"Thank you," Jason says simply at the same time as his fist connects with the indicated spot and shatters the stone column completely. Then, wasting no time, he moves quickly to do the same to the girl's own pillar.
"One good turn deserves another," he adds with a somewhat awkward smile. "Oh, and Jason will do nicely. Even if Goldeneyes is... well... accurate enough."
Kestrel's delighted to mark her own pillar (from much closer) to help Jason help her.
"Jason, eh? I assume after the philandering sailor instead of the serial killer? Either way, I'm Kestrel, or, since I'm still mostly in civvies, Betsy."
"I should think so," the young man retorts with a chuckle. "My parents certainly never showed a proclivity towards hockey or machetes."
"Nice to meet you, Betsy."
With it lifted above their heads, Kjersti ducks under and they let it roll. Now that it's got some momentum, speed is what's needed. They kick in the push and keep going.
As her destruction of the pillar - and the countdown - neared their end, Allison slashed her hand to the side and cut the magic. She'd gotten most of it, and that was going to be good enough.
Y'know what one thing this place has that Killer Shark didn't - Way more cuties than out on the road.
Maybe he'll have to take his shirt off for the next test...
Jason's blows, once pointed to the right section, is easily able to demolish his pillar and then just in time, Kestral's.
Triad, carrying her pillar a significant distance, sends it rolling, though the weight of the stone is enough to stop it in a short while. Still, it does roll a fair distance, thankfully not into any structures or students.
Allison finishes up, her pillar almost gone, but still a small chunk of stone, about half-a-foot chunk.
Elsibeth as well has managed to shatter her pillar, her powers focused in the large paper pick she telekinetically wields as a weapon.
You all take a bit of stock to see each other's progress and notice a few other freshmen. You see a very large youth with hairy arms and legs that look like they could break steel girders. His pillar has been thrown to the other side of the field. You see another student with very feline features complete with ears and claws scowl as walks away from the pillar which is covered with large scratch marks. Two other students seem to have blasted their pillars apart, one is glowing with yellow ambient energy and the other manifesting large silvery wings.
When she's complete, the paper that was her pick rearranges itself into a parasol, and then the pages change color in alternating red and white, giving it an almost checkerboard look... although the 'handle' takes on a black color.
As she begins to walk along with others, her long coat shifts oddly for a few minutes, as if she had squirrels running around inside it. Then it settles down. "Well, 'a' wor annoyin. 'onestly though, 'a often am ah goan be usin eur pick ta dig uz way art o' eur prison? Ah suppose it's gran' ta kna Ah can if Ah need ta. Ah'm eur bit annoyed it wor tooa 'eavy ta just move. Obviously, Ah need ta fettle on 'a'. Ah need mooar lift..." She says out loud, to pretty much anyone within 20 feet or so. At least she's already memorized the paper contents of everyone's pockets, and the current configuration of Allison's annoying spell book, so she can quit being distracted by it. "Sa, eur test o' 'a fast we think on wee feet, 'n 'a 'ard we can clowt. Anyone want ta mek eur bet abaht t' next 'un bein 'a 'ard we can tek eur clowt?"
Well, that was annoying. Honestly though, how often am I going to be using a pick to dig my way out of a prison? I suppose it's good to know I can if I need to. I am a bit annoyed it was too heavy to just move. Obviously, I need to work on that. I need more lift...
So, a test of how fast we think on our feet, and how hard we can hit. Anyone want to make a bet about the next one being how hard we can take a hit?
"It could be a test of morals or ethics." says Alejandra. Something to weed out the people who are obviously a little twisted.
"Aye, it could, bur Ah think thee probably doa 'a' wi' telepaths t' secon' we walk ontoa t' campus. 'n probably keep watchin wee wi' telepaths t' entire tahhm. Although Ah feel soz for enny telepath 'a' tries ta read mooar than uz surface thoughts, uz memories will clowt 'em li' eur ton o' buks." This causes her to laugh merrily for some reason.
Yeah, it could, but I think they probably do that with telepaths the second we walk onto the campus. And probably keep watching us with telepaths the entire time. Although I feel sorry for any telepath that tries to read more than my surface thoughts, my memories will hit them like a ton of bricks.
Kestrel's cheeky smile gives way to a serious look, "Without time and the right situation, telepaths can miss an awful lot of buried tendencies," she forces a grin back onto her face, "and that's before dealing with whatever weird shit's in your own mental browser history.
Lots better to actually watch what people do instead of trying to skip to the end on day one."
