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.
Sometimes the best place to hide is the one no one would expect; in plain sight.
That was where Cancer was, standing with a mixture of people off to the side of the procession, the people who helped set up and were ready to assist, merely waiting for the ceremony to end before returning to their tasks. That was were Cancer waited, dressed like the others, keeping his head slightly down at the end to avoid drawing attention. Not that anyone looked his way; they were too busy focusing on the blushing bride and groom to notice him. It was perfect.
Libra, who kept in contact with Cancer via a small radio in the pair's ears, watched inventively from his chosen perch. Why they were exactly targeting a wedding between two mutants that, until this mission, Libra had not heard of or known little about, was beyond him. But orders were orders and if the General said there was a threat here, there was more than likely to be one. He wasn't here to question; he was here to raise chaos the only way he knew how.
Both Cancer and Libra had agreed beforehand on the perfect time to begin the operation. The best way to send a message, after all, was to draw all the life out of a situation, to maximize the effect through a symbol. And during the wedding, there was one key phrase that would surely bring about the best effect.
And the priest had just said it.
There had been one other reason for their chosen point. It would give Libra ample time to pick out his targets, the ones that would be most effective for his part of the plan, and prepare to strike them in quick succession to maximize the madness. By the time the priest had uttered those oh so famous words, Libra could bounce from each of this targets in a matter of seconds, having already mapped out the path. As the words slipped from the priest, Libra rose, threw his arms back...and started launching his parasites into the targets.
Just in time for Cancer to clear his throat, look to the pair from his location and give them the grandest of smiles. "Actually...I believe there might be a few people who do."
Just as several of the attended guests suddenly screamed in both horror and rage.
Just as several of those guests suddenly started attacking the people next to them, words lost in the sudden surge of both attackers and victims. As mutant powers were added to the madness. Where a moment ago everything was serene, now it was sheer chaos as people tried to figure out what was happening...and then screaming and running in terror.
Cancer smiled. "Correction...make that more than just a few." Slowly, as the chaos erupted, he started making his way towards the pair. Slow but sure, reaching out with his powers towards the groom, digging into the man's fears. Oh, and it wasn't just his fears he was tapping now...it was everyone's.
For the madness around him, that was their own kind of hell. What he pulled from Saph's mind to use against him, well...that was about to become his own personal hell.
From his spot amongst the crowd, Cancer could barely contain his impending glee. So many victims to choose from, so many potential targets soon to come. A man could go insane on moments like this, of pure and uncontrollable bliss. Some said he was already insane but no, that wasn't true. He couldn't be insane because otherwise, he wouldn't know what he was doing. He knew exactly what he was doing. And he loved it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A few days ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are now going to discuss our next plan of attack.
From within his spot at the briefing table, Cancer had sat on the edge of his seat, anger and irritation seeping from his every pore. It had only been a few hours since Libra had returned from one of his incursions into the city, sent out by the General to see what he could see and further their cause when he saw ample opportunity. His report had been boring, stale, something about sending a dragon like mutant to attack Sanctuary in the hope of inflicting casualties on one of the bigger mutant hives. He'd failed, of course, stopped by Sanctuary's defenders.
But it had been who had stopped him that put Cancer on edge. One had been the masked vigilante Taurus and Capricorn had reported disposed of(not quite so disposed as it would seem). But the other....The other was Isabel Duskmoor. Cancer's eyes had almost popped out of his head at that and when the General had questioned whether he'd made sure he'd finished the job, Cancer had gone livid. He had killed her! No...no, Aries had killed her. Which meant Aries failed. It was Aries fault for stopping him, that was it! Had Aries allowed him to continue his game with her, she would have been dead for sure.
The General's eyes had told him to silence his tongue or lose it right there, so Cancer did. But he was furious now...furious and elated at the time. He could fight Isabel again...bask in her fear and terror...oh, how much fun he would have with her this time. And this time, no one would interrupt him. She'd be wallowing at his feet and only when she'd hit the lowest point, would he kill her.
The General had spoiled his fun before it could even get started. Isabel Duskmoor could wait, he had said. They had another operation in mind. One that would get the attention of everyone.
I have it on good authority that a vast number of mutants are gathering for what is believed to be a "wedding" reception. Firstly, the idea that we are allowing mutants to wed and breed astounds me and as such, must be stopped. But I also have intel stating that this is also a secret meeting of mutants, who plan to use the reception to plot and scheme and possibly set about taking human lives. We cannot allow this to stand.
The operation will be as follows; Cancer and Libra will be the point team on this mission. Large crowds are Libra's specialty and with such a large number of targets there, he'll be able to take advantage of that. Cancer will provide support and use his abilities on the much more dangerous targets...including the "bride" and "groom". Make them despair and stop them from wedding at all costs.
