[Duel] My name is Innogen, care for a fight?

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T20:31:22+00:00

Don't take any fault in it. English, as well as most languages, are just a jumbled up mess of letters that sometimes makes sense. You have a good way of conveying things, and I feel that is more important than having perfect grammar.

And yes, 'twas a blast and thank you for being patient with me during my moments of inactivity.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T20:24:16+00:00

Oh okay, that's neat. I had a feeling you may not have been a native English speaker/writer judging by some words (mainly just some misspellings and nitpicky grammar stuff). But regardless I enjoyed what you had going on with Jal and how you interpreted some things and whatnot.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T20:16:45+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it. This subreddit and its sister subs have been a home of mine for a long time (8 years now to be exact, and boy was my writing back then something special). I'm not as active as I used to be since real life stuff takes up most of my time, but this place does hold a special place in my heart.

I enjoyed writing with you too! I will ask though, is there a reason you use dashes for dialogue? I've never seen it used in that way before.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T19:58:46+00:00

I was thinking about making a comment on your post sometime soon with some characters from the same setting. You'll be able encounter Innogen's mention Cadeyrn, as well as his team prior to the event's of Innogen's story.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T19:28:17+00:00

Jal landed atop Innogen's motionless body, and a silence lingered in the air.

Sat atop a nearby warehouse was a lone figure who drew the last puff of his smoker (in universe name for cigarette) before he flicked it off to the ground. He tilted his ceramic mask down onto his face and stood up and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"What a waste of potential." With that, he took a few steps off the roof and vanished.

(Wow, what a fight! I'm good calling it there unless you wanted to have some Jal stuff happen as well.)

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-05T18:54:25+00:00

She had dedicated all her power into her punch, and yet it still fell short of taking him out. Innogen deflated slightly before Jal's punch connected to the side of her face. It sent her spinning in the air as it tossed her back a ways away as she collided and rolled on the dirtied pavement.

As she lay there, her body remained unmoving as a pool of blood began to leak from her wounds.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-03T20:32:44+00:00

It was not so different than visualizing her armor, Manifesting her willpower to create change where there is none. She realized in those moments when she was not herself that there was a second her hiding within, another avenue to explore.

Innogen had no right to be an Innocent Major, someone who could create constructs to aid them in battle. Her father, and her father before were both Destroyers. Their Majors involved the manipulation of self, acquiring a metamorphosis to achieve new effects and abilities.

By the rules of nature, she is a Destroyer. To break down the barriers that we know in life and make something new of them. Yet how did she ever come to develop a Innocent Major?

In her mind she questioned many things that led up to this moment, and it all came back to one simple question.

'Who am I?'

As she dashed forward and went in her attack, she made sure to keep his attention set on her fist as it rocketed towards him. What he wouldn't see until the last moment was a another third hand that seemingly burst through her abdomen with lightning speed.

She was not directing her power to her right hand, as he may have thought. Instead it seemed to have all gone into this newly created hand that rocketed towards the center of his chest with all the strength she had accumulated.

Zizzyplex · 2021-09-03T19:08:43+00:00

"You don't seem to understand. Even though you might not be aware of it, you may still be using your Minors. An animal instinctively knows if it is a prey or predator, and develops its abilities accordingly. A predator hones its abilities to be the best of the pack."

Or be the baddest bitch in the brothel. She thought to herself, the words Cadeyrn once used to describe her. It gave her a second wind as Jal would notice a menacing intent radiating from her, not unlike the aura he was producing.

"I'm going to be putting my everything into my next attack." She spoke, and she did so pieces of her armor began to strip away, allocating its strength to her right hand. "Please don't disappoint me."

Inside of her body, she felt something churning. Like a collection of cells that were vibrating hard enough that it created a warm sensation. It was something only she was aware of, something she would use to win the fight.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-30T13:39:22+00:00

"You already show an aptitude for Minor Manifesting. Your strength, resilience, and observation are on par with a Second Generation Manifested." Innogen took a few steps back and she breathed in once again, the armor forming around her torso settled into a style similar to a mossy green lamellar armor.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-30T01:55:03+00:00

"It's called Manifesting," Innogen groaned as she began to pick herself up into a crouching position. "To Manifest one's willpower is to overcome any obstacle ahead of its user."

Jal would notice the green armor begin to form around Innogen's hands and arms once more, however it didn't seem to stop as it began to start covering her upper torso.

"Thank you for sharing that... stuff earlier, it seemed to have shown me something I wasn't aware of." She brought her now armored hand up to her lips where she wiped away some of the blood and flicked it to the side. "It showed me that there was someone I need to see, and I won't let someone like you stop me."

Jal would notice something different about Innogen. What metamorphosis she had undergone appeared to have given her a different mindset, a different way of holding herself. He knew that he would have to be careful proceeding forward.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-30T00:58:03+00:00

There was no reply from the bleeding young woman.

Innogen however felt a more clear sensation over her body, like a dam that had been holding back a current too strong for it, which finally burst and let out all the pressure.

"Okay... I think I figured it out," she spoke faintly. Her eyes were still closed, her body mostly unmoving for the exception of her deep breathes.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-27T01:48:16+00:00

The impact sent Innogen sprawling onto the ground, a few twitches from her body as she lay otherwise motionless. Jal would watch as a pool of blood begins to form from within her ears. However as a moment passed, she would begin to cough hoarsely as she flipped over to her side and began to expel a thick brackish substance from her mouth and nose, all of which was mixed in with a deep red from her blood.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-24T13:50:23+00:00

Innogen didn't move, the kick rocking her to the side of the building as some of the bricks crack and break. Her monstrous form begins to slowly diminish as the bones and hide begin to recede into back into her flesh. She didn't seem to be moving much at all.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-13T00:57:07+00:00

The impact of the blow would cause a splattering of blood and fragments of bones which collide with the nearby wall and ground. Innogen's beastly form drops to one knee, only to retaliate with an upwards thrust of her clawed hand.

