I am the voice. (Invite only)

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 1st 2012, 5:12 pm

The sun hung high in the sky, and it felt good against the Goddesses skin. Sunlight was always good to her, and good for her. infact it felt like nourishment everytime she went out in the sweet light of the sun. A head phone dangled from her ear as she took in the sweet midnoon air. Even if it was filled with man made pollution she could feel the feral beauty of it all. How symetrical nature was even with the stain of humanity that blotted out its green beauty so. One day she would deal with that danger as such, but for now she would try to enjoy the goddess given power she had. Three seeds balanced in her palm as she walked along the edge of a rather beautiful park. Grass well taken care of, as it was a shade of healthy green. People went about their regular day, though she simply walked ot the center of the park. Wind ruffling her pure red hair against her shoulder.

No one gave her a second glance, and she expected nothing less of the ignorant human race. They saw nothing divine, only its science that in the end killed nature as well as themselves. Humans were a blight that the gods had layed upon themselves. She as mother nature was to clense them from her land. Dropping a single seed into the fertile soil, she whispered a hyme of growth, as the plant grew. Germinating in a matter of second, growing and bearing fruits. Long strong branches reaching to the sky, as ruby red apples hung from them like gems. Thick with fresh vitamin fulled flesh that was perfect for consumption. Though those of the park saw her miracle as some sort of curse. Though her wrath was great, Anu was a banevolent goddess and wanted peace rather than war. She would try her best to win humanity over with wonderful gifts rather than dead loved ones. Was it so bad to offer tham the bounties of nature.

Some called her a witch while others a metahuman. She was no such paltry thing. Infact it was a spit in the dieties face that could not go unseen. With outspread arms she spoke her messgae, one that had been practiced as long as she knew of it. "Curse not me children. I am mother nature in the flesh and I offer you life. I am Anu goddess of earth and I can renew what you have destroyed. Cast aside your gods and come to me knowing true life. Eat of the fruit that I give freely." She proclaimed with her whole heart, twirling on the tips of her toes in a happy display. Simple loose white tanktop flowing along with her movements. Bare feet feeling the crisp grass under her feet like an old friend.

It was a joy she could give all living things a chance to live. Enjoy what she gave so freely to all the world. Though they called her insane, and a loon. Which stopped her rather joyous dance in its track, in fact she felt hatred grow in its place. Hatred for those who mocked their goddess. Céard atá cearr leat? An bhfuil aon chroí, nó tar éis fás tú daft? Ní mór dom a dhéanamh go dtuigeann tú?!? She roared, as a vine root sprouted from the ground and slammed into a person. Sending them reeling. Her headphones fell to the ground as she prepared to strike another down.

by **Jack Maroon** March 1st 2012, 6:24 pm

Jack Maroon, champion of man

The sunlight seeped through the opening between the curtains of Jack's hotel room, eventually reaching his bare face. The brightness of the sun's rays startled him, and shook him out of his alcohol-induced half-slumber. His mind could not recall most of the night before, except that he had traveled to the city of Angels earlier that night and had then proceeded to party so hard that it would have killed most rockstars.
For an instant, Jack felt annoyed at the light that was pulling at his consciousness, reluctant to wake up. He quickly dismissed this notion however; the light heralded a brand new day of adventure, another day to live.

Yes, to live. Life was far too precious to be spent in stasis, however pleasant that could be.

He jumped out of bed, and speeded into the shower, completing his daily tasks of maintaining hygiene within mere moments. He had removed the stubble that had been so prominent on his jaw for a while, replacing it with a fresh, clean shave. He styled his dark-blonde hair into a sharp spiked backwards hairstyle with a good amount of gel. He had a reputation of being incredibly awesome to keep to, he told himself.

His daily attire would be an expensive custom-fitted white Italian shirt, untucked of course, collar popped up like a total tool and shirt unbuttoned at the top, exposing both his well-toned pecs of steel and a prop necklace from the outdated anime show Full Metal Alchemist.
Dark-grey combat pants and black combat boots adorned his lower body, which contrasted his top. Of course he could still pull it off. Fuck, I mean, this is Jack Maroon we're talking about.
He completed the look with some awesome black shades and his usual fingerless leather gloves.He certainly stood out in a crowd, though this could also be attributed in part due to the katana he constantly carried along with him.