Sagittarius, Pisces and Aries will provide additional support, if they are needed. They will enter only if there as unexpected complications or to delay impending assistance. Remain hidden, remain anonymous and be discrete in any actions you must take. Our objective is to cripple this wedding and send a message to mutants everywhere; we see through your schemes and shall not allow you to control this planet. I trust there are no problems with this plan...Cancer?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No...no problems at all. This almost made up for having Isabel taken from him at this time. But oh, she would soon see him again. With this event being broadcasted on TV, he would send a clear message to the world, to mutants everywhere...to Isabel Duskmoor. He was coming for them...fear his arrival.He had to control himself, otherwise, people probably would have stared at the man who suddenly broke out cackling. Slowly, surely, he made his way towards the altar from a blind angle...waiting for the final steps to be put into place.
Waiting for Libra, who was slightly above the proceeding's, picking his targets, to start the real party. Oh...and what a party it was going to bed. A white wedding? No, but the end of this day, it would be called something else.
Kyle waited quietly as the exchange between Isabel and Ryoga took place, letting her response in her own way to the dragon's word of a debt. He knew that the dragon wasn't going to be her minion, so to speak, but he figured Isabel wouldn't like be turning in the debt anytime soon. Not because she was wise or anything like that, saving it for the proper moment...but because she wouldn't probably care much about it until she suddenly needed the awesome power the dragon had to use against somebody. She always was a "think later, stab now" kind of lady. Effective in the short run, sure but the long term, well...there was a reason she was one of the most targeted mutants around.
Ryoga shouldn't have mentioned that it would please him to have the debt repaid swiftly; anything that would displease him was sure to please Isabel instead. Another reason why that debt wasn't like to fade away quickly As for the one Ryoga owed to him, Kyle decided that saving it now would surely be to the benefit in the future, simply because Kyle had no need of his assistance in anything at the moment. Soon, however...
Stalking up beside the dragon, Kyle started walking towards Sanctuary's doors, shrugging his shoulders at Ryoga's words. "I'm Kyle...but I tend to use Forte when out and about doing what I did to you. Unlike somebody, I don't like having my face plastered on America's Most Wanted. A pleasure to actually meet you though, Orochi. By the way..." he said, making sure he was close to the dragon's head so that his voice didn't carry..."You're probably gonna be on her hook for a while. Don't let it get to you."
Passing Ryoga, Kyle stepped up past Isabel, tipping his head. "You may not have needed my help, but I did need yours. So thank you for that. Besides, look at it this way; my "help" got you the one time services of something that could stand toe to toe with you for a while. I'm sure you'll find a use for him real quickly." Glancing behind him to the destruction they had caused and the city at large, Kyle furrowed his brow as he thought he saw someone suddenly disappearing from a rooftop nearby. Real quickly indeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From atop his viewpoint, Libra watched. From atop his viewpoint, Libra gawked. And from atop his viewpoint, Libra smiled wickedly at the sight his experiment had brought to light. His dragon had failed in its task, stopped at the mighty doors of Sanctuary by two of its inhabitants, its guardians as it were. But what his dragon failed for in destruction, he had made up for in revealing a great secret.
Isabel Duskmoor and Kyle Albatros were still alive! Cancer and Aries had failed to take down the bone goddess and Capricorn and Taurus had failed to bring down a meddling vigilante that had enough power to complicate things. That meant they had lied on their reports, saying they had assured of the two's demise. Maybe it had seemed that way...the battles had done serious damage to them. But not enough, it would seem.
The raw power of Isabel and the quick thinking of Kyle had even brought a raging dragon to curb...but that mattered not. He was but a pawn. Now it was time to return to the king, reset the board...and move out the knights, the bishops, the rooks. And this time, when they came for those two, their deaths would be assured. This time, Libra knew, they'd rip the hearts from their very chests. Just to be sure.
Got her. Whether it was by the curiosity of the echoes or Evelyn's own intrigued senses, Kyle had gotten her to agree to his request. It was an interesting thing to have, this way with words that would target her power, to tease them to the point of needing the answer and be damned what they had to go through to get it. Evelyn had a bit of that as well, but in the echoes lay her greatest strength. And weakness.
'Excellent. Follow me...oh, and stay close. Not everyone here is far off your...partner's thoughts. Most are safe though."
Kyle led her through the hallways of Sanctuary with ease, having traveled the route they were taking many a time before. It didn't take long to reach their destination and Kyle kept silent during the whole trip, playing out in his mind the theory behind his new abilities. He was indeed aiming to test them out, to learn their kinks and ponder how to fiddle them out to create an effective weapon. It had already saved him once. Who knows what else it could do for him?
Approaching the door to the danger room, Kyle walked through the doors as they slid open for him, waiting till Evelyn was inside before shutting them and making sure they wouldn't be disturbed. He took a few moments to put on all his gear...that outfit of his that hid his identity but fueled him inside for combat. Then he took center stage of the room and faced Evelyn.
"Alright...this is what you're going to do. I want you to attack me. Not half-hardheartedly, not pulling back at the last second. I want you to really attack me. That's the only way I'm going to be able to test this effectively. Besides...I'm curious to see how much you've learned from those X-Men. Come Evelyn...let's see what you can do." He lifted one hand up as he took a light stance...and mocked her to come at him, smiling.
