didn't seem very interested in that. Instead, he once again seized her with that weird power - telekinesis she guessed? - and began dragging her through the air. He seemed to be able to fly in a straight line pretty well, which was something she still had a bit of trouble with, admittedly.
Flexing her fingers slightly, she felt fairly confident that she could break free if she really wanted to...but upon noting that they were flying away from the city, and given her own haphazard aeriel control, she felt it was best to just let him remove them from any nearby civilians.
Eventually, they arrived at a small lake on the outskirts of Hub City. She recalled that it was named Lake Dover, though she didn't know why. He then, to her actual surprise, proceeded to throw her into it. Gasping in a mouthful of water by instinct when she went under, she immediately barfed it back out in a sizeable bubble.
She...wasn't drowning. She wasn't breathing, either, but that didn't seem to have any negative impact on her.
"What? Don't I need to breathe?" She muttered to herself, her voice distorted by the water as more bubbles floated up. "Woah, Sam never told me that!"
But she didn't have time to be impressed with herself. She could feel him trying to keep her under, but she had had more than enough by this point. She'd given him more chances than he deserved to resolve this peacefully, thinking that somebody who went this far must have some sort of tragedy in their past that drove them to this point. After all, even thugs didn't try to burn the city down.
Forcing herself out of the lake despite his best efforts to stop her, the tattered remains of her red overcoat were ripped free by his telekinesis. She now hovered in the air before him, her white cloak billowing behind her in the wind as the living lightning crackled throughout her being. A being powered by six mythological Gods as he had likely learned.
Making a rough landing before him, Karen frowned and slowly approached the man who had done so much to damage her home. Her home that she had been working tirelessly for the past month to try and improve in any way she could, even restricted as she was. When she at last stood before him, she acted without hesitation, drawing back her arms.
"I'm sorry for teasing you earlier," she wrapped her arms around him. "I thought it might make you laugh. I don't know what made you go down such a dark road, but I can't let you hurt my city. When you wake up, I hope you reconsider what you've done."
She then tightened her grip slightly and leaned back to slam his head straight down into the ground in a piledriver.
---
Wilhelm gasped as Karen freed herself from his control. He gasped even louder as she walked forwards and embraced him. He gasped the loudest when he was driven face-first into the ground. Somehow he managed to remain conscious, but as his psychic abilities failed him and the pain of his broken bones fully hit him, he wished he had just been knocked clean out.
In one last gesture of defiance, he attempted to force himself to his feet, but the pain was far too great, and he collapsed in a heap. Finally unable to take the pain and exhaustion any longer, he fell into unconsciousness.
---
North Central Street; The Wedge
Wilhelm lazily strutted down the burning street, waiting for someone, anyone to come out to face him, this part of the city was his, no question, and if all went well the rest soon would be the same. He should have left already, no-one here was left to oppose him, he should have gone to aid with the gunfight with SWAT, but he had desired to meet one of the vigilantes that those in the city were so fond of speaking about, they were trusted more than the police here, killing them would horrifically damage the spirit of anyone living in Hub City.
It seemed as if these stalwart defenders were too afraid to face him, like most everyone else. Suddenly, he was proven wrong by the intrusion of a woman's voice, following the sudden crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. Wilhelm stared with a scowl, hidden behind his mask. His companions raised their weapons immediately and pointed them at the woman, one of the vigilantes, clearly. Wilhelm found himself growing excited, this would truly break the spirits of anyone who still dared defy him.
"I am a scion, a remnant," he responded to her words with a sunny and pleased demeanor transmitted through his words. "What, do you not find the flames beautiful? I lit them just for you," he stated as he gestured to the burning buildings around him.
"I doubt anyone would miss these buildings, clearly you wouldn't," he said, giving the first hint that he had begun to read her mind.
---
Karen didn't quite grasp the meaning behind his last words, but they greatly unnerved her. Had she given any outward indication that she viewed The Wedge in an unfavorable light? Well, it didn't matter. He had crossed a major line when he burned her town and hurt the people living in it. It was bad enough when they did it to themselves, she wasn't about to let some asshole from whereverthefuck get away with it.
Her gaze briefly shifted to the men surrounding him; there were six in total, all heavily armed. Much more so than the thugs she had been dealing with up till now. None of them were a threat to her, still, but they would need to be dealt with nonetheless...but only after she took care of their boss.
"You're the one that's about to get lit up, asshole!" Karen finally replied, crouching. Sam had warned her about this guy's weird powers, so she might just have to use a coat-tearing amount of strength this time.