Jack was still a little hungover from the night, but that would fade soon. His superhuman constitution could handle far more than the average man. But still, perhaps it would be...wise..to keep it easy for at least the afternoon, yeah. Of course, he really had no idea what he wanted to do today, so he had little choice but to take it easy and try find out what the city of Angels had in store for him.

Little did he know that today yet another grand adventure awaited him. In this day's episode, Jack Maroon would be facing an avatar of nature, a woman given such power over the soil and the plants that it nourished that she might as well be Gaia herself. An ancient tale retold over the ages; the battle between man and nature, the battle of man against life itself. Only a few blocks away, in a park that Jack would soon visit, the goddess dealt her fury upon the populace that scorned her gifts.

After eating some breakfast at the hotel, Jack left without paying, running at a speed that would nearly make it seem as if he had vanished into thin air.

At the park, Jack was faced with a curious sight, a sight his mind quickly distorted into the intro-scene for a great battle. Clearly this crazy plant-lady was to be his opponent. To Jack's rather simple mind, the fact she was indiscriminately attacking innocent bystanders was enough proof for this.
But before he would become embattled with her, he would have to issue his challenge. Jack-style.

A shadowy blur leaped into the sky, revealing its form only when it had reached the highest point of its jump. The handsome katana-wielding 'hero', using the laws of gravity to his advantage, dived down back to the ground, landing only after an over-the top well-executed triple salto-move in which he slashed around him with his blade. The impact of the landing created a small crater around Jack Maroon, who, after perfectly landing on his feet, dramatically raised his gaze towards the 'goddess', pointed at her dramatically and finally flashed a winning smile.

"Yo babe! You seem to be in dire need of some wicked martial contention. I challenge you to a fucking duel! Bring it!!" He shouted bombastically.

There, that should do. It was unlikely she would reject his polite request. Having landed upon a beautiful patch of roses, he would more than likely have incurred her ire even without speaking.

(wc:741)

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 1st 2012, 6:54 pm

She was ready to release her ire upon another unfortunate individual, who was a grey suited buisness man. Infact she had a death blow set out for the symbol of human control, but was stopped by the sudden appearence of a man. Who found it proper to stand int he way of her wrath that knew no end. Staying her hand, Anu looked the man over with indifference. As if he were an ant in the way of a great storm that would sweep soon enough. "You challenge me to a duel? Are you daft man, or suicidal?" She asked raising a crimson eyebrow. Leaning back on a twisting root that worked as her chair. Raising her into the air as she looked down upon the would be hero.

Leg crossed over leg as she prepared the wrath of a goddess. A long red pantied nail pointed at the hero as if designating him as a target before she reached with her free hand into her pocket. Pulling out two seeds and allowing them to fall into the ground burrowing as they began to grow at an accelerated rate. Forming two large flowers that leaned towards the hero, as seeds protruded from the center. A deep almost jet black color. Like archers at the ready for the queen to make an order. Nature was her servent and she its master. They would never jeer at her or mock her truths.

"Fire." Anu said coldy as the seeds were fired like many bullets at jack. All aimed to rip him into a fine red mist, and leave nothing left of it. Though what the warriro could do she was unsure of. Maybe he would have an inhuman strength or something along that design. Whatever he was, she would kill him anyway. No mortal could hope to defeat a goddess in the flesh. She made this earth, so it should dictate her victory. Should being a rather important word for her. People watched in terror as the women who claimed to be a goddess went on a rampage, though her intentions were unknown. It was sure death was wanted.

by **Jack Maroon** March 2nd 2012, 10:01 am

Jack didn't have enough time to dramatically crack his knuckles and get into a fighting pose, as the crazy plant-lady had decided to make the first move. Of course, as the challenged, such was her privilege. It didn't bother him. Neither did the seed-bullets that were en-route to shred his body apart, but this was mostly because he just thought that was awesome. So far, he had only faced off against normal bullets, and though those were still dangerous to him, he had always managed to dodge them with his skill. He relished the opportunity to try his hand at fighting nature itself. Because really, that was who Jack was fighting, at least from his perspective.
Man vs. Nature, round one.

