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.
Kyle had found entertainment in rolling a small bolt of his energy through his fingers as he waited. Much like you did with a coin, the bolt started in between his index finger and ring finger, then danced to the next gap in his fingers all the way down to his pinky and ring finger. Then he'd roll it back to the start and begin again. A simple trick to most eyes, but keeping the bolt from flying free was harder then it looked; Kyle was only able to do it so well because he'd practiced it for a long while.
Now it was just a good test of his concentration and a way to let himself think. As luck would have it though, he didn't have to let his mind wander long. Not five minutes after his arrival, the sound of footsteps approaching at a rapid pace told him someone was coming and a quick glance out the corner of his eye showed him just who that was.
Her voice and tone helped with that recognition too.
Smiling, Kyle turned sideways to face Isabel, her face all business and anger, though the latter he was only able to tell based off her tone. She obviously didn't want to be here, yet she had anyway and that either made her more mad or this was just her natural reaction to him now. Ah, what fun it would be to drag on the fact that he was likely about to be on the same side. For now though, he simply bowed his head to her, placing his free hand on his hip while the other craddled the helmet to his side.
"What, wanting to see your lovely face and charming personality isn't reason enough? He smiled wickedly, half teasing, half speaking a smidgen of truth. "But relax, its not my only or main reason for calling.
Now, no need to be hostile from the first word. I come under the pretense of a peaceful meeting, not a blood shower like last time. Unless you want to spar it out, something I don't have a problem with but would make my coming here a bit harder. The reason I'm here is simple and easy to understand. I came because I wanted to meet with you so I could get to know you. To hang out as people would call it...that's not a crime, is it Isabel?"
He expected laughter. He wouldn't doubt it. He just hoped it was a "are you nuts" laugh rather then a "I'm gonna hurt you" laugh. Oh well...card was played, time to see what the house folded for him.
It's amazing how much can change in a single week.
A week ago, Kyle had been living in the mansion that belonged to the X-Men, trying to figure out just what exactly was his place in that world. Not more then a day after his arrival, he had ventured into the city looking for trouble and had found it in the form of a beautiful mutant named Isabel. Beautiful...and just as deadly. His fight with her had shown him a limit he hadn't run into before and spurred his efforts to train himself more.
Not more then a few days later, Kyle had again ventured into the lowest levels of the city to find someone worthy of his strength. This time, he had encountered Lori, a young woman that had seemed out of place in the darkest dredges of society. Out of place in image only though; after speaking with her and letting himself be lead to do as she bid, he had begun to figure that she wasn't so out of place in that place after all. Adding to that was her "visit" to that location in the alley that had ended in...well, disaster for the people inside.
Through Lori, Kyle had encountered Noel and Sebastian. Lori had promised him he would fight the older man, but Sebastian had offered Noel in his place. In her, Kyle found himself evenly matched, for the most part, and at the end of their battle, Kyle had requested to apprentice himself to the woman, having seen that his reckless style of fighting wasn't going to get him anywhere. Goddamn unicorn probably thought his words made him see that...and in a way, they did. Either way, Kyle's head was finally on right and he knew what he needed to do in order to become strong like he wanted to be. The only thing he had to worry about now was...did he follow the X-men or follow Lori's...Order.
Now, a week after his first encounter with Isabel, Kyle was back in that part of town where he had encountered her, living up to his promise. He had told her he would contact her a week from their meeting date and then meet with her at a building across from where they had fought. The building, as it were, was an open cafe, not as high class as the ones in the more lovely parts of town, but well enough that people down here used it frequently enough. Amazingly enough, when he had contacted Isabel, it had been here that answered. Heck, the fact that she answered at all blew his mind, though he didn't let this effect his coming.
Kyle's bike droned on constantly as he pulled it into a turn that would bank it next to the alley they had fought at. In a week's time, he had taken a drastic turn in thinking and manners. Now he would see what the bone lady thought about such a change. Parking the bike and unclipping his helmet, he crossed the road as he pulled the helmet off him, his outfit being black jeans, open fingered gloves, a black jacket with red stripes on the arms and white lining around the neck. Shaking out his black and red hair, Kyle glanced around for any sign of the woman, his emerald eyes sparking in the dimly lit night streets.
If there was one person more surprised then the older warrior with the sword, it was Kyle. Not just from the fact that the women he had just been fighting had just told the man to stop; but because he actually stopped. If Kyle's memory wasn't fooling him, the man was her superior or teacher or what not. And yet, here he was, obeying her command to cease attacking him. It rose a lot of questions while answering almost nothing. On top of the blank slate that some of his memories about the fight seemed to be, it was enough to drive the ordinary man insane.
