23rd metal . CTS spam

[godsays]

[ It's after Cassel's announcement that Zane can be found in the CTS.

The scene is medieval - or, ancient, anyway. Armor, swords, horses. A battle. As the door out of the CTS closes behind him, they surround him, weapons braced. He blinks back anguished emotion, and tosses back a vial of metals, and touches steel, pewter.

He launches into the air, and the fight begins.

There are hundreds of them, and only one of him: and yet. He slaughters them. He uses the metal they carry to Push and Pull himself; he is always faster, always stronger, and he is the utter picture of grace.

He kills them all.

And when they are dead, the bright green hill of a battlefield strewn with corpses, he goes into the forest. Braces himself against one tree and flings metal at another, a thud-thud of swords, knives, shields whipping and burying themselves into the bark. He Pushes, and Pushes, until finally the tree splinters and collapses, crashing slowly and mightily into the ground.

He keeps destroying the trees, over and over, until someone interrupts - or another army shows up. ]

Comments

[shakenandlimp]

[It's only today Bush feels in any shape to do much but fret in his room, and the very moment he can, he ignores the network to take himself somewhere where he can do something, no matter how illusory, instead of taking himself to task for the fifteenth or sixteenth time.

He interrupts without meaning to, catching only a glimpse of the blasted countryside as the door opens.]

[godsays]

[ Keep lively on your feet, Bush, because there is a mighty splintering sound, the rustle of branches and leaves, and then there's a tree slowly tipping over in your direction. ]

[shakenandlimp]

[Bush is slower than he was as a young man, but no slouch, and he darts out from under the tree with surprising speed-- but if he can manage himself and his leg on the deck of a ship, he can do it on flat ground.]

Holy Peter.

Ahoy out there! I hadn't meant to break in on you.

[godsays]

[ Zane only sees Bush after the tree has hit the ground, and he Pushes off, immediately, leaping in a wide arc (far taller than any human should be able to leap) over the downed tree and landing hard, skidding on the grass. ]

What were you doing there?

[ The question is half-panicked. ]

[shakenandlimp]

[Bush gapes, but manages to get his mouth shut and answer.]

I came to use the CTS. Didn't realize someone was inside. Zane, my Lord, you jump like a rabbit.

[onlysurvivor]

[Kelsier's presence in CTS brings with it another army. Two full strength Mistborn bring up the difficulty level. These enemies are bigger, tougher skin, almost like Koloss. Often, CTS will give Kelsier prisoners to rescue in massive battle zones like this. He wonders, only for a second, if CTS will add that in while he's here.

No time to think, he's already being attacked. He Pushes himself into the air, drawing weapons into the air after him. Mid-air, he turns and sends the metal back down into group. ]

[godsays]

I could have hurt you, I wasn't -

[ He turns away, inhaling sharply, and exhaling slowly. ]

It was a steel-jump. I Pushed off of the daggers embedded in the trunk.

[ It's not much of an explanation, he's aware. ]

[godsays]

[ A handful of coins brings one down, but only barely, and Zane knows he has to redouble his efforts. He springs off from shattered trees and into the next battle, only peripherally conscious of Kelsier's presence, ignoring it except to direct his bloodthirstiness elsewhere. He attacks viciously, up close more often than not, leaning heavily on pewter and steel and slashing with dagger and sword. ]

[shakenandlimp]

[Bush's earnest, craggy face has that certain expression of mild alarm that it often has when something has completely bewildered him on the barge-- lifts, lights, the population of folk not entirely human-- it all causes this faint confusion as he strains through what he doesn't understand.]

I am sorry, lad. I shouldn't have come in if I knew you were... busy.

[He looks at the felled tree.]

But no harm done. I'll wait my turn, if I can just get that tree away from the door.

[godsays]

...It's all right.

[ He must have taken more than his share of time anyway. Maybe he needed something like this. Maybe someone had to come in and make him stop.

Probably best that it wasn't Charles.

He stops burning pewter, the metal that enhances the body's strength and speed and endurance, and all at once, exhaustion falls over his form. He sits down, suddenly, hard, and lets his head fall into his hands. ]

I'll go. I need a moment, though.