Right as the deadly seed-pellets were fired, Jack strafed sideways, right out of the bullets' line of fire, effectively dodging what would have certainly spelled out his untimely demise. From there, at his highest speed, one which exceeded that of most racecars, he ran in a straight line towards the Goddess herself, his sword poised to strike. As he came upon the root she was seated on, he used all his strength and the momentum of his approach to jump up at her and strike.

As man had spat in the face of nature by defying it with science, so did Jack Maroon boldly face his foe. No tricks up his sleeve, no secret strategies. Armed with only his resolve, his katana and superhuman power that had been granted him upon wishing at a falling star, the mortal struck at the Goddess with his blade.

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 2nd 2012, 4:24 pm

The man moved with a speed that exceeded the realm of humanity, and caught her interest somewhat. Though no enough to evade her wrath in the least. He held a blade seeming to aim to cut her down. Though no normal blade would hope to harm her powerful skin. The blessing of her godhood and none could overtake her. Next was to most likely intercept his attack with one of her own as the plants undrneath her rose to protect her, but she wasn't fast enough. As the blade slammed against her chest with a superhuman pressure. It stung but she knew it wouldn't go any further.

Though the blade was another matter altogether. It snapped under the immense pressure he exerted against her nigh unbreakable skin. Tip stabbing into the moist ground as she simply looked upon the man with amusement. A slim bruise would form across her chest but it was a small price to pay to kill this poor fool. Which she would do with a sort of pride. "Did you really expect your toy to really hurt me?" She laughed, red lips stretching into a devious smirk.

As a vine rose from the ground aimed to wrap around the mans ankle. Only to dangle him upside down if such a tactic were to work. Though of course she could tell he was no ordinary human and what else he could do made her wary of him. First she would try to restrain him before killing him.

by **Jack Maroon** March 2nd 2012, 5:06 pm

After having his killing strike fail spectacularly, Jack had managed to secure a foothold on the root his foe had perched herself upon. He now stood right in front of her, at only an arm's length of distance. Upon closer inspection, Jack found the girl rather pretty, but he had little time to inspect her more thoroughly. His attention was already focused elsewhere now; it was aimed at the remains of his trusty sword.

"Did you really expect your toy to hurt me?" His enemy, to whom he referred in his mind as 'that crazy plant-lady', taunted him, laughing and smirking at his agony.

Jack gazed upon the broken blade with great melancholy; in his mind, this had been the blade he had fought all his battles with, the weapon he had carried through years of hardship, and that he had come to trust as much as his own body.

The truth of course, was that this was but one of the many japanese swords Jack Maroon had in his possession. Throughout the years, he had built up quite a collection, even though he had already broken countless swords. They simply weren't as durable as he himself was, it seemed. Not really an extension of his body then. He just really liked swords.

With this new piece of information available, it should not come as much of a surprise that only a moment after gazing upon the broken weapon with great despondence, Jack tossed the sword away and took up his fighting pose. This stance however, unlike the flashy but amateurish ones he had taken when using his sword, was incredibly effective and left little to no openings in his defense.

"Guess that was to be expected. Time to get serious the-" Jack was unable to finish his sentence, as a vine had crept up from behind him, having slipped through the cracks in his defense, wrapping around his ankle.Our protagonist, realizing fully what the botanic babe was planning and the nigh-inescapable predicament that would put him in, did what he did best at these moments. Hardcore Improvisation.

Feeling the tug at his ankle, Jack instinctively reached for his opponent's long red hair, trying to get a tight hold on it. He would pull with all his might, in an attempt to fling his enemy across the park like a ragdoll tossed away after playtime. If he would at all succeed at this, he would either manage to achieve the intended, and throw his opponent far across the battlefield, or just rip all her hair out. While the former was his preference, the latter could work as well he supposed.
Either way, it was not the most subtle of tactics, but Jack really didn't have much to work with here.

Besides, as should be clear by now, Jack Maroon is not a very clever man.

