"Jean Grey was probably an Omega class. If I was Alpha class before, barely scratching the surface of Order magic, now I'd probably be an Omega class. Oh, shiny!!!!"

I just wonder if these things can track scriff.......



But can everyone use them? Have I heard any reports of people using an Order staff to take down a sentinel?



But is Rachel okay, or did I just watch the Challenger explode? (OOC) Today, Jan 28 is the 31 year anniversary of that.) When it's done burning, look through the ashes and see if there's anything left of her.

(Doing Therapy)

"Jean Gray was Omega class.  I don't think you are.  I can sense your power field."

Multiple people can use them, and you've heard of one used in a fight with a Sentinel.

She looks totally unscathed.

Then her face turns to slash marks tattooed across it, and a firebird fills most of the room.  A talon of flame reaches out and touches you.

"Now and forever, I am the Phoenix!"

And its a sensation of being shook by a power that could maybe crack the planet.  The living avatar of Destruction and Creation.  The Phoenix, a cosmic entity, bonded to a human mutant.

And then the talon goes away, and the bird of flame dissapears, and the sensation of overwhelming power fades leaving the room almost empty by comparison with just you and Rachel Summers there.

"Can you make something to deal with that flow of power?"

Stunned at this release of power, and probably a bit shaken, I stammer out:

"W-hat do you have in mind? You just melted a Chaos knife and burned up an Order staff. I don't know what else I could make for you......"

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 66):

"I...do not know.  I cannot unleash my full power.  Its too dangerous.  I was hoping for some better way to keep it precise. Forge has tried to help me, but I've melted his devices, and one cause me massive headaches."

"Precision. Focus. Order."

And the wheels in my brain turn. I set to the forge and I attempt to make her a pair of black iron Order bracelets. What I want to make are the equivalent of magical lenses through which for her to focus her power. Like Wonder Woman's bracelets. But instead of blocking bullets, these will serve as a focal point, so she can focus her power through her hands.

How does that go?

At any rate, I'm sure Magehammer would like to take Phoenix out for a date. So I'll ask her at some point:

"What do the mutant kids do for fun around here? Would you like to do anything with me?"

Probably not many guys willing to date her.

The black iron bracelets seem like a promising idea.

At first, Rachel stares at you perplexed.  She has no idea of what you are asking. You see a glimpse of a young woman with no social life, even if she is pretty.  Then she blushed red, and nods shyly.

"I don't know."

Have I finished making the bracelets yet?

I put my arm around her to comfort her and project into her mind an image of a lonely 16 year old boy who likewise has no social life. He's putting his arm around the young woman from her vision. Then the world opens before them into a magical, fairy tale land where they can be carefree and happy.

Then I ask her "What do you think of that?"

What the hey? We're probably two of the most powerful creatures in the world. If we can't get a date, then something's wrong.

(Doing Therapy)

She laughs bitterly, and projects into your mind a vision of dozens of Sentinels, of death camps, and of brainwashed Hounds like her tasked to hunt down mutants amidst a warscape of skeletons and shattered buildings and torn land and a sky filled with black smoke.  Its 2051, and the Sentinels rule the Earth.

The X-Men, the New Mutants, the Hellfire Club, the Brotherhood of Mutants, Magneto, the Morlocks, and all the other groups of mutants are mostly dead and buried.  Then a crazed girl throws herself into a time vortex....

"Still want to, what is the term, 'date' me?"

==================

You're able to make a pair of bracelets which enhances your blacksmithing skill.  It helps Rachel, but its still not enough.  Still she can use them, and not at full power, a few times before they melt.

I'd like to know more about the crazed girl who threw herself into a time vortex.....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKn45SzEue0

OOC) Listen to the lyrics to this if you can make them out. This kind of sends the message I want to give her here.

IC) And now that I know what's in her head, and I have a better idea of what this world is like:

I send her an image of Magehammer and The Dark Phoenix, side by side, leading an army of mutants and Order/Chaos weapon users. Smashing those metal mothers into junk. Liberating death camps. Turning this war around.

"I'd call that a satisfactory first date. Don't you agree Rachel?"



So she needs something with a higher melting point....... Higher than Black Iron?????? Uh, yeah, higher than Black Iron.

Ask around for crystal. Even salt. Salt crystals. Containers of salt. Crystals would be Orderly. I could magically transmute those into Order bracelets with an insanely high melting point. Salt has one of the highest melting points known to man. They store radioactive waste in salt mines. It's resistant to radiation, high melting point, incredibly strong. Salt Order bracelets. Heck, you could almost make those at home right now. But yeah, look around for salt.