If there was one thing Kyle had learned about Isabel, it was that she didn't take being beaten lightly. For Isabel, losing wasn't a word that often found it way into her vocabulary in regards to her...and when it did, it didn't last long. Isabel had to come out on top and if she didn't, then you could bet she'd try and find a way to change that.
Kyle's suggestion regarding the Zodiacs had been a play at that, knowing that his best chance to deflate her from attacking them was to remind her of the people who had beat her before. This her ire was turned to the people who had almost put the bone maiden down for certain...a fact she clearly did not like being reminded of. His assessment of their involvement wasn't a purely uneducated guess; more like a highly logical one. If he was wrong, well, he'd at least managed to deflect her ire for the moment, thus leaving him and their scaly foe alive. For now. But if he wasn't wrong, then there was likely someone watching them now, the mastermind behind this little stunt. And he would have seen that both him and Isabel were still breathing. The jig was up.
Oh well. Kyle hated having to hide anyway. And just like Isabel, he didn't like losing. It wouldn't be happening again if he could help it.
"They tried pretty good last time...we should consider ourselves lucky the only slip they made was oversight regarding our demise."
Her bone form reduced to the armor that covered her skin, the urge to fight seemingly stifled in her, Isabel spun on her heels and started making for the golden doors. Or rather, that had been her plan; the dragon had other things on his mind. Turning slightly, Kyle backed out of the path of the limping beast, eying him cautiously. The loss of the parasite had brought the beast to his senses but the loss still stung on his ego regardless. There was a chance this was a ploy to correct what he viewed as a loss to "lesser beings". The energy flowed through Kyle again, just waiting for release as Kyle folded his arms across his chest to observe whatever the dragon planned to...
He bowed. To Isabel. Of all the things Kyle could have expected from the beast, that had not been one. Considering that he'd spent a fair portion of his rage-induced fight claiming how she was below him and then keeping to that thought even when his senses were restored, this was an unexpected shock. Well...couldn't have predicted that one in a million years. Apparently, the dragon stuck to a code of honor and even though his actions were not entirely of his own choice, he had still attempted an attack on their home and them. This he owed them for his slight...both him and Isabel both.
Raising an eyebrow, Kyle glanced over to Isabel...and he couldn't help but smirk. "Huh...look's like you just got yourself a minion Isabel. Maybe you should let them live more often." Turning back to the dragon, Kyle simply shrugged at the fact tat the dragon owed him one as well. "Hardly worth repaying but I'll keep that in mind. Might come in handy one day."
Attacking Isabel was never a wise course of action. Anyone who'd ever encountered her personally or heard the stories of her exploits would have known that attacking her was to invite death upon oneself. There were surely plenty of voiceless souls now that would have attested to that.
Kyle had done it without hesitation. He knew, in the enraged state she was in, the attack was more then likely to draw her ire onto him in a storm of bone bladed fury. But he also knew that in such a state, only something as drastic and foolish at that would get her attention as well. She had already proven she'd ignore his voice if she could, in fact his very presence. But the moment he'd attacked her, suddenly he was a threat. A small one to her perhaps, in her eyes, but a threat nevertheless and as such, something she could no longer ignore.
Guess he was lucky she opted to warn him off rather then spear him in principle alone.
"There is something more at play here then a lizard with an anger problem. He's beaten. The best he can do against you now is curse, wheeze and sputter and last I checked, those weren't much of a threat against you. You made your point about who's stronger.
In any case, I'm not going to get out of the way. Not until I get answers. If you try, I'll try to stop you. I'll probably die." His hands sparked with energy as he walked up to place himself between Isabel and Ryoga, staring unconcerned at the woman before him, bone weaponry and all. If it came down to combat, Kyle doubted he could win right now. He'd used a series of his hardest hitting moves in order to play his part in the battle, a fact that had taken a toll on his body; his breathing had quickened, a rare thing for him when he was careful with his ability. Isabel, for her part, was probably stinging in her own way, but if it came down to it, Kyle was at the disadvantage. But..."But I'll make you regret it before I go down. That I promise."
Before things could come down to violence, their wounded enemy managed to regain his senses...and not just his conscious sense. Whatever Kyle had ripped out of him, the loss of it seemingly had brought Ryoga back to a state where his brain ruled over his actions rather then his rage. As Kyle turned his head to glance at the beast, keeping most of his attention on Isabel just in case, Kyle watched as the dragon, who a moment ago had been spewing his superiority over them, was now yielding the contest. Yes...something most certainly had changed.
"This place, Sanctuary, is a haven for mutants seeking solace from the world at large. In a way, its like the mansion the X-men reside in...save we don't teach here. We only offer, as it were...Sanctuary." Then, turning so as to speak to both of them at the same time, Kyle dropped what was left of the parasite he'd crushed in his hand to the pavement; the remains quickly evaporated into nothing. "I ripped that from his head. The moment I did, whatever rage that was powering him seemed to have faded. I think he was "controlled" to come here and attack us.