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 2nd 2012, 5:18 pm

She saw this as her victory as the spear meant to impale the man had creapt into place. Though he had other plans within his small mind that she would not have liked one bit. There would be no victory for her, but instead she was only in for pain. As the man took a grip of her beautiful locks, and pulled. The goddess was unable to resist the superior strength, and was wrenched from her lofty seat Thrown acrross the crisp green park, as she tudded against turf. Ground gave dented under the impact as a curse hissed from between her teeth..

Anu was enraged and everyone would see it. An example was to be made of this upstart and she would be the divine instrument that delivered such an example. "You are strong I give you that, but brute power can only give you so much human. While I can go on until the end." She said, pulling herself from the ground, smoothing her hair out. Scalp sore from what the man had done to her in his reckless attack.

"You will not die quick I promise you that worm." She snarled hands clenching as if around a throat. Only showing the bloodlust that brewed under her banevolent exterior. Earth under her broke as a huge root sprouted form under her, reaching for a civilian. Wrapping around them as it hoisted the unfortunate person into the air. "You are a hero of this era. So how willing are you to sacrifice human life to defeat me?" She asked quizzically, raising a blood red eyerow. Not hesitant to kill.

by **Jack Maroon** March 2nd 2012, 6:20 pm

Jack calmly observed his foe being flung across the park, rewarding himself only with a quick FIST-PUMP and a not so witty remark. "Fuck yeah. Homerun, bitch." He said to himself, beginning his walk towards the crash-site.That had been a close call. Another second or two and it would have been over for him. That wouldn't have been good, no, not at all. Jack wouldn't settle for anything less than an epic heroic death, one that would be sung of by bards all over the land for age to come, if only such a thing as bards still existed.
It was either that, or to die from his affliction or some random meaningless death. What would be the point of that? He held all this power only to make a change to that, he believed staunchly. It was his opportunity to lead a good life, which would naturally have to end with a good death.

But even though Jack's wish was a selfish one, his desire being only for his own glory and satisfaction in life, he could not ignore the goodness that stirred within his chest. The flower-lady had gotten up and recovered from his mighty throw, and in retaliation had lifted an innocent civilian into the air with one of her root-tentacle-thingies.
As Jack's self-interest and his human faculties of empathy and sympathy clashed, Jack, in his infinite wisdom and badassery instead came upon a better solution. Sure, it would be smarter to just let the guy die and focus and beating this lady down. And yeah, definitely, saving the civilian and opening himself for attack would be the right thing to do. And the stupid thing to do.
But since when had Jack let something being stupid stop him from doing it? It was the heroic thing to do, really. It wasn't really out of any lofty ideals, or some dark past compelling him that he chose to go in for the rescue. It was because doing the right thing, was most often the best thing. Doesn't get any more heroic than epic self-sacrifice, does it?

Jack began to accelerate, speeding towards the hostage dangling in the sky. Getting there in time wouldn't be the problem, at least not at the speeds he was running at. It was reaching the hostage that would prove trickiest. Jack would have to time this correctly. Using a nearby bench as a platform, Jack launched himself into the air like regular superhero. One would almost have thought he had the power of flight, if it weren't for the bench he had used that now lay absolutely ruined.
Again, this wasn't the most refined technique as it was sheer improvisation. Jack flew into the man, wrestling him out of the plant's embrace with only the sheer force of impact and the momentum of his assault. He tried his best not to harm the hostage, though he knew the hostage would feel this in the morning. Maybe one or two cracked ribs. Whatever, still better than being dead, a tribute to some crazy broad that thought she was a goddess. Seriously, the delusions of some of these people, jeesh. Sometimes it made Jack think he was the only sane person left on the world. This was as far from the truth as it can get.

Landing on the ground with an expertly executed dodge roll, Jack lay the bewildered and only slightly damaged hostage on the ground and quickly brought his gaze to his opponent. He'd done the right thing. And because of that, now he'd have to face the music. Would his opponent strike him while his guard was..well, mostly down? Would his heroic rescue have been for naught? Stay tuned, kids.

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 3rd 2012, 4:27 pm

The man didn't go below her expectations in the least. He made the heroic choice and saved the man in danger of certain death which impressed her. Anu allowed a large root to once again lift her into the air, as she looked down upon the strange man in question. She had orignially expected him to try and stop her though maybe he was different than the average glory seeker. She would give him the chance to join her. Only because this man interested the goddess.

