Brucenorris007

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce recognized the form of Prisma on his way down- and he wished he had been above ground to see what it looked like when the clone was downright annihilated by Alvios.

He felt his assault on the tower meet significant resistance and shatter, so on that front he chose to bide his time. He couldn't sense any energy sources heading directly for him through his ties to the earth, and while Dacer was a force to be reckoned with, he decided Jeff and Jenso would be all right. With no clear outlet for Sakki to vent toward at the moment, he took advantage of Jenso's generous gift to him. Bruce began surreptitiously manipulating the walls of the chasm, breaking thin, imperceptible layers of both sides down into sand that would fly more readily into the bag's opening. He marveled at the fact that the bag did, in fact, manage to retain several tons of material without weighing him down.

He wasn't entirely confident that the supply would be of much use once they reached the inside of the tower, but he'd exploit any edge he could get.

Bruce once again took stock of the whole chaotic scene- Jeff and Jenso were still together, and Alvios had progressed a little, but despite being the largest physically, Oz was making the most geographical headway. He chose to have confidence in whatever his plan was and shot up on his hover board, headed toward Alvios. He kept his sword ready in his sheath.

"I think you just showed us all up, Lightbringer." Bruce said, drawing Alvios' attention upward.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce let Sakki out a bit more- he'd decided long before the outset of this battle that he wouldn't be front and center, and that of all of them, Alvios had the best claim to take Ada out. The purely malicious side of him felt a tad disappointed that he couldn't just let the witch into his mind without risking the lives of his friends.

Despite the gravity of the fight and all that was raging around him, he couldn't resist pondering how such a meeting of minds would take place.
Ada giggled once she had managed to snag Bruce with her magic- given the significant sinister side to his personality, it hadn't taken long after establishing contact. Curious, she placed her fingers against the vegetative swordsman's forehead, reaching into the depths of his mind. She found the majority of it well balanced, measured in its thoughts and feelings, and boring. Reaching further, she stumbled upon Sakki's domain.

The bloodlust radiating and being so casually thrown about couldn't be described as feral or alien- it was purely human, and that was what made her freeze in terror. None of the malicious desires or disturbingly imaginative acts of retribution were even fucking coherent.

Bruce blinked, finding himself being tossed out of Ada's room with the door slamming shut behind her so hard the walls of the tower shook and the metal rang in his ears.

"KEEP HIM THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked from the other side. Ada shuddered, realizing belatedly that she needed a fresh pair of... everything.

Back in the real world, even as another three fake Zelriane's leapt up to try swatting him down, Bruce's cheeks puffed and spit flew from his mouth as he desperately attempted to restrain hysteric laughter.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce reared back on his hover board, aiming the bottom towards the clone Rajaka and simultaneously ducking the blow from the faux Zelriane by angling such that he wouldn't fall off. One hand clutched the side of the board, while his other, holding his blade, brought it slashing upward- in the moment it arced, it changed into half a dozen throwing knives that hurled toward the prideful clone. Meanwhile, he focused his Ki into the board, and the defense mechanism transformed it into five hyper-concentrated lasers that fired at not-Rajaka.

"Ah-ah," Bruce said, retracting his Ki from the board and letting himself back into free fall above the chasm. "This was a gift."

Only after he'd avoided the immediate attacks did Bruce even notice that Ada's voice had been essentially shouting in his head. He spent a tenth of a second considering the possibility that he might actually be insane as she accused him of being.

His conclusion: eh, probably somewhat.

After that Bruce went over Ada's attempt at goading him. He blinked. And snorted.

"That's it?"

Even after Bruce had fallen past the the horizon made by the chasm, and deeper, the humorous chuckle wouldn't stop. It wasn't his fault the Order was unintentionally hilarious.

"You tease," Bruce slurred, finally reactivating the board and once again flipping upright to cease his descent. "I've been listening for days to tales of how sadistic you are. I had assumed that also meant you were clever. I was more correct about weak imagination than I thought."

Bruce might have released Sakki, but he wasn't stupid- the influence he held over his actions hadn't been fully surrendered. This was his role in the group dynamic. The one who drew attention.

