InFamous: Return of the Dazzlings

by Blackdrag-rose

New Powers

"So, out of curiosity, what do you do for fun?" Sonata asked, because while they waited for Reggie to get back to them with the locations of some Core Relays, so Delsin could grow his powers, she figured asking a few questions was okay since it would help them pass the time.

"I like to tag things... you know, using cutouts to paint over existing things or on a blank canvas." Delsin replied, though in that moment he discovered that the sisters had no idea what he was talking about, or if they did his description had taken them by aback, causing him to pull out his phone and pull up a video for them to watch, "Reggie, on the other hand, hates it and arrests me whenever I do it... granted the times he does that are when I'm defacing the local cop billboard, but it really bothers me that he doesn't like my art. How do you guys not know what tagging is?"

"You have to remember that we were cast forward in time, missing seven whole years." Adagio answered, because for the time being she knew keeping Equus a secret would be the best thing for everyone, since most of the people of this world assumed they were Conduits transformed by the Blast, and once they were ready they would tell Delsin the truth of their home world, "So, where do you get your supplies?"

"Well, I usually check out the local dumpsters, to see if there are any cardboard boxes near them." Delsin said, where it was easy for the sisters to tell that he was trying to make sure they didn't think he was robbing the dumpsters themselves, a dirty activity he'd rather not do, before he pulled out a pencil and a sharpener, "I tend to use one piece out of a set as a area for me to sketch out my thoughts, after studying what I want to work with, and once I have a rough idea of what to do I'll use a pair of modified scissors to cut through the cardboard. I've also got some tape with me, so I can connect the pieces into a single mass or repair the damage I've done... I usually put my spray cans somewhere safe, though since we're here I might need to get a backpack."

Aria raised an eyebrow for a moment as they observed the video that was playing on Delsin's phone, though she could see some interesting ways to show the people that she and her sisters weren't the demons that Augustine had labeled them as once she came to power, as succubi no less. As she pointed that out to her sisters, especially since it was embarrassing to even think about, Adagio mentioned that if they and Cole had walked down the path of evil, instead of the path of good like they had, Augustine's labeling would have been spot on. Other than that all three of them focused on Delsin's art and what it might mean for the rest of the city if they learned how to do it, to project good messages to the people and maybe make fun of the DUP while they were at it, and found that Delsin agreed with their proposal, as he didn't like what they had done to Seattle and it's people. He figured that this would be a good way for them to show the people that the Head of the DUP was wrong, that they were here to help people and not to take over the city, or whatever it was Augustine was telling everyone, and he was interested in seeing what sort of art they would create.

While they discussed art, however, the sisters sketched out their own markings for Delsin, not mentioning that they were their Cutie Marks, or their hypothetical marks, and they could see that he was forming ideas in his head while the four of them remained in an alleyway, to avoid panic right now, before Reggie called them.

Okay, I've tracked down a couple of Core Relays... as much as I don't want to give them to you, I know you'll talk be into it at some point. Reggie stated, showing that he knew what his brother would do in this situation and that he wanted to skip it this time around, especially since the tribe was in danger thanks to what Augustine had done, before they heard him sigh for a moment as he looked at someone else, I've also got some leads on a few other Mobile Command Centers... taking them out will make things easier for the people of Seattle, but taking out their communications array would be better. I'm still looking for it and I'll call you when I find it... and don't call me when you use the Core Relays, as I don't want to know what they give you.

"Yeah, well, thank you Reggie." Delsin replied, because he knew that with his meager skills facing Augustine was out of the question, even if he counted on the sisters being there when it happened, so getting stronger and adding more powers to his own arsenal was the best course of action, causing him to look at his phone and found three targets had been added, a good sign for him.

With the information in hand the group departed from the area they had been hiding in, finding that the people had calmed down since their arrival in Seattle, though it was far too easy for all four of them to see that the DUP had put their junk all over the place and the people were too nervous to do anything about it. Of course, due to being demonized by Augustine, the sisters found that some of the citizens screamed when they noticed them walking down the street and the DUP, who had all sorts of vehicles roaming around the city to search for Conduits, had a patrol stop nearby to confront them. Delsin found that they stood no chance as Sonata summoned the wind and knocked the DUP backwards, taking all of the Pawns down before any of them could even raise their weapons to them, though as she did that he also found that she avoided hitting the people that were around them. Such a thing surprised the people, because they were used to the tales that Augustine and the DUP spread about the sisters, that they were demons, and yet here they were, making sure the ordinary people who spurned them were safe from the brief battle that took place.

While they did that the sisters also heard of a broadcast that talked about the military transfer, how it seemed to be one of the worst decisions made recently, and it seemed like they were blaming everyone but Augustine for the crash, where the sisters sighed as they focused on making sure everyone else was okay.