But Kyle had long ago learned that a cooled mind and body won in battle, though you could heat up your drive in order to fight longer and better. Even though he didn't want to admit it, random fighting really wasn't fighting for a purpose, which had in the past, made him feel stronger then he should have been. More confident. Sure, it allowed him to test his style against many foes with different ways of fighting themselves, illuminating faults and strengths he could adapt around later, but it would likely get him killed. Despite knowing that, he did it anyway. And until now, he really hadn't given it any thought about why.
Noel's words about the past made him remember and recalculate; he did have a purpose before. When did he lose himself so much that he justified it through his reckless fighting? The thought made him ache as it forced him to remember Ariel but it was an ache he needed to feel. It slapped him back to reality...just in time to catch the man's words that seemed to mirror his own thoughts. Either the man was a mind reader or he had come to the conclusion just as Kyle had.
Mind reader...that made Kyle freeze as he read the situation once again, his mind clear and directed once again. The man before him had a horn...a horn!...and that could only mean he was a mutant. The woman had spoken about memories only he knew about, that he knew only a few were present for and she wasn't anywhere in those memories. That likely meant she'd done something in order to see them...or had a good network with which she got the information from. Illogical that thought; until today, she had never seen Kyle. Her reaction to him told him as much. So that left mutant as the most logical explanation.
That rose the question; why was he fighting against mutants? A normal human would have to be mad to try and fight a mutant by themselves, let alone two at once. A glance to Lori had him throwing in the chance that there was three mutants. Either he was suicidal or had a plan, there was only one other reason he would be bold enough to challenge a mutant to a fight. Adding to those thoughts was the fact that despite knowing they'd rolled around a bit already, Kyle didn't feel the least bit tired. In fact, he felt amazing, minus the parts of his body she'd connected with. Logically, there was only one conclusion. And it all came flooding back, so quickly he was almost overwhelmed by the suddenness of it. Grabbing his head, Kyle took a deep breath to ignore the ache it gave his head, which faded after only a moment.
Standing, Kyle folded his arms and sighed in relief. "Well, that was an experience. A most interesting mutation you seem to have there my lady. I applaud it. Now then..it seems I have some things to answer too.
Your right, of course. I should have asked to take this fight outside rather then make chaos within this place. Nor can I deny that my actions were selfish either. I asked to fight and did so without thinking about the repercussions. Luckily, I think you gave me the kick I needed to reevaluate my direction.
Mr Horn or whatever your name is, you make a good point. Aimless fighting has its advantages, but as you've clearly pointed it, its cons outweigh its pros. I probably could benefit from some direction like your suggesting...but I'm sorry to say that despite your confidence in the man, my lady, I don't think he'd be the best suited as my teacher. However...you managed to see something about my past. That means you know more about me then he does and as such, you can likely see how I work better.
So here's my suggestion; whether we continue this fight or not matters not to me anymore. Personally, I'd like to continue it a bit more, because your skills are grand and test me greatly already. However, I'm willing to stop if that's what you want. But if I'm going to be shown some discipline and learn, I'd ask that it be done by you." His eyes stared directly at Noel, though he lowered his eyes enough so that he wasn't making eye contact. Not taking that chance again.
"That's not exactly a bad deal. Heck, if you're concerned Mr Horn, you can be around to make sure I behave. But she's the best suited to teach me now, whether you believe me or not. So...whats the verdict?"
A smile creased Kyle's face as he saw Sara blush again, his own feelings about their banter and battle obviously matching her own. Then Sara mentioned her other half; Kyle's expression didn't falter but his mind did skip a beat at this. She already had someone who respected her gifts and beauty did she? Well, that meant this party wouldn't end in one way, but that would be fine. It was a disappointment, but there was nothing he could do about that.
He could enjoy the rest of the game though. "Well, he could eat me, yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. I'd disagree with his stomach later. But whoever he is, he's quite the lucky...well, man I hope. Or cat man.
The neat thing about Kyle's power was that even in its weakest form, it still stung like no tomorrow. And the spots his shots hit would feel like they'd been burned for a while, even though there was no real heat in the bolts. Kyle had used slightly stronger bolts for Sara, enough so that they'd do a little more then sting horribly without causing too much damage. Still, they accomplished the task Kyle hoped they would. Catch her by surprise and throw her off balance.
Seeing Sara stumble off her perch on the wall, Kyle's first instinct was to try and help her. Then his logic kicked in, along with the part of him that understood her skills first hand...and so he waited, readying his guard. If her previous showings had been any evidence...ah, there she went. Even as he was thinking it, Sara was moving to correct her situation. As she stumbled from the wall, her arm shot out to catch it on the way down. As she swung down, she used the momentum from her fall to slingshot herself back up to the far wall; and just as easily, she propelled herself from there back towards were Kyle was standing.
The suddenness of her launch caught him by surprise. He likely only managed to avoid heavy damage from her next moves because he was already expecting something to come from her. His eyes tracked her every move and his body was already moving when her leg came swiping in for his stomach. Still, for all his preparation, she was still a heck of a lot faster then him, so the tip of her foot grazed him, sending a lance up pain up from his side. Wincing, he ignored the pain in order to deal with the follow up attack, a kick for his head. He was still moving back at this point, so the foot swung through the air harmlessly in front of him and Sara was suddenly there, perched in front of him.
