The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
”To think, the boy is more interested in playing fetch with a hell hound than to hear one of my stories how I fought against a titan!” he said rolling his eyes and folding his arms as he looked over to Elizabeth to make sure she wasn’t ignoring him. It was a trend lately with his master and Hercules wasn’t appreciating it in the slightest.
”Allow me.” he said opening the door to the java conglomerate. Two people rushed out before he or Elizabeth could enter but the god didn’t say anything to them. Just glowed a little to point out they were being rude.
”You mentioned before,” Hercules added, ”That your school is for everyone. I know it isn’t my place to tell the young master what he should and shouldn’t do but I was wondering if they’d accept someone like him there. A non-mutant.” he smiled at the idea. Lately William had been reluctant to go to school, either something happened he didn’t want to talk about it or William was just bored there. Not challenged.
The prince of power was the same way. He got bored when he wasn’t challenged. Speaking of... “What can I get you two on this fiiiiiiiiine holiday evening?” there was a drawl with the accent that the god made note of before staring down the menu. ”Hmmmmmmmmm..... I’ve had coffee before. It’s delicious.... What are you thinking Elizabeth?” he asked curiously.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Dec 22, 2021 22:14:12 GMT -6
X-Men
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Straight
960
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Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
Elizabeth smiled and arched a challenging eyebrow at Hercules. “Can you blame him?” she said as she pulled on Zorro’s leash a bit to nudge him out of the way on a passer-by. “Dogs are wonderful and need so much attention!” Zorro complied easily enough, instantly adjusting his direction and stepping in closer to Liz. She flashed a smile at the canine.
Fortunately this coffee shop was one of the new hip ones that allowed pets inside. It was one of the only reasons Liz had brought the dog along on this…was it a date? It felt more casual than that. Ah well, she didn’t really need a label for it. Just two people and a dog enjoying each other’s company.
“Thank you, kind sir,” Liz said grandly as she swept inside the shop with her faithful dog in tow. Zorro didn’t even grumble at the rude people who nearly pushed past them. They immediately joined the line for drinks and the blonde turned back to her companion. “Besides, I’d imagine William is just about able to recite your stories back to you. He’s a bright kid and you do have some, ah, favorite stories.” She winked and shrugged. “You could always tell him stories while he’s playing with the dog.”
The empath idly rested a hand on Zorro’s head and scratched behind his ears. “In truth, I do not see many reasons why he couldn’t attend,” Elizabeth said. “Naturally, our school is geared toward mutants and helping nurture them, but we’ve had non-mutants attend before, however rare. There were normally extenuating circumstances as to why those kids attended our school when there were so many other options closer to them. But since I haven’t heard of any schools for wizards, I imagine Xaiver’s would still be the best option for him.”
Liz shook her head in amusement. She still wasn’t used to the idea that magic, legitimate, bonafide magic, was real. It wasn’t until the Becca and Kalos incident that it really sunk in for her. Mama T’s anti-mutant aura sealed the deal. So she accepted that there were now other powers in the world besides mutants, and that her boyf…the guy she’d been seeing was also one of those powers. He used magic. She still wasn’t sold on the godhood part, but it didn’t really matter. For now, things were casual, fun. Well, for their weird, twisted definition of fun and casual. Most people probably didn’t include full-on crying and a near-lethal kidnapping to be a fun and casual first date.
When it was their turn to order, Liz was prepared. “I’ll have a large hot chocolate, a slice of banana bread, and a chocolate chip brownie,” she said swiftly, with the confidence of someone who was in tune with her sweet tooth. The banana bread, at least, was for Zorro. “And a cup of water,” she added, reaching into her purse for her wallet in order to pay.
“By the way, what kind of dog did you say William had again?”
”I know how great dogs are!” Hercules boomed in response, ”If I had my say dogs would have been my animal that represented me. Ares, however was first then our brother Hephestus came after with the claim.” he looked down and patted the good boy on the head as gentle as possible. Hercules knew he was big and didn’t want to give any animal a reason to fear him if there was no need.
”What greater protector of humanity? Other than me? Dogs have been breed for a millennia just for that purpose!” he continued as they entered the coffee shop.
