Ask to Join The Paragons - Act II

[The Dark Fairy]

Kerco

Kerco looked with a bored expression at the man, clearly of no use to him, and really seemed to be threatening his settlement. He considered wiping the crazy mans mind, though he disliked it at this point, it really was for the best if he seriously wanted to attack his family.
Kerco lifted his hand “No that’s quite enough for me, though a free piece of advise before I leave, the most valuable thing in the world is an ally, someone to protect your back, and you theirs.” He turned, not all the way around so he could still see the man in his eyes, hand in pockets as he walked away.
(If he calls out to Kerco, he would turn back to talk, but if not, after he crests the hill, memories of what he looked like, where he came from, and the settlement. Though he would leave the encounter and advise well enough alone)

Rose Nala

Rose put her supplies back in her medicine box “Your welcome dziewczynka.“ She sat back a moment before putting in her own two cents about comics. “I myself haven’t read many comics, but one of my old friends was always talking about them, gave me a pretty good idea, and spoiled most comics for me, not that I minded all that much.” She walked to the other side of the room, listening to the two as she poured three glasses of water.
"I guess... sometimes an escape into a nicer world is needed. I know none of it's real, but to read about the Avengers and the Justice League, to see them save the world again and again... it inspires me. To do better than what this world's seen. To be better than my dad. I wear gold to be seen. I want to inspire hope wherever I go." Rose sat back down, handing out the glasses before nodding, taking a long drink from it herself “Though, this world can be cruel….” She paused a second, as if carefully reconsidering her words “Ive known people who try to act exactly like those in the comic books, and wether they are crushed by reality, or end up undoing themselves with pictures of the high and mighty hero, it doesn’t turn out well.” She looked at might girl, switching the topic for something that had been pressing on her mind “Do you two have somewhere you need to be off to? You can stay here if not.”

Lilian

Lilian was at the stove, in the real world this time, mostly to watch the new girl, both as a comfort and for safety. She worked over the stove to make a pancakes, lightly buttering and sprinkling some sugar and each pancake before setting it down on the table, two cups of coffee, one made from deep interrogation into Foursythe preferences, and one for Lilian. A third cup contained a heated apple cider.
Lilian quickly set the table and called out to her companions in the house “Breakfast is on the table, come eat!” It sounded less like an announcement, more like an order.

 

[The Alright Attorney]

Alan listened carefully to Might Girl as she spoke about what those comics meant to her, and how they inspired her to be a hero that could rise above her father and the feeling his name inspires. It reminded him a lot of when he first became a Paragon. Here he was sitting across from the daughter of the man that dismissed Alan without a second thought. Was this some kind of a second chance? His eyes were drawn to Rose as she gave her own opinion on comic book heroes and those who try to mimic them, how it can lead to their own downfall.

"Those comics, as silly as it may sound... They give people hope. That's the feeling heroes should instill in people." Alan spoke up, the most he's spoken so far at Rose's yet. "Don't try to be Superman, or Spider-Man. Be Might Girl, use the inspiration those comics gave you to inspire others." He finished with a confident nod, clearly very passionate about the topic.

Rose had spoken up again, asking if him or Might Girl had any place to be. "I don't really have anywhere to go. I sleep where I can. Although sleeping on something besides the ground would be appreciated." Alan said in response, nodding to accept her offer.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

"Grandson," Kenjiro Takeshi greeted with a hoarse voice, grinning weakly as he sat up to meet his guest. The man was frail, clearly showing signs of age at 103 years old. His skin sank, his hair was white and thin, and he seemed too fragile to even stand, but the former oyabun of one of the most infamous and notorious underground crime syndicates to ever curse the world still managed to carry an aura that quickly put Shuzo at unease. Kenjiro's friendly smile remained, however, and he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"It's good to see you, especially after everything that ha--"

"Cut it," Shuzo interjected, mentally shaking off his disquietude as best as he could and staring coldly at Kenjiro. "The last time we met was when you took Keiji away from us. You're more senile than you look if you think we somehow became even remotely close since."

Kenjiro's grin faltered upon Shuzo's abrupt dismissal, and after a few moments of silence, a smirk slowly began to split his lips once again; somehow, in a split second shift in mood, Shuzo could tell that the old man before him had suddenly become a new person.

"Well, that's a relief," Kenjiro remarked, his voice now deeper and smoother in stark contrast to when Shuzo had first heard him speak. "Just the thought of all that 'pleasantries' crap makes me sick." Running a hand through his hair, the former yakuza head sighed and exited his hospital bed, much to the shock of the still present nurse.

"Kenjiro-san! You mustn't--urk!" He was cut short when, in a flash of light faster than Shuzo could see, his throat was slit instantly, and the nurse crumpled to the ground with a pained gurgle before breathing his last. Turning to look behind him, Shuzo saw a black shuriken star embedded in the wall, and he then glanced downward to see the nurse lying still, blood pooling at his throat. Finally directing his gaze back to Kenjiro, the former Paragon maintained a cold stare, seemingly unfazed by the sudden act of murder that had just transpired. His grandfather folded his arms across his chest, smug grin still in full force.

"Well? You know why I called you here; took you long enough, by the way. Did it really take an alien invasion to finally get you off your behind? I imagine you have a lot to ask."

Wasting no time, Shuzo took a deep breath and continued to level a stare into Kenjiro's cool gaze. As much as he hated this old man, this was a chance to make sense of his recent troubles.

"Who is 'the Silverbolt'?"

With a wry chuckle, Kenjiro's eyes seemed to widen suddenly as if in mock surprise.

"Hah, getting right into it, aren't we? Then, I'll tell you all you need to know.

...

Raikos was the appointed Herald of the Silverbolt. Sent by the Void Father a couple thousand years ago along with the Heralds you saw back in 2033, Raikos was known to be among the strongest of all the Void Father's spawn, and for this reason, he was entrusted with a task separate from his fellow Heralds: to serve as a contingency for their original plan to prepare their assigned planet for eventual consumption. Should the Void Father's attempt to devour Earth fail, or should he even be killed, Raikos would sustain the cosmic spark, thus ensuring the survival of the Void Father's legacy."

Those last words echoed within Shuzo's mind as he recalled the vision he had experienced only yesterday, but he remained silent and continued to listen.

"So he complied. While performing the same, boring Herald duties that the others had also been charged with, Raikos.... lived a little, so to speak. His presence was made known on the newly established nation of Japan shortly following his arrival, as historians mistook the alien deity for Raijin, Japanese god of lightning, thunder, and storms. In his bid to guarantee the Void Father's immortality in either life or death, Raikos walked as a god amongst men, mingling with the human species as he saw fit. A woman he fancied soon bore his first children, thus marking the first instance of a human child inheriting nearly the full scope of a Herald's power, and certainly not the last.

As the times changed, Raikos changed with them, continuing to live amongst the people while his children continued to pass down his Silverbolt gene. While not present in all descendants, the gene was persistent, searching for the most suitable vessel for the Silverbolt's power across each generation. Shortly after the Void Father's arrival on Earth, he saw Raikos' work as sufficient, and though the Herald was dismissed from his charge and free to enter his promised paradise, he instead decided to remain on the planet he had inhabited for centuries, and after the Father's death, so began his search for a new purpose."

Shuzo listened, taking in every word Kenjiro had said, and the more the story helped him to piece everything together, the more apprehensive he felt about all of this. Not to mention, something was...... off. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Kenjiro, an accusing tone carried in his voice as he spoke.

"You.... seem to know a little more than you should about an alien from a group powerful enough to raze down our entire planet. How?"

"'How?' Well, it's funny you should ask," Kenjiro replied, stroking his chin with a sudden, newfound youth that Shuzo had never witnessed since he first arrived. Just as he spoke, a fierce rumble shook the entire building, and the lights illuminating the hospital room began to flicker rapidly. Though Shuzo found himself attempting to regain his footing, his gaze seemed glued to Kenjiro, whose smirk had begun to return. In a sudden flash of light, the former Paragon was momentarily blinded, and once he had recovered his bearings, his eyes widened at the figure now standing before him.

Whoever this was, it wasn't Kenjiro Takeshi. The man had no traces of the former's original elderly features, instead seeming to be half his age. His hair was a youthful black, and he was much more toned in physique, but the most imposing attribute that easily established itself as most prominent was the bright, intense electricity that danced around him, glowing with a radiant silver.

"You see.......



I was there."

 

[DevVoid]

Sheathe me. You have a visitor.
Wrath stood idly and silently as Hush spoke to him, Mortis gripped tightly in his hand, back turned to Hush and eyes kept on Mortis. As commanded, Wrath put Mortis back in his sheath and turned to Hush, briefly staring at the competitor before opening his mouth and extending his tongue behind his mask, using his tongue to push a button on the inner side of his mask that activated a voice module to turn his voice deeper, more grainy and overall more distorted. " I shall not. It is my blade that requires me to slay these- "

Go. We're done here.
Wrath cut himself off, looking down at the holstered Mortis with a raised eyebrow.