[shakenandlimp]

You shall take two moments, now, you look done in. [Bush stumps over to him, sitting awkwardly down on the treetrunk nearby.] You've worked yourself too hard. It's water you need, and a stiff mug of grog.

[onlysurvivor]

[Kelsier is mostly staying out of the fray and out of Zane's way. He's here because he knows CTS will up the difficulty. He'll wait and see if that's enough of a challenge.

If it's not... he'll attack.]

[godsays]

I needed to work myself hard. I didn't want to hold it in.

[ And the physical exhaustion helps, as it turns out.

A slow nod. ] It's easy to forget how thirsty you are, when you're using powers like mine.

[shakenandlimp]

That is why I'm here myself. [Bush offers him an arm.] But it will be here in half an hour, let me walk you to the pub. Should be delighted to get you a drink; you can tell me about it if you like.

[youwillgotohell]

[There is no other army. She doesn't know why she comes here, but for the intuition that this is where she'll find him. Though she sat with her communicator in her room for a while, Morgana could find nothing to say to Cassel, too bitter for congratulations, too distrusting to let herself be pleased he'll stay. Eventually, it occurs to her that Zane will feel this more strongly than she does.

Walking across the battlefield brings unpleasant memories to the fore; when she blinks, she can see Camlann, she can see knights and Saxons both dead and mangled and laying as empty husks. She closes her eyes before she can see Mordred's body. She doesn't want to remember that.

Instead, she follows the noise, until she feels the ground quaking under the collapse of the first tree. Another follows in short order, and she finds him while he's attacking the third.]

Does it help?

[godsays]

[ He hesitates, withdrawing into himself just a fraction. ]

I'm not sure I should be around people.

[ This is absurd, to think he's dangerous; he's exhausted. And yet: with his feelings churning around like this, that's when he last murdered someone. ]

[godsays]

[ This is enough. It's killing one after another that's wearing Zane down - killing again and again and again. He makes it through them all, one at a time, his swordstrokes growing rougher and harder. ]

[shakenandlimp]

Ah-hah. [Bush nods, understanding coming. Not entirely, there are still felled trees and the destruction around him that haven't taken root in his mind, but the small human problems of wanting to be alone on a too-crowded ship he does recognize.]

But you should have a tot of rum still; I don't like your colour, and it would do you good.

[godsays]

[ His eyes are red and tear-stained. He Pushes and Pushes, ripping at the deep roots, feeling the ground twitch and give under the sheer force. The stronger tree, the one he's bracing himself against, shudders. And slowly it splinters, and crashes, and falls.

He is breathing hard, at the end of this one, chest heaving. ]

Better than locking it away.

[youwillgotohell]

[She's careful, stays out of the way. His violence doesn't frighten her, but it does unsettle her. It's nearly an automatic reaction, to raise her hackles and be on alert around someone like this. Someone dangerous.]

Why are you upset with him? [She has to assume, has to assume everything, because she can't put words to how she feels, not yet.]

[godsays]

Just a few minutes, then.

[ He takes Bush's hand and lets the man pull him to his feet. He burns pewter, briefly, and pulls the tree a couple feet away from the door, the effort feeling like it might strain his muscles right off his skeleton. ]

[shakenandlimp]

What I would have given for ten able seamen like you-! It's like you ain't human. But you're looking peaked again, easy there.

[godsays]

Because he's walking out a door that I can't even see!

[ His voice is raw and loud, a shout. ]

He's gone, and I'm still here, and I'm not upset at him, I'm afraid I lost him. I'm afraid that I let him go and I'll never get him back.

[onlysurvivor]

[Now that Zane is wearing down, Kelsier moves back into the fighting. Just little Pushes and Pulls here and there. Sending an armored fighter into Zane's path to finish off. He's dodging most of them to leave for Zane but as he gets closer he starts to kill them. One he lands on using their armor as an anchor, silts his throat then Pushes off of him on to a new victim. ]

[youwillgotohell]

[She's never been good at keeping control; she knows he isn't shouting at her, but he is shouting at her, and it makes her hands clench tight together in front of her.]

He said he's staying. You don't trust him?