A Test or a Trap?

[Drago-Morph]

The sun gently retreated from the sky, giving a much needed break from the unforgiving heat to the weary traveler Cody Tyson. The boy had been walking for days, making use of what little rations he had in his small backpack from the last rest stop he had made. On the guidance of Quentin Grey, his aloof mentor who resided in the crest suspended from his necklace, he had been hopping from town to town across the New England countryside for the past few weeks. Or, rather, for the time since the tragic death of Cody’s home, life, and family. He was still reeling from the impact of it all; still sometimes cried a bit in the night, wishing still that he could go back to that moment of the explosion and fix everything, save everyone. It took him days of constant reflection after the bombing to come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t change anything. That was the first step towards making his peace with his old life; he knew that there was nothing left of it, nothing to salvage, but also knew that there was a future ahead of him where he could do good and help others from suffering the same fate as though who were killed in New Seabrook. He found hope and cheer in that, and though he still fought his grief, he was able to carry on living with a light heart. Cody would come to find that he needed every ounce of levity he could get on his travels. Where it was once his teacher Quentin Grey’s responsibility to defend the world from evil, Cody now stepped in to fill the shoes of the dead master. It was hard, learning about what secrets and evils the world held, what threats lurked beneath the surface to kind and innocent people going about their lives, and that was without taking into account the mysterious, unknown force that was behind the bombing of his town, but the young wanderer had steeled himself to his oath to protect the world from the darkness that plagued it no matter the personal cost. So now Cody roamed the lands, learning about his abilities and trying to learn about his duties to the world from Quentin Grey. The spirit was mysterious; he was a bridge between the Realm of Spirits and the physical world, and could only contact Cody for a short time before becoming overtaxed and being forced to retreat from the crest Cody wore, his portal to the physical world. He was always watching over the child, which lent some comfort to the somewhat overwhelmed boy during his hardships, but by and large he was on his own. Recently, Cody’s teacher had guided him to another small town to rest and acquire supplies, this one a bit more out of the way than the handful of others he stopped at. It was cloaked by a dense forest, through which there were only a handful of rough paths. The trip through it had been a two day journey, and this forest, more than others he had been to, gave Cody a chill. There was something slightly off about this place, something that made the child uncomfortable. His only option was to get power through it. More than supplies, Grey had told the boy that something crucial to Cody’s future travels lie ahead. Now, as Cody finally approached the outskirts of the town, he couldn’t imagine what was so vital that could be kept safe within. It was a sparse farming community, with houses and other bits of civilization separated by lighter, but still relatively dense woods. He could see a handful of farmhouses and forest clearings from his position, but no people. Cody looked to the sky and saw that twilight was fast approaching. It was clear that this small village was sleepy in more than a metaphorical sense. The child figured that now was as good a time as any to take a rest. After all, he would hate to disturb the sleep of hard working farmers just to ask for handouts and information. No, that could wait until the morning. He picked out what appeared to be a relatively clear area with thick, soft-looking grass, and unpacked his sleeping bag before setting down for a much needed slumber.

[Noodle]

Shizuka had been moved to a small town by a few men who were guarding her, making sure that she wasn't killed by the Purge in New York. She had been here since the Purge had began, and now after the men who'd brought her here had disappeared to find others like her, she was stuck robbing people for a living. She had already taken a turn for the worst, and now didn't rob for necessary food, but instead for the simple joy of it. She'd followed a boy who'd walked through the town she'd started at and waited on him to stop at the outskirts of a completely new one before deciding exactly what she wanted to do.

Shizuka wanted the amulet around the boy's neck. She had seen it in the other town, dangling there and glinting off the sun, and almost immediately became fascinated with it. Now, as she crouched in the bushes, she saw the chain of the amulet around his neck and smiled, flipping her black hair out of her eyes, and standing up, tiptoeing over to the boy and getting closer, holding out her hand slowly to give him a shock so she had enough time to grab the amulet.