We need just five more. It is not important whom they belong to.
After a brief pause, Wrath spoke up briefly. " ..I see. Very well. " And with those words spoken, Wrath had taken out Mortis again and had used his Dark Boost again to dash out of the area, phasing through a wall and ending up in another alley, different from the one he entered the building from. In this alley, there currently was a deal occurring between two people, with four additional guards standing by, two on each side of both dealer and buyer. Within seconds, Wrath slashed down these individuals with Mortis using swift movements made easier to him by Dark Boost enhancing his overall speed and reflexes. When he held Mortis in the air, the dagger absorbed the souls of the slain criminals before ringing its voice in Wrath's head again.

We have enough. Go now, find an isolated area. The ritual can soon begin.
And with those words, Wrath sheathed Mortis again, waiting out the cooldown for Dark Boost until he could use it again to head into the street and leapt downward into the sewers of Tokyo, phasing right through the manhole cover and landing down below. There, Wrath ran off to find some isolated, dark corner to commence this ritual that Mortis has been bugging him about. Mason had just hoped the ritual wouldn't end up.. say, killing him in the process and/or unleash some kind of archdemon, eldritch god or similar. Though he knew that the ritual was a thing, he didn't know the end result of performing it and just put his trust in Mortis to not trick him into doing something that could ruin this world even more than it already was..

 

[Void_Nugget]

Forsythe & Charlie
Upon hearing Lilian's to breakfast Charlie got up excitedly and shot to the table sitting down and eagerly eating the pancakes. She liked Lilian's cooking it tasted nice. She hummed to herself as she ate, trying to block out the constant babbling from dear old devil. At one point he spoke particularly loud within her head making her jump and bent the fork she was holding by crushing it in her hand "sorry, um I guess I'm a little jumpy" she said still not wanting to talk about the devil.

Forsythe looked up slightly at Lilian's words and then continued reading through his notes and files "I'll..uh..I'll eat in a second" he said turning to some pages that described the need for the symbols on the box they found Charlie in. Mostly ramblings about her being a monster or a demon or something. He was so wrapped in his readings that he didnt even notice when Charlie crushed the spoon.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

Shuzo stared at the now revealed Herald standing before him, still struggling to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

“You… you’re the…?”

“Raikos, ‘Herald of the Silverbolt’, ‘Chosen Champion of the Void Father’, blah blah blah,” Raikos dismissed casually, hands in pockets as he strutted around the hospital room. “Guilty as 'charged' heh. Oh, and don’t worry about Gramps, he’s pretty much gone now. I was the only thing keeping him alive, after all.”

Silver lightning continued to dance around him, and though the Herald seemed to maintain a casual demeanor, the sparks seemed to surge with a much greater intensity than Shuzo could even fathom. It was all he could do to just keep his legs from buckling out under him, given how rattled his mind was, but despite his bewilderment, Shuzo burst forward in an act of all the sheer willpower he could muster in the face of this threat and a surge of crimson electricity.

Within the blink of a human eye, he retrieved his daito from his luggage and brandished it against Raikos, planning to hold the blade to his neck. However, as soon as he turned around and aimed his sword, Raikos now stood right in front of him, grinning widely as he reached out and grabbed the blade with a bare hand to stop Shuzo in his tracks.

“Well that’s rude!” The Herald chided, gripping tightly to instantly snap the forged steel like a twig. “I don’t wanna fight you or anything like that--I just wanna talk.” Shuzo faltered as his blade clattered in pieces to the ground, and he immediately backed away, though he maintained a loose fighting stance to prepare for anything. The former Paragon hadn’t shared the same sentiment as Raikos, and as he glared at the Herald, his eyes burned with a deep red.

“Your race and the Void Father nearly tore this entire planet down ten years ago. I fought and killed your little ice sister, Patriot killed your dear old dad, and that was supposed to be that. So, why do I keep having visions and nightmares about a life I didn’t live and some alien I’m apparently connected to?”

Raikos maintained his chipper smile as he listened, casually waving away Shuzo’s rant before speaking once more.

“Oh, you fought Skade? She’s pretty unhinged, huh? Though, you may find at some point later on that she can be a little harder to kill than the others.”

The sudden retort about the Herald Shuzo knew he had slain raised even more uncertainty that was currently brewing uncomfortably in his stomach, but Raikos hadn’t allowed him any more opportunity to process everything and continued on.

“What you’re experiencing is the contingency plan I laid out for the Void Father when he sent us out. Think of it as an ‘If you’re watching this, something has gone horribly wrong’ video that the villain sends the hero for some super crazy plot twist. Or a distress signal, either of those two could work. Anyway, when the Void Father died, anyone with a direct descendancy from me as well as the inheritance of the Silverbolt spark, would be flooded with my memories. Whether or not they had the cajones to seek out answers somehow, they would eventually be drawn to me. Bonus points to you for making my job easier.”

Helpless to do anything at this point, now that Raikos had made the power gap between them abundantly clear, Shuzo relaxed his stance, though his gaze remained stony as he managed a reply.

“I’m flattered. But now what? What does this contingency plan of yours entail, and what does it have to do with me, just because I was unlucky enough to carry your stupid ‘spark’?”

“Everything,” Raikos responded, a smug grin still plastered on his face as he pointed at Shuzo. “It has everything to do with you. Do you know how long it’s been since a descendant of mine inherited my power? Way too long! I've been waiting several generations, and I nearly even gave up ten years ago, willing to try to draw up another contingency plan at the last minute.

Then comes ‘Sparkblade’, former vigilante turned renowned Paragon. When your little boy band broke up, I found your name and realized you were a descendant, lucky me! You know how annoying it was to have to remain in one of the only surviving relatives of yours? Especially when he was 90?! For 10 years?! Sure, maybe I could’ve taken Keiji instead, but from what I’ve gathered, he seems to be a much larger person in these parts than Kenjiro, and not in a very good sense. Needless to say, it’s been a real piece of work trying to get to you.”

Raikos had been gradually getting more fired up in his speech, the silver lightning around him surging with increased intensity as well. Though his smile remained, his eyes now seemed almost crazed and frantic, this new side of him putting Shuzo at further unease. Noticing the former Paragon’s disquietude, Raikos paused his rant, took a deep breath, and smoothed his hair before continuing.

“Anyway, here’s my point. This has everything to do with you because you, my dear however-many-greats-grandson, are my new purpose, and I am yours. For me, Void Dad’s dead, so are my way-too-serious siblings; for you, you got traumatized by everything to the point where you gave up on being a hero, pushed your friends away, and are now haunted by aforementioned Void Daddy. See? We can both help each other. So here’s my offer for you.

You become my vessel and succeed me, and I’ll let you find your closure and make the voices go away. Help you return to a sense of normalcy, even after everything. Well, as normal as one can get if they can control cosmic lightning.”

Shuzo listened, though surprised for a moment at Raikos’ supposed knowledge of his struggles over the past ten years. Then, there was the tempting offer of giving him the peace he had sought in this journey. Maybe he could return back to his old life. Return to his old allies who he might even have considered friends after everything. Return to…

“Wait. What do you mean ‘succeed you’? What’s the catch for you?”

“Who knows?” Raikos retorted with a grin, shrugging casually. “Maybe there is no catch. Your life’s been enough of a movie to keep me entertained and interested in you so far, maybe I just wanna sit back and watch the show. I’ve been watching you for a while, you know. You should get back to what you do. Back to your pals, maybe even your girl.

To sweeten the deal, you can even inherit the full abilities of my Silverbolt. You’ll find there’s a lot more that can be done with my powers than just running around really fast like you’ve been doing. However, don’t expect to get the whole package all at once. It’ll be a slow burn, but you’ll ultimately become stronger than you ever could’ve imagined.”

Shuzo listened and thought to himself in silence. The benefits of this offer seemed too good to pass up; nearly every part of his mind urged him to take it. Even Raikos’ mention of former Police Chief Li and the implication that she could still be out there couldn’t sway his thoughts.

Yet…. just nearly every part of his mind had been urging. With a decisive sigh, Shuzo looked up and levelled a cool gaze at Raikos before giving his answer.

“A tempting offer… but I’ll have to refuse. Like you said, I fought Skade, met the Void Father. I know enough about you people to know that you’re never as benevolent as you claim. In fact, you’re undoubtedly every bit as cruel.

Maybe I don’t need you as much as you think I do. I wouldn’t put it past someone like you to try and pull something if I become your ‘vessel’, and if I have to keep the world safe by pulling myself away and enduring all these nightmares and voices so that you're never unleashed into the world, then that’s what I’ll do. I’ve found my closure already: now that I know about my past, all I need to do is make sure I never become something like you and that the Void Father fades from memory. I won’t have any part in his legacy or its survival.”

Raikos paused, his confident demeanor faltering for a split second. Then, a soft chuckle escaped his lips. A few more giggles to himself, gradually increasing in volume until the Herald was now laughing heartily with small tears collecting in his eyes. Once he had recollected himself, Raikos straightened up and faced Shuzo, his crap-eating grin and childish demeanor back in full force.