”They should all be favorites!” the god protested as he smiled warmly down to Elizabeth who was teasing him. William was indeed bright and he had no doubt the young master could recite his words back to him. The prince of power just took this as a challenge however, now he had to come stories he had not heard. Maybe a different era of time in the future? ”I can tell when he ignores me. I too require attention.” he said almost pouting which was a sight to see given his size.
”Does your school not preach coexistence?” he asked knowing it was a school for young mutant minds who were trying to figure best how to use their powers. It was in Hercules’s opinion one of the greatest things of this era. A school geared towards peace.
”They are offspring the Cerberus of old I knew. You’d call them hell hounds.” he said after she ordered before looking at the menu and trying to understand what he was looking up. ”I will get... this!” he said finally in a slight panic knowing he was holding up the line. It was a large coffee. Nothing special. However it came in the form of a vente. Which was a word he was familiar with.
“What name for the order?”
”Hercules! Son of Zeus!” he roared in response as if it too was a muscled response he had spent years perfecting before turning back to Elizabeth, ”Mortals mistake them as a jet black mastiff. I believe there was a story about the hound of Baskerville?” he said trying to recall any bit of information he could on what Mortals knew them as. ”They are capable of traveling and vanishing in shadows, very few places can keep them out.” he said crouching down and petting Zorro.
”Worse yet, he called him “Shadow” he said chuckling and shaking his head.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Dec 29, 2021 22:49:24 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
9
Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
The blonde grinned. “I knew there was a reason I like you,” she said with a playful pat on Hercules’s shoulder. “Although I would like you more if you actually did have a dog as your iconic animal. But I guess one can’t expect a demigod to be able to compete with a full god.” The grin turned impish and Liz tossed her mane of wavy, dirty blonde hair in an exaggerated fashion.
Zorro gave a doggy grin. Maybe he understood what Hercules said. Maybe Elizabeth’s mood was infectious. Maybe it was a coincidence. Liz laughed merrily anyway as Zorro graciously accepted all the physical attention he so richly deserved.
“You’re absolutely right - there is no greater protector of humanity. Can’t beat dogs!”
Elizabeth paid for her order and gave her name. As she put the receipt away, she readjusted her purse. “Well then, luckily for you, I’m ready to give you my attention,” she said. She had blocked out a large chunk of the day for this - after her morning combat session with Sam, she’d gone on a run with Zorro, but since it was the holiday season everything was fairly quiet around the mansion. All teaching stuff was over for the next few weeks.
“We do preach coexistence,” Liz began as she moved away from the register. “We don’t exclude non-mutants, but we give mutants first priority. Mutant teenagers often have additional circumstances or issues that non-mutants just simply have no frame of reference. Also, the mansion is something of a sanctuary - some mutants simply are not or at least do not feel safe anywhere else. We try to protect our kids until they’re strong enough and capable enough to face the world on their own terms.”
Liz didn’t forget that they were in a public space. True, nobody paid attention to anything she said (it was NYC after all) but just in case someone did, Liz liked to take little moments to evangelize. Hercules, however, did seem to forget they were in public because he practically shouted his name.
“Easy there, tiger,” she said, twisting a finger in her ear as if she were deafened. She screwed up her nose. “I’m not sure I’d call those hellhounds though,” she said after a moment’s thought. “At least, not all of the dogs you describe. Black dogs of English-derived lore aren’t related to Greco-Roman mythologies. And technically, the hound of the Baskervilles was just a regular dog that some of the locals were using to trick people into thinking a black dog was around.”
Liz may not have been an English major like Becca, but she knew her books, especially one of the most famous books about a dog.
“Follow up question: how on Earth did William get a hellhound?” Was this one of those things that Hercules declared was magical when it was actually something else? She knew of several mutants who could manipulate animals. Still, it didn’t answer how William got ahold of one and honestly, Liz wanted to know if there were more running around.
For science. Completely for science. Not because she was so thrilled at the prospects of encountering magical critters.
The prince of power knew what the woman was doing, she was taunting him. ”Careful Elizabeth, you are almost making it sound like my brothers could best me in anything.” he chuckled. One was a talented blacksmith, he had his club to show for it. The other in the discussion was great at war, something Hercules never had a stomach for. His oldest half-brother often teased him for being too soft. Neither could compete with his will, his strength or his love for humanity.
”Good!” he flexed puffing out his chest basking in the attention she was willing to give.