As soon as the paper-controlling girl mentions getting hit and taking damage, Jason's hands almost instictively go to his jacket for a moment. Although he is resilient enough, his clothes usually are not. 'And I do like this jacket,' he thinks briefly before taking it off and tucking it under his arm. Just in case.
"I'd expect a trained or at least capable telepath to be able to sort through such... unpleasantness," he offers with a shrug, finding it easier by the minute to relax around these people he has just met.
"So, Betsy-who-knows-her-horror-movies," he continues, addressing the paintball-flinging girl, "why Kestrel?"
And as the thought occurs to him, he also turns to the others, "And... umm... do you all have, you know, codenames and such?"
Elsie looks slightly confused, and then shakes her head. "Neya, neya, not li' 'a'. literally li' eur ton o' buks. anyone tryin ta skeg thru uz memories for 'superhero' will av t' contents o' 1,587 buks, 127 movies, 8,537 magazines, 1,243 pamphlets, 27,438 commercials, 82,418 mangeur 'n 183,289 comic buks dumped into their brain."
When asked about codenames, Elsie turns pink and doesn't respond.
No, no, not like that. Literally like a ton of books. Anyone trying to look through my memories for 'Superhero' or 'Secret' will have the contents of 1,587 books, 127 movies, 8,537 magazines, 1,243 pamphlets, 27,438 commercials, 82,418 manga and 183,289 comic books.
"That's sounds confusing." they admit.
"As for codenames, I was thinking Triad. It's simple, effective and hasn't been used by anybody. I've already got a couple of ideas for costumes."
"When a Kestrel's hunting it won't circle around, it's the only raptor that actually hovers, just sits there in the middle of the wind and gravity, not being pushed around by anything until its moment comes.
Plus they might be small, but we'll claw your eyes out!" She hooked her fingers into mock talons at the last bit.
Listening to Elsie rattle off the numbers she thought for a long instant about the infinitesimal pauses as the numbers came up in Elsie's internal archives, and asked, "So what's your memory palace like?"
"Ah dooant chuffin' use 'un, neya memory tricks, just eur trick memory. Owt Ah read, Ah rememba, foreva. Can't gerr it art wi' eur crowbar. Owt Ah see Ah av abaht eur 90% retention on, 'n auditory information is abaht 75% retention. Everythin else, touch, taste, smell, is abaht 70%." She answers, a dreamy look coming over her face as she answers the question anyway. "Bur Ah've allus imagined eur memory palace, if Ah 'ed 'un, ta skeg li' t' Imperial Library o' Constantinople, wi' racks 'n racks o' scrolls 'n eur basement wi' shelves o' buks as far as t' eye can see."
I don't really use one, no memory tricks, just a trick memory. Anything I read, I remember, forever. Can't get it out with a crowbar. Anything I see I have about a 90% retention on, and auditory information is about 75% retention. Everything else, touch, taste, smell, is about 70%.
But I've always imagined a memory palace, if I had one, to look like the Imperial Library of Constantinople, with racks and racks of scrolls and a basement with shelves of books as far as the eye can see.
Her voice softens a bit as she and Elsie talk about memories, "Believe me, I get it. For me the trick isn't finding a place to store it, it's finding a way to only bring up what you're looking for. Oh, and I use the world of other worlds from the Magician's Nephew, works nicely to have important memories show up in a variety of contexts."
Elsie raises an eyebrow, as she realizes Kestrel has the same memory issues. "Theur ivva av ta soarts thru 12 catalogs o' booits, watch 40 commercials, 'n read twoa encyclopedias ta finn' t' note scribbled int' margin 'left red ferragamos behin' couch?" She asks, with sympathy.
You ever have to sort through 12 catalogs of shoes, watch 40 commercials, and read two encyclopedias to find the note scribbled in the margin 'Left red Ferragamos behind couch?
"Mostly I'm sorted by genre, helps keep me from having too many odd emotional crossovers. Helps keep advertising jingles in their own tiny corner of cacophony and out of everything else too. "
"Oy, orl o' mine are cross-linked ta eur 'igh degree, ta 'elp wi' research. Takes uz longa ta gerr ta eur conclusion, bur Ah av mooar information on 'an'." Not to mention that she had more top secret and national security information in her head than any politician was comfortable with. MI-6 had had her spend weeks with a Telepath, putting in extra blocks and misdirections on the sensitive stuff, with layers like an onion. She might not have any defense against having her thoughts read, but at least a lot of the sensitive stuff was basically encrypted in her memory, not to mention converted over into dead languages to help.
