Tag Archives: The Very Best

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #030

At the pile of stolen armor, Taigi Qu and Phillip Dian searched noisily.  Taigi searched quickly with no real interest in cleanliness.  She looked only for the best pieces with the strongest enchants and mechanical additions.  Obsolete pieces were tossed aside.  Shinsaku only was to use the best equipment if he was going to win the tournament.

However, her strategy had backfired.  Although a piece of enchanted or mechanized gear may be useless individually, it could gain great value when combined with another piece.  To her frustration, that had just happened.

She had recently found a shoulder pad with an enchantment allowing Shinsaku to throw fireballs.  Shinsaku used the Thermal Talents so the fireballs would be more powerful.  However, the shoulder pads would be even more useful if Taigi could find the glove she had discarded earlier.  This glove would let Shinsaku manipulate anything he threw; like a fireball.  At his command, anything he threw could turn in midair.

Phillip’s search was methodical.  Though it took more time, he planned and organized everything; even the pieces he thought were not immediately useful.  He sorted everything in groups and lined them in order of power.

“You lose something?” he joked noting that Taigi was stuck in the situation he worked hard to avoid.

“No, I’m finding something,” Taigi rebutted adding that Phillip was taking more time sorting than choosing.

The conversation had a serious purpose but was all in good fun.  It continued as they both searched then the familiar music of Taigi’s handheld sounded.  Phillip took this as a hint to focus more on his task.

Looking down, he saw a curious enchant on a boot.  After looking up its meaning on his handheld, he discovered that it would allow the creation of short distance shockwaves in all directions.  Clearly, this was very useful and Phillip put this with the items he wanted to save.  He looked over to show off this find to Taigi but read the bad news on her face instead.

Taigi’s blue striped mahogany face was totally serious as she received the news.  “Thanks,” she said ending the connection.  At that, she turned to address the whole crew, “We have to get what we can and pack up.  Two mean looking trouble makers are asking questions around town.”

That was all the members of RedBatty needed to hear.  They all knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.  To avoid becoming bounty targets they all had to disappear quickly without a trace.

#1 – Opportunity #29 – Opportunity #31

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #29

Not far from where the Ganker’s trap was laid, a small pile of stolen equipment sat in a room with four Champions.  Two Champions, a male and a female, checked the equipment for any upgrades they could steal.  Another pair, the leader and his right hand lady studied a holographic image.  The team had used it to keep track of a fearsome quarry.  However, the trail was a continuous puzzle.

Shinsaku Yu sat at the desk in what was now his warrior’s garb, the most powerful armor picked from the stolen gear.  He was rather tall for a Crisho and not all of the pieces fit.  His gold skin peeked from beneath the helmet while a red patch of skin escaped for his right glove.  The armor didn’t look right on him, but it could easily be refitted.

The Champion they tracked had stood out as a tournament hopeful from the moment she stepped off the shuttle.  She looked utterly fearsome especially with that maul.  If anyone in RedBatty was going to win, this warrior could not be allowed to fight in the tournament.

“Now she’s going into the Casting Talent School,” Shinsaku stated while pointing at the miniature image on his desk.

It was a comment of utter confusion.  His companion Ione Zhang had watched the same image for the last hour.  She knew everything the mysterious warrior had done.  Their cloaked tracking droid had followed the target since she walked away from their alley.

Ione watched the image of the warrior entering the Caster Talent School.  Her orange skin and thin mahogany stripes shown through her tattered disguise.  “How do you know it’s a she?  He seemed quite strong to me.”

Shinsaku couldn’t help but glance at Ione.  She was an essential member of RedBatty, but she questioned just about everything he said.  Sometimes he wondered if he was really the leader of this team, “The warrior’s armor, particularly the belt, suggests a torso to leg ratio fitting that of a female.”

Whatever, smarty-pants… Ione couldn’t help but roll her eyes listening to Shinsaku’s intellectual dribble.  “Fine whatever, why is she going there,” Ione asked resigning to his logic.  She snapped her fingers with the dawn of inspiration, “She’s an enchanter.”

Ione had charmed the fearsome looking warrior just as they planned.  She guided the warrior directly towards the trap but it took a great deal of strength to get her moving.  If this was truly a lady, powerful strength enchants must be in play.