”That is... sad.” he said deflating a little, children didn’t seem safe outside of the school. Be it mutants or not. Everyone needed a safe place to grow. ”I shall change that then, all will know the name,” before he could say his name someone called out ‘Hercules! Son of Zeus?’ holding up a beverage for the behemoth. ”It seems it’s catching on.” he chuckled before returning back to the conversation while they waited for Elizabeth’s and Zorro’s food and drink.
”Oh you have another name for those born in the pits of hades? Spawned from the great beast herself? Few understood Cerberus. She was a great protector. Lonely but great!” he said reminiscing about their time together. She was a lonely guard dog focused on her purpose. Guard the gates to the Greek afterlife.
”I shall call the beast for you then... when we get to a less populated location. It may not answer my summons but should it, it would startle many. Most mortals process them that way. At least from my experience. Very few have multiple heads, those that do are far more terrifying. Next you’ll tell me Watson was the one who stopped the mages with my former ally.” he chuckled and shaking his head.
”Same way he got me. He summoned us. Pulled us from another realm of existence and bonded with us. Not only can he channel enough power for me but a hell hound as well? One capable of traveling through shadows? The boys talents seem... boundless. Truly inspiring to be tethered to such a master.” he sipped the scalding hot beverage with a smirk.
”Very few can convince them not to turn on the one who summoned them but William is talented at closing loopholes. Which is why I don't’ mind leaving the boy alone with the creature. They listen to each other, something most adults fail to do with summons or anything really.” he said looking to Elizbeth and winking then crouching down to pet Zorro once again.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Jan 10, 2022 21:37:21 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
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Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
Liz flashed a smile and didn’t miss a beat. “Perhaps none of your brothers could beat you at anything,” she said, drawing out the “could”, “but I’ll bet your sister Artemis would trump you all the time.” She dramatically frowned and tapped her chin with a finger. “You know, I’ve always rather liked her. Can’t go wrong as an animal goddess.” A small flock of birds on the power lines outside the coffee shop burst into song as she sent out a surge of jubilation.
“It is sad,” Liz nodded in seriousness. “But we believe the future can be better. Just because the world isn’t always safe for kids doesn’t mean that one day it can’t be. And maybe our students are the ones who will help make those differences.” She cocked her head. “But feel free to help out!” she smiled fondly at the man.
The man who seemed to have rigged things. “It doesn’t count if you tell them to say it,” she said with a sniff of an upturned nose. “Also, it’s quite unfair that you got your order first.” It didn’t matter that her order was more complicated. Nope. Not at all.
She frowned in concentration as she tried to track Hercules’s logic. “Do you mean…Echidna?” she asked. “I mean, yeah, hellhounds are a good enough name for the dogs specifically born in Hades, but very few of the black dogs in European lore share that particular trait. So those, I wouldn’t call hellhounds.” If nothing else, spending time with Hercules was a good excuse to brush up on her classical mythology.
Elizabeth and Zorro nimbly stepped to the side to allow a couple to pass. “Probably for the best you don’t summon a hellhound in here,” she said frankly, her eyes scanning the clientele. “They seem fine with Zorro here, but I doubt they’d appreciate a giant monster dog appearing out of nowhere. Sure, we’re in New York, but even that would shock some people.”
Zorro’s tail thumped the floor and he sat on his haunches to enjoy the attention was receiving. He stared at Hercules with soulful eyes and almost seemed to nod in understanding.
Liz rolled her eyes. “Oh yes. Artemis is definitely the best of the siblings.”
“Liz?” called the barista.
“Right here,” Liz said, snagging her drinks and grub. She began meandering toward a table by the exit. “Want to stay here for a bit or go somewhere else?” she asked her companions. Zorro didn’t have any input but maybe Herc wood.
“I thought William didn’t have any additional magic available,” she said with a frown. “Isn’t all of it going to keep you manifested on this plane?” She still didn’t quite understand magic - it was quite literally not a science and Hercules…well, it was nicest to say that there could sometimes be a language barrier between a girl from New Jersey and a guy from ancient Greece. “Does this mean you’re able to co-opt his magic to summon the hellhound as well then?”
