Hmm, that is indeed weird. I've dealt with similar before, but... Those screwballs have either been dealt with in a very permanent manner, or have moved on. This does intrigue me. I have never been assailed in such a manner for it then to be suggested that it was some sort of test. (Other than my own defenses, of course, but not in sort of an exam/quiz format).

This leaves me baffled, in a way. The strength, speed, and coordination of the attacker suggests either a buffed up mage that is a skilled swordsman, maybe a psion also worked up in such a manner, or perhaps even something like a vampire. However, Vampires usually prefer to use their natural weapons and grapple where their full strength is best applied.

With the use of shadow in such a way, suggests magic, or perhaps a natural ability. However, I get the feeling, through both instinct and Psi overview of this situation, that is not the case. I think it was magic, maybe a charm, or an incantation. Even if you didn't hear it, a mage need only whisper it in advance, or in some cases, not even then. If the spell was studied and stored before hand, all it could take is the proper gesture to finalize the spell and trigger the release of the energy required.

By the way, did you feel any other sort of Psionic influences, or pulls on the currents of magic/energy in the area?

Hmm. A few thoughts: First, its not impossible to work different talents without other users picking them up. Two things I trained in a lot was subtlety and smoothness. Subtlety allows you to work things in such a way as to seem as though there was no Psi or anything else involved. It often requires less energy to do the same job. Often, for lower grade psions and such it helps to keep from tipping them off as either they don't know what to look for, or haven't refined their senses enough to pick it up. (Not that this is the case here. You strike me as being very sharp, but... maybe geared for higher energy uses).

However, I do know that the average psychic out there is only a sensitive, and not able to warp or affect reality. That's really the difference between a psychic and psion. Anyway... the other thing is smoothness. The more smooth the energy itself is, and the more smoothly it is manipulated the much harder it is to detect. Its like looking at an old WWII u-boat or submarine, vs say.. one of the newer Los Angeles Class nuke subs, or even the newer catarpillar engine stealth subs. Less noise, and more hydrodynamic, and with the Cat engines, its like a jet-engine underwater. All moving parts are housed inside the ship, so there's almost entirely no noise to transmit out. It could also be thought of like trying to grip something that's been heavily oiled.

When energy is worked in such a way they may even use the ambient energy in the environment and disguise the frequencies thereof to look like, or match the environment around it, but still will be comprised of the energy they want to work with, such as kinetic energy. I haven't found too many out there that have even thought of such a technique. Another way to disguise energy usage is to mimic the energy pattern of your target. If you can sample them, (and it would have been easy with you being there for so long and sampling from the people in the park) and get a good read of their signature, then you can feel it/see it and replicate it as an overall pattern to the technique you are using it becomes quite difficult to block, or even pick up. Paranoia will teach you to add small little subtle traces in your pattern that only you know how to look for, that they will probably miss, which will clue you in.

I really probably shouldn't be giving out as much as I have in an open forum, but consider it a mini-lecture on Psionics.

There is also the possibility of them having actually slipped through a loophole in your defenses (which seems quite likely) and then simply blinded your Third Eye, which could very well explain the lack of being able to pick up a whole lot with Psi. Did your forehead or head hurt any time within an hour or even up until this point right now? It would probably just feel like a dull pressure or ache? (And the pressure on your defenses might have been just that.)

*sigh* There's a lot that's got me thinking in this situation. Hell, for all I know it might not even have been any form of Psi, Magic, or even Chi usage. Though the latter doesn't strike me as being out of place either, though it wouldn't explain the manipulation of shadow.

When it comes to the shadow part of everything (which has me the most intrigued) it could be anything from a natural ability, which means you probably wouldn't feel it. Most people don't feel another breathing, or feel their heartbeat. I'm trained to, and I still don't all the time, unless I am meaning to. It could be an item like a Cloak of Darkness. That might even stand to reason, because if the duration on it suddenly expired, that could explain why your attacker stopped fighting. Even then though, that doesn't make sense as it was probably very close to the end of twilight at that point.

Maybe this person or thing is some sort of shadow entity. Twilight is the perfect time for something like that. It's not day, and its not night. Shadows are all over the place, stretched and elongated and create all sorts of difficulty for the eyes. "Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them," a wise old man said once. Furthermore... if it is some sort of shadow creature, Twilight is even a symbolic time. It is the shadow of the day, and a shadow of night in a way. I've encountered a couple of things that could only act in the short time of twilight, at least with their best potential.

Even with all of this being brought to light, the only thing I can say is this: I may be throwing out all sorts of wrong stuff, things that might throw you off the trail. In the end, trust your gut, your instinct. It is more often than not, in most hunters and psychics of all classes, correct.

That's...really weird. Adama had a mask like that... It was a handmade clay mask, and he'd carved a few runes into it... They weren't runes of any particular form, just symbols that had come to mind while making the mask.

Scary thing is, over time, there were more and more symbols etching themselves over the surface of his mask, and it started giving off its own energy. It's hard to describe what kind of aura it was, but...I know I didn't like it.

As for shadow energy...I can get you information, but I don't know if you'd trust it, considering the source...

Haven't heard from AdamaGeist for a while, anyone know his status?

Yeah. He's enjoying what he can of mundane life.

He's scary enough that things tend to leave him alone to do so. What doesn't leave him alone finds out the hard way why it's a bad idea to piss him off. He's a little focused on the more difficult aspects of mundane life, at the moment... Getting and holding onto a job despite his injuries, keeping up with rent, and keeping a stocked fridge. The typical bachelor routine.

For the most part, he's pretty content. I talk to him on MSN from time to time.

We're both waiting for the other shoe, though... He seems pretty certain everything's gonna go horribly wrong at some point or another. I think it's gonna be around Halloween, when he's gonna have to get involved again.

I posted in the magic thread, btw.

Keeping a stocked fridge.

Not something I have to worry about anymore. Kei, you once asked me whether I got any "nutritional" value out of my empathic vampirism, and the answer is yes. I recently stopped eating real foods, and relied totally on my other "ability". I was a bit hungrier than usual, but I did not suffer any debilitating effects. Still, I think I'll keep eating regular foods, just to keep me partially grounded.

Konrad...? You okay? What happened?

Yeah, ditto. What's up man? What happened, Ghost.

Damn, they failed.

Malakai, if you're aiming to try to commit Society-member-assisted suicide, I'd say you're well on your way...if Gabe doesn't have you dead by morning, that is.

KonThaak wrote:Malakai, if you're aiming to try to commit Society-member-assisted suicide, I'd say you're well on your way...if Gabe doesn't have you dead by morning, that is.

As I said, your better half doesnt stand a chance. Especially if he tries to take my bounty.

We shall have to find out.
Oh Ghost PM me a location to find you at, and I can have some people there to get you on the mend a little quicker. That is if you are interested.

Yeah she wants to finish the coversation that has been started a few times, but never been finished as well.
But it will have to be a little later.

GhostSpider wrote:I then proceeded to lick its blood off my hand.

Umm, you feelin' okay, jack?

I was kinda wondering that, myself. o_O

Or a lot less sense. Ghost I have a feeling you really need to talk to someone soon.

now how many people here are saying "i told you so"?

duamerthrax wrote:now how many people here are saying "i told you so"?

First at me and now at GS...though I'm not sure exactly what we told him so about. At least, I don't recall saying anything to him about much of anything... It seemed like the changes in him happened against his will, while this THING that's STILL attached to me...happened because I messed with stuff I shouldn't've been.

Meh... Seems like we're unraveling fast.