Launching herself forward at about six hundred miles per hour, she dove into Mr. Scion with a subsonic tackle, blasting aside anyone else in her path.
---
Even despite his increased brain power, Wilhelm could barely find the reaction time to make a single thought, and he was sent flying backwards at great speed, but just as suddenly as he had been tossed, he stopped midair, an incredibly sudden stop that in all honesty should have killed him, but he held his organs and bones together in order to prevent them from snapping or being turned to liquid. The blow was hard enough to completely shatter his ribs, he could tell that at the very least, he'd have to focus a portion of his brain power on holding them together now, just grand.
Wilhelm had to wonder just what the hell this woman was, he had to probe deeper into her mind, but her speed made that dangerous. Telepathically instructing his companions to open fire, he began probing. He felt his body shake in shock as he began to recieve her thoughts. She was a girl, not a woman, a child, and some... old man had given... what in the hell was going on?
Most terrifying of all, she seemed to be more powerful than anything he'd ever seen in his life. Wilhelm would have to test the limits of her abilities. Lowering himself to the ground slowly, he hid his pain and watched the... girl, with hands behind his back.
"Ouch, that was a good hit, my little lady," he spoke with a condescending dance in his voice. "I do have one question for you."
He pointed a finger at her, slowly approaching.
"How's mommy?"
---
Karen winced sharply when she felt his ribs crack. Even though she was still only using a tiny fraction of her speed, it had still proven too much and could have easily killed him. Fortunately, he seemed to have held it together in the end, but it was still a harsh lesson learned. Now she had to deal with his men, who were all training their weapons on her. Leaping out of the way before they could fire, she landed behind the first one and seized him by the back of his neck.
Lifting the man by both the rear collar and hem of his pants, she hurled him into another of the wackos with enough force to ensure they would be soundly taken out of the fight. Proceeding to deliver a solid palm strike to the face of her next target, she quickly moved on to slam the head of the fourth attacker into the pavement. Now only two remained, which she swiftly rectified by seizing one's rifle and belting the other upsside the head with it. Placing the now unarmed man in a sleeper hold, her eyes were pulled back to their leader when he began speaking.
Letting his final companion fall to the ground, she tilted her head when he asked how 'mommy' was. "Uh...did I knock something loose there?"
She would feel bad attacking him further if he was already out of his head.
---
Wilhelm sputtered as the girl misunderstood his words. He wasn't that bad at speaking the English language was he? Perhaps he needed to be a bit more clear. Oh, and his men had been beaten quickly, what a shame, but now he didn't need to focus on controlling them, so he had more room to use his powers.
"I meant... er..." he sighed angrily. His intimidation factor had just been divided in fifteen by that misstep. Oh well, he supposed, he'd find a way to beat her eventually... even though even she didn't know her weakness and he had basically no way of finding out. In cases like these, mental warfare was a substitute for overwhelming force.
He calmed himself and focused his thoughts.
"I was referring, to Julia, how long has it been? Four years? Around there, or at least that's what I think. It makes me wonder, did she think of you as the blood drained from her body? Or did she think of how she should have never had you, she should have simply lived her own life, moved away, perhaps then she still would have been alive. In some way... it's your fault she died," he stated coldly. "And I'm sure daddy Manuel enjoys having to work so hard just to keep you, a parasite, alive. How often do you think you've thanked him for that? Not enough clearly, for when he dies the same way as his wife, you'll think you hadn't said enough."
He began his verbal assault, focusing on the easiest target, the deceased parent. That always got a reaction.
"And the old man? The one who thought you a worthy successor? He made a mistake, you're a pathetic child in over her head, you may think you're invincible, but you're wrong, Karen, you're just as mortal as your mother," he finished with a shrug. "But what do I know? Easy to answer, you said it yourself, 'Alone we can't make a lasting difference', and you are very clearly alone."
---
Karen blinked in a mixture of confusion and shock when he mentioned the name of her mother, and then proceeded to talk about her death. Struck silent by his inexplicable knowledge of her past, she felt her blood starting to boil when he started speaking of her mom's last moments, questioning if she had regretted having her in those final moments.
"You...you don't know anything about my mom..." she muttered, her rage barely suppressed.
He then started on about her father, calling her a parasite. Well, that was pretty funny considering that even a seventh grader knew parasites just exploited their hosts. While it was true that her dad worked hard, he was also completely unable to take care of himself at home without her...something she'd learned quite well these past four years. The only point he had was that she really should thank him more.