Ah, all of mine are cross-linked to a high degree, to help with research. Takes me longer to get to a conclusion, but I have more information on hand.
"I just cheat." Allison admitted cheerfully. "I memorize the textbooks for fun, but for a lot of other things, I just do a search when I need it." ...She may have been a very inconveniently modern girl, happy to know how to find information more than the information itself. On the other hand, that may have been because even she could only read so quickly... and, well, anything she did bother to memorize was there for good.
...The odds of three people having eidetic memory in a given group is...not high.
Probably higher at a school for the superpowered and supergenius though.
Looking around the group, Kestrel scoffs, "Hey Derek, are you just bringing down the Triad average? There's gotta be some reason why Kjersti and Alejandra got left out of the Eidetic-gals club" Her look of disdain has melted away by the end of this, her eyes instead dancing with mischief.
"Some of us live in the moment instead of reliving the past. He says. The deadpan delivery is offset by a hint of smirk. The girls break into song, "Glory days, well, they'll pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye. Glory days, glory days."
"Glory Days, written by Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. Originally Recorded April 3rd, 1982. originally released ont' album Born int' Theur.S.Eur on June 4th, 1984 ont' Columbieur label. Produced by Jon Landau, Chuk Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen, 'n Steven Van Zandt. T' song wor t' fourth track on side twoa, 'n wor 4 minutes 'n 15 seconds i' length. Re-released as eur 7 inch single on May 31st, 1985, unda t' sem label 'n producers. T' side-b track o' t' single wor Stan' on it, alsoa written 'n recorded by Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. T' Glory Days single peyted a' #5 ont' Billboard Mafted 100 Pop Singles Charts int' summa o' 1985, geein Springsteen eur record-tyin seven top 10 singles ta be released fra t' Born int' Theur.S.Eur album. Theear wor originally anotha verse teur t' song, dedicated ta Springsteens fatheur, which increased t' length ta 5 minutes 'n 31 seconds, bur Springsteen removed it due it clashin wi' t' rest o' t' song." Elsie responds promptly, and with authority. "For someone livin int' present, thas awfully intoa songs written 'n recorded afowa theur wor born..."
Glory Days, written by Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. Originally recorded April 3rd, 1982. Originally released on the album 'Born in the U.S.A.' on June 4th, 1984 on the Columbia label. Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen, and Steven Van Zandt. The song was the fourth track on side two, and was 4 minutes and 15 seconds in length. Re-released as a 7 inch single on May 31st, 1985, under the same label and producers. The side-b track of the single was 'Stand on It', also written and recorded by Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. The Glory Days single peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles charts in the summer of 1985, giving Springsteen a record-tying seven top 10 singles to be released from the Born in the U.S.A album. There was originally another verse to the song, dedicated to Springsteens father, which increased the length to 5 minutes and 31 seconds, but Springsteen removed it due it clashing with the rest of the song.
For someone living in the present, you're awfully into songs written and recorded before you were born...
"Well, there's something to be said about the classics, at least the good ones," Jason joins the conversation. "They never grow old and they seem to always feel relevant, you know? I certainly don't get tired of listening to some good old music."
"I even retain most if not all of the lyrics too. Among other things," he adds with a smile and a shrug, referring to his own eidetic memory. "Not that I could do that when I was a boy though. I had a good memory, sure, but that good? Last five years or so."
"See, I don't need a special memory." quips Alejandra. "I have all of you to remember it for me."
"Is that how it works?" Allison inquired as she looked over at Alejandra. "Of course, we do have the internet, which is pretty much the sum total of human knowledge outside certain esoterica... so I guess I can't really speak out against that mindset. We have enough issues memorizing every street and alley in a city..."
"'at's wha' maps are for. Internet doesn't fettle if t' powa goes art, or thy batteree runs dry, theur norrz."
Kjersti pipes up, "Okay, so I don't have special memory. It's not like we got to pick our abilities off some sort of list out of a book. I've got enough weirdness piloting three bodies to keep me busy."
"Hehehehehehehehehehe." After a moment, Allison caught herself and stopped with the evil laughter.
Your conversation is interrupted as you are led to an impressive looking facility. In a word, it was an impressive looking coliseum of sorts, its architecture a balance of modern ingenuity and classic homage. You are led inside and eventually through a dimly lit tunnel before appearing in a large grassy field.
Headmistress Eunsoo Lee speaks as you cross to the center of the field.