Posted by Hercules on Jan 11, 2022 15:09:48 GMT -6
Mystic
424
10
Sept 14, 2024 6:48:38 GMT -6
The god chuckled, ”Artemis and Appollo are a different story.” he nodded his head, both were talented archers, something the big guy wasn’t that great at. What is an arrow compared to a club? Not only that but they kept to themselves mostly. Like he they were more of the odd ones in the Olympus family. ”She was also a huntress.” he added to her title, ”A celibate one.” something Hercules wasn’t capable of becoming.
”She also wasn’t too fond of humanity, focused too much on hunting. Everything else around her could be burning and she’d be focused on the ground looking for tracks.” he said making it clear that he was superior to his sister.
”I plan to. Why waste my time here? Train the next generation of heroes! That way when I part from this plane I know it will be better when I first arrived.” he said nodding his head as if he was discussing going on a trip somewhere far away. Not dying and then being summoned again.
The prince of power chuckled waiting to sip his drink again. Elizabeth and Zorro still needed to get their food and drink. It was the polite thing to do and the god was known for his manners. ”They all will soon be chanting my name.” he said flexing under his shirt a little.
”No, Echidna was the mother of Cerberus, I’m speaking of her offspring.” he said clarifying. ”The one I speak of in England was indeed a summoned spirit. It could travel in shadows and had glowing red eyes.” he said acting out the fangs with one hand to show what he meant. He decided against whistling for the beast. Elizabeth was right. Mortals didn’t need anymore panic in their lives.
”I follow you’re lead!” he said in a slight bow as he waited for her to make a decision. The god was fine where ever he was, as long as he had company such as this. When she walked to the table Hercules pulled the seat for her and waited till she was sitting before finding his own.
”Well..” he didn’t originally, Hercules has since bonded to another master and had a few others potentially in the works. ”It seems you have missed somethings since we last saw each other.” he said beaming, ”I found another master and bonded to her. She is talented, not as talented as William but it did relieve the young master of most of the burden in summoning me.” he said proudly, ”Though he immediately decided to expand his list of summons.” he chuckled.
”The boy doesn't like to sit still but yes. I ‘co-opt’ with the beast. It’s power draw is far less than what I pull, unless it travels through the shadows with him or another but far less than I pull!” Hercules wanted it to be very clear who required more power. He shall not play second twice with another of his preferred mortals.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Jan 14, 2022 20:49:11 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
9
Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
Elizabeth laughed impishly as she sat down at the table. “I don’t know, you just sound jealous of your sister, to me,” she said with a huge grin. Zorro put his head on her lap and she didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know exactly what was going on in his head. She scratched behind one of his ears and then proceeded to take the banana bread out of the bag and start breaking it into small pieces for the dog to wolf down.
As Zorro ate and broadcasted his extreme joy, Liz poked a straw into her hot chocolate and took a long hot draught. “Ahh, that’s the stuff!” she exclaimed. She smacked her lips and fed another chunk of banana bread to Zorro.
“So you found another magician to offset the power drain on William? That’s amazing!” Liz said, her eyes lighting up. Momentarily, at least. “But wait. If he summoned something else, does that mean he’s in the same situation he was before?” Was he still constantly drained of all energy, to the point he couldn’t heal? “I thought the point of finding other magic sponsors was to give him a chance to recover.”
Try as she might, Liz still didn’t understand Hercules’s magic. Other magic users were apparently easy enough to understand - at least in theory, if not in practice- it just seemed he was special. Some kind of curse or hex that made things work weirdly. “So your magical symbiosis works in more ways than one. You don’t just convert William’s power into raw strength and vitality, you can usurp his abilities too? Can you do that with the new sponsor as well?” The blonde sipped at her chocolate again. She didn’t quite take out a notepad and pen to start taking notes and write down questions, but she was seriously thinking about it.
She was messing with him. A mortal was teasing an immortal. Hercules chuckled at her grin and said nothing on the subject. Artemis was a god to envy, however not by Hercules. Her willingness to sit back and ignore the plights of humanity was something he could never strive for.
”Aye,” the god said sipping his drink once again now that they were all sitting. ”She, Serena.” he said giving her first name but nothing else, not just because he didn’t know anything else about her other than her character but because he was respecting her privacy. William said that was important to masters. ”seems promising. Very brash. She reminds me of a few of my former masters. Very direct, like a general.”
