Issue #6 - All Things Astral

Issue #6 - All Things Astral

It was only the day before that Jake had saved Emmanuel, waking him up empathically by joining their minds. He had unknowingly traveled through the Astral plane and the man's memories, transporting into various corners of his psyche, gathering the shattered and missing pieces along his psychic journeys. He had seen some events from his past - the refusal to accept his family's wealth (and freedom it gave him), the training in an underground government facility, the death of his first team of students, the ball on which the demonic girl killed so many. Robinson and Sin also faced the powerful psionic entity residing in the telepath's mind. They defeated it... though it wasn't easy. During his time on the Astral plane Jake realized that things there were completely different from what they were in the reality. It was a world of dreams, hopes, emotions, feelings and thoughts. World shaped easier by the subconscious than the consciousness. He discovered that he could change his own shape and transform his astral body into ruby crystal - psionic ruby crystal which protected him on various occasions. In the final battle he even created a ruby two-handed sword that he wielded as if it weighted nothing. Fighting there was more a question of willpower and resolve than strength and durability. It didn't matter who was quickest or who was fittest, the only thing that mattered was who had the most powerful will.

Jake wanted every bit of power he could get. That was the reason why Emmanuel started his trainings with him. To help him control his powers, to help him use his powers more efficiently and in other ways than before. The blond-haired man called him the Empath, not just some empath, but actually the Empath. What it meant hadn't been yet discovered, but Jake was adamant on discovering it quicker than later. His power... was like a drug. The more he used it, the more he wanted to use it. Mr. Sin made sure that he had his chance to use it quite often. He set up training sessions - not only one a day. Every 'psionic subject' resolved around something else. He didn't want Jake to become a one-trick pony, he needed him to become versatile. While yesterday the two tested some of Emmanuel's copied abilities - a mere hundredth of the man's telepathy and telekinesis, today was the day when Jake got to enter the Astral plane... willingly and with the telepath's help. Today was the day when he would learn how to control it consciously. Before he had only done it under pression, when insticts took control over reason, now, he was going to do that of his own will.

Emmanuel and Jake sat in the blonde's office. They hold each other's hands, so they wouldn't get scattered across the Astral plane when they entered it. With some effort from both sides, they finally accomplished it - together. They appeared in a dark place which looked suspiciously like purest void, chaos. Emmanuel smiled and waved his hand. The scenery changed. Now they were in a beautiful garden, full of various flowers - some of which Jake had never seen in his life. The telepath looked around himself and then nodded.

I told you few things about the Astral Plane already, but it is important that you remember this is not a place of concrete facts, this is place of feelings - it is here the ideas and concepts come to die. It is also here that they are born before they appear in people's heads. It is a source of dreams and emotions, a well of thoughts and psionic energy, but only some mutants can actually tap into its infinite resources and use them to power-up their own powers. Here it doesn't matter how strong your body is, it doesn't matter how fast it is, it doesn't matter how many hits it can take. All what matters is your willpower. Concentration is a key... while subconscious instincts may work, they are far too random to be reliable. Here a disabled telepath is so much more powerful than a super-strong mutant with self-regeneration. Don't be fooled, however, while normally - by simply walking into the Astral Plane - you can't die, but you may loose your way and be unable to get out, there are entities that may kill you here. If you truly die here, then your body becomes just an empty husk. The Astral Plane is connected to one's mind, so killing your astral self may destroy your mind. Of course... dispersing one's astral self is something else entirely than killing or destroying it. But, you will learn in time, boy.

Emmanuel's voice came from everywhere, but even more so from the boy's head. Now that he regained his personality and free will, he was almost impossible to defeat in his element - and his element being the Astral.

First, before we go into a more hostile territory, I want you to make those flowers wither. I don't want you to destroy them. I want you to make them wither, as if their time has passed.

Jake was eager to learn, he knew that Emmanuel could teach him quite a bit. While he was disappointed to learn that he wasn't really a full telepath and telekinetic, it was still exciting to know that he might be able to pick up other skills. Jake still wasn't sure how long it would last, or if he could take on other peoples' abilities too while keeping Emmanuel's. It would take more testing for sure.