"Wondeful, I would expect nothing less of a great hero. Most of the heroes these days are nothing compared to those of my days. Once I reign on this world, would you like to be at my right hand?" She said in some sort of mini speech, as she rose higher into the sky. Yet her voice managed to reach those on the ground level. Three seeds were in hand, quickly dropping to the ground as they burrowed into the rich soil.

Sprouting into a large monstrosity, that looked like a flower with the petals bunched together like a hammer. They functioned like hammers as well, but with a more deadly effect. " What do you say? Will you join me in my goal?" If he denied her, she would have the three hammer flowers slam the man into the ground, or atleast try to. No man told the goddess no with their body intact.

by **Jack Maroon** March 4th 2012, 6:58 am

"Seriously?" Jack asked incredulously as he got up from the ground, leaving the injured man there for the medics to pick up later. She tried to kill him and other innocent civilians, and now she offered him a place in her new world order? Awesome.
She was proving to be exactly what he hoped for. This was the typical 'villain aspiring for world-domination' template, even going so far as to offer the hero the opportunity to join her side. Jack was smiling now. Couldn't get any better than this. He would now heroically reject her offer and denounce her evils. That's what he would do if he weren't too caught up in his fight.

"What the hell are you talking about toots? Less talkie, more fightie."

That said, Jack started running at Anu in a straight line, his strategy basically a repeat of his first attack, only this time without using a crappy sword. Though he preferred to finish his enemies with a climatic anime-like stroke of the blade, he was fine with pummeling his enemies to death as well. Really added up to the brutality-factor, which is also cool in its own way.
Jack wasn't granted the satisfaction of punching the Goddess in the face. From the ground sprouted three large hammer-like flowers. He was given no time to recuperate from the surprise as the first hammer already struck down upon him without warning. Jack barely dodged it by jumping aside, the look of his surprise hidden beneath his dark spectacles. That had been a very close call.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed, right before the second plant tried to pummel him down into the ground, granting him no reprieve from the Goddess' onslaught of attacks. With yet another incredibly ungraceful dodge, Jack escaped certain death once again. It was nearly comical how amateurish and sloppy his dodges were. The Goddess was no doubt laughing her ass of at Maroon's misfortunes.

This would most likely change when Jack decided to cut the crap. Jack had figured out the hammers' attack pattern and velocity, and when the third flower swung down at him to deliver certain death, he expertly side-stepped it. The hammer missed by a whisker, but that had been Jack's intent. He exploited the brief moment that the flower's hammer was stuck in the ground and jumped on, running up its bent stalk.
The other two flowers, having recovered from their earlier attempts to crush the hero's bones, lacking intelligence beyond the order to kill Jack that their mistress had issued them immediately both swung down at the man. This was his plan. Suddenly accelerating his pace to max, he jumped off the hammer-flower's stalk, which was soon crushed by its two sisters.

Flying through mid-air from his jump, Jack's target was once again Anu, the self-proclaimed Goddess of the Earth. For only a second, he contemplated perhaps not hitting her, emulating the policy against hitting women that many male protagonists in anime seemed to have. Naturally, he decided against it, since he had already flung her around by the hair before. Yeah, he wasn't the chivalrous type, he decided.
Coming down from the sky, Jack aimed a particularly powerful flying roundhouse kick at his foe, hoping to kick her across the battlegrounds-again. This time however, he'd catch up with her while she was mid-flight by running at his max, and would then punch her down into the ground and pummel her to death. Yeah, that sounded like neat plan. Awesome. A little bloodthirsty and gruesome maybe, but that really didn't stop Jack from doing it.

Of course, if he missed, he'd just launch a fast and furious succession of punches and kicks. That would work fine too, he guessed. At this point, he really didn't care anymore. The adrenaline had gone to his head, and distorted his already 'slightly' irrational view of the world. All he cared about now was the thrill of the battle, and the prospect of absolute victory that dangled before him.