Still, his lack of understanding in her relationship with her dad had given her a chance to regain some composure. She didn't know how, but he knew who she was. Even more shockingly, he knew about Shazam, somehow!
"Wait..." Her eyes narrowed. "You move objects and you suddenly know about my past...you're a telepath?!"
---
Wilhelm chuckled.
"More than a telepath, I am an Ubermensch, and your attempts to ignore the facts to convince me I was wrong about your father are humorous and inconsequential, perhaps I should have known better than to try to break a child mentally. Instead, I suppose I shall break you physically."
Truthfully Wilhelm wasn't so sure about that, again, not even the girl knew her weaknesses, though his ability to infiltrate her mind was a good sign. He had been taught to prepare for anything, and these teachings were the only reason he had yet to suffer a mental breakdown from the revelations that he recieved from this infiltration, hopefully these same teachings would prepare him for what came next.
Holding out a hand, his abilities took hold of the girl, rooting her in place.
"I will hit you until I find something that hurts you, no-one is invulnerable, especially if they come from an inferior race."
In the air around Wilhelm, a great number of glass shards gathered, then were suddenly shot forth, where they worthlessly shattered against the girl's body. He frowned under his mask. He again raised his hand, this time picking up a car, he tossed it, and watched, wide-eyed, as it collapsed against her, just as worthlessly as the glass. He sighed to prevent anger from seeping in, and closed with her, taking up fighting posture. He reeled back, and then smashed a telepathy-enhanced fist into her jaw, tossing her skyward. He frowned, realizing that this had set her free and done just as little damage as the car and glass, and now his fist was killing him.
Lifting himself into the sky after her, he attempted to strike with a rising knee to her jaw, hoping that she would prove unable to react to it, perhaps with more momentum behind him he could do more.
---
"Eh?!" Karen gasped in reaction to something he had said, only to be doubly shocked when she felt an invisible force restrain her with a strength far greater than any human would be physically capable of. Before she could put much thought into trying to break free, she was bombarded with a hail of glass shards that completely tattered her red overcoat.
"Oh shit," Karen yelped, "Sam's going to kill--"
Her sentence was cut short by a car smashing its way through her. Or rather, she smashed her way through it, further damaging her overcoat and exposing her uniform beneath it. From the ripped torso of the coat, the thunderbolt - a metaphysical conduit to the Rock of Eternity, as Samantha had explained it - crackled with raw arcane power beneath the oscillating light of the surrounding fire.
There was just no way she was going to be able to fix this. She would have to get an entirely new overcoat now, though none besides this one had actually fit her in her mom's wardrobe. Her ruminations would be broken, however, when her opponent drove his fist into her jaw.
"Woah!" Karen exclaimed when she was sent flying back by a punch that would have probably splattered a normal human's skull instantly. It didn't hurt, though, and she no longer felt the weird pressure constraining her.
Watching him lift off the ground and soar towards her with an extended knee, she calmly extended a hand to stop him dead in his tracks, a minor sonic boom resulting from the impact. She hadn't quite mastered flying yet, but she could hover in the air well enough for something like this.
"Okay, chill bruh. I get it," Karen calmly eased his knee down. "I understand why you're so pissed at everyone now. You Ubermen have to put up with a lot of crazy passengers, and it can be maddening...but seriously? Burning down The Wedge is so extra I don't even know where to begin!"
---
Wilhelm grunted as his knee connected with the girl's hand, a crunching sound and immense pain showing that he had managed to snap something. Thankfully it was his femur and not his kneecap, and he quickly moved it back into place. What confused him more than ever, however, was the strange dialect the girl suddenly assumed, perhaps some form of patois? He was clueless, and it honestly annoyed him. He was far more intelligent than he'd ever been, and even now he was entirely clueless, though perhaps he was less intelligent than he liked to think, he had made quite a few mistakes in attempting to manipulate the girl, it was either that or lack of practice.
Floating back slightly and tilting his head in confusion, he stared as she spoke, some insipid statement about him being an "Uberman", which he assumed to be a mondegreen of "Ubermensch".
"...Was?" he responded in his native tongue, confused enough to be unable to think of the correct word in English for that moment in time.
Wilhelm brought his head back up and gave one last brainstorm. She was immune to all physical forms of damage he could try, and she was too naive to be mentally manipulated. The only solution was to drown her, like a sack of dumb puppies. Again he grabbed her with his telekinesis, struggling now due to stress and overexertion, as he did so a number of his brainwashed servants broke free and ran away from fighting, terrified for their lives.