If he was, we have a serious problem Isabel. I heard reports that something like this happened around the same time we were attacked...people suddenly going into fits of pure rage, humans and mutants alike, attacking one another. If that is related to this then...I think the people who attacked us know they failed. Which means....they'll be coming after us again."
Kyle watched quietly as Ryoga raged from the latest set of attacks against him. It was a rage born of confusion, pain and the stubborn willingness to still believe that the battle was still in ones favor. One look at Ryoga would tell any sane person otherwise; he was bloodied all over from the various wounds that Isabel had inflicted on him, his icor coloring the pavement below him in its colors. He wasn't leaking enough for it to be fatal at this point but if he wasn't put down solid soon, the only way he would go down would be when his heart had beat its last.
Although Kyle's attack had taken on the form of an energy blade, it was more like a hammer in terms of comparison. Kyle's energy was not meant to cut; it was born of energy that fueled his muscles. And while it might feel like it was burning on contact or spark between his fingers when he unleashed it, it's nature was entirely kinetic in form. So when Kyle had slammed his blade down on Ryoga's neck, it was if he'd dropped a log on him at high speed. It wouldn't behead...but it would break bone and rattle the brain. Kyle had noted something when he'd hit him from above as well; there was something atop Ryoga's head. Something that wiggled and moved when Ryoga was hit. Something alive.
Rage, by the way, while a great thing to have to fire one up, is never an emotion to use wholeheartedly in combat. Rage means when things don't go your way, you get angrier. While you may be a destructive force of nature, you also don't tend to think things through, make sloppy moves that are disguised behind the pure rage against the unprepared. In this case, in his rage, Ryoga revealed something that would have been better off kept to himself. Kyle's energy was feeding Ryoga's body. Not to heal it or anything...but it would explain why his stamina had not faltered before Isabel's relentless attack. But it's not useless against him; my attacks speak otherwise.
Isabel, for her part, was suddenly alive with a whole new form. Abandoning the dragon skin she had donned to mock and combat Ryoga, Isabel had now turned into something that most people would see in their nightmares. A mass of swirling bone, shaped likes vines but slithering around her like serpents, it was clear that Isabel was going to hammer Ryoga behind an attack that he could not counter while protecting herself with ease. It was an offensive form that would be defensive purely due to its attacking nature and with Ryoga already reeling, it would most likely be his end.
It also gave Kyle the opening he needed. Oh, he was gonna get hurt on this one.
He was moving only moments after Isabel had charged the dragon, dodging to the side while Isabel attacked Ryoga with all the violent fury she could muster. Ryoga, for his part, was throwing back as best as he could...but he wouldn't last long against that onslaught. Passing the pair, Kyle jumped onto the hood of a nearby car, spinning to face the two as they waged war with one another. Timing would be everything here. Wait...wait...there! As Ryoga managed to push back Isabel's attack for a moment, Kyle jumped from his perch with a short running start...right onto Ryoga's back, just as the beast howled about why Isabel would not fall.
"Because we're that stubborn." Kyle only had a moment to strike, what with Isabel's attacks coming back once again, her bone lashing towards them both now. Drawing his left hand back and using his right to hold on for everything he had, Kyle's elbow suddenly exploded as he released his energy from there. A new trick, one he had recently discovered as his power had evolved, which he used to suddenly rocket his descending fist into the back of Ryoga's head with the force of sledgehammer. It would surely stun the beast, if only for a few moments, but that was all he needed. Bone flew past him, lashing his own skin(Isabel wouldn't think twice about spearing him too in this situation, no doubt) with cuts, but Kyle ignored them as he grabbed the strange thing atop Ryoga's head in his right hand and released a burst of energy right into it.
The thing made some kind of a high pitched squeal before Kyle pulled back hard, ripping the thing from Ryoga's head with a little pop and crushing it between his fingers. As the thing suddenly faded into nothing, Kyle pushed off from Ryoga just in time to avoid being skewered by Isabel's attack, flinging a solid bolt of energy into her whirling mess of bones to draw her attention. His landing wasn't pretty; he had to release a quick burst of energy from his back to soften his landing on the car he found himself slamming onto(the windshield wasn't happy to have him on it). Ignoring the slight protest from his back, Kyle shouted at Isabel.
"Isabel, hold off! I don't think he was doing this completely of his free will! Besides, he'd beaten. You've won. He won't be able to fight back for a while." Hopefully she'd listen...it was 50/50 at best.
The clash of titans that was waging on just a story below him was enough to drown out pretty much everything else. The crash of bone against the thick armor of flesh, the pained roars of Ryoga, the smash and crash as they collided into the pavement, parked cars and basically anything that wasn't anchored down with poles as thick as Kyle's waist. It was turning into a rather awesome display of how much collateral damage the two could create, just from slamming away at one another.