“Oh man, I knew I was right to wait. You’re awesome! Really great speech, just great. I got chills and everything, heard the inspirational background music playing. Yes, yes, you’ll do perfectly. Y’know what, go right ahead! Feel free to struggle to the very end, enjoy your stay in post-apocalyptic Japan, do whatever you want. Forget this even happened, I don’t care! But wow, this was spectacular; well worth the years of waiting. And now that that’s that, I’ll be on my way now, finding what entertainment I can until you come back. Ta-ta!”

With a clap of his hands and a click of his heels, Raikos saluted Shuzo mockingly before a sudden blast of silver sparks and light crashed down upon his figure. With a clap of thunder, the smoke cleared, and the Herald was gone, leaving only the now unmoving corpse of his actual grandfather. A few moments of silence passed, and Shuzo stood where he was before finally heaving a sigh of relief. Multiple deep breaths later, the former Paragon gingerly picked up the pieces of his shattered sword and disposed of them before gathering his things.

Guess I’m done here.

Yet, as he finally found a modicum of peace and went on his way to exit the hospital, a voice suddenly echoed in his head, a familiar and irritating voice from not too long ago.

I’ll see you soon.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

The Junk Chuckers


The twitchy little kid shifted through parts, plucking a few out that appeared to be related to motors. That's when it grapples back to where the others were perched up on, scrambling over almost like a little gremlin.

"Atta boy, Scrappa!" Scud spoke, taking the parts. "Deese could be very useful, yes sir!"

*bring bring*

"oi?"

*bring bring*

A jingle sounded coming from Scud's can. It must be the Royal telephone line. Boss was callin. Yoinking out a rustic, candlestick phone from it, he put both pieces up to his ear and mouth respectively.

"yolo?" He spoke inside.

"Aha! Scud my famous royal deacon, how's the raid going?" A lavish, almost flamboyant voice spoke through it.

"Ay, it went ight boss, these civi gits don't know how ta fight! Ya thinks they would afta all dis time, ya know?"

"Totally, right." The voice shrugged off. "And did they have any contacts with the president?"

"Dunno, lemme ask 'em." Scud commented, looking over to what of the badly beat up caravaneers. "Yo! You's know the president or somethin or naw?"

"*cough* *cough* ...Why in gods name would I know the president-"

"Yeah dats a no, boss."

"Well GEEZ! It's like nobody knows the president! This is the what, thirty-fith one? You'd think these people would know the guy running their country. Just goes to show you how disorganized these upworlders are! For real!"

"Yeah...so like, should I keep searching?"

"I don't know, did I ask you to STOP?"

The loud voice took Scud by surprise as he nearly dropped the candlestick phone. "Uh- yeah, sure boss! We gets right on it, ya hear??"

"Good! And if you run into Ke-Ke on the way, tell him I say hi!"

*click*

Dropping the phone back into the dumpster, The trashcan kid looked to the rest of his gang, shifting his eyes.

"Da Prince speaks, We's keep at it boyz." He grunted. "We gonna find this hit if we gotta slog all da way tomorrow! HaHuhuhuhuh...!"

 

[comic]

Might Girl
“Though, this world can be cruel,” Rose began in response to Vanessa's little monologue. “I've known people who try to act exactly like those in the comic books, and whether they are crushed by reality, or end up undoing themselves with pictures of the high and mighty hero, it doesn’t turn out well.”
Vanessa didn't know who Rose could be talking about, but she doubted those people had tried hard enough, right? Vanessa wasn't like them, she had hero in her blood. Tainted hero, maybe, but she was making the conscious decision to do and be better. She'd never end up like her father, and she'd never be what Warren tried to force her to be.
Her life, her decision, her future.

"Those comics, as silly as it may sound... They give people hope. That's the feeling heroes should instill in people." Alan spoke up, his eyes appearing lost, as though in a memory. "Don't try to be Superman, or Spider-Man. Be Might Girl, use the inspiration those comics gave you to inspire others."
That was more in-line with what Vanessa felt. Being called 'Might Girl' still sounded like such a dumb name, even if it was growing on her. She'd need to workshop on that later. Rose seemed to want to change the topic, interjecting before Vanessa could reply with; “Do you two have somewhere you need to be off to? You can stay here if not.”
"I don't really have anywhere to go. I sleep where I can. Although sleeping on something besides the ground would be appreciated." Martin replied with a nod of his head as he leaned back.

"I... do, actually." Vanessa stated, standing up. The return of her vision was welcome, thanks to Rose for a quick recovery, but Might Girl was new in town, and she wasn't about to let herself be known as the girl who got gunk in her eyes. Hope was built through action and character, right? So she'd need to get out there and show the world it had a new hero. The fear the assassin earlier had was... not what Vanessa wanted, but if it meant criminals would surrender, then so be it.
First thing first; finding that assassin and taking her down before turning her over to the police.
...the police. Were they even reliable? The President had them in his pocket, but who else could she turn villains over to?
An idea sparked into her mind, one that she grasped onto, her face lighting up with just the thought, an elated excitement swelling up inside of her.
"I'm gonna go be Might Girl- or whatever cooler name I can come up with." She answered. "You might not realize this, but this is my first time out of the Oasis. If I want to make a difference, I won't do it by tucking away somewhere. The world needs to know it has a reason to hope again, and I hope that I can help make that hope just a little bit brighter!"
She flashed a pose, curling her arms up and flexing her biceps. It probably looked as awkward as it felt, but she was still working on that whole bit. "My plan? I'm going to rebuild the Paragons from the ground up. There's evil in this world to get locked away, innocent lives to be lifted up, and I have the power to do it. All I need is..." She paused, glancing about as she lowered her arms. "A uh... something like a batcave. Or... anything to be headquarters for the new Paragons."

Hush
Curious eyes weren't to be blamed for staring, the silver lightning arcing through the sky, seeming to focus on one building in particular, a hospital at that, warranted plenty of attention. Hush too, was staring, confused. Shuzo's lightning was crimson in color, but the metallic-like lightning wasn't just different in color. It was far too unnatural. Completely controlled, acting like the building and the clouds above were tesla coils, the electricity arcing between the both with a certain contained ferocity.
They narrowed their eyes behind the mask, instinctively reaching for the katana hidden in their cloak despite not necessarily being in immediate danger or even in range of a threat to neutralize.

Removing their arm from their cloak, Hush glanced back, noting that they weren't followed. That small gang of yakuza had been handled, fairly easily at that. The lieutenant in question had escaped only by using his underlings as meat shields, so he would no doubt be informing the Golden Lion of Hush's arrival- if he was even here at all. It worked to their advantage anyway, incite hysteria among his crew, let them know death was knocking on their door...
But Shuzo was here. Hush couldn't ignore that fact, even if they tried. They'd once shared something... personal, but lost. Lost to time and circumstance. That didn't change the fact that a potential ally could be recruited, one Hush trusted with their life, to make this job just a little easier. Anybody else wouldn't be good enough, but the Sparkblade? Still living?
That was quite the catch nobody could afford to pass up, not with a sane mind at least.

Hush made their way to the hospital, stepping inside to find a woman cowering behind the receptionist desk, covering her head as the entire building shook and rumbled from the display taking place outside, dust cascading from the ceiling with each rumble. Hush had no powers of note, yet they always seemed to know where to go, what places to be, where to look, like a sixth sense. Or maybe they just had incredible luck that never ran out. Whatever it was, Hush began to slowly make their way through the building, the rumbling growing louder with each step-
When quite suddenly, it all stopped.
Hush cocked their head to the side, having stopped just outside of a set of doors, the stench of copper seeping from within, a heightened sense of smell being something implemented into the mask, as Hush was no stranger to tracking their prey, meaning picking up the scent of blood like a shark was a necessary for their line of 'work'.

Moment of truth was inside.
Caution on their mind, Hush once again grasped the katana under their cloak, and raised their free hand to push open the door.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

"Eh?"

Just as soon as Shuzo had gotten his things ready and made for the doors, they suddenly swung open to reveal a new figure standing before him. They were shrouded in a cloak and donned a mythological fox mask, and their stature was on the shorter side. Shuzo didn't know who this newcomer was, but after a few moments of silence passed, he tilted his head to the side.

"Do I know you?"

Was it another mercenary? Was there someone who really wanted him dead this much? His gaze was then drawn to the crumpled and bloody corpse of the nurse in the corner of the room, the bloodied shuriken star still in the wall, and his grandfather's corpse behind him, and his eyes immediately went blank. There was no point in even trying to explain this situation to whoever had just walked in, mercenary or not. He could run, but was it even worth it? He'd just got here! Setting down his luggage and turning to face the unknown figure once more, Shuzo shrugged and raised his hands in resignation.

".....Well."

There went his 'modicum of peace'. Of course he wouldn't have it that easy.

I'm going to kill that Herald scum.