"Enough of this nonsense, how about zis? I vill bring you to ze closest lake, and hold you under, until I'm finally through vith your insipid, foolish... existence!" he said, breathing heavily between words, his German accent becoming far more noticeable as he grew less and less stable.
Pulling both of them away from the city, he scanned the area for any lakes he could find. Finally, he found a small one not far from the city, and tossed her into it, utilizing all he had left to hold her under.
"Ertrinken! Drown! Sterben!" He yelled as he pushed her into the lakebed with a series of mental blows, cracking it under the force. Blood began to run from his nose, he was going to lose, he had to win this if he had any chance left! There was no running! He continued to attempt to convince himself that this was the only option as his hold on her grew weaker and weaker, until eventually it was to a point where she could probably break free.
---
She offered him a chance to talk, but he didn't seem very interested in that. Instead, he once again seized her with that weird power - telekinesis she guessed? - and began dragging her through the air. He seemed to be able to fly in a straight line pretty well, which was something she still had a bit of trouble with, admittedly.
Flexing her fingers slightly, she felt fairly confident that she could break free if she really wanted to...but upon noting that they were flying away from the city, and given her own haphazard aeriel control, she felt it was best to just let him remove them from any nearby civilians.
Eventually, they arrived at a small lake on the outskirts of Hub City. She recalled that it was named Lake Dover, though she didn't know why. He then, to her actual surprise, proceeded to throw her into it. Gasping in a mouthful of water by instinct when she went under, she immediately barfed it back out in a sizeable bubble.
She...wasn't drowning. She wasn't breathing, either, but that didn't seem to have any negative impact on her.
"What? Don't I need to breathe?" She muttered to herself, her voice distorted by the water as more bubbles floated up. "Woah, Sam never told me that!"
But she didn't have time to be impressed with herself. She could feel him trying to keep her under, but she had had more than enough by this point. She'd given him more chances than he deserved to resolve this peacefully, thinking that somebody who went this far must have some sort of tragedy in their past that drove them to this point. After all, even thugs didn't try to burn the city down.
Forcing herself out of the lake despite his best efforts to stop her, the tattered remains of her red overcoat were ripped free by his telekinesis. She now hovered in the air before him, her white cloak billowing behind her in the wind as the living lightning crackled throughout her being. A being powered by six mythological Gods as he had likely learned.
Making a rough landing before him, Karen frowned and slowly approached the man who had done so much to damage her home. Her home that she had been working tirelessly for the past month to try and improve in any way she could, even restricted as she was. When she at last stood before him, she acted without hesitation, drawing back her arms.
"I'm sorry for teasing you earlier," she wrapped her arms around him. "I thought it might make you laugh. I don't know what made you go down such a dark road, but I can't let you hurt my city. When you wake up, I hope you reconsider what you've done."
She then tightened her grip slightly and leaned back to slam his head straight down into the ground in a piledriver.
---
Wilhelm gasped as Karen freed herself from his control. He gasped even louder as she walked forwards and embraced him. He gasped the loudest when he was driven face-first into the ground. Somehow he managed to remain conscious, but as his psychic abilities failed him and the pain of his broken bones fully hit him, he wished he had just been knocked clean out.
In one last gesture of defiance, he attempted to force himself to his feet, but the pain was far too great, and he collapsed in a heap. Finally unable to take the pain and exhaustion any longer, he fell into unconsciousness.
---
9:25 PM
December 1st
Abandoned Factory, Hub City
The smog of Hub City's meager industrial district carried over the wind as Wilhelm stood atop the abandoned factory, his base of operations. Gunfire could be heard echoing in the distance, a testament to the failures of democracy. The gathered group of German Restorationists behind him dead silent, as had been instructed, continuing to keep them under his control stressing on Wilhelm's mind.
Wilhelm closed his eyes a moment and took a deep breath. Just a little longer, that was all he needed, he had to keep going. Telepathically, he instructed the men on their roles. The police rarely ventured into The Wedge, so that's where he would begin. Meanwhile, he instructed a group to take hostages in the richer district in order to draw SWAT away, meanwhile, a heavy concentration of men would march on the Police Station. Once they had that, they'd surround SWAT and kill them to a man. He'd equipped his men well with the weapons he'd taken from compliant arms dealers, and some less compliant. They'd be less equipped than SWAT, but they had numbers on their side, and once they took the Police Station they'd have vehicles to allow them to move throughout the city easily.
