To hell with managing her emotions.
Screaming with a rage she wasn't able to contain, she put all of her strength into that punch.
Whether Koa was surprised by her reaction or she was moving too fast for him to counter it didn't matter.
Leta's hit landed on his left side, connecting with a white-blue flash of electricity that cracked like thunder. She didn't even get a chance to see Koa's face before he was flying across the room, knocking into a pull up contraption that had him flipping through the air to smack into the concrete wall.
The force of the attack sent an aftershock through the room, knocking over some of the tall equpiment and pushing Allister back a step. Afra didn't fare as well and the powerful burst left her off balance, arms cartwheeling before she ended up falling over on the mat.
Leta was unharmed in the middle of the carnage, looking at the world like a creature of legend, blonde hair seeming to move unnaturally as sparks of lightning danced over her body, her blue eyes seeming to glow with the force of a storm behind them.
Breathing heavy, her eyes traveled from the sparks that snapped around her fingers over her wrists to the flashes of lightning that crackled under the skin of her forearms.
"Wow…" She whispered, mesmerized by the storm taking place in her veins. Watching the amazing display made her feel powerful, ethereal, and definitely not human.
"Holy fuck!" Afra shouted in surprise, flailing as she scrabbled back to her feet, "What the hell was that?!"
Allister had stomped over to check on Koa, who had flopped onto his bum and looked dazed and confused.
"You alright there lad?"
"Uhhhhh…" Koa groaned, head listing to the side.
Allister used his massive fingers to pull back Koa's eyelid.
"Pupil's are all wrong. Ya certainly got a concussion there." He muttered, throwing a hand around Koa's shoulder to get the Warrior on his feet. "Okay." He grunted, "Let's take a break."
"Ah!"
Thud.
Leta turned around to see Afra back on her bum, One hand massaging her forearm and scowling at the mat. "Can you turn that off? You're still live."
Leta looked down and saw that the electricity was using her as a ground wire and sending shocks through the rubber fencing mat.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and imagined turning off a circuit breaker box in her mind. After a second of focus the lightning began to shrink, the thunder in her veins vanishing until the storm in her eyes disappeared.
Allister had Koa sit down, back against the wall before approaching her cautiously.
"How does your lightning work? Is there a trigger to it?"
"Uh, kind of hard to explain. Last time I did this I had to focus and actively think about it. This time it sort of just happened."
"What were you feeling just a moment ago?"
Leta winced. "There were some choice words in my brain at the time. I was feeling a lot of frustration and anger, but not the kind that you feel when you stub your toe or forget your phone at home. This was…worse. Like a hot, burning rage."
Allister nodded, "And your thoughts? Some talents work off emotion, and some also work off intention."
Leta's eyes wandered to Koa. He was still limp, but his eyes had cleared of confusion as his hard gaze watched her movements.
"I…I wanted to hurt him. I was so tired of being kicked around and when he kicked me after I broke the rib, something in me just snapped and I wanted him to hurt."
"Hm…" Allister pondered, one finger rubbing back and forth under his upper lip. "Sounds like its activation is fueled by intent an' emotion, not perceived danger. Ya were scared of the Loupgaru, sure, but ya talent dinna run wild as it did here."
"Could be she ran out of fuel." Afra shrugged, taking a seat on weight bench several feet from Leta, "Koa said that she was absorbing vitality or whatever it is she does from butcher meat when the Loupgaru found her. She didn't have a lot of juice during the fight, but she did back at the Sect because she'd absorbed what she needed from the beasts after the fact."
'Got an explanation for that, Gada?'
[THE HOST'S ATLANITE MODIFICATIONS IN THE FOREARMS ARE SUITED TO AMPLIFYING SOFTWARE OUTPUT BASED ON FORCE AND VELOCITY WHEN COUPLED WITH THE HOST'S OVERALL MASS.]
'So the metal in my arms amplifies my talents when I put force behind it?'
[TO SIMPLIFY THE SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICS BEHIND THIS OUTCOME, YES.]
Leta shook her head, filing that bit of information away for later.
"Ya think if we feed 'er, that lightning will grow stronger?"
"I mean, maybe? That freaky leech thing she does seems to help her out, so it's possible."
Leta raised her hand, "Can I put in my two cents here?"
Allister and Afra paused mid conversation.
She continued, "I was kind of in dire straits when the Loupgaru attacked but absorbing their essence doesn't make my talents stronger. It's… more like I'm sick and the essence I'm getting is making me healthier. While I would absolutely love for you guys to let me absorb any other monsters you come across, I don't think it's going to do what you think it will."
Allister breathed a heavy sigh, massive chest rising and falling like a galleon at sea. "Well, it's something to ponder. We'll have ta consult Ismene and see what Eriene comes back with afta' doin some research with the Job Book. I say we put a pin in this and see about those other talents a' yers."
"Can we not?" Leta whined, "In case you forgot, I've still got a broken rib here, and talking hurts."
Allister's pause and sheepish look made her mouth open in an affronted 'O', "You forgot?"
He coughed, "As Ismene would say, 'ma thought train derailed an' there were no survivors'."