As they sat down in Emmanuel's office, the training began, and before long Jake found himself in the Astral plane with Emmanuel, which was quickly manipulated by the hunky blonde into a beautiful garden of sorts.

He listened to everything Emmanuel had to 'say', trying to understand it all and not forget anything important. The Astral plane seemed like a dangerous place, but perhaps a safe place for those who had mastered it. Jake knew he had to master it.

Emmanuel ordered him to wilt the flowers - not destroy, but wilt. Jake nodded a bit to himself. It made sense - he was pretty sure he could destroy them, but.. this was a different effect. He had to look at it differently. Jake concentrated on the flowers, and what felt like a small breeze brushed past him, rushing over the flowers. Jake thought about time passing, days or weeks for the flowers as if they'd had no water or sunlight. Or at least, he tried.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 15/15

Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int to affect the astral realm

Health 1/2
Energy 11/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1

Jake focussed his empathic talent as best as he could to accomplish what Emmanuel wanted him to. He knew he could simply destroy the flowers - it wouldn't require much effort on his part, but making them wilt was far more difficult. He sent a gentle breeze in their direction, trying to change them. When his power encountered them, it actually worked. The flowers withered... and died, but it didn't last, because even a single thought that had nothing to do with the effect he wanted to accomplish, was enough to disturb the whole effect. The plants disappeared, as if wiped out by a powerful blast of energy. Emmanuel shook his head and waved his hand, replacing them with new ones.

Try again.

Jake smiled as his powers had the desired affect. The flowers began wilting. But his excitement also distracted him and he saw the flowers all disappear and wondered if he tried too hard.

Jake stared at the new flowers for a few moments, then he called up his powers and once again cast them out over the flowers like a gust of wind, wilting them once more and trying not to destroy them this time.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 14/15

Action 1 - 3 into Empathic Mimicry to borrow Emmanuel's modifier
Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int +3 from Modifier = 7 to affect the astral realm

Health 1/2
Energy 7/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake felt the copied power of Emmanuel race through his astral self as he concentrated on the psionic energy all around him. He was going to use that... to help himself in accomplishing his goal. Focusing on the flowers, the mutant's mind unleashed a very subtle wave of energy. It interfered with the very reality and so changed the flowers... making them wilt and wither very quickly. They began to weaken and die as if they had not been watered down for years!

Very well. I see you do have some potential. Now... I want you to keep yourself on ground at all costs. You'll have to concentrate to overcome various difficulties and elements raging around you. Ready?

Not even waiting for Jake's response, Emmanuel shaped the reality around into a... confusing at best, terrifying at worst. The two of them were surrounded by the void... in which four elements existed, merging and fusing, but then changing into each other. Jake was standing on a small island of earth, as a strong wind tried to sweep him off! From beneath his island a wave of water tried to flood him too... and even worse, from above his head, a rain of fire was going down!

Jake grinned widely as he succeeded in his task, watching as they wilted, but remained and didn't get destroyed this time. It was getting a little easier, especially with the borrowed power.

But Emmanuel was already moving on towards other tests. All four elements began to assault him and at first Jake wasn't sure what to do, but then he remembered that here he was powerful. He could control them.

But he didn't have to control all of them. Emmanuel just said keep his feet on the ground, so that's what he'd do.

Jake looked down at his feet on the earth, and he willed the earth to form around his feet, so that no matter happened, he wouldn't be knocked down. But as he looked up and saw the fire, he thought that more protection might be a good idea, so he tried to call up the earth even more, instead forming a coccoon around him to keep the other elements out.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 10/15

Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int +3 from Modifier = 7 to affect the astral realm

Health 2/2
Energy 6/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake stood his ground, literally, ashe began transforming it and shaping it using only his will. He may not have been the most powerful, but he was creative. And considering that once he knew his way around the Astral Plane, he could do so much more on it - manipulate it, shape it, live a second life the way he wanted, doing all the things he couldn't express in the real life... Not to get himself distracted, however, he cleared his mind and willed the earth to form around his feet. He accomplished it, but the cacoon was much harder to create. The earth did rise, but didn't really form a cocoon, just a wall made of sand and rocks. This was hardly enough to protect him from fire, so he felt its psychic heat, burning his astral form... it brought back memories from the pain he had suffered when Dream's flames burnt hin. In comparison to that, this pain was nothing! Then, suddenly he felt the earth under his feet becoming less and less solid, as the water erupted the small island! Winds didn't grow weaker either, striking with terrible fury at Jake!

