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 Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
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.
((OOC: Not a problem, it should help to speed things along a bit.)))
--
Wedged into one of the many nooks and crannies within the maze Zephyr adjusted his position against the burning metal walls to make the most out of the slight barrier his clothing afforded him and then leant his head tentatively against the wall behind him, feeling not only the radiating warmth but also sensing the vibrations from highly pressurized water contained within. The heat was, admittedly, something of a nuisance but after one became use to the amplified temperature it was not unlike being in a sauna and the elemental took full advantage of this fact as he closed his eyes and reclined against the heated surfaces and felt his muscles loosen in response.
His wanderings within the metal monstrosity had come to a halt rather abruptly once he had judged himself to have reached the nexus of his self selected playground which therefore placed him in the area of least discovery, not that there was any danger of that really, not when he was aware of his pursuers every step anyway. What this accumulated to however was the fact that he was isolated in a dark makeshift sauna with only his thoughts for company, that was until his adversary foolishly chose to respond to his taunts and a slight grin once more broached his features. He had been beginning to doubt whether his verbal jabs were having any affect on the woman, but now her retort gave him a veritable mountain of possible riposte and he pondered a minute upon which would be the most effective before pitching his voice and modulating the air within the narrow passageways to suit his purposes.
A long drawn out sigh was the first the blonde would perceive and within such a simple sound would be a sense of amused despair and sufferance. “Just because you don’t know about the rules doesn’t mean they don’t exist.” He said in the tone of one talking to a rather slow child. “Similarly just because one has talents doesn’t mean they need to use them for every little task, in fact I’m rather surprised that you feel the need to resort to such tactics in order to catch me Miss…?” He let the question hang in the air for a few moments as he listened avidly for a response from his pursuer before returning to his internal machinations.
The woman’s mutation, he was fairly sure, wasn’t any type of illusion; the crimson orbs she had employed early on had dismissed that theory rather soundly. Yet the combination of skills she had demonstrated so far made it somewhat difficult to classify the exact origin of abilities. One thing he was certain of however was the fact that the blonde was a member of Kabal, the slight glimpse of the ornate Rolex watch on her wrist had told him all he needed to know about her alliances and while this did in theory mean that he could simply contact someone in the labs and have them inform him about her mutation the elemental preferred to solve such a conundrum on his own.
‘So what precisely is the link between this void and her earlier heat manipulation?’
Regrettably the merc was given almost no time to consider the problem before him for it was at that moment that one of the blondes unseen orbs ventured into his hiding place and brushed lightly across his chest as it zipped up and down the small enclosure. Although it was only brief the effect this slight contact had on the elemental was rather noticeable; his azure eyes open wide in sudden shocked before rapidly closing to slits as his body instinctively curled inwards around the injured area and a low hiss of pain escaped his lips as a string of expletives echoed in his mind while he tried to determine what had attacked him. Yet even as his thoughts shifted into a logical order and presented him with the most likely answer a sudden sensation of heat just above his head prompted the merc to throw himself to the floor and scramble out of his niche as swiftly as possible and back into the main passageways as he sought to escape this new assault and find another shelter.
‘How the hell did that thing find me?’ The thought was ringed with a sense of general irritation as he moved swiftly down the passage with his eyes scanning the area around him. He knew she couldn’t sense him, he would have been discovered long before now if that were case, yet that didn’t explain how the blonde was able to control her orbs without knowledge of their surroundings and why he couldn’t see the damn things. ‘Worry about it later,’ he told himself, ‘find a new place to hide first.’
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Progress continued much like before, in fact if it hadn’t been for the fact every fibre in her body was alert and focusing on her task, she might have become bored in the monotone of darkness, which she had become part of. Fortunately, his guiding voice was present as ever to dispel such sort after ideals of peace, it was then, as he began on his retort, that her mind caught the pleasant thought cutting off his tongue. Yes, there would be a lot of blood, and who knows without medical attention he just might bleed to death, but luckily in such an isolated spot his body wouldn’t be stumbled upon for a good number of weeks. A rational part of her knew full well that she couldn’t harm the youth too much since he had to be in Hunter’s lab for some reason, but by ignoring this reality she found a surprisingly large supply of drive to accomplice her task.
Due to her new found focus, it took awhile for the words, which had catalysed her vigour, to filter though. When they had, however, she discovered, as predicted, she hadn’t missed much. A cheap remark about there being rules to everything - rules were a human aspiration, a concept that they apply to the chaotic world that they can’t understand so to feel comfortable - she had hoped even he had more independent thoughts than that, but clearly not. To follow that a low cut implication she was overdoing herself, oh dear, how presumptuous he was, for it had never entered his mind that playing with shadows were nothing to her; she wasn’t overtaxing herself in the slightest. Before she had time to come up with a suitable retort, somewhere along the lines of revealing his cliché human ideals and ignorance, she felt it.
She felt one of the orbs transfer its heat to an object which wasn’t supposed to be there, Got ya, she had found him. This had been what she had been waiting for, this signal of his petty life. Having waved away wishful thought of seeing his smug little smile disappear as he was singed, she set the next stage into being. She was to the right of his position and so immediately started off to her left, running through the unseen pathways; she would block his escape to the right. While similarly one of the orbs closed on his position from the left, and the other two from below. All pushing him towards the desired dead end, she smiled as she realised he was boxed in, loosely for the moment but that would be shortly fixed as the trap closed in. Turning down a passageway, she knew from the earlier exploration of an orb was one of two escape route to his right, she used some of the displaced light, which was in such vast amounts that if it hadn’t been for the hungry orbs, she might have lost control over. She created a shimmering wall of red light, the only light to currently exist in the sphere, to span across the pathway. Not only did it ‘recycle’ most of its light, so that only the bare minimal went into the environment, but also the wavelength was such that it, like the orbs, was red. With any luck he would make that association, and even if he didn’t she would be able to feel him if he passed through.
Having done so, she took a side passageway up to the other only entrance to his position from this side, where she erected a similar wall and then continued forward. The orb that had found him, now zipped up and down the connecting path it had come from hoping to keep track of its prey, until the others could arrive. The other three orbs, were given more of the plentiful light in addition to their heat, so that they now moved as orbs of light in the darkness. Since they could now be seen as they zipped across their paths, slowly tightening the formed boxed around him, if wise he would avoid them. And avoiding them could only lead him one direction. The trap closed in.