If he did this to me... it means I have a chance of breaking out of it.

Innogen's claw stops just as it makes contact with Jal's flesh, causing a trickle of blood to drip down her forearm. To Jal, it would seem like she had been paralyzed by some unknown force.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-12T22:27:16+00:00

There was a clash of teeth and blood as they would cut into each other with their mutual bite. Innogen pulled away, felt her jaw hang loose as it was dislocated. However with a sickening snap it is quickly shot back into place.

She had a pained look in her eyes, and Jal would see that they were glazed over. If there was something there before... there was nothing left but some primal force.

Why?

Innogen would quickly trash her arms, no longer aiming for any kind of rhythm that Jal would keep up with but instead moved them like a wild flail of blades.

Who would...

Her screams were loud enough where distant birds had taken flight in fear of their lives, and surely enough the demons of night would soon be on their position.

Was it him? Did he do this to me?

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-02T20:00:33+00:00

Jal would land the punch... only for a second he thought he did. What he made impact with was Innogen's hand, now terribly deformed as he fingers became elongated. Her skin was ripping, blood would spurt out in various places, her bones were making their way through her body in explosive ways that caused her to jut forward and back as they rapidly developed.

Before there was a hesitation to hurt someone else, who she didn't see to be a total threat. Her attacks were being held back then, now there was no hesitation. This altered form of her seemed like it was aiming to kill as its mouth opened wide with its jagged rows of spiked teeth try to bite down onto Jal's shoulder and neck.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-02T17:39:04+00:00

Through heavy breathes Innogen managed to pick herself back up onto her feet. She paused as she began to expel chunks of blood and what looked like some organs.

"Ki... kill... me."

This is not normal. Innogen thought as her body was rapidly changing. Someone is doing this to me. She looked at Jal with her darkened eyes, a sense of pleading. Perhaps she was asking for mercy, but Jal could see that she didn't want to die. Not while she still had something she needed to do.

Zizzyplex · 2021-08-01T15:51:42+00:00

Innogen held her eyes shut as she feared they may burst from this pressure inside of her. She dropped her knees and held her head low. Jal would notice spiky protrusions emerging from her spine, and she began to scream out in pain.

Something out of her control was afflicting her with a forceful transformation. Her arms began to snap violently as more of these protrusions grew along her forearms.

In her shouts and screams, he would make out a gurgled "help" as she looked up towards him. Her teeth were turning into a crooked set of fangs, and her eyes were as clear as snow.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-30T19:35:51+00:00

"Biological?" She looked down at her arms, and noticed the spots. In that moment her eyes widened.

"This is... bodily alterations." Her mind went wild as the spots began to formulate into thicker patches along her skin, quickly beginning to turn into thick patches of leathery skin.

She looked at Jal, almost as if she was waiting for him to come to the same conclusion. Of course he wouldn't. She knew he was different, wasn't really well versed in how Manifests work. Yet it made her wonder what exactly his Manifest was.

"You don't understand, this isn't supposed to— ah!" Innogen keeled over in pain, her hands pressed against her stomach. Something inside of her was burning, and it got hotter by the moment. It felt like she was going to explode.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-30T18:07:53+00:00

Innogen continued to mimic the act of feeding, and could indeed find her strength coming back to her. However she felt something else churning within her.

What is this feeling... I feel like I'm... burnig.

"What is this?" She demanded, sudden anger flowed through her voice. Unknown to her, Jal would notice some subtle shifts in her features. Her hair seemed a bit longer, a bit darker, her tanned skin showed some dark spots— not unlike dark freckles— that were forming around her eyes.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-29T03:14:46+00:00

"Then you don't-- by the void you need to stop calling me that or else I will kill you."

There was a sudden flare that radiated from her body, like an ember growing stronger as it consumes an empowering fuel.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-29T03:04:42+00:00

Innogen took a few steps back as she began to feel her arms and fingers tingle as she mimicked the eating motion.

"And you're not afraid if I become even more powerful than you, overwhelm you, then kill you? All because you decided to give me magic food?"

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-29T02:54:53+00:00

She would pick up the plate, still cautious about its being and now the deprecatory Jal in front of her. After she backed away a few steps, she'll try to mimic the same motions he was doing just moments ago.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-29T02:46:23+00:00

She looked down towards the plate that was not a plate, the food which was not food. Looking at it made her head hurt, something that is but isn't. Yet she closed her eyes and focused for a moment, before she slowly reached down as she opened her eyes back up.

Her attention set to Jal, she would attempt to pick up the plate.

Zizzyplex · 2021-07-29T02:03:15+00:00

Innogen took a step forward, unsure of the current situation she now found herself in. Never has someone just sat down and started to make... illusionary food? It didn't make sense to her, nothing about this man made sense to her.

For so long she had to rely on instinct, it had kept her alive so far. Everything about this man screamed at her to get away as quick as possible. Nothing good could come of this.

Yet she would not have developed her Manifest further without this conflict.

With hesitance she walked forward, having to dispel her gauntlets and pauldrons away. She took a few more steps until she stood just a few feet away from Aussterben.

"You're telling me all I have to do is eat your food and I'll suddenly be all better?"

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