mistborn Mistborn HoA - How is Vin able to Push on an Inquisitor's spikes?

[Soulcaster05]

Spoiler

Taking a deep breath, Vin extinguished her tin, then burned duralumin, steel, and pewter. She Pushed outward with a sudden wave of power; Inquisitors were thrown back by their spikes. They sprawled, falling to the ground, cursing.

Isn't it supposed to be impossible to Push or Pull on metals that are in contact with flesh? That is why 

Spoiler

Marsh had to pull Vin's earring out by force.

So how does this

Spoiler

Duralumin induced

Push work?

[ftl]

Inability to push on metals in somebody is a matter of strength that got misinterpreted into a categorical statement by early allomancers. It's HARDER to push on something already invested, or on something within another person. The relative level of difficulty is high enough that, like piercing copperclouds, it was assumed to be impossible.

It never was, though. The only thing needed to pierce a regular mistborn's coppercloud was a hemalurgic spike on a mistborn. Duralumin would have also done the job.

Same with pushes. You also see that in Vin's battle with The Lord Ruler in TFE. Vin feels like TLR is pushing on the metals inside her body, and that's because he actually is. 

So a powerful mistborn like Vin, burning all she's got with Duralumin, was enough to push on metals inside the inquisitors. 

Yes, a sufficiently powerful mistborn (Lerasium mistborn, powered up by hemalurgic spikes, and burning duralumin) might be able to just kill someone by ripping apart the metals in their body. I don't know how much power that would take (or maybe it would take enough strength that it's still impossible, there's nobody that could!) but in principle it's possible, just takes a LOT of power. 

[Dunkum he/him]

the duralumin enhanced push is a lot stronger.  you should note that a lot of what they think they know in era 1 mistborn isn't necessarily 100% true.  The Lord Ruler can push and pull on metals inside the body for instance, and can pierce a coppercloud, just because he's so much stronger than your standard mistborn.  so in this case, with the duralumin to enhance things, the push is much stronger than Vin could normally manage, and is strong enough to affect metals inside the body.

[Soulcaster05]

Oh is it? Then a lot more of that final battle makes sense to me! Thank you @Dunkum!! 

 

I have a sort of follow up question. Given that a Duralumin Push or Pull is much stronger, could it potentially affect the metals within the body of an Allomancer? As in, rip an Allomancer apart?

Edited August 1, 2020 by Soulcaster05

[Dunkum he/him]

1 hour ago, Soulcaster05 said:

Oh is it? Then a lot more of that final battle makes sense to me! Thank you @Dunkum!! 

 

I have a sort of follow up question. Given that a Duralumin Push or Pull is much stronger, could it potentially affect the metals within the body of an Allomancer? As in, rip an Allomancer apart?

with enough duralumin and enough steel, maybe.  especially if the allomancer themself is particularly strong.  the human body's natural investiture interferes, but you can overcome that with enough raw power, its just that usually the amount of power needed is higher than a person can get.  but duralumin can push those limits higher, at the cost of burnign up your entire supply in one go.