Reaching the fire escape hadn't hard, nor had scaling it so that Kyle was on the first floor portion, staring out over the two brawling beasts below him. Climbing quickly as something Kyle was good at, as was traversing fields of chaos like the ones below. Thank you for the gift of parkour. From his new vantage, Kyle could truly assess the situation below...and gave him a vantage from which to strike from if need be.
Things had changed for Isabel in his brief break from combat. From what Kyle could tell, the pain her ram had caused to Ryoga had only seemed to strength his ire rather then force him to back down. He'd found purchase against her spiked shield and with a strength Kyle hoped he wouldn't be introduced to personally, slammed her bone form down upon the pavement below. The blow barely put a crack in her armor but it did stun her, enough for Ryoga to use his weight to his advantage. Isabel, not one to be outdone, countered quickly enough, turning her shield into a mass of slithering spikes that attacked Ryoga with a newfound fury.
But even that didn't seem to be enough. She pierced flesh surely enough, especially when Ryoga turned away from her to free his tail. But he seemed to ignore the pain, adrenaline and fury driving him...and when his tail came free, it came out with a temper. Kyle winced inwardly as he heard the crack against bone, the thick armor shattering in the spot where the tail had made contact. Kyle couldn't even imagine the force it had taken to do that to Isabel's armor, let alone what it did as a result; send her tumbling away.
For a brief moment, Ryoga and Isabel were separated. And Isabel looked stunned from the blow. Ryoga was already bracing himself to leap onto once again...unless something drew his attention again. Kyle didn't hesitate. He was already on the railing of the fire escape, bracing his legs before pushing himself off and over the dragon, hands slamming together in front of him before he drew them back over his head.
"That's right; I asked for her help. And I wouldn't be afraid to do it again." Now, Kyle may not have been the smartest person around. He was clever when he needed to be, fairly street smart when it came to most matters. Sure, he didn't always make the best of choices, but everyone made mistakes. But what Kyle shined at was making use of his abilities to their fullest extent. He practiced, he experimented, he improvised. As a result, he had a few tricks up his sleeve that some wouldn't expect. Such as now.
With his hands clasped behind his head, palm to palm, Kyle started releasing his energy. But he kept his palms held hard together, keeping it from being truly released. It was tricky and physically hard to do...but then, his body had been built for just this sort of thing. And as he came down over Ryoga, Kyle suddenly swung his arms over his head in a downward slashing motion...even as he opened up his hands just at the top, giving the pent up energy a way to break free. And break free it did, bursting out into what would look like a blade of his energy slamming down towards Ryoga's neck; energy and the force behind the blade.
Landing near Isabel, Kyle made certain he was clear of the direct charging path before he flung another blast of energy at Ryoga's head again, aiming to further distract him. "And she truly doesn't need to copy you to beat you. She'd crush you easily even without your form. Pretty pathetic for a god really, that such a "mortal" form could slap him silly."
When one puts a plan into place, they often do so with the knowledge that the plan could either backfire in their face or succeed on some level that is hopefully satisfying. In Kyle's case, his plans were working from one simple fact; he would likely not be a fair match against this beast if it came to head to head combat. Isabel had the better chance with her abilities; which is why Kyle's plans factored around that little detail. He might not be able to physically out-battle this dragon, but he could draw its ire and rage with his actions. Actions that made the dragon lose focus on the real threat that was Isabel.
Both his attacks connected as he'd hoped; the tail was pinned beneath the car, the dragon lacking the strength to flip it without turning to move it himself. And as he did, Kyle's bolts to his wings momentarily threw him off balance, the dragon roaring at him in rage and pain, cursing him for his actions. It was as good a distraction and opening as Kyle could have hoped for. And Isabel delivered.
In the seconds that Ryoga took his eyes off her, Isabel turned one of her bone wings into a battering ram of spikes and drove it into Ryoga's hide. This time, her bone spikes weren't deterred by the armor like skin of Ryoga's hide; Kyle saw blood seeping from where the spikes had found a chink in his armor. As Ryoga howled in fury and pain, a little smirk creased at the edge of Kyle's mouth. An annoyance he might be, but one that was not to be ignored, leaving Ryoga the painful problem of having to worry both about what he might be up to trick-wise and Isabel combat wise.
There would surely be hell to pay from Isabel after this, of that Kyle had little doubt. But for now, whether she liked it or not, they were working as a pair in this. Him the bait, her the danger. And she wasn't failing in taking advantage of his distractions to maintain her pride.
What was strange, however, was that while Kyle's blows had been hitting and stunning the larger beast, it wasn't wearing him down. In fact, he almost seemed to be redoubling his efforts after Kyle's energy bolts hit him. Something to consider but not enough to worry about for now. Kyle was already looking for his next course of action...there! A fire escape that would get him above the two for his next plan. Isabel would be able to handle him for a few moments, now that she'd gained a small advantage. Dashing for the escape, Kyle used a nearby car to leap to the railing and started gaining height.
"Let's just hope the dragon doesn't have any other tricks up HIS sleeve."