Jake takes 4 stun damage.

Jake was at first happy with his progress. He anchored his feet so he wouldn't fall, and that worked well, but when he called up the earth to defend himself, it didn't react as well as he had hoped. He felt the fire burning at him, the water was starting to break away the earth, and the winds were blowing so hard it was almost hard to breath.

Jake growled in irritation. "Stop it!" he shouted at no one, or perhaps everything, at all of the elements. He tried to bend them to his own will. This wasn't some crazy place.. this was.. the beach. He would make it so.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 5/15

Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int +3 from Modifier = 7 to try to transform the realm

Health 2/2
Energy 1/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake was getting nervous with all the elements pounding at him - from every side! Water, fire, earth and air! It was becoming harder and harder to resist them all. He concentrated on the realm around him and tried to change it... but it was not as easy as he thought it would be! Perhaps it was because it was the real Astral Plane, while he only managed to change the scenery so effortlessly while in Andrew's (a flatscan's) mind? Now it didn't work, the only thing that it gave him was a sudden change of earth beneath his toes into white-yellow sand of the beach and the water seemed to resemble the ocean now... but it was all he could muster. The fire... suddenly changed into earth and a gigantic rock fell down on him! He felt his astral self break because of the assault, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself under the huge pillar of rocks, all of them burying him alive!

Jake takes 4 stun damage again.

Jake tried his best, trying to will it all to change around him. But it was so much harder than when he was in Andrew's head, it just didn't work. The best he did was a sandy beach around him, but the environment remained the same.

Then the fire changed to rock and came plummeting down on top of him. Jake cried out as he felt to the ground under its weight, getting buried.

He tried to get up, but he was helpless, so tired. It was all he could do to breath.

Emmanuel! I can't.. I can't stop it.

His mental voice was tired and wary, for he simply had nothing left.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15

Action 1 - None

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

The pillars were still on top of him, crushing his astral self and draining his resolve.

You can and you WILL.

He heard Emmanuel's voice in his head, but nothing else changed.

Jake takes 1 stun damage.

Jake groaned under the weight of it all. Emmanuel said he could, yet he clearly couldn't. He was just too tired.

But Jake wasn't one to ever truly give up. He growled to himself, pushing on the rocks with his hands although the true effort came from his mind. He left them where they were, he just simply willed them to form a hole so he could stand up, leaving them where they were for protection around him.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 2/15

Action 1 - 2 into Empathy + 3 modifier to affect the rocks

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

With extra effort, Jake managed to affect the pillars of rocks that were on top of him... not exactly the way he wanted to, but at least he was free. He tried to form a hole, but by shaping them in this manner, he telekinetically pushed them away from him, sending them across the Astral plane with renewed passion and strength.

Concentrate on defense, but do not change form yet. Use elements to protect you.

Jake groaned as he telekinetically tossed the rocks aside. It was still tiring, and Jake felt like he should be sweating up a storm, but here on the Astral plane he wasn't.

He nodded again as Emmanuel gave him more ideas, telling him to use the elements. That was what he had been trying to do, but maybe he was going about it the wrong way.

Jake waited for the fire to come at him, and then as it did, he called on the water to splash up with a wave to shield him.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 3/15

Action 1 - 3 into Empathy + 3 modifier to affect the water as a shield

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Change of tactics was exactly what Jake needed as the fire which was assaulting him from above, turned to steam, when the cold water hit it, leaving Jake safe... for now. Then he noticed that his earthly island... was being pulled upside down! As if someone reversed gravity and he was going to fall if he didn't do something about it!