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 6th 2012, 5:09 pm

With no class the man denied her offer, acting as if her were someone who had the right to deny her what she wanted. WHo the hell did he think he was anyway? Anu was sick of this heroes foolishness and allowed her angels of death to fall upon him with a merciless power. One that could put to shame the feats of man and even the power of most of mans machinery. None could witstand the wrath of a goddess, not when she had put her mind to it. There would be blood before this was all over she was sure of that much. Though before long the hero proved he was more thans he expected.

Expertly dodging her powerful weapons and even turning them against each other. This was an unaccaptable outcome as far as she was concerned. No man would out do the goddess who gave him the very earth that he now stood upon. Her teeth clenched together in ehr silent fury as she water for the proper moment. As small pink buds grew upon the corpse of the once proud stalk of the hammer plant. Though little time could be given to its growing as she was upheaved from her lofty seat once again by a blow from the man. His foot planting in her face and sending her fly across the turf. A small trickle of crimson red blood flowing down her chin.

A fire of rage boiled within her chest and it was all over. Though before she could erect herself a shower of punches came upon her, both painful but thay wouldn't prove fatal if she could stop it.With quick thinking she called for a vine, which ensnared her arm and quickly yanked her from under the assailant. Body aching formt he rapiid rain of blows that were sure to leave a plethora of bruises tommorrow. Now her blood was letting a small trickle of crimson blood flow. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits that could be mistooken for those of a Lioness ready for the kill.

"You have made your last mistake fool!!!" She roared, spitting a glob of spittle and blood to the ground. "I offer a safe alternative and you kick me in the face! I try to be kind but you show the idiocy of humanity! The only thing this race deserves is to die, but you will first get a taste of that death!" Anu took a seed about the size of her fist from a bag at her side and thrust it into the ground. Next the ground shook as a plant of collassal size rose from the ground, with lashing tentacles protruding from its sides as well as what seemed like a gaping maw at its end. With a snap of her fingers, a tangle of thorn coated vines aimed to grab Jack in an Iron Maiden embrace.

by **Jack Maroon** March 6th 2012, 6:00 pm

Normally Jack would have made some semi-witty remark about how much his opponent tended to talk and yell. He was however too far gone for that, consumed by the combat high and the bloodlust-rage that accompanied it.
The brief moment he had spent clobbering at the Goddess' face had brought him great satisfaction, to the point that he was almost disappointed when his opponent had managed to save herself from death by a one-man punching squad.

A crowd of civilians that were either incredibly curious or incredibly dumb had gathered to watch the battle between man and nature; from a relatively safe distance of course. None of them wanted to get in between the two metahumans that were duking it out in the park.
Whereas at first they had cheered for Jack Maroon, their enthusiastic support of him had somewhat diminished over the time. Only when they saw the mad grin upon his face when he was bashing in the villain's face without mercy did their smiles begin to falter. Would a true hero attempt to viciously beat down a defenseless woman while she lay on the ground, even if she were a villain?

Their moral judgement of the hero was interrupted by a greater spectacle. A colossal plant had risen from the ground, and its thorned vines had begun to lash out for Jack, hoping to catch him in their deadly embrace.
The tentacles' efforts were in vain. Jack Maroon, seeing the vines and the plant they originated from as only an obstacle, gave them little attention. Instead, he dodged and jumped his way through the botanic onslaught directed at him; sustaining multiple minor scrapes and wounds from the thorns. If anything, the pain of these minor injuries only strengthened his resolve and focus.
It pissed him off to no end that his sword had gone and broken on him. He could have really used it right now; it would have been both practical and awesome to slash away at this barrage of plant-based attacks.

When Anu was finally in his direct line of vision again, Jack again bolted straight towards her at a blinding speed. His intent was once again to simply rush at her, punch her real hard once and then beat her down again. The plan was simply, easy to see through and utterly predictable. Of course, the fact that he had emerged from the Goddess' attack at all held enough of a surprise value, not to mention the fact that sometimes skill, speed and raw physical strength were enough of a tactic by themselves. That was what Jack was betting on.

by **Jordan Reynolds** March 6th 2012, 6:16 pm

Anu was not surprised in the least by the mans ability to dodge her barrage of attacks, but actually she expected such a response. Now was the time to think with her head istead of simply attack him recklessly. If this went right she could end the fight with no more injuries. Her eyes caught the faces of the people appauled by the brutality the hero that they championed was capable of. This caused a savage smirk to come across her face as a vine became her chair once again. raising her into the air but not to be knocked down this time. Which the man was of course aiming to do.