Evelyn was unique. No, Kyle wasn't just saying that due to her appearance or anything so outwardly simple. No, she was unique in the fact that, with her ability to read others, it was surprising how she sometimes revealed nothing and yet others revealed everything. Although Kyle's encounters with her had been brief and few inbetween compared to some others, Kyle had picked up a few things from her. Like knowing from her words that she genuinely believed the best course of action was to back out and head for the hills.
And knowing that glint in her eye when something had triggered the curiosity of her echoes, which in turn peeked her interest.It was a conflict of interest surely, raging within her mind. Stay and find out what Kyle meant, the consequences be damned? Or return now and avoid later conflict, leaving the question unanswered. If Kyle wanted her help and to succeed in his secret task, he had to do one simple thing.
Tip the balance.
"Well, you're here already and probably for a good reason I'm sure. At least I'm not asking you to come here when you're not.
As for Mirror, he...she...whichever they prefer to be...seems to have issue with me because of my words last time. Well, that's far from my intent here. You have clearly made your choice in that matter and I'd be making myself even less of a man to whine about it, so to speak.
I really do need your help here. The people that left me in the..condition you found me in were strong. Very strong. By all accounts, I should be dead." He hated admitting that he'd been outclassed in that battle by a wide margin but it was true. Besides, speaking the truth about that would likely help mask the hidden side of his intentions, simply because it was honestly a part of it. "Would be dead, if something hadn't happened. I can't quite explain what it was. I need to verify what it was before I or anyone I care about encounters these people again. Otherwise, next time you'll be finding a corpse."
Kyle motioned his head towards the hallways behind him, which led to the Danger Room deeper into the Sanctuary. "I won't keep you too long. I just need your help to work this out. Please, Evelyn?"
All plans could be considered full proof until first contact with the enemy. In this situation, Kyle could at least take pride in the fact that his plan had done what he'd intended it too. More or less anyway. The bolts he'd tossed at the dragon didn't hit the soft tissue of the eyes, instead connecting with the hardened skin that covered his whole body. However, the force behind them, as well as temporary blinding the beast, had been enough to alter the blow he'd sent Isabel's way.
Instead of smacking her aside, which is what would have happened he was sure, it merely knocked her a few steps back and tore open the upper portion of her shirt. She had her bone armor up beneath, which meant she was relatively unharmed from the hit; it also kept her damaged wardrobe from revealing far too much skin. The dragon, furious at the offense against him, turned that massive fury his way now, the seething rage of a beast about to bear down on him. It was in this that he made two mistakes.
One, he revealed that Kyle's attacks could at least get his attention. Harm him perhaps not, but draw his attention and ire. Something Kyle could count on in the fight to come. But the other was the most serious mistake. Kyle knew. Kyle had made it before.
He took his attention away from Isabel.
Kyle caught the fury she herself had for him. He could care less that she was probably angry with him for interrupting "her" fight. As far as he was concerned, with Sanctuary and those who called it home at risk from this raging animal, he wasn't willing to simply bet on Isabel's ability alone. She was strong; he knew it, she knew it. But with lives at stake, Kyle was going to do everything he could to turn the tide in their favor. He'd deal with her rage about it after. But for now, it appeared that she realized her time would be better spent taking advantage of the distraction.
And oh did she ever. She far surpassed what Kyle had expected she'd do. She took those few moments...and cloned their foe. Only instead of hide and flesh, this clone was made of solid bone. Kyle found himself stepping clear as the two dragons slammed into one another, a whirling mess of claw, tooth, bone and rage. It was an impressive display to say the least. "Guess she can be creative when she puts her mind to it..." Kyle muttered under his breath before darting back to his bike. He hadn't time to arm himself before arriving here and the momentary clash of dragons gave him the time to place the forearm guards and boots on, snapping the arm blades on the guards into place.
Turning back to the clashing beasts, Kyle could see the original dragon clawing for purchase. Isabel had caught him by surprise, but that wouldn't last long. And while her bone dragon was impressive, it didn't have muscle that it could use for power. If it came down to strength, the original dragon would win out. Kyle needed to do something to prevent that. Quickly glancing around, Kyle saw two quick options he could use. Make that one; with Isabel's proximity to the dragon, the first wouldn't work yet. The other, on the other hand...
Dashing around the two struggling beasts, Kyle got around behind the flailing tail of the original dragon. To be more specific, he got behind a car that had been flipped on its side from the dragon's charge. Kyle had to wait a few moments for the struggling two to get the few feet closer, for that whipping tail to settle as the dragon prepared for a big push. Then Kyle smashed into the car with a burst of energy that was strong enough to push it back over.
Right onto the dragon's tail. Followed by bolts of energy into the membrane of the dragon's wings.
Kyle was not surprised nor bothered by the fact that Isabel seemed to ignore his presence at her side. It was what she did to almost everyone, try to pretend they didn't exist if they weren't worth her time for a reason she deemed worthy. Which, usually, was could she kill them for her amusement or use them to get something she wanted, then kill them for her amusement. In this case, he wasn't worth either of us. The dragon, on the other hand, merited her attention beyond question.