"Be still my beating heart, I think I"m in complete awe of your mastery of your acrobatic body." Not giving her a full chance to recover, Kyle's arm was already coming around in an arc. His free hand, flicked his index and middle finger towards her, sending two of his bolts towards her at an angle that would make them pass on either side of her. That was the point; it prevented her from dodging to either side without risking a hit. In the meanwhile, his other hand completed its arc and released a bolt about as large as his fist at her midsection. And just for additional fun, he was following in its wake, his fist hidden behind him and brought about to hopefully take advantage of the damage his bolt would do.
She didn’t know what a sin was exactly? Just who in the heck was this woman and how was it possible that she didn’t know what a sin was? Cursing was a sin and just about everyone did that; there was no possible way she could reach whatever age she seemed to be and have not come into contact with a sin in some form or another. Hell, she’d been trying to kill him a minute ago and while it would have been claimed in self-defense, killing someone was still a sin.
The fact that they were fighting made his head hurt suddenly and he resisted the urge to grab it. They’d been fighting, he knew that…but there was a gap in that fight. Something was missing, out of place, didn’t make sense about it. There was a lingering sense of…something in the room, in his mind, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew that if he did, everything would become clear. It was just a matter of finding out the best way to overcome that problem.
He didn’t have much time to think about it actually. A shadow loomed over him and he shook his head to clear it just in time to see a large and slender man yank Noel back and move toward him. Then the man started drawing the sword at his side, the pommel being the first thing to streak towards him. If Noel had been quicker in thinking, she would have made him forget how to fight and that he was a mutant. As it were, he didn’t remember he had powers, but his years of fighting and experience were still there and as the pommel came towards him, instinct and training combined.
His position wasn’t good, but it could have been worse. With little time to react, Kyle’s eyes watched the pommel drop and when it was almost on him, adjusted his body so that the pommel missed him by inches. Of course, there was the blade to still contend with, but Kyle had already reacted to that. Even as he slid back, he brought both his arms up so that the bladed forearms were facing the incoming attack. His blades met with the man’s blades, sparking slightly where they clanged together. In his position, it made him the weaker in terms of stance, but the double parry and his strength made up for that. Barely.
He was about to attempt a roll away when the woman shouted something at him. When the words left her mouth and connected with his ears, his entire body froze. How did she know who Ariel was? Even more to the point, how did she know one of his reasons for fighting and training was to make up for that failure? He didn’t know who the woman was and didn’t recall Ariel mentioning anyone like her. Had she been there that night? Just how did she….
Something suddenly whipped around his leg, snapping him from his thoughts and the growing headache within his mind as the memories flooded him. Like before, the memories were clear, but there was something missing, blacked out, obscure. No time to worry about that though, as whatever whipped around his leg through him off balance. Clenching his teeth, he shoved back against the sword as he stumbled back, then shoved hard to the side so that he could roll the opposite way, tugging his leg free. He was back to a firm stance in an instant coming out of the roll, though his back was to the stage behind him. But his attention wasn’t on the man; it was on the woman. His tone was a mix of anger, confusion and pain, all of which were easy to tell apart.
”How…how in the hell do you know that name?! How…how could you?” Gritting his teeth for a moment, he let his anger subside a little as he pondered how she could know. ”It’s…it’s not like I think fighting and training like I do will bring her back. I’m not that naive. But I do know that in order to avoid letting that happen again, I have to get better. So I’ll train. And I’ll fight. Then I’ll keep doing it over and over until either I die or till I become strong enough to prevent anyone else from suffering.
I saw it in an instant. Even though I’m sure I’m missing something, I can tell that you’re strong. And even though the threat of death lingers over this fight, it lingers only for me. I have no intention of killing anyone unless they deserve it and you don’t deserve it in the slightest. So, my only question is this; do you want to continue and test your skills still or would you rather let this man step in?”
So far, every move Sara had made, every action she had undertook, every word uttered from her pink lips had had a sense of grace and style. The way her body flew when Kyle tossed her with all his strength was anything but graceful. She flailed her body in the air as she sought to correct the direction she was flying in, likely to make sure she didn’t land in a painful position.
She didn’t disappoint his expectations. Somehow, she managed to twist her body in midair so that she was straight on towards the wall. Then, after grabbing onto the wall with her hands, she went into a roll that allowed her to avoid taking any serious damage from the tumble. Without missing a beat, she rolled back up to a steady stance facing him, firm in her position upon the wall she’d been thrown too. It had only taken seconds for her to recover and as far as he could tell, she wasn’t any worse for the wear.