[Thorgron]

What was Scott doing here? Wandering about the woods with no sense or direction or location. How did he end up here anyway? He must have gotten lost in his thoughts while patrolling the city and gone off course. Just his luck. As always it seemed he couldn't catch a break and now that his vigilance had momentarily ceased, he was paying the price. He searched thoroughly through the trees, scanning over every leaf and every detail. Then his eyes came to rest on a pair of tracks in the mud. Two sets, one far fresher than the other. Someone was being followed, trailed through this wilderness. Silently he crept off the path, keeping a low profile and a constant watch on the path.

It didn't take long for Scott to spy the reason for the delayed tracks. Ahead of him in a small clearing was a kid, probably in his late teens. Hovering over him was another individual. This one appeared to be younger. She also seemed to be a meta-human as his hand began to spark with a blue light. Instantly Scott's eyes shot to the unconscious kid's chest. At first glance it appeared that this meta had killed an innocent boy in the woods and was going to rob him. Scott was infuriated, he didn't even wait to see if the boys chest would rise with breath. He knew all to well the path that this small girl was on. He had been on it himself. Stealing to survive,it only escalated as you grew older until your very soul had rotted before you had a chance to stop it. He would save this boy and prevent this girl from falling into the same life that he had. If that meant he had to put her in the hospital, it would at least be better than the alternative.

Without a word Scott blasted forward, exploding from his cover at the girl. Sprinting full force he lifted off his feet, flipping forward and drop kicking at the girl with one of his bladed feet. With the speed behind the kick it would be hard for her to react. Hopefully it would knock her far away from the boy, scaring her away before she could decide to continue with her crime. But he wouldn't let her go just yet, oh no. Scott remembered what it was like at that age. The world was free of consequences and open to whatever indulgent acts you could get involved in. He'd scare this youth straight and if she would not listen, he'd have other ways to convince her.

[Noodle]

Shizuka heard a noise and looked up to see a foot coming straight for her. Before she could react, she was flying through the air. She bounced twice on the ground before stopping because of a tree and groaned in pain, trying to stand up before falling back down. She looked up at her attacker and finally managed to stand before turning on her heels and sprinting towards town. She hoped she wouldn’t be caught, because the kick had hurt. She could feel blood running from her nose, and knew she’d most definitely feel the kick tomorrow.

Running through the reasons that her attacker might have done what he did, Shizuka decided that he must have been working for the guy she was trying to steal from. She knew she should have checked for people, but she always skipped out on that part, and it’d cost her a lot of good loot. Stopping for a minute and climbing a tree, Shizuka did a quick check of herself to make sure no bones were broken. The only things that were wrong, she discovered, was a bloody nose and a hurting back because of the tree. She didn’t understand what the hell she’d done to piss off whatever gods there were, but as of late, her luck with thievery was running out fast. It was ridiculous how many times she’d been caught stealing something, and she knew she was losing her touch. The girl flipped her hair back and jumped from the tree, rolling smoothly and starting her run again. She didn’t know if anyone was following her, but she hoped they wouldn’t be able to catch her.

Her dreams of not being caught stopped when she tripped over a root and hit the ground for the second time that day, landing awkwardly and skidding a bit. She cursed softly and smacked the ground in a child-like frustration. This kept happening to her. She didn’t want to get caught again and scolded, and she didn’t want to have to apologize for trying to steal something. Shizuka stood one more before deciding it was worth a little bit of a fight, so she’d stay and attempt to beat up whoever was following her. She readied herself in a fighting stance and turned to face whoever it was that kicked her, assuming they’d followed her.

[Drago-Morph]