If he were to be completely honest Simon would admit that his current situation did not perfectly reflect how he had envisioned events to proceed, however there was only one person the elemental would ever be completely truthful to and she was in another country more than a thousand miles away, thereby ensuring that such a statement would not be divulged today, or any time in the future. ‘Still, the situation is not completely beyond redemption.’ He mused contemplatively from his newly acquired hiding spot. ‘She’s clearly dependant on her orbs to track my position, therefore I need only to keep my distance in order to emerge victorious.’ This was of course easier said than done; not only were the spheres impossibly fast and impossible to block, they were also currently invisible. ‘Everything leaves a trail, there must be some way to track-’
Zephyrs thoughts trailed off abruptly as a flash of crimson light rocketed down the corridor below him before rapidly travelling back up and down again in an easily distinguishable pattern. The merc remained silent throughout the entirety of the strange light show as his eyes tracked every movement of the strange globe, waiting for it to dash upwards to his level and reveal him once again. After less than 30 seconds of waiting though the hasty speck of light seemed to tire of its search and progressed onwards into the metallic labyrinth leaving its target behind and eliciting a soft breath of relief from the elemental whose body remained spread eagled upon the ceiling of the narrow passageway as though affixed there with some strange adhesive. As the merc closed his eyes though and took a second breath gravity seemed to sullenly return to its neglected duties for his body gradually began to descended and then rotate until he was once more in an upright position with his feet floating only a foot or so above the floor at which point he then opened his eyes and dropped neatly to the ground.
‘That was too easy.’ The thought was covered in a mixture of disappointment and suspicion. ‘She can’t still be underestimating me surely? Yet if this is the best she can do…’ The elemental shook his head in dissatisfaction and promptly regretted the move as a lancing pain shot up and down his back. A momentary grimace clouded his features as he arched his back against the unwelcomed pain and silently admonished himself for being so careless in the employment of powers.
Although levitation was nothing new to him Zephyr normally achieved the affect by summoning a constant torrent of wind beneath his feet, although this method did not allow for any real sense of stability it required relatively little effort to maintain and he had become accustomed to moving with the slight eddies and currents contained within the flow. What he had executed just a few seconds ago however had not utilized a turbulent flood of wind but rather a thin layer of air compressed so tightly that it could in fact act as a solid. The elemental had then manipulated this layer of air until it covered his form before then commanding it to rise upwards at speed. However in haste to get away from his inanimate pursuers the command had been somewhat more forceful than was necessary and Simon had found himself impacting with ceiling with enough momentum to make him decidedly ‘uncomfortable’.
Despite the slight flaw in execution though his impromptu strategy had succeeded, the woman’s little toy had passed him by without perceiving his presence, thereby granting him a few moments respite from the chase as he considered his next move. The first option which came to mind was to simply abandon the desolate maze, leaving his hunter to wander its dark passages for some unknown length of time. This was, in all likelihood, the most sensible course of action as it meant that he would avoid any direct contact with the blonde or her toys, however it was also rather mundane and after his latest acquisition of burns and bruises the elemental was somewhat disinclined to merely walk away.
Pushing himself off a nearby wall Zephyr re-centered himself and began wandering down a path that would lead him away from his pursuer. Another possibility would be to end the trivial game of cat and mouse and confront the woman directly, even though he had no real means of defense against the woman’s mutation, the same thing could be said about her, as long as he succeeded in striking the first blow the merc was confident any such confrontation would end in his favour. As he walked on though and listened to the sound of his footsteps echoing over the tiled floor he shook his head, a battle of mutations was not what he desired right now; he wanted to outsmart his pursuer and do so with as little effort as possible in terms of mutation and physical exertion.
He could also, of course, just resume his previous behavior and seek out another niche in which to hide, testing the woman’s patience to its limits while he continued to spout whatever nonsense came to mind in an attempt to infuriate her even more. However while it had undoubtedly been entertaining initially the fact now that he could no longer observe the blondes reactions had reduced the entertainment value of such acts significantly. As such the façade of fool would be discarded for now; there was little point in performing without an appropriate audience in any case.
The dull echoing pattern of footsteps slowed, and then ceased as the elemental stopped just short of what appeared to be a radiant wall of crimson light the same shade and intensity of the orbs which pursued him. Initially perplexed by the strange find the merc stared at the sole source of light in the dark void for a few moments until a thin smile began to tug at his features, finally some evidence of basic planning. He’d been beginning to suspect that the girls intelligence matched her obnoxious manners.
Leaning against one of the heated walls with a half smirk on his lips Zephyr stared at the wall once more. So she was trying to lead him was she? That implied the woman had some form of scheme in mind and the elemental was half tempted to go along with it just to see what the blonde had planned, but first he needed to come up with a scheme of his own, an ace in the hole as it were. With a sigh the merc tore his gaze away from the scarlet wall and instead stared skywards, resting his head against the pulsing heat of the pipes, noticing for the first time the odd humming that seemed to emanate from them as the water was forced through the confining passages at high speed.
‘I wonder…’
Bending down on one knee the elemental gently placed his palm upon the tiled cement floor, searching tentatively for any trace of the vibrations he could feel in the metallic walls around him. There were none, and the discovery caused a low chuckle to escape his throat as an idea slowly formed in his mind, why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? Using the environment to your advantage was a crucial element in any battle… and he’d just found out how to use his.
Rising deftly to his feet Simon turned and considered the unusual obstacle in front of him once more, if his earlier assumptions were true than the blondes mutation was simply an extension of her physical self and as such everything they experienced she did as well, though to what degree he was unsure, still there was no time like the present to extract an answer to this interesting quandary. Sliding his hand deftly into the folds of his coat the elementals fingers quested momentarily until they encountered the leather hilt of the light weight throwing dagger he procured prior to entering his metallic environment. Tightening his grip upon the slim weapon he drew it out into the open with the same nonchalance one would with a cigarette and held it easily in his hand. It was time to make his presence known once again and, hopefully, cause his opponent no small amount of pain, abruptly shifting his grip on the dagger the merc thrust the blade forward into the scarlet apparition before him.