In the meanwhile, he’d moved over to join her on that wall, his arms folded across his chest as he watched her actions. His eyes were serious, but his expression was one of amusement. His side still throbbed from where she’d connected with him earlier, but he was able to hide that pain easily enough. As she wagged her finger at him and slowly started stalking towards him, Kyle noticed three things. The first was that she was favoring one of her arms a bit; maybe she had gotten hurt from the roll after all. The second was that she was coming closer and if experience had taught him anything, readying for an attack would be his best option.
And finally, the third thing he noticed was…she looked damn good stalking towards him like that. Her words made him smile and he winked at her, adjusting his voice so it came out with a playful tone. ”Oh, but you’re not driving away at all. Quite the opposite it seems. So I’m thinking you just might like the compliments and maybe would like to hear more and am just being modest about it. Course, I’ve been wrong before. I’d hate to be wrong now. It would be a shame if I couldn’t give you compliments that were worthy of being made.”
As she shrugged her shoulder, Kyle’s earlier suspicion that danger was coming kicked in. However, when she made her attack, the method she chose to attack in caught him completely by surprise. Instead of a physical attack, like all the ones thus far, her method of striking this time was via the throwing of rocks his way. That simple fact threw him off for a moment, allowing the first rock to clip off his head, breaking the skin. He barely winced and only twitched his head to the side as a reflex, a line of red from the cut sliding down his cheek. The other rock she threw, aimed for his stomach, he smacked away with the palm of his hand, sending it tumbling down to the ground below.
He stood silent for a moment, letting little drops of red drip to the perch he stood on as he pondered. Then, with a grin as wide as a crescent moon, he waggled his own finger at her, then licked his lips. ”Naughty kitty. That’s not very fair, attacking from afar. How can I get a good feel for your athletic body that way? Ah well; if we’re playing the range game, then its only fair if I get the next toss.”
As the last of the words left his lips, Kyle snapped his fingers towards her twice, both actions sending two finger length bolts of purple energy streaking towards Sarah’s midsection. Well, one for her midsection, the other for her upper shoulder. And for good measure, another two bolts snapping form his other hand, aimed at her opposite shoulder and then at her stomach. And the game was afoot!
His helmet connected with the empty air of space before him, a fact that temporary surprised him. The moment passed quickly enough, but the question of why his attack had failed spun through his brain like a twister without direction until it finally sucked up the right piece of information. She’d been trying to get it off; of course an attempt to attack her with it would be useless. He’d only helped her to get a better grip on the thing. Heck, his attempt to pull her close enough for him to prevent her from escaping even helped her more than it did him. With a final pop as the helmet slid over his features, it came clear off, exposing his head and appearance to the woman.
She quickly tossed it aside and in that brief moment, Kyle shook his head to clear some of the hair form his eyes. When he was done, he noticed that she was closer to him. A lot closer. Her elbows came down on either side of his head, one of them forcing him to adjust his head slightly to avoid getting cracked in the jaw. Then she was right there, her hair dangling down to either side of him, shielding their faces from their observers. And as his energy bolts snapped her down even closer to him, his mind tore through why she wanted to be so close.
It settled on the only one that made sense; she was about to reveal her powers. Since the fight had started, she had shown no sign of any visible mutation or used anything that a normal human couldn’t do. But now, in almost intimate range with her opponent, she was coming closer and staring right at him. That meant that her mutation, whatever it was, likely had to do with physical touch in some way. Or if not that then eye to eye contac…
And then the world blanked for a fleeting moment and everything was a white blur. What seemed like a small eternity passed in the space of moments and then it all came back, that white returning to the lines of the world. And as those lines focused into shapes and colors, Kyle found himself staring into the eyes of a young woman who was practically lying on top of him. Why was she on top of him? What had he and she been doing? No wait, he knew he’d been fighting her for some reason, but he didn’t remember why in this exact moment. But he knew they’d been fighting…so why did it feel like something was missing from his scenario?
He didn’t get much more time to think about it because something warm suddenly pressed against him. It took him only a moment to realize the source of that warmth was her lips pressing against his. His entire body froze at this development, unsure of what needed to be done in this situation. In that span of time, the woman’s power would be getting bits and pieces of his past in a flood; the actions that lead to the death of his past love, parts of his training regiments that brought him to this level of skill, details of his past that he would not tell anyone without a good reason. So lost was Kyle in this moment that he didn’t even realize that he was kissing back; only the sudden warning in the back of his mind made him break his head back from her. And he still didn’t have a clue what was going on but he did know that his heart was on fire now.
”What in the seven hells was…who the heck are you and just what was that about? I mean…not unappreciated, but I think the church would consider this to be sinning.” With a light shove, he pushed her back from him, then rolled out next to the discarded helmet and getting to a knee. ”So, who might I have the pleasure of speaking to? And well, pleasure of kissing as well.”
