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Paladros: The Questing City

Street-Wise Samurai

Paladros: The Questing City

Yesterday

"What a fool. An absolute fool." In a ruined smithy, a tall blond woman sifts through the wreckage, taking note of the blood, damage, and markings on the all. "That stubborn pride of his is going to get us both killed. Why didn't he just tell me?" On the wall was a strange looking star with eyes. She wasn't familiar with the symbol but she could recognize a cultist emblem after her time in this city. But what was her friend doing getting involved with cults of all people? She looked around more and the only hint she had was the foot steps leading towards the Eastern. "As if things couldn't get worse, you had to go there. The one place where I don't have friends." Sighing, the woman opened her umbrella as she stepped back outside. She had to move quickly before the rain washes away the trail.

Today

"White Waters Bathhouse. It's no Honeybee that's for sure. A place with this much incense must be hiding something wretched." Walking inside the lady took notice of the bouncer and the receptionist. She ordered a Day Treatment package, entering the female's side. But instead of getting changed she simply stayed out of sight and moved towards the bath area. There was a narrow hall with the sound of bathers on one end, and the male changing room in the other. "If they brought him here, I'm sure they stored his belongings in the male side." Once she made sure that the coast was clear she snuck to the male side and started looking through the lockers. She needed to move fast before someone would spot her. What few had locks, she broke them with a single swipe before searching again. She wasn't interested in anyone's belongings but her friends.

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

The first building was a bust. She smashed through as many walls and doors as thee were in the building but she didn't find anything resembling a gold brief case, so she quickly charged out of the building and leapt towards another. "It would be too easy if it was in the first building I went into." Dulga ended up in a smaller two-story building that looked like it was some sort of garage. Much to her surprise she actually found a gold briefcase on the second floor. Looking around quickly Dulga grabbed the case and headed outside. She looked around and noticed Acion flying away from the base, as well as the building that Dulga had went through. Taking a few seconds to think about what she should do next Dulga grabbed the gold brief case with both hands and threw it through the air with a very heavy curve, causing it to spin with fearsome speed and precision in the direction of her base. With any luck it would land nearby, if not in the base itself.

"As long as we have it I doubt it matters too much if the briefcase gets damaged. And if it does matter that just means the heroes can't take it back either. This briefcase was close to our side but I'm sure there's more near the enemy too. Further I get harder it'll be for me to throw it back to base." Dulga took a breath and climbed onto the roof, trying to think of a plan. "They have to play defensive. Find their brief cases and have their people patrol to intercept the villain team. I need to be stealthy." Tightening her cloak Dulga started moving deeper into the city ruins, but slower and more quietly now. She did her best to avoid being out in the open by going through buildings and alleyways. Any locked door would get unlocked with a snap of the handle. And most importantly Dulga kept an eye out for those golden briefcases.

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

After Dulga confirmed that the building materials around here were indeed made of real stuff, she swiped a few chunks of cement underneath her cloak and walked with the others to their side of the training grounds. She’d also finesse some large shards of glass off broken windows, carefully tearing off pieces of her cloak to create a makeshift sheath for them. ”Mako may have said not to hurt each other but if they cry over a scratch, that’s not my problem.”

Their jobs were simple: get golden briefcases from buildings in the training ground and bring it back to the base. The heroes have to stop them. The first thing Dulga thought to do was eliminate the hero team. If they can’t stop the villains then the villains win by default. But that’s easier said than done. ”Shooting Nova out of the sky won’t be an issue as long as she doesn’t notice me before I notice her. Yang is strange though, not sure how effective hurting him will be. Lots of metal around too so Maeda is at an advantage. If Kurowai gets a power up she might be able to match my strength, which is really the only advantage I have over anyone here.”

She thought about maybe working with the rest of her team but Dulga was also indifferent to the idea. She doesn’t know them well enough to trust any of their ideas, and she knows they don’t won’t want to listen to her if she just starts bossing them around. But it was tests like these that put people in their places and Dulga doesn’t plan to be near the bottom. ”Divide and conquer. What matters are the cases. Don’t bother fighting.” Dulga said outloud mostly for herself, but now her allies would know her strategy at least.

Dulga didn’t waste any time to stay and chat. Once Mako gave them to signal to begin the first thing Dulga did was run to one of the ruined cars and rip off its door. Holding it with her regular arms she crouched low to the ground in a sprinter’s starting stance, her lower arms firmly planted on the ground. Then with as much strength as she could muster Dulga launches herself forward into the air towards the nearest building, throwing herself a fair distance through the air. She even left a notable crater where she had jumped from the sheer force. Dulga was aiming towards the window using the car door as both a battering ram and a shield from the glass. ”I’ll search this building first. If it’s not here I’ll just have to keep jumping until I find the right one.”

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

After lunch, Dulga coasted through the rest of her classes. She had a few people stare at her for her very different reasons but she paid them no mind. When school ended she went straight home. Inside was unchanged just like how she left it. The only notable difference was the mail in the mailbox and it was just more advertisement and spam, nothing important. So Dulga spent most of that night doing a bit of school work, leaving to go do some practice, and picking up dinner from a nearby convenience store. Once it was starting to get around midnight Dulga put her school books away, washed up, and went to sleep. She had a lot to think about today and wondered if maybe she'd see anything in her dreams.

