Chapter 15: War Preparations
Arthur Miller
February 13, 2011
Police Department No. 15
Capital, Eternity
Days in the Capital of Eternity tend to be very hectic. Anyone would think that this place is very safe at first glance, after all we are talking about a city that is only inhabited by superhumans. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The high population of superhumans, in collaboration with the most morbid desire for superiority, results in a very high daily crime wave. There are 18 police departments in the Capital, and still not enough. Crime does not rest for a second.
In the midst of all this chaos, I am the only detective in the 18 departments. My general function is to assist in investigations using my talent [Mental Plane], which allows me to embody the memories of others. It is the equivalent of living inside a movie as a spectator. To use my talent, I must hear an approximate description of what happened, and have permission from the person.
Thanks to my talent, I can have a clear view of the facts to optimally search for the culprit. I always thought my unique ability was invincible, but for the past few weeks I have been proven wrong.
Several people have gone to the police to report an alarming fact. Someone has stripped a large number of civilians of their talents and/or mastery of certain very specific spells.
At the beginning of the year, it started as an isolated case but as the days go by, more and more people have been affected. The only kinship between the victims is the situation in which they thought they remembered things.
Each one narrated that they were visited by a person who called himself "Pawn shop owner". He promised considerable money in exchange for each person's most prized belonging. As they all had financial problems, they agreed to the deal. Upon giving them the prized item and signing the contract, the gentleman would disappear leaving behind a bag with 10 gold coins. The next day, they could no longer use their talent or had forgotten how to cast a spell.
The problem with this case is that no one remembered any details about the identity of the culprit. I tried to use my talent but the culprit's voice and appearance were censored from the memories of each of his victims. The criminal in question was no novice.
At best, with a few warnings we could stop him but in Eternity life was expensive so it was normal to have economic problems, giving a huge playground to the criminal. But the real problem was not in that, where would the lost spells and unique abilities go? And if they go to the criminal, could he use them as his own in any way?
If the answers to the questions are yes in both cases, we are looking at a national emergency situation.
Asher Himmel
February 13, 2011
Eugenio Himmel's house
As I was preparing my breakfast, I heard a rather peculiar sound in my living room. Lactura was sitting on the floor drinking coffee while reading a comic book. The sound that reached my ears, was Lactura sipping her hot coffee.
-Until you finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for 15 minutes. I left you a cup of latte right here. Ahg and don't worry, I used fire magic to keep it warm," said Lactura as she handed me a cup.
-I understand let's be friends but .... How good is the coffee, did you add honey and cinnamon," I said as I took the contents of the cup.
-Yes, but let's get to today. I made a schedule for the week," said Lactura as she handed me a sheet of paper.
It was basically a list of tasks. To summarize, the mornings of each day were for training. In the afternoons we would patrol from the skies while the evenings would be on foot.
-After finishing the night patrols, I will use the crystal to teleport us to our respective homes without suspicion," added Lactura.
-How will we train?
-Remember I put a mark on the outskirts of the city? We will use that site as a playground. Before coming here, I carefully checked the site, and I saw no traces of recent human activity so it's safe to use our skills there. Let's practice optimal ways to act without making each other feel bad.
-I understand-
-Good. Come closer. We start today with the chronogram," said Lactura while activating the teleportation crystal.
As soon as we reached the outskirts of Eternity, Lactura turned the crystal into an earring, and began stretching. Then she pulled some miniature kits out of her pocket. In it, there were pieces of materials with different colors. Among them, she chose a gray mineral with glitter.
xxxxx Creation: Steel Maiden xxxxx
On Lactura's body, appeared a medieval metal armor stylized to her body. It consisted of a stiff-looking breastplate; thin bracers; a long metallic skirt; and greaves. His face was covered only with a mask that only covered his eyes.
-Let's get started. Let's practice a little with your super strength first, so try to transform. I'll make a steel wall to measure the limits of your strength. I need you to give your best shot.
xxxxx Creation: Steel Wall xxxxx
A thick wall of steel appeared in front of Lactura.
I hit the center of the wall with all my strength, blowing it into thousands of pieces.
Then Lactura summoned another wall, this time it was transparent and rough. It looked like glass. I hit it, and again it blew into pieces. In response, Lactura summoned a black wall. I repeated the same process although this time I needed three hits.
-You're a monster..." Lactura said confused.
-Is something wrong?
-Yes. You just destroyed three of the hardest and most resistant materials in the world with your fists. But that's not the worst of it... You hit with just enough force to break the walls, as if your brain could guess the hardness of a material and the force needed to break it. I need to do one last test. Hit my face with all your strength....
-YOU'RE CRAZY. YOU DON'T SEE ME SMASHING THAT WALL!
-Trust me.
A little scared, I heeded Lactura's words, and hit her hard on the forehead. Her mask was destroyed by the impact while Lactura rolled into a tree.
-Oh I told you, you crazy bitch," I exclaimed as I ran towards Lactura's body.
- Don't exaggerate. I'm fine," said Lactura as she dusted herself off.
-How did you...? Stupid, I thought I sent you to heaven!
-You see, I've just made an incredible discovery. You have a beastly unconscious control of your super strength talent. Your brain recognizes how much strength you need for each action. It also recognizes the limits of the body of each person you hit, trying not to do more damage than necessary.
-In other words, I can hit people without worrying because my body will never seek to do harm, right?
-You understand perfectly. As long as your emotions don't change, you won't have to worry. Let's not waste time and now let's see how much you resist without your disguise- -Lactura took many stones from the ground.
Lactura took many stones from the ground to turn them into stone knives, which she finally threw quickly at my chest. It was annoying but it didn't hurt. Then she took the remains of the steel wall, and repeated the process. This time I felt pain but my body was not hurt.
-Your body is very hard. It takes a lot of firepower to hurt you. Now we will practice with your wings. Spread your wings and fly one meter above the ground. Dodge as best you can without going up.
Heeding, I took out my wings and flew one meter above the ground. At that instant, Lactura threw lightning bolts and wind blades at my sides. I evaded as best I could, but in the end I was hit.
-You're not good at maneuvering with your wings. We'll try to get you to practice at least one hour a day with evasive maneuvers.
-You're amazing. You are able to analyze my shortcomings so accurately. You seem to have much more years of experience. Are you sure you're not a little old lady dressed as a 15 year old girl?
A bolt of lightning struck my cheek causing me great pain. Although very mature, Lactura is quite vindictive when sufficiently annoyed.
-Now it's my turn to practice. I'll show you a bit of my way of fighting," said Lactura as she quickly approached my side.
Without giving me time to react, Lactura slammed her two palms into my chest to instantly summon high-powered lightning from her hands. I flew out of the impact into the sky as Lactura prepared a powerful spell. As she finished her chant, a fiery trident appeared in her hand, launching it with great precision into my chest, causing an explosion that I had to withstand using my [Aegis' wings] in its shield form.
Lactura's way of attacking is quite aggressive, making use of his fire potential without leaving room for the opponent to breathe. If we combine her versatility and fire potential, with my stamina and endurance, we could be the perfect duo without a doubt. I already feel sorry for the criminals.