Kyle caught a slight bit of the dragon's angry gaze after his words, a half-acknowledgment that told him he had earned the dragon's attention...eventually. But the dragon's words had pulled the wrong cord in Isabel; the cord that usually put most people in the hospital. If they were lucky.
The sound of cloth tearing and bone cracking made Kyle turn his gaze to his side, where Isabel was quickly arming herself for combat. It was a sight Kyle had seen before, growing those spider-like legs from her back to bring her to the dragon's eye level. Kyle knew from experience how deadly that form was; Isabel was faster with them, her attacks were sharp and precise and the ends of those legs were tipped to razor sharp points. It also afforded her with a much greater attack range and that was even without considering what other surprises she could unleash from the rest of her. Your average human or even mutant would have already taken off for the hills.
The dragon was undeterred by her form change, as unimpressed with it as Isabel was with either of them. That changed quickly when Isabel took the initiative...and slapped the dragon across its snout with an armored hand.
Kyle winced inwardly at the blow...but not because of the pain he imagined it inflicted on the beast. Instead, he winced because the dragon, while stunned into surprise perhaps, seemed unharmed in the greater scheme of things by the blow. In fact, if Kyle was missing his guess, he only looked...
"I will end you woman, and all that you hold dear."
Pissed. Very pissed. Kyle knew trouble was coming and it was going to come fast. Well, at least there's not much she holds dear that he can end...except this place. And her life, he mused silently to himself as he readied himself for action. Energy surged into his body, flowing through his limbs like water through a river. Already his energy was gathering in his hands, had been that way since he'd first arrived but now ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. Which is exactly what he did when he saw that right wing rising up. He knew the blow was coming and guessed that Isabel would think her armor would protect her from it. Yea...about as well as it would if she was hit by a semi-truck at full speed.
Kyle's hand flashed up, two small bolts of energy snapping out from his palm, using his middle finger and index finger as little strips to point the bolts toward their targets. That dragon had a thick hide, no doubt. But he wasn't aiming for the hide. He was aiming for those giant, soft eyes. Hopefully it would be enough to deter the blow a little.
At this point, a little could mean life or death. Well...I did complain that it was getting too quiet...
Following the beast proved to be easy; the trail of destruction he left in his wake made driving the bike after him simple. In its rush towards Kyle's de facto home, it had pushed everything, living and not, out of his way, creating an almost linear path for Kyle for follow him. It also allowed him to put a little more speed on, only having to watch for debris big enough to derail him if he wasn't careful.
Kyle had little doubt in his mind that the dragon would beat him there; his bike was fast, but the dragon had a few minutes on him and its strides weren't lazy. And when he saw him leap, soaring through the air on his momentum alone, Kyle knew the dragon was going to be on the place for a good minute or two before he got there.
Luckily, Kyle knew there would be someone there to stop him. Isabel had hung up the phone on him mid-sentence, as soon as he'd said the word "Sanctuary", which to most would mean she couldn't be bothered. But whatever else Isabel was, she cared for Sanctuary and those that called it home, in her own round about way. So Kyle knew that she would be waiting for the dragon when it slammed down and paused before the golden doors, ready to defend her home with ruthless efficiency. Of course, there was the chance he was completely wrong on that account...
His faith didn't fail him. Sure enough, standing between the beast and Sanctuary was Isabel, looking none too impressed with the scaled creature standing only several feet away, easily dwarfing her in size. The dragon was speaking to her, something that Kyle only caught a few pieces of due to his engine, but the dragon's voice was loud enough for him to catch some choice words. Oh...she wasn't going to like being called a human. Gunning his engine, Kyle drifted the bike around so that he was also between the golden doors and the creature; of course, he wasn't afraid to be only a few feet from Isabel himself.
"I'm glad my warning got you out here in time. I'm impressed too; you stopped him just by standing still."
Turning his attention to the 15 foot creature that looked as if it could easily crush them both with a single swipe, Kyle moved away from his bike, staring up at the beast. "Apologies but I don't believe Sanctuary would make a very good throne nor would it do good in ashes. Some of us live here, you know. So, if you don't mind...kindly take your rage elsewhere. I can't promise it will end well otherwise...for you, I mean."
Ever since their initial attack upon the best of the mutants and the masses, the group that had identified itself as the Zodiacs had gone quiet. There were no mass attacks, no utter chaos brought about by their powerful elite(though no one could attribute the rioting as their handy work), no more examples made to the public of their abilities. It was if they had swooped in like the wind, struck fast and deadly, then faded into shadow. Some questioned whether they were serious about their claims or if the whole thing had been an elaborate hoax.
The truth was far from any of that. Yes, they had gone quiet...to the public eye. They were now conducting their actions in secret, silently removing mutants that most would not miss and planning their next course of action. The game board was ever shifting but it was still shifted in their favor. They needed another major play to tilt the odds further towards them. So their soldiers watched, hidden amongst the masses as merely another human, searching for details to plan the next step in their plan.