The contact was brief, not more than a second or two at most, yet it should have sufficed for his purposes and as he strained his ears in the silence of the void the Kabal member was disappointed by the distinct lack of any pained exclamations and released a weary sigh. He hadn’t really expected to cause any sort of damage, he knew he wasn’t that lucky, but still it would have been nice to have some good karma for once. A few seconds after his initial disappointment the second half of his hypothesis was proven correct not one, but two crimson spheres zoomed into his field of vision and rapidly closed in on his position. ‘Time to make a move’ he told himself as he pivoted on his heel and sped off down the unblocked corridor and, presumably, toward whatever trap his pursuer had in mind.
Her world was veiled, coated in a darkness in which nothing, not even the faintest outlines, could be seen, and yet, as per usual, she wasn’t unsettled in the slightest. Not only had she, even as a child, never feared the night in which others shrank from, but after years of working with the darkness, not only did it hold no horror but it felt familiar, and even comforting. She was after all eternally bound to the world of shadows. Considering that her sight was useless one would except that her hearing would be picking up the gentle hum of machinery, or the constant drone of human inhabitants. But, rather unexpectedly, her hearing like her sight seem to be blocked out by her mind, as her focus remained on her other, more unusual, senses. For it were these that she, and all her orbs, relied upon.
Her work was repetitive and if hadn’t been for the excitement of the hunt it might have crossed the border of boredom. But as it was her mind didn’t have space to be both bored and caught up with everything it was maintaining, so the hunt continued. Methodically she was blocking all possible exists, by creating more of her walls, soon their weak crimson light become less of a rarity. Due to the constant level of energy that pounded against her barriers, she found her work not only to be very fast, but also soon realised that with little extra inconvenience she could give the curtains of light the heat they pretended to have. The amount of radiation she was displacing by channelling the sun’s rays easily allowed for her several crimson curtains to contain the searing heat the orbs possessed.
She paused before what appeared to be nothing, in reality, however, unseen to any eye she was standing in front of her designated dead end. Her eyes gazed into its sweeping darkness of possibilities. Her work was finished she and created seven more crimson curtains, and by doing so had blocked off all his exists. He would be drawn to his exact spot, and then pushed to the end of the enclosure, which the dead end formed, and then…Well I’ll cross that bridge then I come to it. Her mind had formed a secure plan for what would follow, but from experience she had learnt it was always better never to dwell on what you might do, since you can never conceive all of the outcomes, and so it far better to be able to adapt.
The precise cut that momentarily welded one world of darkness to the next sliced through her present thoughts with ease, resulting in all her attention once more focusing upon his last location. The thin cut that had penetrated her wall had been distinguishably different from the clumsy human form she had anticipated to feel if an escape was attempted. The act was unquestionable deliberate. What was he doing? She had just time to contemplate his cocky nature before the motion to shove such questions to the corner of her mind and let the present take priority was passed.
Her heart rate rose again following the heighten adrenaline of the hunt, back tracking on familiar paths she found her way quickly and without hesitation. Turning into side passages that only revealed themselves to be apart from the black velvet backdrop once she entered them, she ran. She was doubling back on herself so that she would follow on after the youth, she would therefore act as the last line of defence should he try anything, which undoubtedly he would. Though Nox’s arrogance, the existence of which she rarely admitted though in all fairness it rarely showed, presumed that any possible resistance he put up could be easily swatted away. She was in the dominant position, the hunter, and had nothing to fear, or so at least she believed.
Her mind ran through her plan – what she had done, whether there were any gaps - as she ran through the darkness. Before him there is only one path which isn't blocked. All other paths are blocked – check. And to speed up the procedure the orbs are trying to drive him up the chosen path – check. I'm following not far behind, and will be closing off the way behind me as i go – check. She seemed to have covered everything, the plan was simple, yet simplicity should never be overlooked, it was after all often the most effective. Determination was present in every fibre of her being, resulting in one simple thought occupying her mind: He will be driven to the dead end., as if her will alone could alter the events to come.
Moving with haste through the narrow confines of his desolate playground Zephyr’s head remained fixed on the crimson orbs in front of him as he darted backwards blindly through the twists and turns of his self selected maze. Although his mock bid for escape had only begun less than a minute ago the elemental could already feel a slight burn in his muscles from the unusual physical exertion as his lungs worked thoroughly to keep his limbs supplied with oxygen as he maintained his swift pace and hastily retreated. He was now relying completely on his spatial awareness to guide him through his unfamiliar surroundings and so avoid any deceptive ledges or subtle outcroppings of pipes which would otherwise have seen him loose his footing.
At length Simon’s “desperate” bid for freedom terminated rather abruptly as a sudden burst of acceleration on the part of one of his inanimate pursuers forced him to deviate from his planned course and swerve sharply into the only recess available. No sooner had he entered his supposed shelter, a rather spacious dead end, then his exit cut off by the second of the blondes crimson orbs, effectively trapping him. A rather unnecessary action all things considered. Still she was entitled to her fancy gestures and delusions of superiority, they would not last long after all and so he leaned himself lightly against one of the heated conduits that served as a wall and swiftly reviewed all of his actions up to this point.
Normally the elemental would have been disinclined to allow himself to be led in such a fashion, for not only did it allow your opponent to advance whatever plans they had, it also portrayed vast ignorance on his part. However he wanted this game to come to an end and the only way to achieve such a conclusion in a timely manner was to let the women believe she had the advantage and show herself so that the mercenary could carry out his coup'de grace, no matter how trivial it might seem, and then make his escape.
The only problem with his impromptu tactics was that he was relying on the fact that the blonde would actually show herself, it wasn’t much of a gamble really for he could easily sense her position within the maze and she was closing fast, yet if for some reason she should choose not enter his secluded section of the labyrinth then… well it wouldn’t actually matter that much. He could just as easily carry out his plan from distance as he could in close quarters. The only reason he wanted the close proximity was because he believed the woman would remove the impenetrable miasma that clouded his vision once she thought him cornered, and his ploy would be infinitely more satisfying if he could actually witness her expression. ‘It will happen or it won’t’ he told himself calmly, either it’s not something you have any control over.
And so as he waited the elemental began to subtly stretch his influence until he had command of every single molecule of air within his isolated alcove, whether his opponent arrived or not he would still be ready to make his escape.