A single vine dropped a seed into her open palm, and she threw it infront of her. Outer shell cracking as it sprouted into a shield of petals that was thicker and tougher than her own skin, but what it did was even better. If the guy so much as touched it, the petals were to close in on him in a grip that most superhumans only wished to be capable of. Thought hat was only a what if scenario, but she would make a speech anyway

"Are you satisfied with yourself hero. Your people hate, no they fear you. You are nothing but a blood thirsty barbarian and they fear what you will do to them once you are done with me. Who truly is the evil one here? Can you answer that or are you so blind to the truth?" She was tauting him and being fully sincere. A hero was to be loved by his people and they feared him. That did not bode well for any hero, but her pity was not to be his. Not to the man who struck a goddess.

by **ScarletteGoddess** March 6th 2012, 10:50 pm

*Essmerelda*

The heat of Los Angeles was welcoming and new to the former pale vixen. It was strange and new—Two things Essa was never one to particularly like. Being an orphan all of her life, being welcomed and change was never a good thing. But this was a completely different feeling . . . She wasn’t being shipped off to a new family in hopes of being a normal child anymore, she was here in the gorgeous city of L.A. for her wedding. Her marriage to Victor Suarez was a surprise even to her and she couldn’t wait to officially tie the knot with her fiancé . . . For the normally hot-headed woman who had a loud-mouth and a vivacious, outspoken personality, now was not a good time to piss her off. It was one of those few moments where she felt . . . GOOD. Lovely and loved. It was truly strange and so far in her life, only Victor had been able to get that gut feeling out of her. She didn’t like how vulnerable if made her feel, but in a sense . . . It was a relief to know that even to herself, she could still be truthful and feel emotion.

The sound of a fight clashing caught her attention – A woman with fiery red hair and a seemingly perfect physique, naturally and vivaciously gorgeous. Why would a woman of such petite structure be in a fight? She questioned to herself with a cocked eyebrow. Then the man she saw also made her tilt her head . . . He was just about her height, but she was taller, but he was more massive. The typical male figure with the broad shoulders, chest, and muscle mass. Essa was muscular, but was more grace and limbs than anything. Well, if anything stirred her away from her peaceful mindset it was a fight, so she simply sat back on the heels of her shoes and watched for several moments . . .

“Who truly is the evil one here? Can you answer that or are you so blind to the truth?"

Said the red-headed woman. Essa heaved a little sigh, pulled her hair back, and then took a few steps forward. Her composure was calm, as she was completely in a content mood, but she was on guard . . . The fight going on was surely odd and Essa was a BIT uncertain as she saw the massive plants STRANGLING the man up. Normally, it was more likely for the woman to be strangled and hurt by a man . . . Odd.

“Hey, kiddies, why the fighting on a such a nice day? I mean, fuck, I’m trying to walk off some stress and all I see is this shit? What happened, did this girl call you a pussy and you can’t take it like a man or something?” She demanded. Essa was never a girl with a soft voice. Rather, her voice was rough like sand paper and striking—Her team mates called her voice annoying though. Whatever. She spoke her mind and never spoke quietly. Force of habit. Mock-daintily lighting a soft blue flame in her palms, the bleached Amazon leaned back slightly, gazing over the two arguing/fighting people and muttered, [color=blue]“C’mon, lady, put the damn plants down and leave the poor guy alone. He's probably got a drug-dealer to pay off or some crazy shit like that . . . color]

Fire burned plants. Essa knew this. She just at least needed to know the context before bruning everything and making new enemies-- And Essa made enemies very well.

{(OOC: If anything's out of place or seems un-fitting, tell me, and I'll gladly change it ^_^ Well, off to bed . . .G'night.})

by **Jack Maroon** March 11th 2012, 4:39 pm

"Are you satisfied with yourself, hero?.
Your people hate, no they fear you.
You are nothing but a bloodthirsty barbarian and they fear what you will do to them once you are done with me.
Who truly is the evil one here? Can you answer that or are you so blind to the truth?"