He'd dwelled on it since Mikey's initial analysis of his abilities, what felt like months ago. He'd told him that his Arki wasn't suited to offensive one-on-one battle, that it was predictable, and slow.

All that amounted to was a roundabout way of saying loud.

"Let me explain why you can't faze me with your tactics," Bruce said, closing his eyes. Time around him, to his mind, slowed, as the heartbeat of the planet pounded within him, slowing his own until they were in sync. He sought his sage state not for power, but to aid in illustrating a point. "Nothing you've said is new information."

His awareness of all the earth for miles around sharpened, and he felt the earth stretch out deep beneath the ocean. His voice echoed loudly with the reverberations lent by his state and the chasm, projecting across the field.

Bruce had made peace by finding acceptance with Ross' help. In admitting to the chronic suppression of his emotions and resolving it, he'd been forced to confront his identity anew. Most people would require a significant time frame to achieve such a thing- Bruce, like his companions, was not most people.

"I know what I am- I am a power source. A weapon, and a wanderer."

His golems, those falling and the ones Dacer had shot to pieces, reformed with the speed of thought, resuming their missions.

"I'm well aware my wife would be fully disillusioned with who I am now. I am not who I used to be. But nothing is absolute, and that is why this world is worth saving," Bruce said, Sakki's influence appearing again. His sword reappeared in his sheath. "That's what makes it fun."

Behind the tower, from within the ocean, the earth of its bottom erupted upward. A wave exploded out that threatened to drown the coast, and behind it, the mass of material itself began to morph. Dirt flew up in a mass from the first onslaught of rock, silt, sand and mud, and shot through the wave of water, past the tower and toward Ada with a gigantic mud slide.

"I have chosen this guild as the last home I will ever know. They call me friend out of the goodness of their hearts- but my role is to enable them to succeed with the full extent of my strength and nothing further. I've made peace with this fact."

Bruce's influence receded again, and Sakki came back out. The gigantic amount of earth behind the tower reached with two short arms to grip the coastline, two far longer arms reaching out of the creatures back toward the tower itself. A mouth, with jagged fangs and teeth, shot out toward its base- and there was much material left to spare.

Bruce cackled briefly, slicing his sword in a 360 degree arc that sent a spiraling helix of Ki up toward the Order clones.
'Huh. That's new. Cool.'

Bruce released his sage state- his point had been made. His friends had heard all he had to say, not just Ada. He made it clear he had no insecurities on that front.

"And no," he hissed, his tone almost playful despite the malice dripping from his aura. "My wife never quite got around to telling me that."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce marveled at the device that attached itself to his feet. His smile broadened into the grin of a child as he flipped in midair, concentrating his Ki into the mechanism to create and outward burst that slowed his descent to a halt just inches above the ground before hurtling upward again.

"Thank you, my friend!"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere"

Bruce recognized the voice as Ada's and his grin faltered- not dropping, but wavering as though restraining a barking laughter.

"I have eyes and ears right here, and that's all I need!" Bruce said aloud, though no one could hear him from his position unless he yelled.

Bruce saw his colossi become engulfed in Jenso's white flame, reveling in the awesome sight.

"Brilliant, Jenso!"

He caught sight of Alvios using one of his golems as a platform, and an idea struck. He glanced up at the island, which had only grown a bit thinner since depositing the force of colossi. It would reach the end of its downward arc soon.

"Lightbringer!" Bruce shouted to Alvios- apparently the swordsman had another name for the Scion of Light. "Jenso! Brace yourselves!"

Bruce made a gesture with his hands, and in the midst of Alvios' and Jenso's paths, two new, six-limbed, massive golems rose up, faster than the goo could pile over it but at a pace manageable for the heroes to leap aboard. That wasn't what they needed to prepare for, though.

With another flick of his wrists, like a composer, Bruce threw his arms wide apart, and a new fault line formed in the ground beneath the battlefield, ripping it apart and creating a gaping chasm between the castle and the tower. Many of Ada's army were made hapless victims and fell inside- Bruce's golems, being a part of him, already had accounted for it and were strong enough to leap across.