Jake grinned as the water turned the fire to steam. That seemed to be the ticket, and he was glad that it worked.

But then the ground shook a little and the small island he was on began to tilt. Jake didn't really feel like finding out what would happen if he fell in this place, so he tried his best and summoned up the Astral winds to blow with a huge gale force on the island in the opposite direction that it was currently turning.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 3/15

Action 1 - 3 into Empathy + 3 modifier to call on the winds

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake tried to counter the gravity reversal of the island with powerful winds, but it was barely enough... for a moment! It enabled him to stand and not fall down into the void, and he still was touching the ground, so it was good, but if he didn't think of something else... he would find out what would happen if he fell down!

Jake barely kept his balance, frowning a little as it failed to keep the earth exactly where he wanted it. Maybe he had to affect it directly again? He concentrated hard on the little chunk of earth on which he stood, willing - demanding - that it be still and stop turning.

***
Health 2/2
Energy 3/15

Action 1 - 3 into Empathy + 3 modifier to make the earth stand still

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Not everything went as he planned, when Jake felt the earth stand still... and then rip a small part of it that he was standing on apart - barely enough for his feet to fit! It was now floating in the void, but he was standing on the ground, right?

Jake almost toppled over as the small part he was standing on came free. He glanced around, wondering if Emmanuel had done it. But he was still standing at least, and the fire was put out. Did that leave the wind? Jake wasn't sure, but for now he was fine, or seemed to be, so he took the opportunity to catch his breath, using a little effort to make sure the earth stayed under his feet.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 3/15

Action 1 - 1 into Empathy + 3 modifier to control the earth under his feet and stay standing on it.

Health 2/2
Energy 2/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake concentrated to make sure the earth suddenly disappeared beneath his feet and...

A bit... clumsy, but acceptable. Now, prepare for elemental fury of chaos.

Did he feel Emmanuel's smirk in his head?

...and everything changed. The void disappeared, visible only high above in the sky. He was standing on the very same part of the island, floating in the air, trying to dodge all the gigantic spires made of rock and ice, coming from... lava? and magma! That explained why he felt so hot!

How do you like your our new interior?

Jake gasped a little as everything changed and stuff started coming at him again. There was so much of it, there was no way he was going to dodge it. He had to try to control the earth more.

He stood on the tiny piece of earth and moved it to dodge the magma, riding it almost like a skateboard across the astral plane.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 5/15

Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int + 3 modifier = 7 to dodge the magma on the earth

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake's idea was excellent as he lowered a bit and used his tiny piece of earth as a skateboard, riding just above the fiery magma, dodgind all the columns of ice, rock, earth, soil, water, fire, lava, lightning, air, blood... Wait. What? Some of the pillars were made of blood? He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as a pillar of fire appeared from beneath his feat, and only his quick reflex enabled him to dodge it completely by manouvering his 'earthboard' away from it. It was getting hotter and hotter!

Jake sped along on his new earthen skateboard, trying to avoid things. But it was still getting hotter. He had to do something about that. Either by flying higher perhaps, or calling on some water. He should be able to do that, right?

Jake concentrated hard, pulling on the moisture in the air, or perhaps creating some of his own and pulling it around him, trying to form a protective mist to keep things cool around him.

***

Health 2/2
Energy 4/15

Action 1 - 4 into Empathy + Int + 3 modifier = 7 to stay on the earth and create some water to help cool things down

Health 2/2
Energy 0/15
Defense 0
Mental defense 4 (Intelligence 2, Empathy 2)
Useful modifiers: Empathic Awareness 1, Psi of the Highest Order 3

Jake couldn't create moisture himself and the air was too hot and dry because of the magma and fire all around him, but some of the pillars were actually made of water, so he concentrated on it. Moving towards him, he dispersed it, changing its state into mist, keeping things cool... and protecting him from the fiery burst! It was a fluke he managed to dodge the last one as he felt the heat on his back, barely hold back by the cool mist he created! He had to be on the move all the time, otherwise he would get hurt!