Shinsaku had pegged her for a Combatant Talent user.  That was the only explanation he could find for that heavy destructive weapon.  It was big enough to wreck someone with a single hit, the focus of the Combatant Talent Set.  But now she went into the Caster school?

“She has to be an enchantress,” Shinsaku was confident in that statement.  Enchanting skills were usually taught in the Casting Schools so that explained things well enough.  Ione was the most powerful enchantress he knew but this warrior shook off her charms.  That was only possible if this fighter had powerful enchants of her own.

While someone could be a Combatant and a Caster, there were only a few moves in the two sets that worked well together.  The other moves took too long to channel or were too weak to make a difference.  She had to be walking from school to school for a reason.

“Fine.  So, how are we going to get her,” Ione looked to Shinsaku.

Shinsaku had no immediate answer.  After a little though he spoke, “I don’t know.”  He stood and turned away from the image, “Keep watching her.  I’ll review the tapes for clues.  I could have sworn she was talking to herself earlier.”

#1 – Opportunity #28 – Opportunity #30

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #028

As they kept walking through West Drop, Kiley kept phasing out of vision.  About every thirty seconds he would vanish completely only to slowly phase back.  He’d reappear; keeping pace as though nothing had happened.  Others on the street had to notice this spectacle.  Brisa’s eyes darted around each time he disappeared.  No one on the street seemed to care but since he was leading her to the Kinetic-Potential Talent School.  It was getting annoying.

After about six minutes of this, she had to ask, “Why do you keep doing that?”

He turned around, walking backwards to address her, “That droid is still up there,” he said pointing up and behind her.  He disappeared again and continued, “Whyever it’s following you, I don’t want it to start tracking me too.”  The ghost of his image started phasing back into her vision.  He was walking forward again right next to her now as he said, “I’m throwing it off of my track.”

Brisa looked back again.  Up down all around, she couldn’t see it.  “How do we get rid of it?”

Kiley thought a bit before answering.  “Well, usually those things aren’t sturdy.  They use energy to float and for defense.  All we have to do is hit it hard enough to get through its energy fields.”

Brisa looked at Kiley expectantly.  After a few paces she thought he would hit it with something.  Seeing that he didn’t, she thought she’d speed up the process, “Well?”

It took a while Kiley to get the hint.  “Oh,” he said surprised, “I can’t hit it.  It’s way too high for me to jump,” he looked at Brisa noting that she was not convinced, “and my ranged weapons are too weak to do any damage.  They’d just bounce off its deflector and… yeah.  But I can see it because of my talents and perception.”

Brisa remembered the perception Hanja on her mask.  She should be able to see a great deal more than usual.  If she couldn’t see it, his natural perception had to be incredible.  “Ok, so we have to wait,” she said looking at where Kiley’s voice had just came from.  He was gone; yet again.  Really?  Again?  Her eyes expressed her frustration at talking to nothing once more.  She was equally shocked when a casually loud voice came from the empty air she was looking through.

“Maybe you can find a skill that will help you in here,” Kiley said as he was phasing back into her view, “The Caster Talent School is in there too,” he said pointing at the strange building in front of them, “Maybe you can hit it with your large axe-hammer thing.”

Brisa thought about the maul Catlin got and enchanted for her.  She’d have to thank Catlin; if she ever decided to talk to her again.  Brisa looked up at the school.  This is a school?

The large building looked more like a mystic’s night club; or a giant playground.  The rounded walls made the building look like someone squished a bunch of giant clay balls together. The painter had to be completely color blind and the spinning orbs floating above closely resembled disco balls.  The fact that they floated was the only indication that there could be anything to learn here.

Brisa had to be certain, “This is a school.”  It was meant as a question.  However, her voice reflected severe doubt.  From this building, she’d have trouble believing it was a school even if she was met by a welcoming committee.

“This is the school,” Kiley told her.  To prove it, he walked with her up to the circled window to watch the students practicing the Kinetic-Potential techniques.

Brisa still didn’t believe him completely but she had no choice but to see for herself.  After thanking him, she headed for what looked like the entrance.

“You’re welcome,” Kiley said eagerly, “Good luck in the tournament!”

#1 – Opportunity #27 – Opportunity #29