Cody’s eyes shot wide open, his mind instantly returned to the living from a deep slumber. He could “feel” the presences of the two people nearby; one of them, a small girl, was extremely close and moving her hand in towards him. The other was a short distance away, just now catching the scene. It was dark out, too dark for Cody’s beleaguered eyes, but he knew exactly what was happening. Even if it didn’t register to his conscious mind, he could feel every muscle tension and relaxation, every gentle swaying of grass, any slight movement at all of either of the two figures nearest him and the distance in between. It was a strange sensation, that of his Kinetic Sense focusing in on the pair of mysterious figures; his connection to the rest of the world, the one that he was subconsciously attuned to even in his sleep, was gone, and now he could feel little else but them. Cody had known about the girl for a while. The two had been on a similar path; he assumed she was making the same trip he was to the next town over, perhaps to visit some family. He was a bit worried about her, not being sure why such a young lady would be out on her own, but at the same time she seemed to be in no panic and was fairly confident in her movements, which led Cody to believe she was experienced in this sort of hiking. Besides, he reason, if there was any trouble he’d know about it and would be able to help in an instant.  Watching the girl scramble to her feet and start to run away, Cody quickly planted himself between the assailant and his new charge. While he may not have had conscious control over his body, his subconscious Kinetic Sense registered information at remarkable speeds and fed it to his mind. While he may not have always known why he did something, he was aware he had done it, and was never caught off-guard by his own motions. So it was with certainty, if not confidence, that he stood before the cloaked man in the woods, clearly poised for a fight. “Stop! What are you doing? Leave her alone, she’s not hurting anyone!” Cody said rather pleadingly, unsure of what he was doing. “You want to get to her, you’ll have to go through me!” He added more assertively, trying his best to look unflinching in the face of peril. His goal was to resolve the situation peacefully, but if it came to combat, he knew (or rather, seriously hoped) that he Kinetic Sense would perform its duties and allow him to dodge any attacks brought forth. Even though he trusted in his abilities, he found it hard to remain unafraid when faced with the death-stare of his opponent’s terrifying mask and the gentle moonlight sheen of his claws. It didn't matter. No matter his fear, Cody resolved, he would do all that he could to protect the fleeing girl from. With that conviction, he steeled himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Martin, AKA Doctor Mercury.

[Thorgron]

Before Scott could chase the girl down further Scott noticed the unconscious child rise up and dash in front of him. Most notably, the kid didn't appear to be moving at a snail's pace. He moved like a normal person, something Scott hadn't seen once in the years since his accident. The kid was fast, almost as fast as him. Adrenaline rushed through Scott's veins as his excitement level rose to a fever pitch. How long had it been since he had a conversation unrestricted? Since he moved and interacted without hindering himself? Regardless of what this guy wanted Scott was gonna have fun interacting with him. Mentally undoing his trained in barriers Scott spoke to the man in front of him with nauseating speed. "Incaseyoudidn'tnoticethatgirlwastrying...tostealfromyouyouidiotyoushouldbethankinkgme...nottryingtostopmenowgetoutofmywaybeforeIhaveto...hurtyou"

Without further warning Scott blazed at the man like a flying blender. He knew the kid was fast and for once his curiosity was getting the better of him. With both of their speeds this fight would be over before the girl could get very far and Scott could chase her down after words. Charging at the boy Scott came in fast towards his head with his right claw. Then he curled down, rolling onto his back and coming down with a bladed foot rising again in a spin with his left claw. This was going to be a fun fight.

[Drago-Morph]

On a conscious level, Cody never registered what the crazy man said, or how he moved. Consciously, Cody was frozen in time, still debating the merits of standing himself in front of a human pinwheel of death and mutilation as opposed to simply running away very quickly. Unfortunately, there was a certain little girl who needed his help right now; and no matter what it cost him, he wasn’t going to leave her hanging. On a subconscious level, however, Cody’s body was reacting at nearly sonic speeds. It understood the aggressive language and posturing of its opponent, and also was able to feel his movements towards it. It moved, to understate, swiftly; it simultaneously curled and ducked at just the right angles so to avoid the overhead claw and rising slash motion. It also maneuvered Cody’s left foot so as to put itself in a prime position for a planned attack. The man’s right claw went whizzing past Cody’s neck, while the left claw missed with a wide berth his torso. Cody’s body knew exactly how to respond next: it would send Cody’s right fist up into the man’s ribcage, which, due to him being mid-leap, was both well-exposed for an attack and almost entirely unable to be dodged. It would then spin out of the downward grasp of the attacker and roll around to his back for a solid elbow crack to the base of his skull, hopefully knocking the man unconscious and bringing a swift end to the confrontation.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Martin, AKA Doctor Mercury.

[Chellizard]

Trashed.

Only Thorgron and Drago are eligible for XP from this thread.

Shizuka killed it.

GG WP.

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