Alvios and Jenso's golems hunkered down and charged toward the chasm, which continued to widen. From the descending island that was now nearing the tower, a new family of colossi roared and plummeted down. They were not attractive in form, if anything they had the appearance of giant worms with dozens of rows of teeth. Though it meant nothing since Bruce could levitate any earth he chose, he also gave them wings, smirking to himself- ever since the fight with Rajaka and Zelriane, he'd grown to love flying.

Roughly thirty of these airborne creatures headed for the chasm. Bruce intended for them to create a clear chance for Jenso and Alvios to bypass the majority of the purple sludge and conserve their own strength to take down Ada.

That done, Bruce turned back to Jeff.

"Let's go, Wild Card! Show us what you can do!" Bruce yelled, ignoring as Ada's voice echoed in his head once again. "Impress m-"

His senses caught the energy rocketing toward them before he even turned around. Calling upon his reliable blade, he gripped it in its sheath and, with one stroke, sent out a wave of slashing Ki that sliced through the onslaught horizontally. His sword was returned to its sheath in an instant, but a flash of red was unmistakably present.

"What do I fear?" Bruce mimicked Ada's question, his lips quivering to restrain another boom of laughter. "I fear you are wasting your time."

Bruce's voice deepened, but not due to entering his sage state- Sakki began leaking into his speech.

"I've a better query- do you feel fear?"

Bruce swooped down, slashing into half a dozen goo creations and splitting them in half before arcing back up.

"Take away anything that makes you even slightly noteworthy," he drawled. "Your name, status, your alignment- what does that leave you? A wench with purple sludge."

Bruce's grin turned dark, and his hair shadowing his face left only his eyes visible.

"Do the same to me- my name, status, alignment all gone. I'm still a madman with a sword." Sakki had taken over his mouth, and his tongue flicked over dry lips. "One who'd love nothing more than to chop your body to pieces and feed them to one of my golems. Now tell me, which one is scarier?"

Bruce brandished his blade.

"Show us whatever you've got- if you think us so simple-minded that you can guilt us into submission, you're as wrong as anyone has ever been. Hell, throw the image of my dead wife and brother my way if your weak imagination can conjure it."

He chuckled.

"It'll only add to the thrill."

Bruce's hands tingled with anticipation, and he slashed, sending another wave into the horde.

"I'll cut them all down."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce snorted on the roof of the flying fortress, blinking rapidly and sitting upright. He'd dozed off ten minutes into his plotted fifteen for playing music, and Ada's voice echoing in his head woke him. He rolled onto his back and sprang to his feet, yawning once while he took stock. Blup's voice suddenly died, but it didn't affect him much- nothing he'd been saying was really new information.

He glanced down. While he was separate from the others and didn't have access to Jeff's camera for visuals, he put the pieces together quickly at the sight of purple spread out across the field.

"Hm. The harlot is first. All right..." he muttered, cracking his neck. The smirk he'd been sporting earlier returned, widening into a vaguely malicious smile. His soul was positively rattling, demanding a release.

'You've been very patient, Sakki.' Bruce thought, focusing his mind on the inherent connection he shared with the earth. Behind the airborne guild, the ground pulsed and shuddered. 'Here's your reward.'

In a few moments, what daylight could be seen from the sun, considering reality's state of falling apart, was blocked from view by a truly enormous mass of earth- trees with their whole network of roots, boulders, even a few streams of water had been lifted into the sky overhead as part of what could only be called an island of natural material. A twinkle of mayhem shone in Bruce's eyes, feeling the rush of manipulating it course through his body.

"So this is what it feels like to finally cut loose."

He hadn't even entered his sage state yet- he shivered with excitement.

The shape above the field could actually be heard hurtling through the air toward the tower. Material fell from it as it passed over Jeff's fortress, and that material took shape as it plummeted downward- colossi, numbering in the several dozens, bordering on hundreds, of all forms and descriptions rumbled with rocky battle cries as they rushed to meet Ada's army. Some resembled animal life on a larger scale, others merely titanic in stature, and a few could only be described as the alien forms only an overactive imagination could conjure.

Bruce laughed as freely as he'd ever done in his life. He sprinted forward, pitching his body over the side of the fortress and diving down into free fall toward their opponent.

A thought occurred to him when he saw Jeff's face whizz past on his way down, and he reached into his robe to pull out the phone they'd all been given and dialed the wind sage.

