Starmaster waited patiently for Krystal Fae to arrive at the paintball field. Still feeling guilty for physically injuring her during their last sparring session, he came up with a different approach for today’s session.
Her bright aura appears to him on the Mindscape, his corner of the astral plane, several yards away under the cover of a stand of maple trees. Patiently, he orbits blue paintballs in the air around him in a conga chain.
“Are you trying to imitate an atom?” Krystal queries as she walks out from behind a stand of trees. “If you are, your electron density is way off to be able to exist in this reality.”
“Hey Krystal,” Starmaster said while ignoring the highbrow shade she tried to throw at his intelligence. “How did things go at BADGE headquarters?”
“Interesting. This league war will be very challenging. Not just on the field of battle, but simply by being in space. I am very curious how many of the participants will handle zero-gravity for the first time. I’ve suggested tripling the custodial staff.” Krystal removes her glasses and replaces them with a sturdier visor.
Not having considered the zero-gravity, Starmaster chuckles. “Thanks for mentioning that. I’ll make sure to bring lots of Dramamine for my team, just in case.”
Krystal nods as she ties her hair back into a tail. “That would be smart. And crackers. I’ve found crackers to be essential lately for my stomach. What is this big idea you had for today?”
“I thought we could try more of a ranged combat than up close and physical like last time.” He floats several paintball tubes with pink pellets inside to her. “Less physical bludgeoning and more skill-at-arms, so to say. Not every fight is a pugilist’s brawl, you know.”
She collects the tubes and examines the contents. “Really, you went for pink?”
“Easy to spot and in contrast to mine. I can get you a different color if you would like?” Starmaster offers.
“No need.” Holding the tubes in the palm of one hand, she gestures over them with the other. The contents shift in color to a luminescent, glistening green. “Shall we begin?”
The two of them pace apart from one another until matching the starting positions on the arena field. Telepathically, they count off in unison.
“Three,”
“Two,”
“One!”
They both launch into the air. Krystal sends one pellet immediately in Starmaster’s direction as she gracefully ascends like a ballerina into the sky. It splats ineffectively against his psychokinetic shield. He then feels a tap against his cape. He turns and spots a green glob clinging to it and a mystical portal closing just inside the barrier of his bubble.
“That’s one for me, correct. What are we going to? Personally, I am in the mood for high numbers.” Krystal purrs.
“That’s fine by me.” Starmaster unleashes the chain of pellets orbiting him, sending them out in eight different trajectories. He also sucks in his defensive bubble to within a half-inch of his skin, not wanting to give her the same opportunity a second time.
Krystal dodges the first five blue pellets, letting them soar past her by flying into a stand of trees. The next two pellets impact on the trunk of a tree she uses as cover. The last one, she incinerates with a flash of energy. “You’re wasting ammunition, Starmaster.”
Beneath her feet, Starmaster guides the first five pellets under the tree and shoots them up as if fired from a shotgun. One connects with her left thigh and a second beneath her right arm. “What were you saying, Krystal?”
The two of them cross every inch of the paintball course over the next hour, dodging and evading attacks from every direction while returning fire. Starmaster pulls additional tubes of paintballs out of his Mind Closet. Krystal replenishes her supply magically, enchanting the tube to regenerate it’s contents.
Using the last pellet in one of his tubes, Starmaster teleports directly behind Krystal while creating a mental image of him reappearing several feet to his left at the same time. He squeezes the capsule, spraying paint at her in a small burst and coating her red hair. Without turning around, she tossed a pellet up over her head in an arc toward the true Starmaster. He grabs it telekinetically and hold it in mid-air.
Suddenly, the paintball enlarges in size to the dimensions of a refrigerator, breaking in Starmaster’s telekinetic grip, and pouring green slime all over his costume.
With a grin and a giggle, Krystal exuberantly executes a swooping aerial arabesque, then wryly gives Starmaster a smile as she strokes his dripping chin with amusement. “My, I think you should change your colors. You look very nice in that shade of green.”
“Are you trying to imitate an atom?” Krystal queries as she walks out from behind a stand of trees. “If you are, your electron density is way off to be able to exist in this reality.”
“Hey Krystal,” Starmaster said while ignoring the highbrow shade she tried to throw at his intelligence. “How did things go at BADGE headquarters?”
“Interesting. This league war will be very challenging. Not just on the field of battle, but simply by being in space. I am very curious how many of the participants will handle zero-gravity for the first time. I’ve suggested tripling the custodial staff.” Krystal removes her glasses and replaces them with a sturdier visor.
Not having considered the zero-gravity, Starmaster chuckles. “Thanks for mentioning that. I’ll make sure to bring lots of Dramamine for my team, just in case.”
Krystal nods as she ties her hair back into a tail. “That would be smart. And crackers. I’ve found crackers to be essential lately for my stomach. What is this big idea you had for today?”
“I thought we could try more of a ranged combat than up close and physical like last time.” He floats several paintball tubes with pink pellets inside to her. “Less physical bludgeoning and more skill-at-arms, so to say. Not every fight is a pugilist’s brawl, you know.”
She collects the tubes and examines the contents. “Really, you went for pink?”
“Easy to spot and in contrast to mine. I can get you a different color if you would like?” Starmaster offers.
“No need.” Holding the tubes in the palm of one hand, she gestures over them with the other. The contents shift in color to a luminescent, glistening green. “Shall we begin?”
The two of them pace apart from one another until matching the starting positions on the arena field. Telepathically, they count off in unison.
“Three,”
“Two,”
“One!”
They both launch into the air. Krystal sends one pellet immediately in Starmaster’s direction as she gracefully ascends like a ballerina into the sky. It splats ineffectively against his psychokinetic shield. He then feels a tap against his cape. He turns and spots a green glob clinging to it and a mystical portal closing just inside the barrier of his bubble.
“That’s one for me, correct. What are we going to? Personally, I am in the mood for high numbers.” Krystal purrs.
“That’s fine by me.” Starmaster unleashes the chain of pellets orbiting him, sending them out in eight different trajectories. He also sucks in his defensive bubble to within a half-inch of his skin, not wanting to give her the same opportunity a second time.
Krystal dodges the first five blue pellets, letting them soar past her by flying into a stand of trees. The next two pellets impact on the trunk of a tree she uses as cover. The last one, she incinerates with a flash of energy. “You’re wasting ammunition, Starmaster.”
Beneath her feet, Starmaster guides the first five pellets under the tree and shoots them up as if fired from a shotgun. One connects with her left thigh and a second beneath her right arm. “What were you saying, Krystal?”
The two of them cross every inch of the paintball course over the next hour, dodging and evading attacks from every direction while returning fire. Starmaster pulls additional tubes of paintballs out of his Mind Closet. Krystal replenishes her supply magically, enchanting the tube to regenerate it’s contents.
Using the last pellet in one of his tubes, Starmaster teleports directly behind Krystal while creating a mental image of him reappearing several feet to his left at the same time. He squeezes the capsule, spraying paint at her in a small burst and coating her red hair. Without turning around, she tossed a pellet up over her head in an arc toward the true Starmaster. He grabs it telekinetically and hold it in mid-air.
Suddenly, the paintball enlarges in size to the dimensions of a refrigerator, breaking in Starmaster’s telekinetic grip, and pouring green slime all over his costume.
With a grin and a giggle, Krystal exuberantly executes a swooping aerial arabesque, then wryly gives Starmaster a smile as she strokes his dripping chin with amusement. “My, I think you should change your colors. You look very nice in that shade of green.”
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