As the waves crashed against the rugged shoreline, despite Ryan’s best efforts to harness the power of the wind and rain, I could clearly feel that he was struggling to build and control the raging storm above thanks to the revelation that what he and everyone else in the Origin Timeline believed to be fact was the opposite of the truth.
I, Xipher, had survived the invasion of the Aliens and even made it back in time after disappearing for nearly two and a half years. I wasn’t an idiot; I knew how people celebrated my vanishing and were more than willing to write me off as deceased.
And since he was present at the Battle of Istanbul, I had a feeling my identity reveal would affect him emotionally and mentally, thus destabilizing his control over the thunderous storm ravaging the skies and ocean. Hell, that was the reason I was even bothering to banter with the lad in the first place.
Unlike my talent, which was practically non-combat worth, Weathermancy was another story. Lightning, Wind, Water, all three elements were at Ryan’s disposal, and although my stats may be higher, that didn’t necessarily mean the fight was already won.
Adding insult to injury, since he had what could be considered a Mage-type Talent, I was fully aware of what type of build he used, primarily adding points to his Meta Physical Offense and, unfortunately, his Intellect.
Apart from the Older beings of the Myriad Races, mage-type Rankers were one of my primary weaknesses since they tended to match my Intellect stat, and although mine was presently sitting at a clean 30 points, without having a significantly higher stat, like, say, a full 20 points over his, the odds of my Coercion working for more than half a second at best, were extremely low.
While I may have been lax during the chase from the café to the island, I wasn’t sitting around twiddling my thumbs; no, I was quite active in my observations.
Figuring out talents aside, one of the most surefire ways to win a fight in the origin timeline was figuring out what your opponent excelled in and which stats were higher than others. These were two of the most important factors that could make or break a fight.
For example, if I knew my opponent had high Intelligence, I wouldn’t even bother using my Coercion. Instead, I would focus on augmentation and telepathy, as they could allow me to both keep up and counter what my opponent had planned.
Sure, there would be plenty of opportunities to blindside my opponent by making their mind wander. Still, with a high Meta Physical Defense and Intellect stat, it would basically nullify the effects.
The same could be said for the majority of my Skills that affected the minds of others, especially my Mind Control, which required hours, sometimes days, to completely shatter someone’s ego and mind before rebuilding it to my desire and design.
Expertly twirling my dagger with my left hand, I began walking toward Ryan, all the while continuing to taunt him through the walkie-talkie; there was one VERY important thing I didn’t do, though.
Not once did I ever directly confirm my name to be Xipher; although the device in my hand could be considered a children’s toy, there was a negative aspect that could greatly affect me.
It used an open channel for communication. Basically, anyone within a one-mile radius could pick up the frequency, so I was careful not to do something as stupid as blatantly saying, "I AM XIPHER MUAHAHA!"
The last thing I needed was the name Xipher to appear so early in the past; who knows what kind of annoying brats I’d have to beat away with a stick before I earned back my peaceful life.
"Ho hum, I wonder, I wonder, how was it you made it out of that desert in one piece? If memory serves, there was a pretty devastatingly large crater left behind when all was said and done." Stepping forward with my right foot first, I began slowly closing the distance between us until I had a clear line of sight on Ryan and the horrified facial expression he was wearing.
With a flick of my wrist, I threw the walkie-talkie into my inventory and continued walking until I only stood around 15-20 feet away from the petrified young man.
"It really is a shame that you had to meet me so early after my return to the past, heh; you would have made a fine puppet for my collection…BUT ALASS!" Covering my forehead with the back of my right hand, I feigned dismay dramatically.
"I haven’t had nearly enough time to get up to my peak form like I once was." Using what should have been a CLEAR bait, I began acting feeble, doubling over and exhaling as if exhausted from running over from the city.
And like a good little fish seeing a dangling worm for the first time, Ryan ignored the glaringly obvious metaphorical hook.
"HAHAHAH! Why was I so scared? You’re nothing but a weak child; you probably used some trickery to kill the others!" Ryan cackled like a madman, his fractured psyche on display for me, causing me to roll my eyes under my mask as he withdrew an impressively lame-looking mage staff.
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Actually, calling it a mage staff was generous; in reality, it was nothing more than a poorly carved tree branch with a black rock resting at the top.
’Pfft, an obsidian rock, Jesus, he’s either a complete moron or doesn’t know any better. Obsidian only aids in the manipulation or channeling of Lava, so Magmamancers or Lavakinetics use them…sigh…why am I even surprised.’ Standing up straight again before starting to twirl my dagger, I continued putting on the façade that I was weak.
Honestly, the way I was easily spinning my blade should have been a dead giveaway of my present condition, but Ryan continuously ignored it and rushed forward.
"If I can kill you here, I can generate dozens of years for the Descent, and I’ll be showered in rewards!" Insanity flashed through his bloodshot brown eyes as Ryan brought up his staff and tried slamming it into my head.