Following that the group headed back towards the area they came from, as there was a Core Relay near the pier, so they could grab a new power for Delsin, though Reggie informed them that the DUP had shut down all travel in or out of the entire city, including the destruction of the bridge. Sure enough there were a few Pawns standing guard near the Core Relay they had chosen to go after first, though as they trained their guns on the group Aria lashed out with her fist as she punched one of them in the face, knocking him to the ground before spinning to kick out the legs of the others. With that done she called up her power and chained all of her targets to the ground, surprising Delsin with the fact that her style seemed to be flaming chains, causing Sonata to inform him that hers was the wind pushing down on her targets while Adagio usually just froze the arms and legs of her foes to the ground. Once they were sure that the area was cleared out, for the time being anyway, the sisters quickly moved up onto the top of the nearby building as Delsin faced the device he was after, leaving him to his business as they made sure the area was cleared for the time being.

Delsin, in turn, focused his power and used the condensed smoke blast to blow the Core Relay apart, where he started to absorb the energy that was inside it, something that caused him to float into the air for a few seconds as he felt a new power awaken inside him, before he touched the ground again.

"It seems that it worked. Now then, let's see what you've got!" Adagio remarked, where she pointed to the four Pawns that were entering the area that the first Core Relay had been resting in, a group that had likely been nearby and came running at the sound of Delsin breaking his target apart with his power.

Delsin nodded and hurled what looked like a smoke bomb of sorts at the Pawns, where when it landed it released a burst of smoke that entered the helmets of his foes and induced a coughing fit that prevented them from firing for a time, an interesting power when Adagio and her sisters considered what they had seen so far. Such a thing allowed him to rush up to his coughing foes and pin them to the ground with his binding power, meaning if he had been walking down the path of evil it would have done something far worse for everyone, so this was good for him. She also had to wonder if a grenade power was common among the abilities a Conduit could learn over the course of their lives, as Cole had one, both Nix and Kuo had their own, and the three of them had their own variants, making her ponder what else they might find. Once they were sure that the area was cleared of enemies, as in that no more were coming to check on the noise of the Core Relay being destroyed, Delsin and the sisters departed for their second target, this time using the roofs to avoid being noticed by most of the DUP, since this was more about gaining power and less about drawing attention.

The second Core Relay, as they discovered, was stashed away in an alleyway with two Pawns guarding it, meaning it was far too easy for the group to deal with the pair, as all they had to do was drop behind them and deliver a strike to the side of their necks, allowing the sisters to move the unconscious pair out of the way as Delsin did his thing.

As he landed this time around a patrol vehicle came around the corner and Delsin fired a rocket made of smoke at it, an attack that slammed into the target and blasted it apart with ease, surprising him and the sisters for a moment, due to the fact that none of them were expecting such a strong power so soon to the start of the adventure. With that power added to their arsenal Delsin tracked down the third and final one that Reggie was able to provide him with the location of, but as they did so the sisters realized that something needed to be done about the DUP communication line. It was to knock them down a peg and to really cause some chaos among their ranks, but tracking down where they had set up such a very important device was going to require some time and effort on their part. Sonata also asked about Delsin's new power as they traveled and he told her that it took a lot of his available power to fire one of them, so if he increased his reserves to a new level, by absorbing more of the Blast Shards from the drones, he might be able to fire more of them.

The third and final Core Relay, as they discovered, was at the peak of a building and seemed to be unguarded, which was odd considering how important each one seemed to be to Augustine, but it allowed Delsin to smash it and tap into a new power, one that seemed to be a rapid descent type of ability, which he used to decimate a group of Pawns that were down on the alley below them.

"Ah man, what a rush... I need more, so I can expand my arsenal some more." Delsin commented, as he had wondered how it felt to use powers, since the DUP made it seem like those with powers were monsters of the highest order, and all of this made him realize that he could do good with what he had been given.

"Not a good idea. Expanding your power too quickly can have disastrous consequences." Aria said, as while it was easy to tell that Delsin had the good of the people on his mind right now, and not any sort of conquest like a villain, she knew that power could corrupt if one gained too much of it far too quickly, meaning they needed some heroic tasks to help Delsin come to terms with his powers.

I have to agree with Aria. You need to calm down first. Reggie added, meaning Delsin had called him as soon as he had used his new drop attack on the Pawns, no doubt to ask for more Core Relays, though at the very least it meant that he was on the same page as the sisters and Delsin sighed for a second as he nodded his head, Look, I'm working on a possible lead with a detective from the S.P.D., and tracking down the DUP's communication array, but I'm not telling you, Delsin, anything until you take a moment to calm down and lay low.

Adagio and her sisters were happy to see that Delsin was okay with the idea of laying low, especially since it gave them some time to come up with more ideas for his tagging, all while wondering what Augustine was thinking about the fact that they had returned, something they would no doubt discover as their adventure continued.

Comments

[Hexan Tronic]

Woot! Looks like they might be getting into the tagging. I can't wait till they see the Orbital Drop.