"Hey, Wild Card!" Bruce said, shouting above the air rushing past him. "Mind lending me that platform again?" Bruce glanced at the ground casually, which was approaching quickly. "Sometime before impact would be preferable."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce smiled, feeling the structure fly into the air, rumbling as it lifted off the ground. He watched from the roof as it rose higher and higher.

'Thirty minutes.' He thought, recalling Jeff's estimate. He sat down, cross legged, and brought back his Ki-based whittling knife.

His instrument would be finished in ten minutes, and he'd spend the next fifteen playing an old melody that brought to mind tales of mythical beings and magic-wielding heroes in a guild not unlike the one to which he now belonged. Two minutes prior to arrival, he decided, he'd make a play of his own to provide the Order a 'request' that they extend an invitation into their tower.

The eager smirk he'd hidden when he was with the others grew once again on his face while he worked, and it remained. For all that was at stake now, even with reality tearing itself apart, nothing could dim the somewhat morbid thrill of anticipation toward the impending battle.

'The Order believes they know fury,' he mused, Sakki stirring a bit. A tinge of red ran down the edge of the gold knife.

"They have no idea."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce took Jenso's gift with immense gratitude, imagining how helpful such an item would be in a fight against the Order.

"Thank you." He said.

Bruce mulled over what he had to share with the golden warrior- he decided what he had to say wouldn't affect much at the moment, not until they reached the moment of truth against their ultimate opponent. An idea sparked in his mind, and he smirked.

"I can't speak for anyone else," Bruce said, heading for the exit. "But if you think I'm going to be sitting indoors when this place takes off, you'd be sorely mistaken."

On a whim, he kicked up the wooden carving he'd been whittling at into his hand on his way out.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce accepted the visor and pills from Jeff, stowing the pills in his robe.

"How fast can we get there?" he asked.

Bruce glanced toward Jenso- he did have one thing to cover with him before everything came to a head.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce's hand snapped up to catch his mug to keep his drink from spilling over. His wooden creation clattered to the floor, and his knife vanished. His shoulders shook separate from the steadily worsening tremors.

'Calm, Sakki. Soon.' Bruce thought to himself, hiding an eager smirk by taking a gulp of his drink. 'Don't let them see how excited you are.'

"He'll be fine, Luke," Bruce assured, nodding in Mikey's direction. "Our mentors are not to be trifled with."

Bruce downed the remainder of his significant mug, knowing that, however many hours the fight would take, it would feel like weeks before he had another drink. Once finished, he tossed the mug over his shoulder and shifted the floor beneath Jeff's chair while he stood up.

"C'mon, 'Wild Card'," Bruce said, referring to the comment he'd made to the Wind Sage not so long ago. Jeff's chair began sliding backward as the floor moved toward the exit. "Let's gear up for the ultimate confrontation."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Bruce, like the others, briefly eyed Mikey's wheelchair before diverting his attention. He had a mug full of strong drink and his most pleasing mixture, though he'd barely touched it out of respect for the gravity of the meeting. He also held a piece of wood in his hands, which he worked at with a whittling knife he'd forged out of his own Ki. The wood creation was small, though taking shape into what looked like some musical instrument.

He mulled over Shaidra's parting comment while also listening intently to Blup's analysis. He knew it wasn't really helpful to focus mental efforts on deciphering meaning from what she said, but for all the appearance of being infantile and animalistic- in the sense that she only attacked in response to provocation- she also didn't give the impression of doing things without reason. That included what she said.

Obviously Bruce couldn't have said for certain after only one experience that Zelriane's ability involved time manipulation, but the sheer level of shock to his system within a space of what had felt microseconds seemed inexplicable otherwise, even for a member of the Order.

He smiled a little at Mikey's dismissal of Blup's calculations for their success. His own feelings on the matter weren't much different.
"This group has come out of situations with similar odds against them. A little over one in three is hardly alarming." Bruce said.

He looked around the table, noticing that Geode was indeed absent. Strange, since Oswald was also present, and Bruce had no inkling where else he might be. Now that he was thinking about it...
"Has anyone seen Geode since the attack?" he asked.