If Kyle could have found a moment to laugh in the situation he was, he would have. The shift of his helmet to the side to avoid being beheaded had worked perfectly. He still had his head. He also now had a sword stuck in the side of his helmet. And from the woman’s constant tugging and baffled face, Kyle could only guess that the sword was stuck rather deep. A good thing; it meant she wouldn’t be able to use it for a short while and he wasn’t going to waste that advantage.
She changed tactics after a moment, trying to put a foot to his chest to steady her for some stronger tugs. When she saw his arm coming up though, she shifted the direction of that foot to slam down on his arm. Sadly, her reaction was not quite fast enough to stop his attack. If anything, it actually made it twice as effective.
Three of his smaller bolts missed completely, as he’d expected they would if she didn’t dodge. The other two, however, contacted with the best body part for the situation. The leg she was using to support her full weight. With her other leg in the air, her body had no way to remain upright. As her one leg went back, the other leg went forward and the result was her body pitching forward. Right on top of him. Now, in most cases, having a beautiful lady land on top of you would be a good thing. In this case, it was a good thing, but for different reasons. The first and foremost being that his larger bolt couldn’t miss; and it didn’t.
The bolt struck home and lifted her slightly from him from the force of the blow, even earning a cry of pain from her lips. It was the first one he’d manage to get from her and for a moment, he pondered how cute her voice was. Then he was all work again as her hands started scratching away at his helmet, looking for purchase underneath it or on its sides to remove it. Why would she do that? Oh right, so she could get her sword back. Well, as much fun as fighting the blade had been, he wasn’t going to let her have it back so easily. That wouldn’t be any fun.
As she found a place to grip and tug his helmet off, Kyle acted quickly. The helmet came forward…but Kyle’s arms reached up and aimed to tug her forward at the same time. Just as he pushed his head back a bit, then forward with the intent to slam his unorthodox helmet into her brow. At the same time, both his hands charged with energy and rose above her after the tug, releasing two bolts that were smaller than the one that hit her a moment ago, but smaller than the flickers. If all went well, she’d get a headbutt, and then get slammed back down towards him. And to top it all off, his coming around fist to the stomach.
The entire time he was approaching the woman, Kyle was watching her response to his movements. But it wasn’t her body or her weapon that he was watching; it was her eyes. His darting from one side to the other as he approached was a series of feints designed to keep her guessing what direction he would come from. But her eyes weren’t watching his legs or his arms…she was watching him. Her eye level suggested either upper chest or above, the areas to watch because no matter what he did, his center would not be able to feint. It was a tactic in football actually, in order to read the runner’s moves…and she was using it well.
So it came as no surprise when she masterfully countered his quick attack. When he whipped his two bolts her way, he managed to catch a brief glimpse of her quickly changing her position. So she had learned from the first hit how much those bolts could sting. Good; it would make her cautious whenever he made the motion.
His spin, as quick as he’d made it be, was not quick enough. With her shift of position, his intended sweep fell short of its target, sweeping nothing but empty space. He had intended to quickly stop his leg and pull it back after, but she moved faster than he would have liked at seeing an opportunity to strike. It only took a second to realize where her strike was intended to strike but his stance left little options for how to avoid it. So he didn’t. But he did change the target.
Shifting his leg, he positioned it so that her incoming stomp, which was aimed for his knee, did indeed make contact with that area…but his knee was bent forward to catch the blow on the armored spike protruding from his boot. His knee gave way a little under the blow, but the guard stunted the damage. And then he saw the sword coming. Time slowed as the blade came in towards him, from low to high.
Where…..his neck? Yes, the angle and positioning all suggested that was its target. Which meant he needed to...move? No time. Redirect its course? He wasn’t in a position to do that. The only thing left was…oh, this was going to suck. Shifting his head to the angle the sword was coming in from, he felt something heavy smack into the side of it. It made his head ring inside his helmet, but he still had his head and although he couldn’t see the blade from this angle, he knew his helmet had stalled the weapon. Without wasting time, without even worrying about the damage done yet, he threw his left arm at the woman, each finger flashing as five bolts snapped free towards her. Well, not all towards her really, three of them were scattered to the sides in case she ran. But the last two were aimed for her alright.
And then a much larger bolt, about the size of a baseball, snapped free from his palm. Compared to the little bolts, this bolt would make them bee stings in comparison. And it was headed for her chest, fired in quick succession after the bolts. If he had any luck, she’d be taking a seat on her behind in a moment, which would give him time to get back to a better standing. If he had any luck anyway.
Kyle’s grin slid wide across his face as he caught that changing color on Sarah’s…nose. Considering the rest of her body was covered in silky hair, it was about the only place a blush could really form now that he thought about it. Still, he’d made her blush with his earlier comments and that, in his opinion, was a good start. It also meant she was not above such things and that his comments were something she was not used to. A shame; people rarely did look past appearance to see the being within. Being a mutant was one of the things that made you see everything and was one of several reasons why he was proud to be one of them.
