[Mkguild] Dire Situation Part 4

[Kamau]

A good story Stealth.  A few places with there were typos and wrong word 
(here rather then hear) but all I'm sure would be caught on a final edit.

Some good points that have come up are the balance of the dire form. 
One thing I would see aiding in the balance, and one you somewhat hinted 
at, would be for the form to be more feral.  Taking dire form makes one 
more likely to lose control and succumb to animal instincts more easily. 
  We also need to remember that just being bigger does not mean 
proportional faster.  Would a dire cheetah be faster than a normal 
cheetah?  Yes in part due to greater stride but there is also greater 
mass.  Simple physics tells us that more mass means much more power 
required to move it.  Thus the dire might be somewhat faster but not 
twice as fast.  Having these as part of the dire form would help to 
balance out the form.

The morphic armor is a nice touch and I think you set it up very well 
that this is part of a very ancient and powerful magic.  Just as many 
other items in MK, Whisper comes to mind, it will be a unique piece of 
equipment.  We didn't really get to see in this story how effective the 
armor is but you have very nicely laid the foundation for a good 
limitation with the power it needs to be used.  I'd suggest keeping that 
in place and letting Stealth slowly resolve it.  Let the solution slowly 
come into being as he grows in his abilities and experience.

I also liked what you have done with the interaction between Edmund and 
Stealth following the battle.  I've been working with people coming back 
from war for almost four years now and believe me there is a very big 
struggle with being in combat and taking lives that hits a person no 
matter who they are.  It is unique to each person and expresses itself 
in a very individual way.  You've given Stealth a good start on dealing 
with this issue.  He has an excellent sounding board in Edmund the 
veteran warrior.  Don't let this be just a one off.  Let Stealth 
struggle some with it.  Allow him to come to terms with it in his own 
way as he is put into more situations involving combat or the 
possibility of killing.

A good solid plot, a good story and one that leaves several paths to 
follow for future stories.

Well done.

Kamau