Even through the metaphorical haze of blood that clouded his mind, Anu's speech reached Jack's ears. His enemy's words stopped him in his track, a rare feat. Jack halted his assault, one that unbeknownst to him would have ended in his death if he had carried on with it. If Jack had kept running straight at her, he would have fallen right into her trap, one that would have immobilized him and ensured his enemy's victory. That is, his untimely demise.
The speech she gave that was meant to demoralize him had worked against her, saving the intrepid fool's life. Still, it had almost achieved its original goal as well. Jack had been stopped, if only for a brief moment, and was considering the venom that the goddess had try to pour in his ear.

He looked around the crowd. They were terrified alright, which only made sense with the rampaging plants in the park and the metahuman claiming to be a goddess vowing to destroy humanity. But what hit Jack was that from their faces he couldn't read whether it was the plants they were afraid of or well...him. In reality, it was both. It was hard to see Jack Maroon as a villain; he had saved civilians and fought someone who desired world-domination. But it was almost as difficult for people to acknowledge him as a true hero. His words were far from heroic, his actions brutal and without any form of moral restraint. His bloodthirst scared them as much as the goddess' display of her powers and her claim to godhood and of dominion did.

But what the hell did he care about all of that? Jack didn't do what he did for them; he did it for himself. Everything he did was to ensure his life held meaning before it expired. Of course, that meaning was a little different from what the ordinary man would call meaningful; most people would not consider emulating insane feats from videogames and animated series to be the meaning of life. But this was Jack's choice. He wanted to be a hero in the only way he understood the concept. Jack smiled. Hell, this bitch thought she could beat him with petty words and trickery? Who the hell did she think he was?

'Who the hell do you think I am?!'' the words resounded through Jack's heart, through his muddled brain that had found the perfect opportunity to use that oh so precious quote. He had held the show it was from very dear to his heart, even considering some of the characters from it as inspiration for his heroic persona; the personality he had cultivated in himself. Yes. It was time. After the short few seconds Jack had paused in, he acted again.

He thrusted his right arm up and pointed at the heavens dramatically, assuming the signature pose of one of his greatest heroes. "Who the hell do you think I am?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and then moved out of his pose by executing a fist-pump with the erected arm. To the audience, the heroine who had just entered the fray, observant for now, and the recipient of this gesture, this act would probably have made little sense. To Jack it was as meaningful as could be.

When Essa, the heroine known as the silver hellfire, interjected, Jack postponed the speech he had just wanted to start. Her timing was terrible, but maybe she was worth hearing out.
“Hey, kiddies, why the fighting on a such a nice day? I mean, fuck, I’m trying to walk off some stress and all I see is this shit? What happened, did this girl call you a pussy and you can’t take it like a man or something?

Upon hearing what she had to say, Jack decided she wasn't worth hearing out after all. He ignored her for the time being and started his speech.
"I don't give a flying crap about what any of you thinks of me." Jack pointed at the small crowd of people watching the battle, tracing his finger across the areas they stood in. "I'm here to do what I want. And what I want, is to beat the crap out of this bitch. She's threatened people, attempted to kill people and thinks she's some kind of goddess that should rule the world. In my book, that makes her fair game for me.
So all you fucking cowards, you little people just keep watching the show, and think whatever you want. Because at the end of the day, it's me who's saving your ass, whether you like it or not."

Words alone don't account for shit though, Jack thought. To drive his point home, he decided to use some action to back up his words. As soon as Jack Maroon finished his little speech, he speeded towards the nearest light post, upheaved it from the earth and, guess what, launched it at the villain at the top of his strength. He knew what he'd say if his improvised javelin connected. "Even a goddess can bleed." That was from an old movie he had seen. Gotta love your classics.

The chance was high that he would not be given the chance to use the line, if his improvised javelin would not be able to pierce Anu's floral shield. At the very least, it would draw our young hero's attention to the shield's existence, and make him realize how close he had been to death had he continued his earlier assault.

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