”No, I’m different from other summons. Most summons can channel magic themselves to carry out their masters biddings. I can not. I require someone to channel that power and then transfer it. The process is more draining than weaker summons.” true there were other beings like him. Not cursed, they just wanted to inflict pain on the ones who summoned him. Thankfully Shadow was not one of those summons. Or Hercules would have severed the contract himself.
”It’s better to think of it as a different process that how I channel. I require more energy, with the burden of my curse being shared, the draw will be less for William. Thus giving him a chance to recover the use of his legs.” Hercules finished crossing his fingers. He hoped that was all William needed and nothing else. Maybe he should look into making Serena the primary master? No... his promise to William was too important to both of them.
Hercules adored how inquisitive Elizabeth was about how he retained his godly prowess and strength. Even if he wasn’t always able to answer them. He too was still trying to understand it after millennia ”I do adore that word.” he said chiming in before letting her finish. Symbiosis. Hercules sipped his dripped bean juice and nodded. ”Master.” Hercules corrected not sure if sponsor was appropriate. He was a servant to them. Even if they didn’t treat him like one.
”Usurp his abilities?” Hercules asked for clarification. ”With multiple masters I can focus the draw of power differently if that is your meaning. Though the more I pull from another master the more I must focus on them and less on the others. Which is why it was always difficult having multiple masters.” he flexed a little, ”Mortals are prone to jealousy.” he said sighing into his mug towering over the table and Zorro who was waiting for more food. Hercules reached over and patted his head.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Jan 22, 2022 20:50:20 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
9
Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
As soon as the name “Serena” left Hercules’s lips, Liz almost snorted her hot chocolate. She coughed several times and eventually recovered. Serena? No, it couldn’t be. Her former roommate and now colleague and martial arts teacher was not someone best described as the person Hercules was describing.
Elizabeth had plenty of other opportunities to frown though. She tossed down another chunk of banana bread to Zorro and then whipped a notepad and pen from her purse. She flipped a few pages until she hit one where she’d been aggregating prior notes on Hercules’s magic. “So…you’re not a standard summon, but like a custom job?” she asked, glancing from her notepad to the brawny guy. She resisted the urge to chew the end of the pen. That was a bad habit from her teenage days.
“Okay, so it sounds like most summoned entities draw power from their master as well as drawing it directly themselves, like a dual power source,” she said, circling a few things on the notepad. “But the curse cuts off your ability to channel magic yourself, so instead you have to make up that power differential by draining William and now this Serena.” She tapped the pen against her drink. “You drain more power than a typical summons….but are other summons able to amp up their own power outputs by increasing the draw on their masters, like you? Or is that a blessing mixed in with your curse?”
Liz wished she hadn’t taken the graph paper out of her purse the week before. A good chart would definitely come in handy about now.
“You know, it kinda sounds like you got hit with vampirism,” she said with a grin and a thoughtful look. “You have the whole ‘master’ thing. You have extraordinary strength, physical durability, and remarkable regenerative abilities. On top of that, you can vanish and appear elsewhere, you have an ability to form slight psychic connections with people, and you survive by draining other people.” The grin widened.
“So I have to ask: are you repelled by garlic and crosses? Clearly sunlight doesn’t do anything to you.” If anything it just enhanced the shine that his muscles acquired when he channeled magic. Huh, maybe he did have some kind of low level hypnotic effect, again just like a vampire.
”I’m a god Elizabeth, and unlike most gods when summoned. I must answer the call.” he said flatly. If ‘standard’ was acceptable to be associated with the prince of power himself. Leaning over the table but still sitting he checked to see if there was written proof of this mistake in case he had to correct it. The god nodded his head, ”I cannot speak about the ‘normal’ summons.” Hercules said putting an emphasis on ‘normal’ as if it was something to be ashamed of.
”I can only speak for myself and those I have questioned over the centuries. Most summons don’t like to talk or are incapable of it. Others... all they do is speak in lies and riddles.” he shuddered at the thought of Willam summoning a sphynx, summons like that never shut up. Too bad nothing they said was useful.
”Very few draw power like I do. It is part of the curse.” he said elaborating more making sure she had the information he at least knew of. ”’She’ knew about my love for humanity and how I’d gladly lay down my life for them, the ‘curse’ that binds us makes sure for me to regain my ‘true’ strength I must consume so much magical energy other methods are used to siphon it off. In this case Williams natural ability to heal from injuries.” the details he only just started to discover. Something he owed to Elizabeth and her nature to question everything.