--
((OOC: *Glances at date and carefully does not say anything that could be construed as an apology*))
Everything was in motion, and so far at least, going to plan. By the time she turned around that consequential corner, she had managed, while in pursuit, to give a little thought to the matter of what was to come. Since in would be rather a fruitless exercise if all this work ended in a simple ‘Gotcha’, in fact she was far more in favour of something....something more memorable. Shall we say she was offering an education of sorts, a short lesson even, taking a step back you could almost say she was being generous. Almost, however, is a very versatile word, and when needed can span such a long distance.
For her ‘lesson’ in be fully appreciated there were certain preparations that were required, luckily Nox processed a far amount of foresight, which meant when she choose to step around that fateful corner everything was ready. To her the air practically hummed with energy, a steady throb seemed to pulse as she called yet more to her. When earlier the displaced light had been mostly shifted, now, now it was waiting to be put to good use as it concentrated itself around and within her.
In was in this manner, focused and with her arsenal edging to be released, that she turned that, oh so, crucial corner. As she did two rather trivial, but practical, events occurred. First, all the glowing walls, par those that trapped the youth in his current position, lifted and eroded into the artificial night. Second, the final orb adapted to become a wall just behind her, so that he was truly trapped. In doing so she become a dark outline against the ruby glow behind her, and it was then that she acted.
Acted, though implies a dramatic climax, to which Nox wasn’t partial to, which is why it was more a matter of ‘proceeding’. In this proceeding she stood unmoved as the energy that tugged and pulled at its reins bolted as it was given its task. Heat. But no where near a comfortable amount. What Nox is concerning herself with is concentrating a vast amount of energy at the youth’s head, and so his brain. Now, would be a good time to bring up the point that the human brain can only endure slight temperature fluctuations before its neurons are damaged. In normal cases, however, a rather a smart system of homeostasis deals with temperature variation. In this instance, however, it would be way out of its league.
This practical method had been played on many before this youth; no one ever lasted long since the unbearable pain felt similar to brains actually burning. She didn’t intend to kill him, but rather as mentioned to educate, and to scare. Should he yield, due to her current state of employment, she would, however, comply. Well, so her logic tells her. As she unleashed the energy she noticed with slight displease that the flow of so much energy was causing her finger tips to glow. I’ve got to work on that. Her mind soon snapped back to her task, and so it an unforgiving tone she added some simple words as his pain began to set in: “You still want to play games?”
Waiting. It seemed to Zephyr that most of his life so far had been engaged in this simple, yet tedious practice. Ever since he had developed conscious thought and realized that he detested his life he had waited for a chance to extradite himself from his conditions. Then, once his mutation had manifested, he had waited nearly four years; developing the gift within his blood, gradually gaining control before he broke away and freed himself from his father’s grasp. Still, even after he had become independent the majority of his existence had been spent in this pseudo purgatory, a period of anxiety, of expectations, and all too often, of boredom. It would, perhaps, have been thought that after having spent nearly 18 years of his life this way that the elemental would have become accustomed to such episodes of interlude and the monotony that they inexorably introduced and, for the most part, this was true. The mercenary had learned the necessity of waiting, he could hardly have hoped to succeed in his profession had he not developed some form of patience, but still, something nagged at him as he lingered in the darkened alcove that had abruptly become his prison. A sense of unnatural anxiety which he could not seem to dispel though he knew its origins all too well.
Staying here was pointless. Such a simple fact and the source of his unease, yet it was one the elemental could not accept. His curiosity and pride wouldn’t let him, for once he acknowledged this small truth there would no longer be anything to keep him here. His brief stratagem did not after all require that he be present in order for it to be executed correctly. Indeed his trap could be accomplished from the other side of the labs if he so wished and veritably that would be the rational course of action, for staying here was an unnecessary risk. His ego however, dictated that he remain where he was so that he might observe his adversary’s frustration and anger when he enlightened her as to the futility of her efforts, and so he stayed. Despite his own perception though the wait for his adversary, if indeed she could be called that, was not lengthy as it seemed; for the blonde virago was little more than a few feet away and was progressing at a swift pace. Indeed he could already hear her footsteps echoing down the metallic corridors in testament to her nearing proximity. And so as his last vestiges of time withered away the elemental prepared himself for another rendition of his duplicitous affectations. His features shifted in the utter darkness, lips curving upwards to form an insidious yet pleasant smile and his eyes widened a fraction to display the full colouring of his iris and so complete the factitious auror of good humour he did not entirely feel. There was, sadly, a good chance that these aesthetic adaptations would prove wholly irrelevant for he was gambling upon a variable that he himself could not control. The elemental was not overly worried though; he did after all consider himself something a dilettante, in the more refined sensed of the word as course, and so he knew there were other means by which one could convey their mien.
As the last corner was turned and the echoing footsteps reached their peak in volume Zephyr finally felt the woman enter his alcove, displacing the air around her as she strode through the desolate passage and emerged into what would have been the mercenary’s line of sight. To the young man’s slight chagrin though the blonde did nothing to lift the veil which clouded his eyes, or at least she did not do enough; a single wall of pulsing crimson energy was all the elemental was given with which to view the outline of his pursuer. It was not entirely what he had been hoping for, but as it was not something under his control Zephyr did not allow himself to dwell on the slight disappointment. Instead he set his mind to work on the information which could be gleaned off what he had been given.
Posture was obviously the first thing he noted, the woman was not slouching in any manner, nor was she leaning lazily against the confines of the tunnels as the elemental himself was, her back was straight and her shoulders were set, her head however was on a slight incline as though she were attempting to look down upon him. This in itself was easy enough to interpret; her mood towards him had obviously not improved since their initial encounter and so she was of a mind to harm him in some way and so restore a measure of her own pride. The question was; would she act immediately or embark on some trite rodomontade before hand? A part of the merc hoped for the latter of the two as it would give him no small amount of satisfaction to reveal to the girl the fallaciousness of her own statement.
Alas such a sense of satisfaction was not to be.
