4.7
Part 7
"So this is where you practice?" Taylor asked.
With an actually functional plan for making armor in mind, we had headed back down to the boat graveyard to show off.
"For the whole day or so I've had to do so," I replied in an agreeing voice.
"Right," she agreed at the reminder that I was really new to this. As if my crappy first plans at making armor hadn't been enough of a give away.
"So.." I said looking around. "What should we start with?" I glanced out towards the bay proper. "I could go stick my head in the water for a couple minutes if you like," I offered jokingly.
My more experienced counterpart didn't seem to know how to react to that suggestion, "...Maybe in a bit?"
I laughed, and she looked away.
"Sorry, sorry, just laughing at my own lame joke," I still joked a bit. "Okay then, basics it is. Want to pick a target?" I asked her.
That caught her attention, and she was quick to point out one.
A window, still intact on a ship not to far from us.
Unfortunately...
I frowned, "Out of range. I've only got about twenty yards normally."
"Normally?" she asked.
"There's a trick where I can compress it into longer ranged bolt, but it's not something I've figured out how to do yet," I explained.
"So... that's something to work on," she said. "How about that then?" she asked pointing to a broken bottle only about fifteen feet away.
"Sure," I replied filling my hands with the chaotic flows of wyld power before releasing it in an eldritch blast with a casual fling of the arm.
Coiling bolts of violet lighting coursed through the deeper purple blast as it struck the bottle half shattering, half melting it.
Taylor quickly pointed at a rock to the side, "How about that?"
Obediently I built up another charge and flung it into the target, knocking a set of spidering cracks into the stone and rocking it back, half dissolved chips falling away.
"That's not a lot of damage," she commented grimly.
"Eh... it's doesn't work as well on inert objects," I explained. "But yeah, at this level, even on a biological target I'd need to hit something fragile to do real damage. It's more like throwing cherry bombs then real firepower. I could still take out someone's eye or take off some fingers if I'm not careful though."
Gods above know what might happen if I really screw up and get someone in the neck... or mouth.
"But you can improve it right?" she asked quickly.
"Yeah," I nodded. "And even at this level it's got a few advantages... the energy seeps in partly regardless of how tough the target is. That's why it sort of explodes like that when it hits. It'll bypass armor regardless of how tough it is."
"So you can shoot someone right through a bullet proof vest?" she asked surprised.
I nodded again, "Or unbreakable skin, or even a force field if it's close enough. It goes off on contact though, so something like a tower shield or car window will still absorb the hit."
"That's a lot better then I thought," She commented now sounding more impressed. "And it'll get stronger?"
"With enough time and effort," I shrugged. "I can build them up with practice, and the more I use them in a fight, the faster they develop."
"Broken," she replied, though a bit more lightheartedly then last time. This time she sounded almost teasing.
"Broken is outnumbering every cape in the city a million to one, Ms. 'All the bugs'," I teased right back with a smile. "Alright, I showed you my best trick. Your turn," I pointed at her.
"Ah... okay.." she replied a bit hesitantly.
Then in moments every fly, gnat, and mosquito in the area flew over her head into a near perfect formation of the words 'Tada', a sound similar to the words buzzing out from the neatly organised swam.
My jaw hung open.