But when she woke up, she wouldn't even remember what her dream was about. She vaguely remembers the school but by the time she went to the bathroom to freshen up her memory of the dream was gone. A few minutes later she'd get dressed, eat some left over dinner, and head back to school for a second day. But the entire time she felt oddly restless. "It's just the second day. I can't expect a lot to happen so soon. Though... Maybe I ought to take the initiative too. My research hasn't bore any fruit. All the criminals on the news are just low level thugs and punks who even I could take on. I need a new approach." These thoughts were on Dulga's mind throughout classes and even through lunch. She had a very simple meal she could eat on the go as she went to the library to use the computers for research. "I can't be too obvious but I'm not good at lying. I should've spoken to Kurowai about Mako at lunch but it's too late for that now. I'll just be direct and if she's honest, I'll be honest. If she isn't than I'll just make my excuses and leave."

Finally it was hero class. Dulga wasn't sure why it was the last class of the day instead of the first like yesterday but she chalked it up to the first day being unique for everyone. Though Dulga was surprised at today's lesson. Heroes vs Villains, and Dulga was on the villain team. The way Mako explained her thoughts about who's on the villain team really made Dulga wonder if Mako does know about her past and if Mako was just trying to get under Dulga's skin, but she didn't visibly show any feelings about it. "She could just be stupid and didn't realize how I might feel about this. Or she does know and she's trying to get a reaction from me. I need to keep my cool or else... At least it'll be simple for me. I just need to win." Dulga changed into her gym uniform and met everyone else at the training grounds.

The Cityscape training grounds honestly didn't impress Dulga very much. It looked less like an atom bomb blew it up and more like a third world ghetto, though Dulga supposed both places are valid locations for heroes to be operating in. She didn't necessarily mind fighting in an urban environment though she was definitely out of her element here. Not to mention severely under equipped. Still Dulga scanned the area and was immediately mapping the place out in her head, thinking of what places would make good chokes points and vantages, and what places were a trap she either needs to avoid or exploit. She go stand near one of the bits of ruined rubble and casually break off a piece to get a feel for what the materials were made out of and how easy or hard it'll be for her to move around this sort of environment. Things like if this is real glass and thus is hard to break and could create sharp edges, or sugar that she could shatter with just a push. If the buildings were made of actual concrete or just plaster made to look like real cement. Matsubara may have been a legitimate hero school in the past but now they're just a regular high school clutching onto the remnants of their former glory.

"Heroes and villains. Who will win and who will lose? Time to test my skills."

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

Junko's quirk turns fear into power. "I see. Sounds useful. Like if you had to rescue a lot of people." No doubt if Junko had to help say, a room full of hostages, their fear over the situation would grant Junko a lot of power. It could have a lot of potential in disaster situations where hundreds if not thousands of people are in danger and fear for their lives. Though at the same time, Dulga wasn't sure if Junko was even aware of that sort of potential, or if she even planned to use her powers for that reason. After all Junko said she was interested in Mako, who herself was no hero, and her demonstration certainly didn't instill any notion that Junko was a perfectly good hero. "... Perfect.

Socializing wasn't Dulga's strong suit. While she may have been taught manners ever since she moved here she has failed to really make friends. She's been so focused on self-improvement that she doesn't even remember anyone from middle school and is already struggling to remember some of the students she just met today. So the idea that Dulga needed to make friends was going to be hard. "Think carefully. What do you know about this girl and what do you think you can use to your advantage? Junko Kurowai. Her power is Fear Monger. Without any fear she's only as strong as a regular girl. But even just one person who's frighten would grant her physical abilities that are clearly superhuman. She seems shy. Perhaps that is why she looks up to Mako. The criminal teacher. Use that." Dulga waited for Junko to finish chewing her food before she spoke again.

"Detention's afterschool. I wonder what you will do. What Mako will say." Dulga turned her music off and gathers up her trash. She had to carefully think of what she wanted to say, being deliberate with her words to mask her intentions. "Maybe she'll scold you for attacking a student. Sounds foolish to me." Though Dulga spoke with a flat, almost robotic tone there was hints of annoyance and almost aggression. Taking the trash in her hands Dulga crushed it into to flat disk no bigger than a one yen coin. "You'd think she would know what our quirks would be. Maybe she already does." Finally she looked over to Junko. Junko could then see the burn scars on the left side of Dulga's face. Most of it was hidden by her mask, hair, and hood, but this close Junko could even notice that Dulga was missing most of her left ear and what was left was burnt scar tissue.

"Tell me how it goes. Maybe she'll be understanding. Or maybe not."