It began as a mild heating sensation, as though someone had abruptly chosen to increase the temperature in the already stifling confines of the metallic labyrinth, and at first Zephyr dismissed it simply as that. However the elemental swiftly became aware of the fact that this new, and rapidly increasing heat, was focused on only upon his skull. It didn't take a savant to divine the origin of this pernicious new phenomenon and, sure enough, a brief glance at the blondes glittering fingertips was all the mercenary required to confirm his suspicions. ‘What is she playing at?’ The situation was swiftly revealing itself to be more irksome than he had anticipated, already a steady stream of sweat was beginning to show on the elementals face as his body vainly attempted to combat the extraneous rise in temperature. Idly the mercenary wiped his brow, he was almost tempted to cut his losses and simply abandon the noxious woman to the bleak network of metallic passages… almost. He was still reluctant to withdraw until he had at least discerned the nature of her mutation, but what did he have to go on? The ability to subjugate light and.. heat…
‘Please don’t tell me it’s that simple. How had he not been able to put the two together? Light and heat they were one and the same, all that separated them was a slight difference in amplitude and if this woman had the ability to completely manipulate such a spectrum then, well… suffice to say such news did not bode well. He needed time to consider the implications of this revelation and sadly time was something he did not have.
“You still want to play games?”[/color]
For as long as Simon could remember there had only ever been one person who had hurt him physically, just one man. Ever since his powers had manifested themselves though pain had become almost…optional. His powers had enabled him to strike faster, harder and from further away than anyone else he had yet to encounter. Guns had, in the past, provided some level of difficulty but it had always been a matter of simply finding the individual behind the barrel and then eliminating them. In short pain had not been an active factor in the mercenary’s life for the past few years. So when the blonde finished speaking and the searing heat surrounding his skull suddenly increased tenfold Zephyr’s body all but collapsed against the wall behind him. It felt as though someone had taken a lit cigarette and was holding it against every inch of his skull. Pain flooded through his system as his eyes watered and a cry of pain was strangled into a gasp for scorching air before the elemental managed to lock his jaw shut. Low pain threshold or no he would not show such a level of weakness to a mere woman. Still, the damage had been done and his ego was wounded; he had been brought literally to his knees by this virago, this.. harpy, and he would retaliate.
A piercing squall sprang into being within the shadowed confines of Zephyr’s metallic cage as the mercenary’s temper got the better of him. The howling wind surrounded and rapidly circled the elemental like a malevolent shield, promising retribution upon the perpetrator of such malfeasance against its master. With the winds creation however there also came an unexpected respite from the blazing heat as the rushing air currents crossed the elementals face, aiding his body’s failed attempt at homeostasis and permitting him to clear his mind of the pervading darkness which had been threatening his consciousness though the pain was still present.
“Back. Off.” The words were snarled from between clenched teeth as he raised his head to meet the eyes of his adversary and glared at her darkened outline. A charging gale emanated forth from the merc’s kneeling form, filling the entire width of the shallow passage as it hurtled towards its target with pernicious intent. The attack was similar in form to the one he had used against Tris Evans during their somewhat aggressive altercation at the warehouse district. The blow had easily lifted the girl off her feet and sent her flying a good fifteen feet. The same effect should be achieved here, hopefully with interest.
--
((OOC: Well here you have it, it took me almost a week to find the time to put it together but it’s done and I’m happy with it. Note though that I am posting this “straight from the presses” as it were and I have not had a chance to edit it.
Tears. In the soft crimson light, which she automatically altered in order to see her opponent, Nox saw the incriminating tears spill from the youth’s eyes, as he crumpled inwards, and let out a howl of pain. And there you had it, his weakness: pain. Like every other creature, stimulate some sensors in his brain and he was nothing, just a howling beast who can’t defend himself. Oh no doubt he could fight, his obnoxious arrogance spoke for that, but he had clearly became overly confident. It was one thing to be arrogant and to be untouchable, but as he had just demonstrated, he was arrogant and beatable. Everyone feels pain, the trick was to get used it, toughen up, and not to avoid it, because otherwise one day when you wake up in real world you’ll in trouble.
Nox wasn’t a sadist; pain in others didn’t give her pleasure, but on the other hand if pain happened to come hand in hand with revenge and success, then it often gave her a sense of satisfaction. But seeing the youth on his knees before her, she didn’t feel satisfaction. Yes, she had restored her pride, but the only emotion behind her eyes was scorn. Scorn for the youth whose dismissal she had seen turn to belief, and then escalate to fear, as his pride crumbled before him. It was funny how long it took the average person to realise they were helpless, that they were in trouble. And strangely enough it was that time they wasted in dismal that might have been used to launch a counter, which pre-empted, rather than followed, the attack.
Talking of counters and retaliation, Nox noted with an arching eyebrow that his was about to come. Well at least he still has a backbone. That’s good. Bracing herself against the gusts of winds that began to crash against her, she focused upon keeping the heat focused upon his brain. Yes, the winds that now embraced the youth’s kneeling body cooled, but that was a bit late, for now the problem had very defiantly set in. The amount of displaced light meant that she could easily compensate the wind by simply increasing the heat, but she had to do so with caution or risk forcing his body past its limit. Since the heat was now at a very delicate point, and she had to fight to keep it below the level when his neurons would be damaged; Hunter might not be so pleased with that.
A primeval snarl erupted from his lips, and was barely recognisable as being from the same owner who had been taunting her earlier. Accompanying the snarl, was a torrent of air, that was unpredictable strong. Though not exactly from out-of-the-blue, Nox was still shocked, since she hadn’t exactly predicted being picked upand flung 7m backwards, before being slammed into a metal pipe. Its strange how your mind focuses on trivial details when being attacked sometimes. For instance, while Nox was flying through the air, her mind went through the following stages: First, two images. Her dagger stopping mid-flight. The wind howling around him. Second, one rather obvious word – Wind. And finally, a memory of a conversation. This combination led to one rather definite conclusion: I know him. Calley told me. He’s Zephyr, the west wind.
The impact with the metal piping, had several effects. First, she was stunned momentarily, which meant that, just for a second, the heat she had been focusing was free. Secondly, a gash on the top of her forehead meant that a single drop of blood had now outlined the one side of her face, before falling to the ground. The gash, however, apart from spilling a little blood, was of no consequence, which was fortunate for the youth. Finally, her anger. The second her mind had shaken off the first slumbering veils that tempted her mind into unconsciousness, anger consumed her. The pure desire for revenge was almost overwhelming; a single, fragile strand of control held back her temper. She had nearly killed him. The energy had been ready, eager even, to simply blast him. She had come so close. Had she unleashed the energy, radiation would have surged through the youth’s body, killing every living cell. He didn’t know how lucky he was. It wasn’t that the proposition of killing him was repelling, if anything it was inviting, but that after years of training she had still almost acted on blind anger, that was shocking. A insignificant corner of her mind murmured to itself, unheard by the rest of her, it was rather impressed with his counter. Though quite clearly it was a pure instinct that pain had catalysed, his power was impressive. Not that this thought managed to surface of course, since more important issues, such as revenge were being dealt with, but it was there.