@comic

 

[comic]

Hush
They stared at the dead man for a few moments, following his gaze as he looked toward the dead nurse, then toward the old man lying decrepit on a hospital bed. Shuzo then raised his arms in a sign of... resignation? Hush narrowed their eyes behind their mask, unsure of how to proceed, hand remaining firmly placed on the katana.
"Shuzo." They spoke, voice rough and ragged through the modulator in the mask, barely above a whisper, volume amplified to be clearly heard. "You're supposed to be dead." They stepped further into the room, kicking the door closed behind them. "The Herald of Whitefrost was said to have killed you."

With the sliding of metal, Hush unsheathed their katana, conjuring it out from underneath the cloak. "Put down your arms and grab your weapons. Don't tell me you no longer carry that daito or shoto wherever you go." Hush barked the command, face continually pointed at Shuzo as they began to pace around him in a circle. "If you're an imposter, we will see soon enough. DEFEND YOURSELF. NOW!"
Light as a feather, the freelancer darted forward, slashing diagonally with their blade before following up with a quick horizontal slash in the opposite direction, simultaneously putting the katana in a defensive position in unison with the attack.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

The figure had said nothing for a moment, simply staring at Shuzo and the bodies. Then they revealed to have known his name, pointing out his alleged status after the events of 2033. The former Paragon lowered his hands as he listened, his confusion only increasing at their supposed knowledge of his identity, but he was soon alerted to the sound of a blade unsheathed. The figure's modulated voice suddenly snapped a command before they lunged forward, slashing at Shuzo with their katana.

Though surprised, Shuzo moved out of instinct--old habits died hard, he supposed--backing away just slightly to avoid the first diagonal slash with ease. When the subsequent attack followed, he lowered his stance to weave underneath the horizontal cut and dart past the swordwielder. As Hush's blade followed through to guard their back, Shuzo lunged out with his palm, knocking the incoming blade away by striking the dull edge and avoiding injury. His crimson lightning surged to life as the world slowed around him, and in a matter of seconds, time resumed, Shuzo now facing Hush with his shoto brandished in a reverse grip.

Who even was this? Shuzo hadn't heard anything about a swordfighter with a fox mask in any part of the planet, let alone one who knew this much about him. And yet... something about how this fighter carried themselves, how they barked their orders just earlier.

It seemed familiar.

Regardless, Shuzo lowered into a stance with his blade and prepared himself for Hush's next attack, quietly letting out an annoyed huff. These past few days had been nothing short of a trip, but he found himself feeling more and more like there was nothing he could do about anything. No use in trying to make sense of everything; no matter how fast he found his past catching up to him, or how imposing his future felt, all he could do was push onward through the present.

 

[comic]

Hush
He was silent as they attacked. With experienced skill, he avoided the attack, disappearing in a crimson flash. When Hush reoriented on their target, he was carrying the shoto. They held up the katana defensively a moment more, before lowering it, cocking their head slightly to the side.

"You bitch." They said, tone accusatory. "How the hell did you survive the Reaping?" Hush demanded, pointing their katana at Shuzo, though not pushing it into an attack. More or less using the katana as a finger. An accusatory finger. A rather sharp accusatory finger, specks of blood staining its surface.
"I looked for you. How have you been alive this whole time?"

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

The anticipated attack hadn't come; instead, Hush had lowered their katana, then brought it back up to point it at Shuzo before proceeding to use some colorful language. That much Shuzo had expected, same for their inquiry as to how he survived the 'Reaping', a term frequently used to describe the Heralds' attack on Earth as well as the Void Father's arrival. However, Hush's next words had wholly taken the former Paragon aback, and he lowered his shoto, though his stance remained.

"You looked for me? I don't even know who you are. First Necrodytis, now you; who wants me dead this much?"

As familiar as the figure seemed to Shuzo, and as much as he hoped his premonition could possibly be correct (not that he'd ever verbally admit it even a little bit), he refused to drop his mental guard over a part of his past that he didn't entirely hate.

"To answer your question, I killed Skade. That was when Sparkblade died too, so if your contractor's looking for the 'hero' from 10 years ago, it's too late. I walked away from that name a long time ago."

 

[comic]

Hush
The scoff was audible and blatantly disrespectful. "This is just like you, going through some angsty loner phase." Hush shook their head, lowering the katana. In truth, they didn't have much room to talk, as the last ten years of their own journey could be boiled down to much the same simplification and subsequent insult. "I never cared about Sparkblade."
With their free hand, Hush pulled back their hood. "I was looking for Shuzo."

Her face was free as the mask was pulled away, her eyes narrowed in the typical judgmental glare that was universally known to come from one angry Asian lady. The ex Chief of Police sheathed her katana, eyes not breaking away from Shuzo, letting out another scoff. "Sparkblade's dead." She repeated. "You don't even need that shoto with the edge you're spitting. What're you gonna say next? Hm? 'I looked for you too' like a sad, sigma-type male?" She raised a brow, tucking the mask under her cloak. "Because I did wait for you. Ten months, actually. Eventually you gotta move on, and I guess you sure did, huh?"

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

So it was her. The figure had pulled her hood away and removed her mask, revealing herself as none other than the former Chief of Police of the New York Police Department, Yin Li. Her clothes were tattered, she seemed even more rugged than she had been prior to the Reaping. But... it really was her. Shuzo froze as he gazed into Li's eyes in silence.....

....then immediately let out a derisive scoff of his own.

"Really? 'Angsty loner phase'? Glad to see that charming tongue of yours survived the Reaping too. Are you the one on the news, going around brutally murdering gangs and criminals all over the place? You know, for a Police Chief who only found satisfaction in making my life harder, being a vigilante really does suit you. At least I moved on in a healthier way, without swinging a sword around like some maniac."

Shuzo refused to acknowledge Li's words regarding her having searched and waited for him in a bid to maintain his dignity, sheathing his shoto and folding his arms across his chest.

"So what are you doing here? Planning to kill another crime syndicate or two?"

 

[The Alright Attorney]

As Alan and Rose spoke about their personal stances on the current hero landscape and how comics from days long past affected people, the former Paragon seemed to notice Might Girl listening intently to both sides. This girl, this child of Patriot wanted had nothing else besides being a hero it seemed. Atleast nothing else Alan could notice, not like they knew each other very long. Just as Alan finished accepting Rose's offer, the young heroine stood up.

"I... do, actually." She said, seemingly not accepting Rose's offer. Alan leaned forward, examining Might Girl's face as he could tell that some gears were starting to turn in her head, her face lighting up as if she had the most brilliant idea of all time. "If I want to make a difference, I won't do it by tucking away somewhere. The world needs to know it has a reason to hope again, and I hope that I can help make that hope just a little bit brighter!" She exclaimed, striking a superhero pose, atleast, the best she could. Her optimism was practically shining, and Alan found himself remembering what endeared him to heroes in the first place. Patriot may have shattered Alan's view on the world of heroes, but Patriot's daughter was able to remind him why he joined the Paragons in the first place.

"It's a tough world out there kid, but if you keep-" Before Alan could finish giving his advice to her, Might Girl exclaimed just what she had in mind to do. "My plan? I'm going to rebuild the Paragons from the ground up." Just like before, the colour drained from Alan's face at the suggestion. "Rebuild the Paragons? Listen I get what you're going for but that's insane. I can't think of a single original Paragon that's still around, and I can't imagine any new people wanting to join out of fear of what might happen. Shouldn't you like... Start smaller?" Alan got to his feet to be at eye level with the young hero. "You need to establish yourself before anyone will even considering join a team like that."

 

[The Dark Fairy]

Rose Nala

Rose listened to what Might girl had to say, not really thinking Venessa had a good place to sleep. "My plan? I'm going to rebuild the Paragons from the ground up." Rose frowned at that statement, remembering the last Paragons. She sat through what Alan had to say, taking a minute to think. "Stay here tonight, I have some things I want to show you tomorrow. She grabbed her glass to take a sip of water. "Kerco should be back any minute here."

Lilian

Lilian frowned att Forsythe, though there was not much else she could do about it. She turned around when she heard the crumpling of the silverware, she ran over, taking the silverware and inspecting it. Luckily it was the rooms, and not hers. She sighed as she banished it, probably to throw away later. "You really ought to be careful!" She scolded her.

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie collected a new program, one that was meant to anylize a object to determine its taste. The program was not all that useful to the virus, though she did not have the capacity to realize that at the moment. Moving out of the computer, she traveled into a satellite, anylizing the things connecting to it. After a mere moment it found something completely new. It flowed into the source.
Eve(and perhaps William) would feel a new presence as M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie entered into Eves system, immediately reading the alien code for anything new for it to copy and incorporate.

 

[comic]

Hush
"I am, actually." The cop-turned-vigilante replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Been slowly picking away at the Golden Lion's operations for years now. The world ended, Shuzo, maybe you didn't get the memo but there's not a lot of "healthy" alternatives in a world that rejects what I used to stand for. You're one to talk, of course." She gestured toward the bodies in the room. "Dead man walking? Strange silver lightning? Dead civilians? At least the people I kill were already trying to kill me first. Careful, Shuzo. You don't want to be next on my list." She scoffed out at him, shifting on her feet, before letting out a sigh with the roll of her eyes.