”My fate is tied to the masters that may call upon me as there life is tied to me.” he spent a moment recalling previous masters all of them flawed in their own way but each one he loved as much as the last.
If Hercules was sipping his coffee at the moment he would have spat up black liquid everywhere with his outburst. ”Ha! Elizabeth surely you jest!” he said squinting his eyes to the sun that was poking in through the windows of the coffee shop. He might have been playing up the squint. He too could be funny. ”I can not appear at will, I only go if my master summons me. What else would you call the contract of a summon if not master and summon?” he asked curiously. It seemed the term ‘master’ made a lot of people uncomfortable.
”Garlic is delicious and I have not met a cross that could repel me yet!” he said lifting his arm and flexing. The stitching of the sleeve tightened and groaned as he did so before reaching for his cup of coffee. ”I have fought those you’d call vampires, strong yes but they also have an issue with crossing water and silver. I do not have those problems either.” he said confidently.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Jan 30, 2022 8:14:40 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
9
Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
Ah. Yes. About that. Elizabeth kept forgetting that Hercules was a god, no matter how many times he casually dropped it into conversation. Actually, she suspected that she was starting to just ignore his references to godhood, due to the sheer volume of times it came up in any one conversation.
“That’s right, my bad,” she said, scribbling in a secondary chart about summoning gods, as opposed to standard summons. No point offending him over a nomenclature discrepancy. He could be worse than Zorro with a new juicy bone sometimes - every bit as unwilling to give something up.
“So on top of your superior nature, and the fact that unlike other summons, you existed before the summoning spells and curse were applied to you, the extra complications from the curse cause a vastly increased power drain.” She distinctly wrote those down in the new chart, with a question mark beside her more unsubstantiated hypotheses. This magic stuff was very difficult to make sense of, especially because it seemed Hercules himself wasn’t a practitioner of it directly and he was working off a methodology and discipline from thousands of years ago. Good grief, Liz would’ve settled for discourse via humours, as even that was far more modern in concept than the pre-Hermetic theory Hercules seemed to be versed in.
The outburst of laughter drew Zorro’s attention for a half second but was quickly ignored as he was delivered the last of the banana bread. Liz winked at Hercules. “I’d call it a freelance contractor position. You show up, do what the person who hired you or ‘paid your contract’ wants you to do, and then you go on your merry way after services are rendered,” she said smoothly, with eyebrows raised in innocent amusement. “I would definitely not use the words ‘summon’ or ‘master’.” She did jot down his additions, though.
She nodded nonchalantly. “It’s good to know you can’t be defeated by a piece of garlic toast,” she said solemnly. “Or a hot-cross bun. That’s fortunate because bread monsters absolutely do exist.” Fighting one was still one of her fondest and most outlandish memories. “So what made you cross paths with some of the noble dead?”
Hefting the mighty cup of cardboard to his lips he blew on the rim of his cup then took another sip eyeing the scribbles on the sheet of paper Elizabeth had been jotting information on. It would have been more appropriate if he had his own category. He was the son of Zeus after all.
Nodding once he agreed with her statement, he could have argued he did more than simply ‘existing’ before he was chained to humanity but fought the urge. She was trying at least to be respectful to his opinions of himself so that was all he could ask.
”Freelancer?” he repeated with a question mark. Should he start changing his title? Was he not a servant though? One who could be summoned on a whim of the master? The one who doled out power to him? Without them he’d be searching for new masters or go back to his slumber. Neither were something he wanted now that he was here. There were so many mortals that needed his help. ”The contract doesn’t end once the job is done.” he added mulling over the thoughts in his head and verbalizing them so Elizabeth could help him sort it all out. She was a thinker, the slayer of the Stymphalian Birds was a doer. He had not the time to think of such things.
”Either they’d die or I cut off the contract before they died.” he said revealing his thoughts on the matter. Hercules had often thought of severing his bond to William. So the boy could heal, that however went against his promise to the boy where he’d help him get revenge for the death of his father and injury to his mother.