"The Cobalt Coliseum was a project a former alum created as a senior project. It is outfitted with protected tech and wards and can protect against surveillance, invasion, and the occasional rainy day."
She stops at the center, as the crowd of freshman comes to a halt as well.
"Now you may be asking yourself why would we exchange one grassy field for another. Two reasons. Firstly, this area has enough emergency routines...shall we say...programmed into it that serious harm is unlikely to occur to yourselves and your surroundings.
It is at this point you all begin to notice that other than the freshman group, there is no other body of students on the field. Furthermore, it seems that there are groups of older students in the raised stands at a somewhat safe distance away. Some have popcorn. Others seem like they're placing wagers, pointing and calling to a single student typing something into a datapad of some sort.
"Secondly, it does make for good viewing."
Headmistress Eunsoo Lee smiles as she begins to rise to the air. The air seems to whip around her as her feet leave the ground and she get's higher and higher. The walls of stone begin to light up, displaying a timer of sorts. 5:00. 4:59. 4:48. 4:47. and so on.
"Your final assessment," the Headmistress calls out, as she reaches into her pocket and tosses five brass colored balls into the air. They expand suddenly to the size of a basketball as they fall into the crowd.
"Have an orb when the timer hit's zero."
The five brass orbs are falling in the air, and you all can see almost every student is getting ready to jump for them.
Elsie steps back and watches the scrimage for the balls. She doesn't try to get one, although she does try to get some paper wrapped around each one, turning the paper a brassy color if possible. However, other than that, she doesn't try to pull any of the balls.
"Well, it's not so much about who gets an orb first, but more about who gets to hold onto one last, right?"
The question is rhetorical rather than directed to anyone in particular. He realizes that even if he does manage to grab one first, more likely than not it will only serve to make him a target to other competitors. So, for the time being at least, Jason simply stands there, keeping his keen eyes not only on the brass-colored balls but also on the students managing to grab hold of them. And also on the students willing to get more than a little physical in order to get them from someone else. After all, there are always bad apples.
"So, any ideas? A bit of teamwork did seem to work well in the previous test, after all." Although his question is more or less directed towards all of those students he has so far traded words with, it is Kestrel's quick thinking from before that makes him even think about asking it.
As the balls fall, all three leap at one of the balls, trying to trap it in among them before anybody else gets a hold of it.
Kestrel pursues a similar course of action to Jason, hanging back unless it looks like someone's about to get one of the balls very far away indeed.
Aside from that she reached into one of her pockets for a bag of marbles, and started contact juggling her favorite shooter while she waited for her moment.
"Well, they didn't say anything about having sole possession of an orb. Might be something to that."
"True." Allison said, smiling at Kestrel's comments. "And a Hero should be able to think outside of the box, don't you think? For that matter, all they said was you had to have an orb. They didn't say it had to be one of theirs..." that was pretty sneaky, all things considered, but she enjoyed poking at loopholes in lessons. She wasn't in a rush to go after the balls, either - many people were far better at that than she was, and she had a few ideas for how to get ahold of one at the end.
"As Ah heard tell it, ya'll, we only need one or more of those dang things, and only at the end." Elsie says quietly in a soft slow southern drawl that is easily drowned out by the excited noise of the large group of excited entrants. "Between us, Ah think we could control the whole passel of them darn things at the end if'n we wanted."
"No need to get greedy. I don't think we've seen everything about this challenge." says Alejandra as she realizes she's off angle.
Round 1/5
After a minute or so of tusseling and powers going off, this is the current situation.
Orb 1: Currently being held by a young woman who's entire body is alight with fire. She's exerting a lot of energy keeping up the heat to a point where it's too intense for someone to approach without protection. She may tire after another few minutes or may last until the time is over.
Orb 2: This one is being passed back and forth by several bruisers who are attacking each other with force and vigor. There is the large hairy man with the orb holding down a bestial wolf-like humanoid who is currently growing spikes as its fur fuses into a platative like coating. A third combatant tackles the large hairy youth, as a silver streak with wings slams into him, though he is able to hold onto the orb.
Orb 3: This orb is long gone as a handful of participants with flight, superspeed, and other movement capabilities took off after a young teleporter who absconded with it as soon as the challenge began.
Orb 4: In the middle of an invisible game of tug of war, this ball is being pulled by a telekinetic user, a magnetism manipulator, and what appears to be a shadowy arm elongated from the ground.