Might Girl
"Rebuild the Paragons? Listen I get what you're going for but that's insane. I can't think of a single original Paragon that's still around, and I can't imagine any new people wanting to join out of fear of what might happen. Shouldn't you like... Start smaller?" Martin seemed to have a very strong opinion on this matter, but Vanessa merely shook her head as he continued, rising to his feet to get eye-level with her- though he was a bit taller than her. "You need to establish yourself before anyone will even considering join a team like that."
"That's exactly what I'm doing." She nodded. She wasn't about to come out and admit that she wasn't just a newbie hero, but quite literally a day into the job now (as she'd only just escaped Warren's clutches like, yesterday morning), but everybody had to start somewhere, right? "I have to make myself known in order to rebuild a team of that caliber. I've heard the stories, I've read the books, there was a time when the world looked up to the Paragons. Everything done since the Reaping has tarnished the legacy, a legacy I intend to restore." She was grinning from ear to ear. "I know it won't be easy, but I'm willing!"

"Stay here tonight, I have some things I want to show you tomorrow." Rose interjected, grabbing a glass of water. "Kerco should be back any minute now." Weren't these people getting it? She couldn't just wait around now that she was free to make a difference, she had to do something about the state of the world. She had to fight for the freedom and justice of the people, right?
Shaking her head again, Vanessa made for the door. "Thank you for helping me out, both of you, but I have to do this... no one else will."

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

Li had wasted no time in responding to Shuzo's quip, firing back with a mention of his current predicament and gesturing toward the bodies he hadn't even been responsible for. Following her gaze as he listened to her retort, his eyes went sullen, and he pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated sigh.

"I was only here for answers; I'd try to say that I wasn't the one who killed these two, but it's not even worth explaining what happened before you got here."

Recalling that Vigilante Li had also mentioned "the Golden Lion", Shuzo then returned his gaze to her and changed the topic.

"The Golden Lion? Only heard that name passed around through whispers in the underworld; he's a ghost, but his presence was big enough to be feared by the lower gangs I took down, and I'm assuming it's only gotten bigger since the world ended."

A thought suddenly creeped into his mind, prompting Shuzo to conflictedly pinch the bridge of his nose once again, but in an abrupt lapse in mental strength, his mouth moved faster than he could think.

"You have any leads?"

He'd be kicking himself for this later.

 

[BurbleBurble]

Skade

The chill of a New York City November had been forgotten ten years ago, when the Deluge had successfully submerged Ignizio, Herald of Blackflame. The eruption upon his death sparked a massive spike in temperatures worldwide, lowered the sea more than the past century of global warming, and scorched the New York harbor into unrecognizable blackness. The Paragon himself was rumored to be alive, somehow, but he certainly couldn't of been loitering around the apocalyptic city by this time.

When the final Herald fell, that being Skade, her own icy explosion plunged Siberia into a new ice age, but in a stroke of coincidence, this actually stabilized the majority of the temperatures throughout the world, undoing some of the damage that had been left by her Blackflame kin.

However, both New York and Siberia remained at their abnormal temperaments, even as the years wore on. NYC had routinely hit over three hundred degrees during a peak Summer day back then, and even in the deep of winter it'd hit over two hundred degrees. In the transitionary period to winter, all these years later, it still hit about in the mid hundreds.

Point was, it a was hot day. The Junk Chucker division probably knew this well, given their hefty equipment and general disposition. So they'd probably also notice that, for some reason, it was feeling cooler all of a sudden.

A sole figure was boldly approaching them from the front. Hood up, their cold blue eyes staring towards their proud, trash can wearing leader. The temperature got lower yet, as the figure walked closer. They looked like any other survivor, maybe like the ones they had jumped some time ago.

"Hey!" The figure spoke, shouting towards the garbage soldiers. "I saw what you did back there." It wasn't accusatory, more so that she had observed the situation in the first place.

"And I saw you take their food. And I want some. A can." This was a bold ask, especially as she had explicitly saw what had happened to the poor band of survivors back there. Which was get bum-rushed and murderized. "What do I got to do for it?"

Skade was hungry. Something her predecessor had no need for, this Skade was bound by mortal needs. And in the city, there was only so much food, only for so many people. Unless one sucked up to the Refuge team, who too only had meager rations. She hadn't revealed her true nature yet- Many people would question why the powerful world ending entity who had definitely died ten years back would want a singular can of food -But she was testing the waters.

"Well?"

 

[Psymallard]

Berchtwald Ruprecht Hühnerbein
"Zat is stupid advice! I vill not heed it, I can look out for meinself! Hmph." The German turned around to fix his car, forgetting everything about who he had just talked to, but not the fact that he had talked to them. Oh well, he was stupid, and that's all Berchtwald needed to know. He finished up the car and left, left to the safety of his abandoned barn in the hills.
When he got there it was evening, and even though Berchtwald would've started working on something, he lacked inspiration. Maybe he should go online to look for inspiration. Or not, because after all, last time he was on the internet he accidentally leaked his own IP address. Well... he could sleep on it. After all, tomorrow was just another day of scrapping for a project that wouldn't be started.

Aiya Wamuro, Japanese countryside
Crrreeeeaakk.... Yet another curious fellow walked into the centuries-old house that had faced centuries of neglect. The house was dark inside, and quiet save for the sound of scampering spiders. The man turned on a flashlight, and what he saw was a strange amount of spiderwebs in every nook and cranny of the place, covering much of the dirty, rotting, and broken walls, floors, and ceiling. THUD. It came from up the stairs. The man, his fear almost overtaking his curiosity, tip-toed to the stairs, every floorboard creaking with the weight. The stairs did the same, until the third step broke with a loud snap under his foot. The man was able to stifle a scream... until dozens of spiders began scaling his pant leg. "AAAAAAAA-" As he screamed, footsteps ran around upstairs. The door slammed shut behind him, drawing his attention for a moment. He heard more footsteps from the top of the stairs, and as he turned around, he was met with something the head of a woman, but the mandibles of a spider. The human could barely gasp in more air for a second scream before, with a crunch, the body was relieved of its head.
The next day, Aiya came out to watch the sun set. She enjoyed this location greatly, her house sat on a hill that overlooked a good-sized village. That made meals a whole lot easier, plus the view was gorgeous. The beauty of the place made her feel like she was human again, even if just slightly.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

It had been a tiring morning for William, he had been dragged by Eve on her scavenging trip up until late morning and finally returned home when noon began creeping up. "That was a nice trip, we should go out more often." Eve spoke. "Did we have to stay out for so damn long?" "What's the problem? Its just like going out on a walk. We've even found a new material to beef up the Nano Suit's defense." "Well I'm glad at least you're enjoying all this." William sighed as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a premade sandwich. "You woke me up way too early today, I only managed to stay awake because of all that craziness that we witnessed." William took a bite of his sandwich. "So anything noteworthy on the news Eve?" As he asked, Eve began looking into the digital web for any interesting news. "Hmm, well more gangs are being wiped out all over the place. Oh there was a murder over in Massachusetts, a pair of wealthy brothers it seems." William listened as Eve briefed him on the news. "Still nothing very positive huh, I hope some sort of order would be reestablished soon." He commented.

Not long after Eve's report, a loud static was heard inside William's head. "Whoa! What the hell was that?" "Hmm, seems to be a Virus." "Wait a Virus? Did you click on a shady ad or something? I told you many time those are-" "No it wasn't me... not this time at least. I think it purposefully targeted me through the internet. Hmm, hang on a second, I'll get this sorted." Eve replied with a cold tone.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Scud & The Junk Chuckers


The heat of the early day beamed down on the crew of thrash enthusiasts below. The search for the president was going nowhere as usual. Personally? Scud couldn't care any less, he was living in a paradise. All the parts he could pillage and all the souls he could beat. The only reason he kept doing this quest was to make the boss happy. Cause then it would be perfect.

Before he could exercise more of his newfound authority, a breeze flew through the air. The biting chill was a stark contrast to the previous humid summer air. A presence was here. The group of adolescent warriors examined their surroundings.

"Hey. I saw what you did back there."

Immediately, one of the children in a coat, Radio Jack, turned to the voice, activating his saw. The saw sparked against the concrete debris, highlighted in his red goggles. A threatening posture was obvious as they did not like the vibes he was giving off. All except Scud that is, who seemed bemused.

After hearing their demand and question posed, Scud stifled a chuckle, then another, then laughed uproariously.

"Hahahahuhuh...! Check the balls on dis git!" He gestured with his thumb toward Skade. "All's you gotta do is join da prince's kingdom. Once you in, den we can talk about food. If not, den we's work...somethin' else out!"

It seemed like Scud wasn't really hoping that Skade would take the peaceful option. More a formality that he owed to Prince Percy than an actual option. The band of homeless men below looked up towards her, sizing her up and down for valuables, slowly closing in like lions that had spotted fresh prey in the wild.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

"Aha! I can see for sure you bunch aren't just any regular people." A voice boomed out of nowhere as a man suddenly ran up to the Junk Chuckers. "I've been observing you lot from afar all day and I have to say, I liked what I saw. I have been looking for strong like you people to follow me! I aim to create a new society where the strong rule over the weak as they should!" He rambled. The man looked to be in his late thirties and wore very average looking clothing. The man didn't have anything of not about his general appearance. "How about it? If you impress enough me I might even give you a high rank in my new world order!"