Wilhelm himself would take The Wedge, near-singlehandedly. The vigilantes that he'd been informed of were just that, vigilantes, unsupported and in way over their heads. They'd fall, as would all of those in the way of Großdeutschland.
10:28 PM
December 1st
The Wedge, Hub City
The plan had been a success so far. In under a half-hour the police station had been taken in a lightening attack that would make the Fuhrer proud. Currently SWAT was holding their ground, but Wilhelm doubted they could last much longer, his lookouts on the edge of town had yet to notice any army movement, but Wilhelm would be sure to retreat the instant they were spotted. Hopefully they wouldn't arrive until the city was under his control. No American army would beseige their own civilians, so it would be an all-out assault from the moment the officer makes the command. With his mind in charge of defending against the assault, it was unlikely to be a successful one.
Wilhelm took in the smell of burning as he and his men walked down the city street, cars littering the road between the flaming buildings. One of these such cars had a word on the side. "UBER", all capital letters. Wilhelm felt himself grow into a fiery rage.
"Uber? Wo ist der Umlaut? Und alle der Buchstabe sind kapitalisiert? In der deutschen Sprache werden Substantive immer groß geschrieben!" he roared furiously as he tossed the car through the air, smashing it through the wall of a nearby building. He hated when Americans or other such inferiors stole the German language for their own use, especially if it was misused.
He calmed after a few seconds frothing in a furor. It was fine, The Wedge was as good as his anyway, he'd lit a few fires to draw out anyone who thought themselves strong enough to stop him, and all that came were a few hoods who thought themselves better than they were. He had yet to see any of the reported vigilantes, they were all too terrified to face him, he presumed, no matter, they'd all die anyway. All of them would pay for what they did to the Fuhrer.
December 1st
Abandoned Factory, Hub City
The smog of Hub City's meager industrial district carried over the wind as Wilhelm stood atop the abandoned factory, his base of operations. Gunfire could be heard echoing in the distance, a testament to the failures of democracy. The gathered group of German Restorationists behind him dead silent, as had been instructed, continuing to keep them under his control stressing on Wilhelm's mind.
Wilhelm closed his eyes a moment and took a deep breath. Just a little longer, that was all he needed, he had to keep going. Telepathically, he instructed the men on their roles. The police rarely ventured into The Wedge, so that's where he would begin. Meanwhile, he instructed a group to take hostages in the richer district in order to draw SWAT away, meanwhile, a heavy concentration of men would march on the Police Station. Once they had that, they'd surround SWAT and kill them to a man. He'd equipped his men well with the weapons he'd taken from compliant arms dealers, and some less compliant. They'd be less equipped than SWAT, but they had numbers on their side, and once they took the Police Station they'd have vehicles to allow them to move throughout the city easily.
Wilhelm himself would take The Wedge, near-singlehandedly. The vigilantes that he'd been informed of were just that, vigilantes, unsupported and in way over their heads. They'd fall, as would all of those in the way of Großdeutschland.
10:28 PM
December 1st
The Wedge, Hub City
The plan had been a success so far. In under a half-hour the police station had been taken in a lightening attack that would make the Fuhrer proud. Currently SWAT was holding their ground, but Wilhelm doubted they could last much longer, his lookouts on the edge of town had yet to notice any army movement, but Wilhelm would be sure to retreat the instant they were spotted. Hopefully they wouldn't arrive until the city was under his control. No American army would beseige their own civilians, so it would be an all-out assault from the moment the officer makes the command. With his mind in charge of defending against the assault, it was unlikely to be a successful one.
Wilhelm took in the smell of burning as he and his men walked down the city street, cars littering the road between the flaming buildings. One of these such cars had a word on the side. "UBER", all capital letters. Wilhelm felt himself grow into a fiery rage.
"Uber? Wo ist der Umlaut? Und alle der Buchstabe sind kapitalisiert? In der deutschen Sprache werden Substantive immer groß geschrieben!" he roared furiously as he tossed the car through the air, smashing it through the wall of a nearby building. He hated when Americans or other such inferiors stole the German language for their own use, especially if it was misused.
He calmed after a few seconds frothing in a furor. It was fine, The Wedge was as good as his anyway, he'd lit a few fires to draw out anyone who thought themselves strong enough to stop him, and all that came were a few hoods who thought themselves better than they were. He had yet to see any of the reported vigilantes, they were all too terrified to face him, he presumed, no matter, they'd all die anyway. All of them would pay for what they did to the Fuhrer.
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