Editing Exalted Power Combat 101 (section)

=== Hopping Defences ===

Seeing the wicked claws stretch forth once more, and the ease with which the dread Anathema ignored her technique, Marissa slammed the haft of Bite of Frost against the golden claws, hurling her body out of the way with the energy of the Hopping Firecracker, soaring up over the shattered wall to land upon the very point of an ancient fountain, safe....for the moment.

Until, her eyes opening wide in shock, she saw the Solar turn in his awful trajectory merely by pointing his finger at her heart, and realised his speed was too great...there would be no escape for her this day, or ever again in this life.

<i> Held action penalties apply only to attacks, however.  Hence, when Alakra declares a single attack with his claws, Marissa has plenty of dice to parry with. </i>

<i>Alakra rolls his pool of 15, scoring a respectable 7 successes, leaving 5 after Marissa's shield. </i>

<i>Marissa rolls her parry, with a pool of 13, minus two dice for wound penalties, totalling 11, scoring 4 successes.  Activating Flickering Candle, she is able to score the single success she needs to avoid the blow, and then activates Hopping Firecracker, hurling herself (1/2 Dexterity) + 6 = 8 yards away, hoping to avoid the follow up attacks sure to come from the murderously swift Anathema.</i>

<i>However, any attacker attempting to land a blow upon a user of hopping defences may use any unused yards of movement to catch up to the defender, assuming they have sufficient movement, and the defender does not land in an entirely innacessible location.  Alakra is flying, hence the fountain is not innacessible, and his movement with Eagle Wing Style is three times his sprinting distance--that is, three times (Dex x 3 + 20), or 105 yards.  He has movement to burn.</i>

<i>Just to put the matter beyond all doubt, however, he activates his Rage of the Tiger Savant combo, with Leaping Tiger Attack + Striking Fury Claws + Spine Shattering Bite.  He also spends a willpower to channel his valour on the attack for an additional four dice.  His total pool for the attack is 29, and he rolls 15 successes, 13 after the shield.  Marissa has no defence, her Essence exhausted, and she has no choice but to take the blow.  Alakra's damage of 38 is soaked to 20, which is doubled after soak by the effects of Leaping Tiger Attack.</i>

Her eyes widened one last time, staring out over the city she thought to destroy, bathed in the golden radiance of her enemy.  A single tear trickled, half frozen, down her pale, blood-spattered face, as she heard the wet sound of her spine and heart being dropped to the ground by her foe.

"Such...power...."

Alakra smiled, a little sad, and watched her fall.

"You are lucky you challenged a mere thief, and not a warrior like my brother Orin of the Dawn."

<b>FIN</b>