 

[The Dark Fairy]

Rose Nala & Kerco

Rose looked up at the girl "I must implore you to stay, though I have neither the means or will to force you." She stood up, walking to a closet and retrieving a coat, quickly folding it. "Though know you can always come back." She sat back down, placing the coat on the table "It tends to get cold around this time of year."

Kerco walked back the way he came, keeping in mind what he had seen. He walked to his professional planner, telling the man what he saw, before going back to his house, it was technically an off day for him, and he had a horrid sleep the prior night. Before he approached the door, he hesitated, turning with hands in pockets to view the developing city, the thought of making New York into a smaller, more homey city entered his mind again, he would have to think on that idea more in the upcoming future.


The door creaked open as Kerco walked in, fiddling with his top layer to put on the coat rack. "Hey Rose! Just-" He turned around to see Venessa floating above the table, and Alan, well, he was just sitting there. He stared at Venessa for a long moment, before turning his gaze to Alan, a longer stare given to him, though his expression seemed calm, on an instinct making sure his surprise was not overstated. He turned to Rose "And who are these?"
Rose gave Kerco a warm smile "Well, I caught these two intervening in a fight, when might girl here...." She gestured to Vanessa "....got some terrible black gunk in her eyes, got her back here to help, lead into conversation."
Kerco nodded, turning to Might girl, taking a second stare, this time almost calculating, he felt a form of famierarity tickling at the back of his brain, though he didn't pursue it. "Pleasure to meet you, my name is Kerco." He took a step forward to offer his hand to the two of them.

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie found the figuratively cold barrier of a firewall, not wasting any time breaking into the code beneath it. There was another firewall, but for the moment there were programs to study. M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie singled out a program, analyzing it to find it was a program to operate many advanced machines at once in an efficient manner. Copying the code, it incorporated it into its own self before turning to any other code on this layer, or if none remained to the second firewall.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

"Hmm? How curious." As the virus moved through her code, Eve observed its reaction when it bypassed her first line of defenses and came in contact with her programing. "Seems that basic firewall was nothing more than a open door to this thing." She commented. "Copying programs, seems like it has a similar function as me. Well, I better get on work before things get too serious." With that thought, the cyberverse around the Virus began shifting, forming into digital waves that began collapsing onto the intrusive software.

 

[The Alright Attorney]

Despite Alan and Rose's words, Might Girl was persistent in her plan. Clearly no one was gonna change her mind, so Alan didn't even bother trying, letting her make her exit. "Hey listen, just before you leave..." He started to speak out, not really sure what exactly he was even going to say. Alan had come this far, already getting closer to the hero life he used to have.

The scavenger hesitated for a moment, steadying his breath before turning his attention towards his metallic arm. He opened up another hatch on the limb, one that contained a couple of ear pieces. "I managed to snag a couple of these communication devices a while back. They got pretty busted up, but I fixed them as best I could. They can broadcast across the city to other ones like it, but nothing beyond that range." Alan explained, while pulling out one of them. "Listen, I doubt you'll ever need my help considering your powers. But incase something does happen, I'll try to help as best I can." He set the device down, letting Might Girl choose to pick it up or not.

Just after setting the device down, Alan has heard the door open and saw a new face enter the room. A man, who began to speak out to Rose before noticing the two strangers in the room. Alan felt like he was being scanned by the man, as if the guy was studying Alan for whatever reason. He pushed those thoughts aside for now and just shook the man's hand. "Name's Martin. Scavenger." Not knowing much about this Kerco, Alan went back to saying the least he could, until he felt he could trust the guy.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

It would seem that more than one soul dared to approach the mob of troublemakers. A voice, one that had boomed out from a man that approached the scene with haste. He came out of nowhere, offering to invite them into his 'new world order'. It was a weird twist. Wasn't Scud usually the one asking people that? What was this?

"Oi, I know what your on about, it's what I'm usually on about!" Scud replied. "Da Prince's kingdom is the bestest dere is out dere! Where da weak come and become da strongest madlads! And it's already here! Why soup up somethin that ain't broken, ya hear?"

Can't say that question was ever posed to him before. But as the shock wore off, Scud looked the man over once, twice, three times. He looked...really normal. Almost too normal. Maybe there was something that the boss could see in this guy that he couldn't.

"Oi. Why don'tcha get an audience with my here boss after I get done dealin' with this lad? He'll have somethin' to say about you! Who knows? Maybe he'll like ya. Ha!"

He began to get a dismissive tone about him, despite the invite for a personal audience. The others seemed more put off by him however. The homeless raiders below stepping back purposely from him, going way out of their way to go toward Skade and not this man...

 

[The Dark Fairy]

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie

M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie didn’t really have an issue with the waves meant to harm or impede it, instead taking advantage of the slight instability to go through the next firewall with apparent ease. The next layer had nothing, though devoid of rage or disappointment it moved on, the next wall seemingly designed to destroy the code of anything that tries to hack in, thou luckily enough M10!$a67;&D99d//775ie‘s own code was safe from damage as it swiftly broke down the wall prices at a time, moving in to see what programs were hidden deeper in.

@Grand Master Koop

 

[Grand Master Koop]

The man leaned back with a smirk. "Oh so you lot already have someone you serve under huh? Well pack your bags and prepare to follow someone much better, Me! I don't know who this "Prince" of yours is but I don't even need to meet them to know they're not stronger than me." He spoke with overwhelming overconfidence. "Follow me as my underlings! I will bring you an even better world!"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

. . .
. . .

"...What you say?"

Heads turned as he talked down about their 'boss'. The tone in the room shifted. And suddenly, the interest in abusing his power turned into a zealous defense. He grit his teeth, banging his left fist loudly on his can.

"Lissen' up you upworlder! Da prince is da strongest guy alive! The biggest and baddest leader of 'em all, don't you forget it!"

A gas masked clad teen ignited an electric staff of some kind, putting it defensively in front of Scud, showing that they did not take kindly to this insult. The metaphorical daggers began to shift toward this man from the frigid woman. Insulting the prince was a big no-no, this was something they knew well. Scud's eyes narrowed at him.

"How about dis! You prove yourself worthy of being forgiven! Insultin' me? Whatevs. Insulting da prince? Boy, you damn screwed up..." The junk general spat. "You get on your knees and beg and we may just let ya go!"

 

[BurbleBurble]

Skade

They seemed only willing to part with the food if they gained a new soldier. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't be getting that.

"I swear fealty to no one." She spoke, taking another step forward. She could feel the daggers of eyes around her, and despite the cold the intensity that these raiders displayed was no less intense. "I don't think you know what you're getting into." She balled her fist, coating them in frost and ice as she stepped forth. She then dropped the hood, letting her wild mane of white hair free. "Do you know who I am?" Skade flashed her own wild grin, anticipating a fight. Oooh, this was going to be good.

"I am Skade, the Herald of Whi-"

Her epic introduction however was interrupted. Some guy just came in, and...wedged his way into the conflict? Well, not even the conflict! He ignored Skade entirely, striking up a conversation with the leader of the garbage pail platoon there. Her intense look faded entirely to one of confusion as the conversation went on, before turning to annoyance.

"Hey! What the hell?" She stomped her foot as she spoke, trying to catch the attention of both the man advertising his own personal project and the Junk Chuckers. "Like- I was doing something there! We were having a whole moment, you can't just- Ugh!"

Her anger had seemed to spark an entire rant anyways. "Besides, why would anyone follow you anyways? Haven't you looked around? People already are doing that! Why should they follow some guy in grimy street clothes over anyone else? Have some damn decorum about it!"

It seemed like he had made enemies on both sides of this conflict now, considering his dismissive comment. "Nobody wants your crummy offer, so piss off! Or do we have to make you? As the Herald of Whitefrost, I will be elated to let you be the display of my power."

Needless to say, Skade was now very upset at this interloper. The temperature had dropped even more, a pervasive, biting cold in the air around her. She clenched her icy fists tighter, and began walking towards...He hadn't actually said any name yet.

"Would you like to give us a name before you become a...thing...ice...dead." She had a cooler heh line planned, but she couldn't think of a better way to finish it. Eh, why did this guy deserve the neat lines anyways? She could save that material for later.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Seeing the junk squad get defensive about their leader caused the man let out a hearty laugh. "Hah! Of course, everyone thinks they know who the strongest person is until someone mightier comes along and shake the foundation of their belief." He then looked back at the group of children facing him after his laugh subsided. "Me? Kneel for forgiveness? I have never heard anything as audacious as that." He held his arm out in front of him with his fingers bent. "Looks like words isn't going to get me anywhere, so how about I show you why your little prince is outmatched with my actions? Then you'll have no choice but to realize who's truly the strongest." He spoke with a confident grin.