“Do that again and I’ll kill you.” A statement. It was unquestionable as it hung in the air between them.
"You think you’re in pain now, I can ensure that having every cell in your body die from radiation is unbelievably worse.” A threat. It was clear, pristine, and held no doubts of the implications.
"It your choice…Zephyr.” An implication. It held within its four simple words the question to which would decide his future, and the ending…the ending, the name, was knowledge. And knowledge was a completely different power.
Her voice was low, dangerously so, and as the words forced themselves from her slightly winded body they rasped as her final warning was issued. Another employee or not, should he be foolish enough to do that again, she wouldn’t have any control left.
Both of them were on the ground facing each other; she was crumpled against a pipe as she still recovered from being stunned, he was on his knees as pain still surged through his mind. The parallel and symmetry of the moment was lost on Nox, all she knew was that her gaze was once more locked with his. She was a rather focused individual, and so even now her thoughts rested on one thing: energy. She grasped onto this one focus, even while parts of her brain called out in pain, and so soon reasserted her will over the heat. Having collected the heat so that she could attack, and kill, at any moment, she waited for his response. Though the heat wouldn’t immediately disperse, she didn’t continue the onslaught, or at least she wouldn’t until his next move. Her mind, held onto one absolute truth: should he try to attack again he would die.
Heat. Pain. The two sensations were one and the same in the mercenary’s mind as he struggled to gather himself. Still lying exhausted in an involuntary kneeling position his arms hung limply by his sides as his chest and shoulders heaved with the force of each breath he took. The unnatural vortex he had conjured mere moments ago still circled his form though it’s original intensity had greatly diminished once the temperature had ceased to continue rising. Ironically enough though the external disturbance in the air perfectly mirrored the elementals current mental state; it was a whirlwind of chaotic emotions. Anger, apprehension, humiliation, and resentment all clamored for attention in the dark haze of his thoughts. ‘What the hell was he doing lying here like a useless corpse! Why couldn’t he move? He was better than this, he had to get up. Then he’d deal with that blonde witch…’
‘No.’ Zephyr shook his head as he recognized the direction his thoughts were taking; he couldn’t afford to let his mind sink into petty thoughts of revenge, not when he couldn’t even stand and certainly not mere seconds after the fact. He’d end up doing something both foolish and ill advised, the woman just wasn’t worth it.
“Do that again and I’ll kill you.”[/color]
The elementals head snapped up as he focused on blonde; he hadn’t thought she was still conscious. Yet there she was, slumped against the mangled piece of piping, bearing a bloody gash across her brow as a single trail of crimson fluid to streak down the side of her face. In the dim scarlet light that now illuminated the passageway he was at last able to read the woman’s features and for a moment he was almost impressed; for the elemental had met very few individuals who were able to radiate such malevolent intent. The expression in itself was far more potent than any threat could possibly have been. Despite this though the mercenary could not suppress the slight shudder which ran through his frame, nor the rasping laugh which crawled from his parched throat and echoed within the confines of the metallic labyrinth. Such an action may have been considered foolish by some, and suicidal by others yet Zephyr continued regardless, even though his chest ached and his skull throbbed with pain he continued to laugh and, slowly, his mind began to clear as the miasma of malign emotions withered away.
Such behavior though was obviously not appreciated by his unwanted companion. Her continued threats went unheeded however for that was all they were; threats. The girl was far from her prime condition and although she had proved herself to possess a rather thick skull she should at the very least be dealing with a minor concussion and that alone would make any type of concentration difficult. Even if this were not the case the elemental knew the threats would go unfulfilled for two reasons…
"It your choice…Zephyr.”[/color]
The mercenary in question stifled his uncharacteristic joviality as his ears pricked and he turned his attention towards the figure in front of him with a thin smile upon his features. So she knew his moniker? That was interesting but it was hardly a reason to be concerned; he had created that particular alias precisely so people would not who he was. Still, if she wanted to make a point…
“My choice, heh…” The elemental shook his head in dry amusement. “You really haven’t thought this through have you?” he chided in an almost mocking tone before turning strangely serious, “Do you know the term for those who purposefully attempt to kill one of their teammates?”
He left the implications of his statement hanging in the air, while he himself held no illusions that Hunter actually cared for anyone in his employ Zephyr knew that he was one of the few individuals alive who knew the true scope of the immortals mutation in addition to a certain weakness he possessed towards an individual named Paragon. If Hunter had even a modicum of paranoia in his system then a few carefully chosen words along with today encounter would be all that was required for the vampires suspicion to fall upon the ill tempered woman.
For some reason the elemental doubted that those who lost Hunters trust lived long and fulfilling lives.
---
((OOC: I know I am long overdue, RL has not been kind and I would like to take this to apologize for the poor quality of the post. I have been out of action for a few months so it will take me a while to work back to the standard I am usually at.))
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Though she was able to keep the essential part of her mind focused, she found the clouding of the corners of her vision somewhat disconcerting. She quickly realised that any attempt to stand would be extremely unwise. His words found her. Their threat, for though of a different nature that’s what they unmistakably were, had a strange effect on Nox. The social threat seemed so entirely irrelevant nad low, it was extraordinary low, altered her perception somewhat. Maybe it was that her thoughts were still spinning, maybe it was simply the desperation of resorting to such a threat was shocking, either way her anger subsided as her mind took a step back and saw the proud teenager for what he was. People can become a bit touchy if you dent their pride. The despising set in her eyes disappeared and was replaced by clear glance that came from a sort of controlled calm, which flooded across her – How had she let herself get so worked up other the arrogant youth? He simply wasn’t worth it. Her mind now searched for the fastest way of resolving the situation, and soon stumbled across one which would suffice.
“That was low.” Her tone, which had early been full of spite, was now calm, and the statement seemed to be more of an observation than a critic. Though in actual fact it merely served as a distraction. The veils of darkness faded along with the red curtains of light as the roof returned to its natural condition. The change in light didn’t even require her to blink, though the release from controlling the light came as a welcomed relief. She doubted he would be foolish enough not to distrust the return of light, but the act had practical reasons behind it.