Orb 5: This is the one that Kjersti (part of Triad) managed to hang onto as she tussles with the feline combatant who's hanging on as well, hissing at her competition. It also seems that other students are gunning for this orb
Of Elsibeth's coverings, she can sense the coverings on Orb 4 and 5 have remained intact, though the feline's claws are ripping at Orb 5. Orb 1's has burned to ashes from the heat, Orb 2's covering was ripped off from the sheer force of the claws and fists, Orb 3 may still be intact but it's currently outside your sensory radius.
Still, all the while there are other students, some even chatting with each other, that are waiting on the sidelines, looking for an opportunity.
All the while, you can spot some older student's in the stand whooping, hollering, and cheering for the freshmen.
Elsie nods, and tries to grab the feline that's ripping at Orb 5 with some of her paper, around an ankle or something, and jerks them away and tosses them toward the burning person holding orb 1.
After that, she'll try to restore the paper around Orb 5, and put more on Orb 2.
Hoping to reduce the variables for later, Kestrel grabs a handful of marbles and starts flicking them at the magnokinetic, the tiny projectiles flying with far more force than would seem reasonable at his throat, temples, and nose.
Allison continued watching, seeming more amused than anything else by the chaos. This was actually kind of fun... but she was definitely angling to step in at the very end.
"Marko, join in the party. The plan is to bring the orb down and drive it down. Then anybody willing to play nice can get a hand on it."
Derek and Alejandra join in the melee and try to bring the orb to the ground.
'Well, heat doesn't bother me, but I'm not sure how hot she burns from up close,' Jason starts reasoning, only half-acknowledging Triad's suggestion as he tries to make up his mind. 'Besides, nobody else is going for it, so I can always try it later.'
His eyes then move to the powerhouses' punching it out and he shakes his head. 'Probably not, unless only one remains. Besides, the hairy guy just tossed that pillar out of the field in the last test...'
'No idea where the third one is, so...'
And then his train of thought is interrupted by marbles entering his field of vision. "Ah, well..."
And a mere moment later he is in the air. Though his speed leaves quite a bit to be desired, he nevertheless flies fast enough to close the distance with the ball being pulled in three directions -hopefully only two in but a second- and make a grab for it.
"Dis is orl ratha daft, bur ah suppose it does 'elp figure art whoa are alpheur solos 'n whoa are team players." Elsie says with a shrug. "For orl ah care, t' trioa can av t' orb. i'd ratha 'elp someone else win than be eur laughin stock fert idiots int' bleachers." Her plan to try to jerk an orb away at the last moment fades away as the peanut gallery in the bleachers begins to make fun of the contestants. When others begin to move in toward Triad, she just steps forward and blocks their path, quite obviously not trying to actually get the orb, just provide defense.
This is all rather silly, but I suppose it does help figure out who are alpha solos and who are team players.
For all I care, the Trio can have the orb. I'd rather help someone else win than be a laughing stock for the idiots in the bleachers.
"We may as well divide our efforts, maybe go for two of the balls and improve the odds of ending up with at least one," he calls out at Triad. "If my play fails, I'll be right there," he adds, smiling as he notices Elsibeth trying to help them.
Okay, back to business!
There are thirty seconds left in the challenge (starting now), and the situation is as follows.
Orb 1: Currently being held by a young woman who's entire body is alight with fire. She's exerting a lot of energy keeping up the heat to a point where it's too intense for someone to approach without protection. She may tire after another few minutes or may last until the time is over.
Orb 2: This one is being passed back and forth by several bruisers who are attacking each other with force and vigor. There is the large hairy man with the orb holding down a bestial wolf-like humanoid who is currently growing spikes as its fur fuses into a platative like coating. A third combatant tackles the large hairy youth, as a silver streak with wings slams into him, though he is able to hold onto the orb.
Orb 3: This orb is long gone as a handful of participants with flight, superspeed, and other movement capabilities took off after a young teleporter who absconded with it as soon as the challenge began.
Orb 4: In the middle of an invisible game of tug of war, this ball is being pulled by a telekinetic user, a magnetism manipulator, and what appears to be a shadowy arm elongated from the ground.
Orb 5: This is the one that Kjersti (part of Triad) managed to hang onto as she tussles with the feline combatant who's hanging on as well, hissing at her competition. It also seems that other students are gunning for this orb
Please treat this as a combat challenge, and get your hands on an orb as best you can.
Players up!
The three of them try to force the orb to the ground. They aren't trying to pull the feline off, but trying to keep her from taking it away.
"If we all cooperate, everybody can share this orb. But everybody gets in."