His attention was momentarily drawn towards the other girl that was present who had made her presence known. "What was that girly? Do you want a demonstration too?" He chuckled. "Then you're welcome to come at me as well. I will show you why I'm the one who will bring a new age to our crusty old world!"

Following that, he heard the girl ask for a name. "So you want to know what to call your future leader huh, well I'll tell you." He took a step back and puffed out his chest, his arms bent beside him. "You can call me, Vibratus!" He shouted, full of pride.

 

[comic]

Yin Li
Felt almost like old times. Yin Li's eyes scanned over Shuzo, giving him a once-over upon his question, his eyes betraying his immediate regret. "I know that look. Thought of spending time with me again really that unsettling?" Despite her tone and demeanor of coldness, this was something Shuzo would recognize as her level of teasing. A lifetime of seriousness made one a pretty serious individual, after all, even when exerting humor. Or trying to.

"Yeah, I got a few. Was busting an operation a couple blocks from here before that silver lightning distracted me, lieutenant got away but I know what clan he belongs to. Why? Looking to offer a hand?" She paused, folding her arms over her chest. "If you are, we should get something to eat. Easier to discuss after a meal- and I haven't eaten in days. I'm starving."

Might Girl
She picked up the earpiece being given to her with scrunched brows, bringing it closer to look it over, her eyes allowing her to give it a thorough look as though magnified in her gaze. Just one of her many passive powers of enhanced sight. She could pick out the details of an individual miles away with this ability. "Thanks, I'll-" She responded as she stuffed it into a pouch slit on the side of her suit, but didn't finish her sentence at the arrival of a new face.

This was the Kerco that Rose had mentioned. Well, that mystery had only taken a post to solve so Vanessa felt pretty good about that. He introduced himself after Rose explained why two strangers were hanging about, offering a hand to shake.
Okay, formalities. She'd need to watch her grip, since the last guy she shook hands with before today... well, long story short, she'd accidentally crushed his hand while trying to be gentle. So she'd just need to be XTRA-Gentle™ this time.
Accepting his hand, she put absolutely no power into the shake, her hand essentially being a dead fish at that moment. "Pleasure to meet you!" She smiled brightly, undoubtedly making her seem like a rarity in this part of the world which seemed full-up with darkness and grittiness. "Name's Might Girl! Anyway," She pulled her hand away. "Thanks, Martin. I'll give a call if anything comes up. Wish me luck!"

This time, she left Rose's home after one more word of thanks to the vixen for helping her out.

Elasticity
"Oh my fucking God..."
His hand slid down his face, before pulling his chin down as though he were a cartoon character, comically elongating his face for a couple feet before he let go, his face snapping back into place as he let out a deep, resigned sigh. He paused, brow scrunching. "So..." He spoke aloud. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here, right? Standing in front of the ruins of Paragon Tower?"
He was indeed. A glance past the man showed the tower itself, collapsed diagonally as it rested against another building, the tower itself still relatively intact, though very much an empty and decrepit place. "The answer's simple," The man continued, walking forward to the edge of a heap of rubble, the drop ahead being at least eighty feet. "I got caught up in some... shenanigans, we're gonna call it. Real gnarly stuff. Another term you might understand is; 'I'm flat broke and in debt to the mafia'. Or at least what makes up the mafia in what's left of Vegas."

With a leap, the man's legs shot downward, stretching impossibly to touch the ground in as little as a second, the rest of his body descending at a leisure pace to catch up. He was wearing a pair of shiny, golden pants- though clearly torn, blood staining them. They were sagging below his waist, revealing the cheetah-print speedo he was wearing, a cheetah-print fur draped over his shoulders, making him appear like quite the playboy. "It's a bit of a long story, actually..." He muttered, rolling his eyes behind the 3d glasses he wore. "How far back can I go... hm... never done a flashback sequence but, I'd say it was about..."

Two Weeks Prior...

"-from CCSA News, reporting live from the heart of the Oasis to give you the full display of the new opening of the thirty third annual Warren Expo!" As the voice crackled in through the television, there was a sudden gasp as something jerked awake under a pile of clothing- most of which consisted of bras and panties. "The hell?" A muffled voice growled from underneath. The television was seated on a coffee table, surrounded by empty cans of beer, bits of plastic strewn about, and even some rather... suggestive bodily equipment.
A hand extended out from under the pile, followed by an arm, stretching through to slap against the coffee table, sending cans scattering to the floor, which was much of the same story, a broken lamp also to be included in the mess.

A crowd of people were cheering on the grainy screen, clapping away as a robot descended from the sky, carrying a key. "Don't you fuckin' say it again..." The voice rumbled from beneath the clothes, his hand swiping across the coffee table to send the television spinning off, landing face-up on a pile of moldy socks. The robot came to a stop in front of a gate, where an old man stood adorned in a flashy, bright, white business suit, a pair of shades resting on his face as he smiled at the camera before accepting the key from the robot and holding it up for the crowd to see. An eruption of applause exploded from the screen. "President Warren himself has come to unveil-"
"I SAID DON'T FUCKIN' SAY IT!!" A head burst out of the pile of clothes, neck stretching as he went. With sight, now he could properly direct his hand toward the television, his fist growing into a massive sledgehammer the size of a dumpster, which he proceeded to turn the television into a piece of metallic paper with.
Silence fell as the room was plunged into darkness. A grunt could be heard, followed by the thunderous scattering of a hundred different cans, and finally the overhead light turned on. "Ah." He grunted, hand snapping back from the other end of the room where it had flipped the light switch from to shield his eyes from the sudden light. "Ow... ow... retinas... not while hungover... ow..." He muttered, remaining in this position for several more moments- before his body suddenly inflated like a balloon, the man transforming into a ball, sending all of the clothes flying off of him. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment as he deflated back into looking like just a regular dude, slapping his hand to his forehead as he let out a groan. "Oh God... what the hell did I do...?" He mumbled, peeking out from under his palm to look at the mess that surrounded him.

There were a few moments of silence before he removed his hand, a frown besetting his face as he sat up straighter, appearing confused. "This... isn't my place." He noticed. Sure, it looked a lot like it, mess and all, but that dildo? Definitely not his. Eyes rotating, he looked about. Blood lined the walls, the stench of copper high in the air. Flies buzzed about due to a thousand different reasons, and his eyes landed on a guy hanging in the far corner of the room by his entrails, mouth open in a silent scream.
Now, Elasticity was certain he'd vomited at least ten times last night, but he felt ready to make it the first thing he did that morning. "What the..." His hand clasped over his mouth as he let out a gag, sliding out of the couch and onto the floor. He tried to stand, but unfortunately, his head was spinning and throbbing too much for that. This was a god-awful hangover.

So he laid there for a minute or two, easing his breathing, eyes closed as his face was smooshed into the stained carpet floor. "Oh God... God..." He groaned. "I didn't do this... please tell me I didn't do this..." He'd never actually killed anybody before, and he wasn't known to be a violent drunk, but with as drunk as he'd been last night... last thing he could remember was taking that twelfth shot at 4 in the afternoon and everything past is... a blur.
A few more minutes went by as he groaned and pleaded into the floor before he mustered the strength to pull himself to his feet, glancing back in the corner, hoping it had been an illusion...
It was far from it.
The body remained, strung up as though his organs were thread.

Elasticity turned his back to it, clasping his hand over his mouth for a second time as he gagged- though he couldn't spit anything out from the pit of his gut. He was running on empty, having hacked up every little bit he'd had in him last night. A few moments of dry heaving went by before Garrett groaned, rising to his feet and wiping the spittle from his lips, eyes red and puffy.
"Wasn't me..." He muttered, refusing to look back in that corner- and he nearly had a heart attack. A pounding at the door made the pounding in his skull intensify. Eyes wide, he stared at the door like a deer in headlights as a deep voice yelled out; "Master Majima, you in there!?"
Elasticity felt his breath hitch, uncertain of what to do in this situation. Master Majima... that was the guy he'd spent the last week hanging with, wasn't it?
Slowly, he turned his gaze back toward the corpse, eyes widening further in horror as he realized who it was.

And the door was busted down.

------

"Good set-up, right?" Elasticity asked nobody in particular as he approached the main entrance to Paragon tower. Vines hung from the street lights, crawling up still-standing buildings, supernaturally tall trees having sprouted up all around. Had to be magic herald work or something, no way trees grew that tall that fast.
"Now the next question you're wondering is; 'did rubber band man kill Master Majima? Why was he in that shitty room? Shouldn't he be used to hangovers?' To answer your questions; no, hangover, and yes. But sometimes even the most experienced alcoholics can meet their match when you have twelve consecutive shots of Irish Slammers. Most people would probably die from that. I'm not most people."

He stepped through the front entrance, the doors missing, probably lost in the surrounding foliage. The lobby of Paragon tower was no better off than the building's exterior, seriously reclaimed by nature. Kinda crazy how only this part of town seemed affected by it, too. Everywhere else looked like it was generated in Fallout 3.
Stepping over massive roots, swatting aside more hanging vines, ELasticity came to a stop, brows furrowing as he noticed something at the heart of the lobby. A figure, humanoid almost, covered in moss and vines and flowers, a bare skull being the only truly distinguishable 'human' thing about it, their jaw long detached, a lone golden flower sticking out of its left eye socket. Somehow, this corpse looked like the epicenter of the explosion of nature around here. It was like a goddamn jungle.