Her embarrassment faded just as quickly as it had appeared and with a sly grin that Kyle knew would make most men melt were it on a human face, she replied back to his comments. That brought an even wider grin across his face, if that were even possible and there was that tinkle of mischief hidden in it and in his eyes. ”Likely true, but I am looking forward to investigating more thoroughly.” If she was as intelligent as she was swift and stunning, then she’d catch the underlying context of that statement. An honest request to get to know her better in the coming future.
But the future could wait a while longer. Here and now was what he needed to focus on, especially with this agile feline as his partner. His quick movements to try and set her up for his palm were, surprisingly, effect to a degree he had not expected. His push and spin move had indeed put her back open to him, but as he rushed in, he couldn’t help but notice that her balance still seemed to be…perfect. Her counter was, at first, her tail smacking against his face. It did nothing to dissuade his move but it did surprise him slightly at what he viewed as a useless maneuver…but then again, it was likely more of her playful nature being exposed. Cute.
Her real attack came a moment later, right as his palm smacked against the flat of her back. Logically, it did pitch her forward…but as she did, her leg came up behind her and with the speed he’d come to expect of her, she mule kicked it towards him. Time slowed as he saw the leg coming from him and his first thought was to dodge off the wall. But that wouldn’t do any good. It would deny the point of the exercise. So he opted for something a little showier and a little more painful.
Using his still forward momentum, he shifted to the side, not quite fast enough to evade the force of the kick, which skidded his side again and ached pain throughout his right. He almost lost his balance because of this…almost. Gritting his teeth, he locked his arm around her leg again, then quickly wrapped his other arm around it as well. And with a heave and a ho, he used his falling to the side to assist him in using her leg to try and toss her off the wall to the one across from them. As soon as he released her leg, he quickly caught himself on another lower wall for a moment before jumping back up to where he’d thrown her. This was turning out to be too much fun.
”Now how is it that I’ve never been lucky enough to run into someone as amazing as you are? Its not often you find someone that has beauty, brains and ability mixed all into the same package…but you’re proving them quite wrong Sarah.”
The woman had good reflexes; Kyle had to give her that. As he’d brought his arm around to feint at her side, she’d easily shifted her form in order to prevent that attack from reaching her. All the while, he could see her pondering her options in her mind, searching for the best possible move for the situation they found themselves in. And it came as quickly as his feint turned into his real move, give or take a few seconds between them.
His bolt had shot forth, quick and true, towards her jaw. In the same moment, her leg had shot up and snapped out towards his midsection. He probably could have dodged it, but his earlier block and his feint had the unfortunate side effect of leaving him with a body that was still in motion to a degree. She was in the same boat as him through, he kick leaving her little ability to adjust to that small ball of energy that snapped for her head.
The results of their attacks came at the same moment and if looking at a purely tactical level, they were equal. Damage wise, she won this round, however. His bolt caught her upside the cheek and snapped her head to the side. Not what he was aiming for, but it had caught her by surprise and that saved him from any further attacks no doubt. As it were, her kick found purchase on his gut solidly. Knowing he couldn’t dodge it, he’d steeled his abs against the blow to reduce the damage it would inflict, but it still ended up pushing him back and erupting a small gasp for air from him.
Now they stood about a meter or so apart, her long blade faced towards him, his arms close in to his center in case she’d tried to press the attack. She didn’t though and he grinned under his mask as he saw her cheek start to redden from his attack. ”Good counter. Surprised you though, didn’t I? As they say…I float like a butterfly… and sting like a bee.”
He moved in again, his arms spreading wide for a moment as he shot in, but quickly coming back into a guard position in front of him. He stepped quick to the right twice, stepped low left, then feinted a dodge to the right only to quickly pedal to the left and snapping his arm in a quick flick that sent another two of his smaller bolts for her midsection. In the same motion, he spun quickly, keeping his one arm ready to fend off a sword attack while he aimed to sweep her legs out from under her.
The world around him was put aside. He knew Lori and the man were seated in front, watching the two of them begin their fight. He was well aware that neither of them could be trusted fully and to keep a small portion of his mind open to watch for surprises. But here and now, as metal clanged against metal and the woman before him prepared her counter to his attack, he put that all aside for one purpose. To ensure he came out of this fight the winner. Or alive. Either would be fine, especially if they came as a pair.
Her counter to his incoming swing was to start drawing her sword. His surprise attack appeared to catch her off guard, because by the time she was drawing it, he was already within inches of catching her with his attack. Despite that, her response was flawless. Seeing that she wouldn't get her weapon clear in time, she blocked him with the pommel of her sword. In light of the situation, it was the quite possibly the best answer to the attack.
