A construct shield flies out even as I realise that the Omega Effect will go right through it. X-ionised shards shoot at Grayven's face even as I realise that they won't penetrate the beam and that if they do he'll regenerate the damage in moments. I begin running towards… Her? Him? I don't know, I'm just running, the fraction of a second that the Garrick formula can still affect me for feeling exactly like that before my surroundings snap back into normal speed.
And this is why he doesn't use it often. Each time, it lasts for less and less time. Basically building a resistance to it, sort of.
Lynne's head jerks around to see the oncoming beams while the golden woman holding her lightly tosses her towards them as she hurriedly backs off.
The purple beams-
HOLD.
-appear to freeze a few centimetres from her face as she glares at it, and I feel her metaphysique combined with her metal abilities try to interface with the idea, with the godly energy of the Omega Force which resides-
Yes, so many people in-universe who are completely
unaware of her full potential. Most only know of her mental abilities, but that's only a small part of her full repetiore...
BOOM!
-in Grayven and in Darkseid. My shield interposes itself a moment later while Grayven blocks my projectiles with a raise left forearm, his head jerking slightly as he realises that they've actually cut into his skin. I-.
Heh, not expecting
that, were you, Grayven? A pleasant reminder that you aren't as
invincible as you thought you were.
A Tamaranean woman walks up to Lynne and stamps on her, breaking her concentration and causing the purple beam to strike my construct shield and-
It explodes, my shield failing and the deck beneath being left cratered. That's.. weaker than I expected. I lash out at the Tamaranean with a construct battering ram and she-.
Okay, Sinthia stomping on her didn't hurt her?
Unexpected. And of course Grayven only has a pale
imitation of the full Omega Force. Like everything else about him, he proves a pathetic copy of Darkseid...
Blocks it with a construct of her own.
Construct claws glow around her hands, which are reaching out to rip through either me or Lynne. Lynne herself triggers her aero-discs and tries to fly out of the way, but one of the gold women jumps up and grabs her by the ankles before she can clear the area.
Yes, that's an ability she possesses. Whether it's technological or innate, no-one but the writer of that original appearance knows. And
they probably just thought it'd look cool...
Qwardians are weapon traders, Lantern Grayven.
Two purple death ray drone drop stealth and fire at her. It takes her a second to realise what's happening as her body shrivels, then her environmental shield flares and while I'm not sure if she's blocking it or not it certainly isn't killing her. And-.
Hmm... Perhaps she'd undergone something similar to the Tamaranean Princesses. Something that awakened energy manipulation abilities or the like. Or she's simply got a very basic kind of Power Ring from Qward. Bet getting it was
expensive.
Two orange beam leap across the launch bay, each one piercing a drone and disintegrating them. Ugh, I've only got a three more in the room, and with Persuader convalescing I don't have a way to get more. Against another Yellow Lantern -particularly one I don't know- I'm in difficulty. I haven't trained intensively in Lantern-to-Lantern combat because I didn't think it would come up that often.
Lynne winces as someone marks themselves as my first target by swinging her face-first into the deck plates.
Yeah, whatever she's done clearly makes her invulnerable (
The Right Eye of Zoltec, presumably) but I doubt it helps with
pain. And well done, Renegade. That's what you get for not being
prepared.
"Ungh."
I fly at her captor, left fist balled and held forward while my right goes for the Sword of the Fallen at my waist. It's too small to be much use against superstrength brawlers who know it's coming and aren't powered by magic -these Zamoranspawn would just take the cut and keep fighting- but it should at least be able to hurt them.
And it's a lot more useful in close quarters than the
surfboard Daiklave... Not as sharp as an X-Ionised blade, but with a nastier side-effect on hits.
Lynne glares back in utter contempt. **Unhand me.** **You are unworthy to even touch me, peon.**
"That doesn't work-" The golden woman's hand opens. "-on huh?"
Heh.
Never underestimate someone working within their Godly domain.
My left fist hits her right in her gormless face and sends her hurtling across the deck and into her comrade. The two of them only stop when they hit-
I go flying as a construct Grayven returns the favour, forcing me to rotate in the air and stab it with the Sword. I try concealing the weapon, but if I'm forced to keep using it like that they're bound to notice eventually.
Sinthia again, I see. But where the real Grayven in all this?
-the far wall. The Tamaranean woman is taking a position slightly in front of Grayven, floating off the ground with claws at the ready.
And with Lynne around I probably am feeling more fear than she is.
Figures. Letting his underlings do the hard work. Though honestly, I'm not surprised the Renegade is worried for his family.