From the moment the idea had struck she had begun, so by the time that the metallic pipes could be seen it was already underway. The art of sapping someone’s strength, their energy, was one she had mastered over several years. The trick was patience, for a slow, steady decent in temperature would only be realised in its final moments, by which point the numbing effect would have already set in. Little by little his heat was being stolen. At first his body would regulate itself and his conscious brain wouldn’t even register the change. And then, as his body become unable to replace it loss, he might realise that the he had begun to shiver. But it would only be when his extremities were numb and when the sleep of unconsciousness called for him, that he would fully realise that something was wrong. By then there would little he could do, since for the sake of survival his mind would sink into unconsciousness, and then all she had to do was to reclaim her knife and leave. And so slumped against the same pipe, step by step, she stole his energy and put her plan into action.
“Just stating a fact” the elemental replied in a more casual tone. He too had gained a more level head despite the migraine still pulsing within his cranium and while this also brought a slight wave of nausea the merc could live with it for the moment. What he needed to do right now was plan his next move, however his options were extremely limited; while he could possibly summon a blade to slice the blonde in half he was doubtful how accurate the strike would be in his current condition. Additionally, if he chose to take a more aggressive route he would have to tax his weary with creating a scenario that would not only justify his actions but would also be believable. He was certain that various surveillance devices around the facility had captured their actions until they had entered the overly complex network of pipelines so he wouldn’t be able to get away with an unexplained murder… which was a pity.
The truth of the matter was that this woman, however unlikely, had the potential to kill him. An unpleasant prospect by any means, especially to one who had previously considered himself untouchable by almost any type of assault. This by no means meant that he was incapable of defeating her in any future encounter; there was more than one way to skin a cat after all and certainly more than one way to fight. Compared to most mutants the elemental had a vast array of techniques at his disposal for just such an occurrence yet, the fact that he would have to waste one of them on such an opponent was… disheartening to say the least.
Sadly he couldn’t act immediately , any anomalies at this point in time would only arouse the blonde’s suspicion and the current ploy he had in mind would be best serve if the girl was unaware of what was happening. For the moment he needed to distract her, neither of them were in any position to do anything drastic so nothing would be lost in doing. Retaining his nonchalant expression Zephyr’s azure eyes blinked briefly in the newly restored before developing a wry grin and emitting a low chuckle far more subdued than his previous display. “Hmm? You wouldn’t happen to be giving up would you? If so I shall accept your surrender magnanimously.” There was light and almost hopeful tone present as the British merc voiced his query yet it was entirely for show. The elemental’s more logical side recognized the move for what it was likely; the abandonment of a pointless activity. So while he once more engaged in the foolish charade his other energies were spent on a more subtle ploy.
Delving silently into his gift once again Zephyr opened his perceptions to the spectrum of air permeating the area, immediately he became aware of his element, its flow its strength, the presence of every particle of gas within the labyrinth and beyond. It was akin to having a fourth dimension with which to view things; yet describing such a sense would be straying from the focus of the elemental’s efforts.
Air, as the reader shall most likely know, is compromised of a vast multitude of elements the majority of what humans breathe is comprised of Nitrogen and Oxygen. It is the latter which allows all sentient life on earth to exist, needless to say then that without it one would be in very dire straits indeed. That therefore was the reason Zephyr was proceeding to systematically grasp all traces of the life giving element from his companions immediate area, bending it to his will and manipulating it away from the blonde. The effects of such an action would by no means be immediately noticeable, at most all the woman would feel was meager light headed sensation would slowly progress to a type of exhaustion before ultimately leading to a lack of consciousness.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Meaningless conversation disturbed the otherwise silent tunnel, though these echoing sounds did nothing to hide the tension that still dominated the situation. Since, regardless of the fact both of them had managed to regain control over their emotions, there was no illusion of amity, on the contrary they had both merely concluded to try another route. And so though, to an onlooker, the situation may have appeared to lighten, it was in fact exactly as it had previously been. One could even go so far to say that, with the two mutants possessing as clear heads as possible under the circumstances, the situation had in fact become more deadly.
The meaningless conversation did help to serve Nox’s plan, and so rather than ignore it she encouraged it, and so retorted with a healthy amount of sarcasm: “ As much as I hate to refuse such a generous offer, I’m afraid I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” Even if he had the upper hand, and so the weight for such an offer, surrender wasn’t something Nox would conceive to, ever, and from his chivalrous tone she guessed he assumed as much. Having done her part to uphold their act of conversation, her mind could devote its entirety to her attack. The steady drain of his energy was well under way, but, in order to keep it from sudden lurches and so to alert him, it required careful monitoring. Her thoughts, therefore, meticulously supervised as her expression gave not only no sign of intent but was also guarded against the slightest indication of her concentration. The coupled effect of her occupied focus and mildly concussed, and so dizzy mind, resulted in her conscious paying no recognition to the slight light headedness that stacked on top of all her preceding problems. Little did she know that the oxygen, which her body relied upon, was being slowly withheld from her.
Both mutants unknowingly were fast approaching unconsciousness; if you were to note their tactics as they both falsely conversed while subtly attacking the other you would find their similarities unnerving. Though the question remained as to whether Zephyr or Nox would first lapse into that tempting sleep, and it was this question that would determine the conclusion of this, oh so pleasant, encounter.
*
The shock met no resistance while it spread across her face as her mind realised its oxygen starvation too late. Her body reacted on reflex and so gasped and wheezed as it tried to, no avail, to gain the essential gas that it craved. Her mind ran in circles as it firstly tried to comprehend just how this had happened, and secondly as it concluded again and again that she couldn’t do anything. Amidst the chaos two thoughts remained untouched and coherent. The first that it was his fault, and so amongst her panicked expression her eyes regained their glint of hatred as her mind leapt to the horror that she would be killed by this detestable, arrogant whelp. The second that he would go down too. The last clear thought of revenge burned in her conscious mind, and so with her last resources of oxygen she continued her energy draining. With the last fluttering of her conscious she bore down upon her last shred of hope with all her will as she attempted to bring him over the edge with her. The dark void embraced her drowning mind as her body tried to save it self with desperate prioritising. Her head slumped to one side as the lingering electrical signals of her last thought slowly faded behind her eyelids.