Kyle smiled under his helmet and was about to press his attack, when she suddenly made her own move instead. She stepped closer to him and, using the hilt of her sword to keep his right arm from being nuisance, continued to draw her weapon. Had he not been paying the full attention to her actions, the incoming pommel would likely have given him a nice new beauty mark on his jaw. Fact was he did see it coming, prompting him to lean his head back so that the pommel missed his head by inches.
Of course, that also left the fact that she was DRAWING A SWORD! on the table and his stance was anything but ideal for blocking that rising blade. His mind scrolled through what he could do to avoid getting damaged, ways to take the least amount of damage, counters to do damage...he didn't have much time to think of them and as such, settled for the best he came up with in a short time. His left arm shot up, facing the bladed portion of the arm towards the incoming steel. He caught it slightly a little late, the tip of the blade clipping his leg...but he kept it from reaching him fully. Sparks accompanied the grinding sound metal made on metal....and Kyle made his next move in this rather difficult position.
His right arm was free by now and with a flick of his elbow, he brought it around towards her side with fist clenched, an attack that would look like a strike to her side. But that was, in reality, a feint. As his arm closed in on her, it suddenly stopped and his fingers switched from a fist to snapping his fingers...and letting the small bolt of energy gathered there to launch up at her jaw. To cover that incoming bolt, Kyle had shifted his body so that his left arm slightly covered the right, then moved it slightly so the attack would fly up freely. And if it hit, it would likely knock her off balance, which Kyle would use to his advantage by shoving back against the blade to further collapse her balance. If it worked, after all. If it didn't, he could always take a step back and then try something else.
A mischievous grin made its way across Kyle's face as he stood there on the wall, watching Sarah watch him watch her...well, that was a redundant statement. In any case, his body was tense, poised and ready for the next move that would befall him. And yet despite himself, he couldn't help but admire the skill the woman had unleashed. The people below, the one's who weren't snarling over her appearance, were either intently watching or silently applauding the show. At least some of them were decent in that regard.
"Oh, I'm sure the pleasure will be yours by the end of this dance. I'll just enjoy the pleasure till then."
His eyes, both full of amusement and yet a cold seriousness, studied her form intently. He saw no fur, no features that any normal woman would not have, didn't regard her as a freak of nature because of her appearance. All he saw was a beautiful example of mutant kind and the movements her lean form was making, watching for any tell tell sign of possible danger. And it came....in the form of her tail suddenly flicking to one side.
In an instant, she was upon his wall and shooting towards him. Shifting his position on the wall to face her charge, Kyle also shifted his stance so that he wouldn't fall from the wall either. All the while, his mind worked to study her incoming attacks, to counter them in the most effective way possible. First came a kick to his left shin. He simply moved his leg forward into the inside of her kick and shrugged it to the side. Her second kick came just as quick, aimed for his right shin. This time he parried by putting his foot to hers and pushing it down, negating her kick with his own. It made him wobble a bit, but he quickly found his purchase...and then a hand grabbed the front of his shirt.
Kyle was saved in a way by her grabbing his shirt, for it gave him the means to re-balance himself properly, but it also meant his options for dodging the next attack were limited. Luckily, he next attack was one he could counter despite the handicap. Her leg came up again and with a snap so quick Kyle almost missed it, kicked that leg towards his stomach. He shifted himself to the side, her kick grazing him as it went past, and then his arm wrapped around her leg and pinned it to his side. In the meantime, his other hand shot up and grabbed the arm holding him by the wrist. With a tug, he pulled her closer to him and grinned.
"I must say, you've done a very good job of taking good care of your body. I can feel the muscles rippling in this leg here. Very impressive. You must work out a lot; it compliments your appearance. Appealing." With that said, he released her arm with a light shove back, then grabbed her leg with his other arm as well....and shoved it to the side. It would hopefully spin her, and, as she was either back around to face him or with her back to him at the time, he would use an open palm strike to her midlevel to push her back farther.
Watching from within his helmet, Kyle carefully eyed the minister and the remaining patrons as they left the church, counting off the seconds as he waited for the last of them to flee into the streets. It didn't take them long to file out in an orderly fashion and as the last person vanished beyond his sight, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. This battle may have been something he wished for, but never at the cost of innocent people getting hurt in the crossfire. Now he could go all out without worry or regret.
It also allowed him to focus his full attention on the man before him. Oddly enough, after Kyle had declared his intentions, the man's stance seemed to relax itself. True, his hand was on the hilt of his sword, but aside from that, the intent to battle was not in this man's form at all. Did he not take his request seriously? Well, he'd have to change that perspective now, wouldn't he?
When the man finally spoke, Kyle could almost taste the way his tone suggested he looked down upon him. Not much of a stretch really, it was something Kyle had run across several times before, usually when his attempt to fight was done in this manner. It still annoyed him greatly, no doubt, but it was something he could work around easily enough. When the man finally stopped speaking, Kyle shrugged his shoulders and relaxed his stance slightly.