”Chance, mostly. There are few gods as lucky as I!” he said watching Zorro before looking back to the woman across from him. ”I often found myself summoned by one talented mage or witch throughout the years, from there I would hop from master to master. Some worthy of my powers others... misused them.” he said not really clarifying. Most of the breaks were messy. Some even tried to kill off other masters to keep the god of strength to themselves. They were foolish and selfish. Hercules belonged to humanity, all of it. It was usually what lead to him breaking the contracts himself.
”Once I’m summoned I’m usually around for the full lives of those who summoned me, even sometimes a generation or two after before fate pulls me back to the other plane of existence.” he said never really sure when his time tuns out. There had been those who had hunted his masters. Made a sport out of it, but those times and those who hunted them had long since perished. Hercules saw to it himself centuries ago.
”Now these bread monsters... how rampant are they?” Hercules asked smirking at the thought of a challenge one even Elizabeth seemed to have fought. Maybe it was another chance to prove himself to her.
Posted by Liz Sundance on Feb 8, 2022 20:20:51 GMT -6
X-Men
Metazoa
Chartreuse
Straight
960
9
Sept 9, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -6
Zek
Elizabeth thought she detected a different note in Hercules’s voice and she stopped writing. She blew a wavy strand of hair out of her face and set her chocolate down firmly on the table. In the relatively short time she’d known the man, she’d grown rather accustomed to his tendency to cycle through emotions and moods on a moment-by-moment pendulum - she could relate after all. There were always so many available moods to choose from, and if she didn’t like any of hers, she could siphon one from some animal.
But the way he described severing the contract….
There was a lot to unpack there. She could almost smell it. However, an in-depth interview into the areas she suspected was not appropriate for their setting. As it was, only the fact they were surrounded by hardcore New Yorkers kept people from throwing worried glances around at the man who kept talking about slavery and people dying. Actually, that wasn’t true. A lot of people were staring, but mostly because they seemed fixated on the dynamic muscleman’s physique.
Liz slashed her hand and closed her eyes dismissively. “Oh don’t you worry about bread monsters,” she said affably. “They’re pretty rare, I should say. The last one I encountered? Well, let’s just say it’s toast.” She grinned and winked at the man, and then some of his other words sank in.
“How….many masters….have you had?” she said, trying to pick her words carefully. She liked math. It could be fun sometimes. It also filled her with a tinge of horror at the moment, because she understood typical human lifespans and could compare them to Hercules’s apparent lifespan.
All those people he’d outlived. That he’d known. In addition to all the people from his original time.
A few birds had been singing outside the cafe, a squirrel had been scrambling across a power line, some pedestrians with dogs had been walking by, a cat in the alley was hunting a mouse. All of that stopped as a wave of sadness poured out from the blonde. Zorro let out a little whine and dropped his head down to his paws, his tail ceasing all wagging. “My God,” she breathed softly, the pen clattering to the tabletop and rolling off the edge.
”Ah, what a shame.” Hercules said not getting the joke at the moment about bread monsters. The idea of slaying some monsters like he used to did seem promising. Hunting them down, finding their lair and then slaying the beast. Surely they’d bring more glory, possibly even be added to his long list of accomplishments as a protector of humanity.
Then it hit him. ”Toast....” his face went from thinking to amusement as he started to roar out in laughter. ”I thought they were real! Very clever! Ha!” he slapped his leg once or twice enjoying the joke and trying to remember it so he could use it later on William. Surely the young master would appreciate the joke.
His laugher faded as a sullen look washed over the demi-god. Hercules didn’t know the number but could guess well enough. Most masters faded to the back of his mind, they were flawed but that was the thing Hercules loved most about all of them. If he thought more on it he could run through a list of his favorites and the eras they were in but that would be too much for the setting.
Reaching over and grabbing the pen the giant patted Zorro on the head when he let out a whine. ”Hundreds.” thousands? He didn’t like thinking about the short lives of any of his masters. They were friends, lovers, and even some enemies. All of them important to the god, and all of them ripped from him by the cruel clutches of time. That was what made the time he spent with all of them so wonderful though.
His eyes watered and a few tears rolled down as he returned to the top of the table and offered Elizabeth’s pen back to her. ”This burden of mine was meant as a curse after all. Some are more memorable than others. William for example, youngest master I’ve ever had, I expect him to have a long and memorable life.” meaning he shouldn’t dwell on how things would end. It was the journey that was important. Despite the tears he forced a smile.