Feeling fear for others requires attachment. People of this sort feel little for few.
But Grayven isn't acting yet. He must know that I'm-.
Indeed, Ringnestro. As for Grayven, He's probably taking a moment to gather his wits after being actually wounded. After all, that counts for a lot in the battlefield of Godly Narrative...
His eyes glow orange and I just about manage to get a filament into position to drop a potted plant in the way. No explosion this time, just the plant evaporating. That's more like I was expecting. From what I can see of his face Grayven seems mildly surprised, but I thought it was obvious. The Omega Effect ends a life. If it blasts through any defence, then the thing to do is have a life on hand that you don't mind sacrificing.
"Sinthia, take Muliebria and Ovula and activate the Orrery. Lay waste to Vega. I will destroy the pretender." Hear and Obey.
For reference, an
Orrery. Presumably this one serves as the targetting system for the planet-killer weapon. As for the Omega Effect, the full version Darkseid wields can do nearly
anything he wills. Too bad Grayven's seems limited to smashing and breaking things.
BOOM!
A new boom tube opens, the two golden women throwing themselves across the deck to get into it. Wait, Muliebri-? Really? Sinthia holds back a moment, construct claws at the ready.
Really, Renegade? The name
Ovula doesn't rate a mention?
No, that's too much. I've been using this ring for long enough that I'm peeved by the idea that she can use it better than me.
I've confronted Darkseid, accepting the fear that comes from being around someone who could extinguish me with a look. Not overcoming, no, he still terrifies me because I'm not stupid, but I was still able to function. I am at one with my fear, neither controlling it or controlled by it.
Not quite reaching for
Enlightenment, but that state of mind should make him much more focused.
Gravitons ripple as I gesture, and the boom tube collapses.
Grayven's eyes narrow. "A curious approach; forcing my most capable subordinate to remain behind. But if you wish to be destroyed-"
Ah, that's why Grayven-50 put so much effort into saving his version. She's a
useful asset.
His eyes glow red.
"-then-"
Sinthia staggers, her glow dimming as Lynne assails her mind. I fly at Grayven, construct cannon forming on my left arm. Since he's a New God I'm not mucking around; singularity projector from the start.
Ah, yes, a weakness of Spectrum users: Mental attacks.
"-I will-"
The beams zigzag through the air as my-.
My singularity beam vanishes as his Omega Effect passes through it before-
On the upside, that'll weaken the beams.
Fire again and plant!
-the Omega Beams strike, the left one disintegrating my plant while the second redirects away from my botanical shield and through my construct gun just as the beam hits him. I see his armour and flesh deform even from the brief contact while the beam carries on-.
Not an unexpected feat, having each beam strike a different target. I see he's put some effort into training it.
BOOM.
Grayven grabs Sinthia and falls through the boom tube as Lynne collapses.
Well, there's a minor win for the Renegade. Forcing Grayven to quit the field like that definitely gives him a metaphorical nudge. And now next item they meet, maybe the Renegade can taunt him by calling him 'Brave Sir Robin' or something.
Not that
he'd get the joke.
"Lynne?"
Lynne's collapsed.
Oh shit! Purple Healing Ray,
stat!
"Lynne?"
The boom tube closes.
To be fair, the whole place could
explode right now and the Renegade would barely
notice except to protect Lynne...
"Lynne?"
"Yes-" She picks herself up. "-Daddy?"
"I nearly had a heart attack!"
Ah, the nonchalance of the young. Sure, she had a
cheat, but still...
She frowns at me. "Why?"
"What do you mean, 'why'?"
To be fair, Lynne, he
has a point. He had no way of knowing you were protected...
"You didn't that time."
"You didn't react naturally to being slammed to the deck, so obviously you'd done something." I frown. "I got worried the first time because couldn't see where you were wearing the Right Eye of Zoltec."
Nothing says it has to be worn
outside your clothing, does it? All it needs is skin contact, after all.
"If people could see where it was they might take it off."
"Alright, but you're still growing. Getting it implanted has risks."
...Wasn't it originally set in a
necklace? Why wouldn't you think of
that first?
"I know. It's not implanted."
"Oh." … "Let's go and capture the bridge and work out where we are."
Yes, feeling a bit
silly now, aren't you, Renegade? I mean, she
was still in danger from the Omega Beams, since there's no info on whether the Right Eye's invulnerability
could trump even Grayven's lesser versions... But you've trained her well, she's not going to go into a fight without
every advantage she can get...