"Wow. Creepy." The ex-Paragon gulped. "Anyway, why am I here? Why am I looking through the ruins of Paragon tower? Wasn't I just found to probably be tied to that gruesome murder? Yes. Yes I was. In fact, only about-"

One Week Ago...

The room was freezing, a fog hanging down to the floor. The walls were coated in ice as two men stood in front of Elasticity, who was chained to a chair, his body far too cold to even try and make an escape. He was completely at their mercy. Weakly, he tilted his head upward, ice cracking around his neck as he did, a third man striding into the room, coming to a stop between the two. They all looked like MIB, but that's how most of the criminals in Vegas looked these days. Plenty of business suits to loot, after all. "Lookin' to talk?" The man asked, a heavy southern drawn to his voice. "Week in the ice box oughtta loosen anybody's lips, even some supe. So? What happened to Master Majima?"

Elasticity weakly looked back, barely able to hold his head up. "I... t-told you... I d-d-don't... know..." His teeth chattered as he spoke. The man's grin flipped upside-down in a split second. "Much as I'd love ta get me a supe kill under my belt, I'm inclined to believe ya." He growled. "We found evidence of a third member of y'all's party that night. Can't figure out who it is, they distorted our surveillance, but we know where they went."
He leaned forward, placing a hand on Elasticity's shoulder. "Considerin' that debt you owe... how much... fifteen mil? We'll consider it paid off if you track the bitch down and bring back their head. On a silver platter, too. Gotta be silver. Can ya do that?"
"Y-yeah..." Elasticity groaned.

-------

"Like I said, pretty simple." He stated, tearing his eyes from the nature-blossoming corpse. "One life for another, or I pay with my own. Considering I like living..." Elasticity paused, glancing over his shoulder as silence fell. For a moment there... he could have sworn he'd just heard a twig snap.
"Hopefully, that was just a deer." He muttered under his breath. "I've been following rumors for a week now. The mysterious killer who brutalized Master Majima, leader of the crime syndicate known as 'Supernova' that practically runs Vegas, went east. Settlement after settlement I went. All trails I've followed lead here. So... now you're up to speed."

 

[DevVoid]

..so, I may have made a slight mistake.
" ..what.. "
Alright, now, I know that sounds bad..

Wrath unsheathed Mortis and threw him into the ground in anger, Mortis' blade slicing through the concrete like a hot knife through butter.
" A SLIGHT MISTAKE? A SLIGHT-FUCKING-MISTAKE?! YOU MADE ME TURN TAIL AND CANCEL A HIT ALL FOR A 'SLIGHT MISTAKE' ?! "
CALM DOWN YOU TROGLODYTE!! I MADE A MISTAKE, SO WHAT! YOU GOT PLENTY OF OTHER HITS TO FINISH, DON'T YOU?
" Even IF that was the case, let me just remind you that YOU MADE ME TURN TAIL WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO FIGHT SOMEONE! HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA RE-DO THAT!? "
SO WHAT?! SINCE WHEN DID YOU CARE ABOUT HOW OTHERS SAW YOU?!
" SINCE IT INVOLVED MY REPUTATION AS AN ASSASSIN, I DID! I CAN'T BE A GOOD ASSASSIN IF I JUST MAKE IT LOOK LIKE I FEAR COMPETITION, NOW CAN I?! "

This debacle between the two went on and on until the two eventually got exhausted of shouting at each other, with Wrath picking up Mortis and putting him in his sheath again. A grumbling Wrath eventually made his way out of the sewers of Tokyo again and dark-boosted back through the buildings and to the area where he was supposed to kill the yakuza members, which was now empty as the remaining, surviving members had fled the scene by now.

" Oh, you gotta be kidding me.. we're too late! "
So? Just go and get a new hit or something.
" ..My hitlist isn't like getting groceries, Mortis. I actually need people to send me messages to order a hit. I can't just walk up to someone and ask them if they want someone dead. "
..oh.

Wrath sighed, heading out of the building and up atop a rooftop again. Having taken out his cellphone, Wrath had texted the number that he remembered written on the photo, delivering a vague, cryptic message to the client that summed up that the hit failed due to unexpected interference. Then, Wrath deleted the number from his contact list again and wandered off, deciding to wait until someone would message him another hit.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Scud & The Junk Chuckers


Scud seemed to get more ticked off by the second. Weighing the options of foes: Woman who wanted a can, and a guy to claimed to topple their empire, the choice was obvious.

"Yo, chick." He called at her without looking her way. "Ya help best dis git to a bloody pulp and you'll get a dozens of them cans."

Putting up a series of numbers up with his right hand, the other Junk Chuckers spread out in their own directions, vanishing from sight. Testing the waters, dozens of the grunt level raiding men rushed forward, with broken bottles or knives along with whatever they could. A feeler to see just what they were dealing with...

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Shuzo

The former Paragon scoffed once more as Li quipped at his palpably uncertain offer of assistance, as more and more of his memories regarding the Police Chief came to mind.

“Considering what happened the last time we tried…… yeah, a little bit."

Li had then proposed they find something to eat before discussing plans, should Shuzo be willing to lend a hand to her efforts, to which the latter shrugged.

"I found what I'm looking for here; got nothing else to do. Won't say no to food either, so that's fine by me. Your pick."

As he turned to grab his luggage, Shuzo put his sheathed shoto back into his bag, pulled out a black cloth mask, and put it on before slinging his bag over his shoulder. He then opened the door, holding it open as he glanced back at Li, waiting to follow her out of the hospital.

 

[BurbleBurble]

Skade

Oooooh so he could have his awesome opening act but not her? Vibratus...Pretty shoddy name, if she was being honest. Not that 'Flour' was better at coming up with them on the spot, but damn! He had all that time to plan out and have an entrance, and he shows up like that? Not that it mattered to Skade, who would be glad to shake it up.

As she walked towards Vibratus, her forearms and fists became coated in thick, white ice, with several spires and spikes jutting out of it, to make sure it hurt when it landed. She flashed a malicious grin, about to enjoy what she did. And on the way, the trash kid leader said she'd be entitled to several cans of food if she blasted the interloper into next Thursday.

"Heh! And here I was about to do it for free." As murderous raiders and attackers closed in around Vibratus, so too did Skade, temperatures reaching below freezing as she came closer. A glint of pure glee shone in her eyes, as she prepared to land that one killer hit to turn this guy into frozen meat chunks, and get herself a well deserved dinner.

"Ready to die?" She asked Vibratus, as her spiky, ice coated fist came close to the normal guy's face, biting cold radiating off of it.

 

[| Korutesu |]

Keiko Tadamaru / Japan

It was another day in post-apocalyptic Japan, Keiko walked among the crowds of people on the streets, still busy as usual. He went out today because he was going to buy groceries, though he was pretty wrong. turns out, this day wasn't going to be uneventful. Keiko worked part-time in the hospital, so when he finished his grocery shopping, he dropped it off at home and got ready to work at the hospital.

He went to the hospital, entering it. He passed by two people, though he didn't mind them, they were probably just leaving. He went to the front desk and wrote that he was present today. Soon, one of the higher-ups, a doctor called him over.

"Hey! Kioki! We need you here, right now!"
"Hm? Is there something you need?"

He looked inside the room, seeing the dead corpses of Kenjizo Takeshi and a nurse. His facial expression went from confusion to horror, he was shocked. until he remembered. Those two people that left the hospital just seconds ago, he recognized one of them. It was Shuzo Takeshi, he must've visited his grandfather only minutes earlier. He ran over to the front desk and asked if anyone named Shuzo Takeshi had entered the building only minutes earlier, and there he was. Shuzo Takeshi himself. Though he didn't know who the other person he was with.. It was impossible to know who, he's never seen them before, so he didn't know who could it have been.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

As the junk squad's minor lackeys began approaching him with stuff such as broken bottles as weapons, Vibratus let out a laugh. "Is that all you're going to send at me? I must say I'm rather insulted at how lowly you think of me." He moved his left arm across his chest. "No matter, if you think this will be so much as a hinderance to me then I'll simply have to show you how wrong you are." As he was about to make his move, the initiative taken by Skade caught the man's attention. "Oho, looks like another powered individual is present here. You'll make a great addition to my forces." He commented.

Clenching his fists, Vibratus swung his arm in front of him. A powerful shockwave spread out all around him towards the Junk Squad, shattering and blasting back their sad excuse of weapons along with their wielders. Following that display, the man turned towards Skade as she taunted him. "I don't know, are you!?". With a sudden motion, Vibratus swung his head forward, colliding dead-on with the Ice Spike coming his way and shattering it to pieces. Without a moment of delay, the man followed up by shoving both his arms towards Skade's sides, aiming to stab her with his fingers.