If I can get a handle on The Dark Phoenix that would turn things around.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 72):

"I was a Hound, in the Future. A future in which the Sentinels had all but won.  When I jumped back here. Professor X was able to help  me undo the brainwashing." Rachel says.

You know this is not like that world yet, but her Future is where it could be going.  For now, the Sentinels work for the US Gov't.  In the Future, there is no US Gov't, or any gov'ts as the whole Earth is under the fist of the Sentinels.

"That is what I am afraid of....I don't want to become like my mother." She runs off in response to your imagery.

You're easily able to find salt.  Forge is curious as to what you need it for.

"Sounds terrible. I know what it's like to have someone else taking control of your body." (The T-800 sometimes took control) Try to comfort her some.



Now that opens up a whole cacophony of problems. Is that a future where Magehammer interfered? Or did the gods of Order and Chaos send him here to prevent that future?

Is that my fault, or am I their savoir?



"Rachel, wait!! I'm sorry!!!"

But if she still runs off, I won't chase after her. I'll wait for her to calm down. It was supposed to be inspiring. Like the song said:

"I don't want to be like Snow White waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me on a horse of white. Unless we're riding side by side. Don't want to depend on no on else. I'd rather rescue myself."

I imagine that kind of sums up how Rachel feels about it.



"For this."

Arrange some salt in a circle. Then, take the Chaos knife in my left hand and the Order hammer in my right hand. I want to remove Chaos and add Order to it. I want to transmute the salt into solid, crystalline tubes that Rachel can wear to focus her power through.

How does it work? Does she ever come back?

Your comfort eases her some, but you can tell she has mental scars.

Forge watches what you do with curiousity, being careful to stay out of the way.  You start knitting the salt together, hook by hook, forming the crystals, and as the process goes on, each step becomes twice as hard as the step before.

The Chaos is surrounding you with white flame, and you can feel it heating your blood.  There is a nearby source of Chaos which you could dump your chaos energy into, and you feel the Order beneath the ground, ancient granites making up the bedrock.

This spell is going to require more power than you have in your body you think.

Tap whatever sources of Order and Chaos I have to tap to do this. If it works, it will keep Rachel cool. If not, I won't have to worry about it because I'll be in a different world. Win/Win.

But yeah, tap whatever source of Order and Chaos I have to tap.

Two Posts

X-Men Dark Phoenix trailer. I thought it somewhat appropriate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uup2JFXH68g

The power flows out of you, the Chaos dumping into the microfusion reactor that Forge has here, and the power flows into you, the Order of the ancient bedrock below you.  As it does, the crystals snap together, and the power builds.

Forge shouts at you, but you can see his reactor can take more, so you do more.  And he flees the room because you're surrounded by white flame that is hot enough to start his hair smoking from ten feet away.

And the last step seems impossible, so heavy, but you push on.  The world turns all white. Then all black. Then white again. Black again.  White of Pure Chaos. Black of Pure Order. White. Black. White Black...

You're screaming, and only your being used to pain makes this bearable.

And then you blackout as the final link is made.

You wake, some time later, and here Forge's voice.
"He's stable. I thought we were going to lose him.  At the top edge, Rachel, he was channeling a 100 megawatts of power..."
"He's awake." Rachel says. Your eyes flip open. You're blind.  You feel as if you had a visit with a thirty mile per hour semi truck.

Magic skill: Tap into Large sources of enviromental Order/Chaos 1@2.
Manipulate Order/Chaos +@1
Create Magic Item +@1.

Hearing the voice in the darkness, I "look" in his general direction and say weakly "I bet it was closer to 1.21 gigawatts of power, and you just maxed out your meters. It's kinda like Chernobyl. Their radiation meters were reading a safe 3 rads. Then someone realized that was as high as the meters could register and it was actually closer to 300 rads."

Always time for a random factoid.



"Looking" at Rachel now "Hey there Dark Phoenix. I can't see your pretty face, but how are them there bracelets working out for you? I made em out of salt. They should stand up to the heat a lot better."

Then a pause and I say "Ever heal a blind man?"

I'm sure I'll be able to do it myself eventually. I just hope this magic gets easier the more you do. I hate this getting knocked out crap.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 79):

Forge grunts, sounding aggrieved, and then you hear a tapping sound.  "Mmmm, my scanner bar is melted." He sounds a bit surprised now.

"Not Dark Phoenix, never Dark. I don't want to go down my mother's path."  Rachel says softly.

"They do seem to work, although I have not given them a serious workout yet.  As to healing, I've not tried that much....I could, but who knows, I might fry your brain just as easy."