A long theatrical sigh left Zephyr’s lips as he hung his head in faux disappointment, “For a second, I almost thought you were going to make this easy for me.” Raising his head the merc fixed the blonde with an almost rueful expression, though his cobalt orbs seemed to dance to some private joke. “I suppose I should have known better really.” Idly shrugging his shoulders the elemental adjusted his position to maximize contact with the pipes at his back in order to stifle the sudden shivering sensation he was feeling. The whole situation had almost become something of a game; with the two of them playing to some unwritten script, waiting to see who would be first to falter in their pretense of idle banter. Such a discursive rodomontade was almost instinctual for the elemental, though considering he was far from sociable he could not for the life of him say why this was. Like most things however it mattered little in the long run; he needed only to buy himself a little more time without suspicion; having already managed to easily drain the oxygen levels to suitably fatiguing levels it would not be long before the pestiferous blonde lost consciousness.
Shivering once again Zephyr made an attempt to press himself more firmly against the warmth at his back, his limbs however proved themselves to be unusually stiff and moved at such a languid pace that he his form remained largely quiescent. Perplexed by the numbness in his limbs Simon’s brows furrowed briefly as he wondered how the room, which had only moments ago been almost stifling hot, had now become so cold without his noticed. The answer to such a query flashed through his mind immediately as his aqua gaze shot upwards to meet those of his companions. ‘That bloody b****!’ She was copying him; removing heat instead of adding it and hoping he wouldn’t notice till he passed out.
‘Bugger that.’
Swiftly doubling his previous efforts the elemental rapidly withdrew the remaining oxygen he had been intending to leave behind as a courtesy. The blonde virago could choke on nitrogen for a few moments till she went down; he wasn’t going to be beaten by his own strategy.
And so he watched through narrow eyes as the woman’s body began to convulse; gulping and gasping as it searched desperately for the element it had been denied. Such efforts though, were for naught; in such a confined space natural air currents were practically nonexistent and so without Simon’s influence the diverted oxygen had no cause to return to the girl’s vicinity. Simply put; without the merc’s intervention the blonde would die a slow, quiet death.
Catching the intense gleam of malice in his companion’s watery gray eyes the elemental could tell that the woman was well aware of his actions and so allowed a smug expression to flitter across his features as she struggled with what she likely believed were her last breaths. He was, therefore, ill prepared for the last, desperate, assault which was sent his way and could only gasp in response as icy fingers tore into his flesh, chilling his blood, slowing his heart and stripping his body of all heat. His eyes flew wide in sudden panic as his mind froze; focusing on a single thought.
‘Not. Like. This.’
Later, on the rare occasions that he would look back on this event, Zephyr would not be able to say whether he had acted consciously or not, only that one moment he had felt himself fading into a deadly arctic embrace and the next he had unleashed a barrage of razor winds within metallic alcove. Slicing deeply into the surrounding walls, puncturing surrounding pipelines and unleashing showers of hot steam into labyrinth of tunnels which stirred the dead air and swiftly covered confined area in a thick mist.
What the elemental did know, though he would never admit it, was that the act likely saved his life and, sadly, the life of the woman he would later learn was called Nox.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Hazily the metallic world of pipes reformed itself in between a series of heavy blinks. I’m not dead? The question, which currently had the black abyss of her mind for itself, was only answered after another succession of blinks as coherency was once more mastered by her thoughts. Cold metallic sheets beneath her fingertips, a circular pipe that her spine had moulded around, and the weak rays of sunlight that found her pupil - I’m alive. ‘How?’, however, was a question which would have to remain unanswered until she gained complete control over her conscious, which given her current state of disorientation, accountably to the oxygen starvation her brain had survived through, would take a moment or two. For the time being the simple act of being sustained her. Her life had courted death on several occasions, but this had been the closest in a long while, and she had forgotten, but not missed, the exceptional reawakening, in which, for a brief moment, you could appreciate fully the basics that you normally took for granted. And so for a rare moment she did, and so she simply was.
With logic regained her first move was to assess her situation, and, to her relief, she found that, excluding a mild headache and the crusted over gash on the side of her forehead, she was unharmed. Next, her mind addressed the early question – How? Questioning her memory produced no answers, since her last memory consisted of falling into darkness while trying to take her revenge. It was then that she noticed the change the pipe-lined tunnel had undergone – several pipes had been gashed. Their entrails of hot steam were by now only leaking out, and forming a fine mist as they did so. Though the wounded pipes didn’t exactly point to a clear conclusion, they did lead to the logical assumption that he had managed one desperate last act, which was why she was alive. Linking several points together, and having released exactly what the escaping hot steam meant, a possible scenario formed in her mind: the two of them on the brink and pulling each other down, his final act, an attempt to save his life by releasing hot air into the tunnel. Whether he had succeeded from this distance she couldn’t tell, what was evident was that the act, whether intentionally or not, had supplied her with oxygen. The scenario held no certainties and possessed a fair number of gaps, but it was the most logical conclusion, and so her mind accepted it.
Finally, her thoughts came to rest upon the figure slumped at the other end of the tunnel. Slowly, and with a slight stumble as the world momentarily unfocused, she stood. Experimentally she took a step, and to her surprise found the world remained in focus. Having covered the distance between them, she stood and looked down at him. Her gaze noted the slight rise and fall of his chest. So he had managed to save himself. She was somewhat surprised to realise she didn’t feel anything about his current state; whether she should feel anger or relief she didn’t know, but she had expected some reaction. Her heel kicked the hilt of her blade back towards her from where it presumably had been dropped when he had collapsed. Having bent down to retrieve it before placing it in its rightfully place, Nox found herself faced with a slight issue as she stared down at his limp body– To walk away or finish him off? She knew very well that her morals had no qualms against killing somebody when they were unable to defend themselves, that’s what a few years in the assassin business did to you. Nevertheless she found her self speaking: “A life for a life”, the heavy words spoken lightly to the silence faded slowly in the interior of the tunnel. Whether it was down to the honourable ideal she spoke of or whether, and more likely, it was because she realised the murder would mean at the very least her job, she didn’t know. She did, however, know that she was walking away, but that didn’t mean that this was the end of this matter. Not in the slightest. The light echoing of her fading footsteps were the only thing she left behind as she emerged from the metallic labyrinth into the awaiting world.