"I heard enough to know your worth the effort. As for anything else, I find I learn most of that through direct contact better. And I never "demanded" your name, I asked for it. But if your going to play that card, you can call me Forte. As for my face, well....."
He lingered on that for a moment, pondering whether or not to trigger the helmet's unique feature. He had intended to trigger it once the fight was going to start but now, seeing as how that might take a little work on his part, activating it now might not be a bad idea. In fact, his body was already moving to click the switch inside his helmet when the man asked why he should bother. That froze Kyle for a moment and through it didn't show on the outside, his energy rippled through his body as Kyle stared channeling it. This was the man Lori wanted me to fight? So far, he's not living up to what she told me about him. Then again, I expected her to be lying about something.
Before he could answer, the man offered someone else to fight in his stead, with the promise that if Kyle could beat that person, then he would fight him. Beneath his helmet, Kyle lifted an eyebrow at this request, then turned his head slightly to look at the person the man was signalling. He barely suppressed a surprised gasp when his foe appeared in all her stunning glory. He was staring at a beautiful woman, all seriousness in her voice and expression, her hand also on the hilt of a sword. Lori has said nothing off her, so either she kept that fact from him or honestly didn't know. Either way, this turn of events, while somewhat troubling, were nothing too strange for him to reconsider. Was he an idiot? Sometimes he was...but he knew just how far he could dare to risk.
"Well well....a most interesting proposal. I have to get past the apprentice to get to the master is it? I have no qualms about that; I accept your offer.
As I've told your teacher already, you may call me Forte. I won't disrespect you by saying I'll end this quick or that this won't even make me break a sweat. I'll just fight you with all I've got, warrior to warrior. Now, with that said....have at you."
Without giving away anything, Kyle suddenly shot forward towards the woman, clicking the switch within his helmet. The sound of gears whirling filled the empty room suddenly and his helmet, which was a normal bikers helmet till now, changed before everyone's eyes. Parts shifted and clicked into new places; the front area covering the mouth slid back into the helmet's sides, leaving only a thin layer of fabric covering to just under his eyes. The sides of the helmet rolled around so that long "fins" were able to slide out to either side of his head. The forehead portion slid back slightly to reveal a metal plate with a single diamond shaped ornament in the center. Finally, the visor slid apart into the sides to reveal his emerald colored eyes, a mixture of serious and amusement glittering in them.
He came in quickly and controlled, then brought his right arm around in a short swing with the blade portion directed towards the woman. If she was worth any time, then she would be able to counter it. If not, well, he'd get his second fight a lot faster. "And pleased to make your acquaintance. I do hope I'll get a name in return before this duel ends."
The silence that followed his entrance into the church was not unexpected, but the amount of time that the silence persisted caught him by surprise. In this kind if situation, where a strange man in a helmet suddenly burst into a church and loudly interrupted the proceedings, you would have expected there to be some angry protests to the action. Not like he burst into the church, he'd entered politely enough, but he could have announced his presence a little more subtlety. Oh well.
Several of the people standing up to his presence was the biggest reaction he saw to his arrival. That and the fact that a good portion of those people made a beeline towards the nearest exits, trying not to rush in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Not that it would have mattered if they crawled, jumped, bolted or danced their way out of the place. Kyle's attention was fixed sorely on the man who'd risen up from the first row in front of Kyle.
The man had white hair, a dignified aura around him, and a piercing gaze that would likely make a weaker man cringe. But those weren't the two key features that Kyle was focused on; the first was a long horn protruding from his forehead while the other was obviously a sword strapped to his waist. Kyle may not have been a genius, but it didn't take a crack detective to guess that this man was the one Lori was directing him to fight. Interesting, to say the least. Very interesting.
Kyle ignored the minister at first, focusing his attention on the man entirely for a few more seconds before speaking, not turning his helmet away from the man. "My apologies minister. I'll try to take this outside...though I might suggest delaying the service for a little longer." Having said that, he placed his hands on his hips and smiled inside his helmet at the man. He was slightly aware of Lori speaking quickly, then retreating just as quickly away from him and the man, obviously getting out of the possible danger zone. Good; he didn't want to accidentally hurt her...yet.
Tilting his head to the side, he chuckled under his helmet. "I heard a rumor that you're a nun puncher. Whether that's true or not, I can't say, but I really don't care in the long run. A little lady said that you'd be a better opponent for me to fight and I'm curious to see if she's right. Of course, if she'd told me I'd be fighting the gentleman pony, I might have laughed a bit harder."
He circled to the side slightly so that he was standing about halfway up the row now, spreading his stance a bit. "Either way, I came here for a reason. I'd like to take that reason outside but worse comes to worse, I'll help repay any damage that might get done today. Soooo...who am I addressing now that I think of it?" Kyle hadn't noticed the woman with the sword either, thus why he had his back to the main part of the church at the moment, waiting to see how the man responded to his open challenge.