"Hehehehe Told ya!!!"



"Well, what should I call you then? Just so you know though, Darkness is Orderly. Saying Dark Phoenix is another way of saying 'Orderly Phoenix'. But I'm sure you don't care about that."



"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll fix it later. Have you ever had a guy give up his eyesight for you? Now that's love." I say with a sarcastic laugh.

Is Order/Chaos sight still working?

And I ask Rachel "What color are those bracelets? Salt is white. They should have turned black. Let me know when you try them out for real."

"I don't see Order or Chaos, Magehammer." She says.  "Dark is well, evil, destruction, madness, you can call me Phoenix." Rachel says.

"They are Black, like they devour the light."

You check your Order/Chaos sight, and are rewarded with a feeling like someone hit you with a baseball bat.  So, no, not working.

Bowing and scraping, I say "Yes m'lady. Phoenix it is."



"Order bracelets. Just what I wanted. Why don't you touch my eyes with those? See what happens."

Of course I want it to heal my eyes, but who knows? All I know for sure is my own magic is down for the count for the moment. I'll live with being blind for a while if I have to.



I shake my fist for a moment at the gods of Order and Chaos. Then I remember that without them, I would be nothing. So I bow and rescind that.

"So Phoenix. What's going on in the world?"

(Doing Therapy)

She kisses your eyelids, but other than feeling pleasant it does nothing.

"I think, Magehammer, that I will find out.  NOW and forever, I am the Phoenix!"  And you hear a rush of wind and then hear a pop.

"Teleportation. She's never done that before." Forge says, sounding interested.

The gods of Order and Chaos, as always, largely do not care.  Worship them, don't worship them; curse them, bless them.  It means nothing to them.  They are truly not at all Human.  About the only moral demand they lay on you is to be honest.

"That is interesting Forgery. Maybe I should make a set of those for myself. When I get my magic back, that is....."

Then an idea hits me. "Forgery, help me over to the blacksmithing forge. Every blacksmith says they could do it blindfolded. I'm about the find out."

Try to make a Chaos knife whilst blind. See if the gods of Order and Chaos will give me back my Order/Chaos sight whilst I'm doing this. But it should increase the Chaos of the knife, if I'm doing it handicapped.

And give me a New Use on blacksmithing.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 85):

"Forge, not Forgery." He mutters as he helps you up.  He brings you to the anvil, and puts your left hand on it, and your right on your hammer.  From there, you're able to work without sight, but as soon as you try to access magic, it feels like someone hit you with two baseball bats.  You groan in pain.

+@1 to blacksmithing.  You're able to do regular smithing, but anything with magic, even a tinge of it brings even worse pain. Its like you've torn a muscle, and you're trying to lift weights with it.

OOC: From the books, the only cure for massive power overextensions is to rest.  Such activity does build up stamina, but eventually you might burnout completely for a normal human, or decades for a verser.

That said, Phoenix comes back in a few hours, and projects an image in your mind.  A factory in Kansas the size of a hundred acres.  Humans leave it, en masse, and flee, as if overcoming some mind control.  A half-dozen Sentinels attack.  A terrible fight.  Phoenix wins.  Phoenix destroys the main sentinel factory for the Mid-west of America in something resembling a flaming bird and a tactical nuke.  Phoenix is beaten down, and tired, and flees before a reinforcements of a dozen Sentinels.  She teleports, and thinks she was not followed.

She collapses to the ground. You smell blood.

OOC) I know you're not really keeping track of my skills. I'm not either. I'm just wondering though. Do you think it's possible I'm expert at Blacksmithing by now?

So when I get hit twice with a bat, I sit down and stop. I'm done doing magic. For the moment, that is.

But when Rachel returns, and I smell the blood, I ask Forge "Hey, how badly is she injured?"

I offer him my hammer and tell him to try to heal her. Give him some pointers on it.

I do know First-Aid, so if that doesn't work, and he doesn't know how, I try to talk him through bandaging her wounds. That is, if he doesn't know. I should have a First-Aid kit in my backpack.

But when she's healed or bandaged, I ask her "How much of that was real? What did those bracelets do for you?"

He grunts that he knows first aid.

"Um, broken ribs, a scalp wound, those bleed a lot, but its not serious, I think. The worst is general exhaustion, I think.  She needs rest. I need to go and reinforce the shielding from sensors because we're going to be scanned upside and downside for the next few days.  I recommend you both heal."

"All of it, Magehammer.  I...we....destroyed one of the five main factories in America for the making of Sentinels.