It worked... it
worked! Rory had all of a second and a half to relish the fact that he'd pulled off using his Semblance as an "offensive barrier"...
... before the base of the dome touched the floor. That was when things started to go sideways.
Literally. The simple fact was that Rory didn't have enough control over his Semblance to move, even slightly, while it was active; on top of that, he was the central point from which the dome radiated. So when
it touched down on a solid surface while
he was still falling,
chaos ensued. The barrier held steady for just a moment in time -- long enough to roll
ever so slightly in one direction as it touched down. It might have held longer, had the dissonant feedback shooting through Rory's Aura not been so jarring, but not even a strong Aura barrier could stave off gravity. Nor could Rory's body just ignore the invisible tethers he was projecting outwards. So when the dome rolled just a little, Rory rolled a
lot, both mentally and physically. Even before the spherical barrier shattered like ruby glass Rory's body was flung sideways,
forcefully, by the energies of his soul meeting harsh reality. And that was nothing compared to the bolt of vertigo that raced through him. Suddenly, getting hit by a massive sword seemed the
less painful route to defeat.
He didn't remember the tumble once he hit the ground, only blacking out. The next thing he knew the world was coming back into focus with a sharp throbbing headache as someone shook him. He couldn't make out the words at first, but he could see the instructor kneeling down next to him. When hearing finally returned -- not without a shrill undertone ringing just below the surface -- and he slowly willed himself to sit upright, the words he heard didn't surprise him in the least.
"You kids
did realize that was just a
practice fight, right?!"
Battle Stats:▫
Damage received: multiple abrasions, minor concussion, Aura exhaustion
▫ Aura Status:
▢▢▢▢▢▢▢▢▢▢ (0%) DEFEATEDIt took a few minutes to get himself able to stand again, all while enduring the teacher's firm admonishment for "overdoing it" and repeated prompts to check in at the infirmary, but Rory eventually got his feet under him. Forget the infirmary; he'd had worse than this, and his focus was elsewhere. Still slightly dizzy, he made his way over to Setsuna and extended a hand.
"Hell of a fight -- thanks for that. You alright?"(OOC: Thanks for giving me this chance to field test Rory's fighting approach. I can tell I've got a ways to go yet but this was a serious eye opener, and you're a solid sparring partner to boot. Any time you want me in an RP thread just say the word and I'm there.
)