It came in the form of a 15 foot dragon.
To call him a dragon was simply the only way to describe the being that had suddenly landed upon the street, disturbing traffic and sending varied reactions among the people below. Shocked silence. Angry honking. Shaking fists. Awe and admiration. And fear. Most importantly, fear and anger. The two things Libra loved more then anything else to see amongst his potential victims.
They had spotted the dragon a few days ago, when he'd appeared at the Mansion. However, they had waited instead of moving on this valuable asset, mainly because moving that close to the mansion was not a wise choice yet. Instead, they had sent Libra and a squad to the areas nearest the mansion, to wait for the chance that the dragon would wander from the protection of the X-Men. And, here and now, their patience had paid off. The dragon had come to the city. And Libra was posed to take advantage of the fact.
It wasn't hard, not in the slightest, to track the dragon and position himself in the proper location for his plan. The dragon was a 15 foot target but Libra was aiming at only a small portion of that. He waited, biding his time until...there! The dragon had paused, but for a moment, to bask in the awe and fear he was causing. And he made his head the perfect target. With lethal precision, Libra's arm snapped up, the parasite his body produced bursting free from his skin and streaking like a creature possessed to its target. It struck with little spectacle, squishing against the crown of the dragon's head and burrowing itself quickly through the skin, attaching itself firmly to its target.
And then it started seeping Libra's suggestions to the beast. Subtle, little words that the dragon would think its own, all the while stroking the anger and fury in the creature to set it upon the path Libra deemed. Yes...they bow before me as they should. All should bow before me. But these are mere humans, this is to be expected. I need to make those with powers like me bow as well...Sanctuary. I will make Sanctuary bow before me and prove my godly status!
And as the dragon changed direction to visit the home of the mutants, Libra grinned. Plan in motion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For once, it was a half decent day outside and Kyle wasn't one to waste those chances. The city had been quiet for a while, save for the everyday crime that takes place in a city of this size. Those crimes didn't bother him; he was watching for the group that had laid him and several others up severely, these Zodiacs, to reappear. They had been quiet for a while now and rather then make Kyle feel at ease about the fact, all it brought to him was unease. They were no joke...and the silence worried him. He feared what kind of action would have them remain so still for so long...and feared having the ability to combat it.
A rumbling stirred him from his musings. At first, he didn't know what he was hearing. Then, as whatever it was got closer, Kyle started picking out the sounds. Car horns. Sirens. Screaming. And something big thudding against the pavement below, the sounds of metal being pushed aside or something being shattered. Getting to his feet, Kyle peered over the side of the building he had been perched atop, only a short distance from Sanctuary. What he saw made him blink twice as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing and confirm he wasn't going mad.
A dragon. There was a dragon barreling down the street towards Sanctuary's doors. With speed. And he showed little signs of slowing down. And above all else...he looked angry. Really. Angry.
Which couldn't be a good thing. It only took Kyle a moment to realize that trouble was about to hit, in a very big way. Muttering under his breath, Kyle was already moving, hoping down onto the fire escape and quickly descending the building. His mind was already working on what he would have to do to take on something like that...he knew he would be sorely outmatched in this contest if it came down to head to head. He would need help...but who could he call that could get here quick enough to assist? There just wasn't enough ti...
It hit him so quickly that he almost lost a step when he hit the pavement. There was one person he could call on...whether she would actually help was another story. Pulling his phone out, he scrolled through the contacts to one he had not used in a while and hit dial. By dumb luck(she must not have put his name down with this number), she answered. "Isabel, how would you like to catch a dragon that's about to plow through Sanctuary's doors?"
Then he jumped on his bike and gunned after the beast, hoping he made it there before the creature could do any serious damage.
She was here to talk to someone? Last Kyle checked, he couldn't even count on one hand the number of people who could be here that Evelyn would come to visit, simply because there wasn't anyone. She had chosen to live and breathe at the mansion, with the X-Men, who weren't too pleased with this place themselves. And he already knew what her partner thought of him, something that he was sure would drive Maya to a fever pitch just to hear Evelyn had come to this place where he lived. Her being here was an oddity, something that one could have never predicted in years.
But he wasn't going to let the chance go to waste. Not when the simple act of her being here opened several roads and paths to answers that he needed to find.
"Fair enough. I just wanted to thank you, mostly, for finding me in Times Square and getting me to medical aid. I doubt I would have survived otherwise. For that, I thank you.
There's one other thing I could use your help with; something I need to confirm. It can be done elsewhere but here, just like the mansion, is a Danger Room we use. There's something I need to test but as you can imagine, finding someone here that will help with that is hard.
I won't keep you much longer than I need to, I promise. But I could really use your help with this; I fear I may need it in the coming future".
There. The words were said, the play was in motion. He wasn't lying when he said there was something he needed to test. He just wasn't saying yet exactly the full scope of who he was intending this for.