@TheWendil

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

With her eyes closed, cloak wrapped around her body, mask over her face, Dulga was just napping at her spot when she heard someone approaching. She turned her music off as the person arrived and spoke to Dulga. "Junko Kurowai." She was the girl who attacked one of the support students. She was a crazy person, and the reason she joined the heroism class was because of the teacher. Not for any personal reasons. And she generally seemed like a very odd person. Frankly speaking Dulga didn't really care much for her. But seeing her up close Dulga came to a quick realization: this girl might be someone Dulga could use. Someone who isn't tied to heroic ideals. But Dulga needed to get a better read on this girl. "That's fine. But I'm done eating." Dulga started playing a different song on her phone. If Dulga plans on working with this girl in the future, she might as well get to know her better. "What does your quirk do?" When Dulga had pulled her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself with her cloak covering her body, she looked rather small. Almost approachable.

@TheWendil

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

Dulga had no notifiable reaction to Mako's prodding beyond meeting her stare for a few seconds. She figured Mako would already know a bit about Dulga's history, and if not, than there's nothing worth saying about it. Dulga knew why she was here and and Mako was simply the teacher to help Dulga on her path, nothing more nothing less. After she finished commenting on everyone's performances it everyone went back to change into their uniforms and went to regular classes. Dulga never considered herself a very good student but she at least tried to pay attention, write notes, and maybe learn something. At least enough to pass the tests. Dulga saw a few of the other students from the hero class as well as new students who seemed more normal. As usual, Dulga made sure to sit out of the way, carrying her black case and her school bag everywhere she went.

When it was time for lunch Dulga skipped out on the cafeteria food. She didn't really want to be somewhere too crowded. Instead she brought a few sandwiches from the vending machines as well as a bottle of water. She goes around the school for a bit until she found a spot where the only thing she could hear was the sound of cicada and the wind. As Dulga sat down she used one hand to open the sandwich wrappers, another hand browsing the news on her phone, and another to open her bottle. She took her mask off and ate quietly as she searched the news for any important information but it was the same as this morning. Finishing her lunch quickly she tossed her empty bottle into the air. She picked up a few handfuls of pebbles in her extra hands and began to flick them towards the bottles, most of them hitting. Each pebble that struck the bottle caused it to go higher up as well as tearing right through the plastic before eventually the shredded remains were all that were left. Picking up her trash Dulga just sat there and listened to music on her phone.

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

Eventually everyone finished their introductions. Dulga didn't really pay too much attention to their motives or reasons for being a hero, she just remembered their names. Most of them anyways. Shortly after Mako told everyone to change into their clothes and meet her at the gym. Dulga guessed they were about to do a practical exam. Dulga went and changed into her gym clothes, but still kept her cloak and mask on. And sure enough when Dulga arrived after changing out from her uniform Mako wanted them to show off their quirks. Dulga wasn't entirely certain how exactly to show off her powers since it was basically just super strength, and it's not like they wheeled in a car or something here. Just a box full of props. Eventually though Dulga had an idea that should be simple enough to do without any complex equipment.

When it was her turn Dulga walked up to the boxes, digging around for sturdy or heavy stuff. The closest thing was a 30 kg steel weight. Gingerly lifting it out from the box with only her index and thumb, Dulga presented the weight to the class. Then it was snapped in half between her thumb. Before both halves could hit the ground two more pairs of scarred arms appeared from underneath her cloak, each grabbing one half of the weight and pressing it together into a jagged and mostly flat disk. Parts of the weight that couldn't handle the stress shattered while the rest was forcefully twisted into shape. Taking one discus into her main hand she tossed it far through the air with a notable curve as it was about to hit the ceiling. But before that could happen Dulga tossed the other discus straight with such speed that it would crash into the first discus before it could hit the ceiling and sending both crashing to the ground.

Then Dulga just walked over to the shattered mess, picked it up, and compressed the remains into a tightly packed cube with her hands. She set the steel cube down in the boxes and wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief. Then Dulga stood back in line with the rest of the students. "That was kind of sad. I just did what anyone with super strength would do. I'm really not very creative without my tools." As she was thinking that her fingers twitched as if she was pulling a trigger and this caused her to sigh tiredly. "I guess that's just part of being a hero. Most rely solely on their quirks after all. I'll have to figure out a compromise somehow. Maybe learn how to use my super strength in more creative ways."

My Hero Academia: Raw Potential

Dulga Tarata

Dulga was quiet as more students came into class. She didn't pay much attention to any of them as she continued reading the news about different villain sightings, who's been arrested, and who's still at large. There was also a lot of gossip about schools like UA and who are the heroes and who are the zeroes. Naturally no one talked about Matsubara. Eventually even though there were still a few empty seats in class Ms. Mako decided it was time to begin. She started off with introductions. Apparently she's never taught before so Dulga didn't have very high hopes for her teaching abilities. "That's fine. This is just a formality anyways." Dulga didn't really care to talk about heroics though. Heroism was just a means to an end. But it would cause problems if Dulga was completely dismissive of heroism and it would be much more practical to at least pretend to share the same ideals so she doesn't have to deal with heroics drama. So when it was Dulga's turn she had already made up something to say. "Dulga Tarata. I am here to be stronger. Because heroes are strong." Then she sits down and waits for everyone else to finish their introductions.