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Post by Moe on Sept 29, 2023 20:43:56 GMT -6
"Something." X leaned against the ticket booth, trying to figure out her expression and tone. "Hm. You do you, ticket lady. Something weird's going on, and I'm gonna figure it out." he backed away and headed toward the ramp, giving her one last glance.
He was met by the smell of carnival food, kids laughing, balloons waving about, and generally everything you'd expect at a circus. Almost a little too on the nose. Or maybe he was just overthinking things, and trying to find something within nothing. "Ugh, I feel like I'm obsessing over this." he said to himself. He caught a glimpse of Nathan and the twins, speaking with an eccentric individual. He started making his way toward them, only to be distracted by what looked like the same hooded robot he'd seen at the museum.
It was a longshot, and he probably would've just chalked it up to a lot of people having the same black pullover, if it weren't for the slight glow of lighted eyes, illuminating the dark area he was skulking into.
"Robots." X said to himself, trailing behind the individual to try and find out what they were up to. As he followed the individual, his pace grew faster as though he knew he was being followed. As such, X increased his pace and tried to keep up.
The robot finally had enough, and jumped up and over X, landing perfectly on his feet. "I am searching for someone. You are making this task difficult." it said, no emotion in its tone. Strangely, it was a smooth, almost organic voice.
Before X could fully turn around, the robot grabbed him by the shoulders, lifted him up, and with greater force than anything that small of stature should have, he threw X into one of the many tents that had been set up.
“Is there anything you'd like to ask? I do have about...five more minutes before needing to arrive at the main show event.”
Oblivious to what was happening with his friend, Nathan thought hard about Entertainer's offer to ask him something. "Hmmm..." he said, deep in thought and looking as though his brain was sizzling. "Why do guys have nipples?"
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Post by Banshee on Oct 1, 2023 6:15:37 GMT -6
The woman stared at Hyper X as he made his way up the ramp. While watching him depart, she frowned at him and lifted up a small radio. Her voice still sounded as icy as before when she spoke into it. “Sir. We have a very interesting individual making his way up the ramp right now. He’s…investigating some anomalies here. If he finds out too much, I’m afraid he’s going to be…a bit of a problem.”
Meanwhile, Entertainer was enjoying his time with the boys and Nathan. “Ah the answer to your question would be something that may blow your mind!” He grinned. “Believe it or not, way before our sex is even decided through genetics, the nipple is formed before it. So in the end, we all start off the same and that is why men and women have them.”
He heard her voice echo over an earpiece that he wore underneath his messy hair. Turning to his brother, before he could even get away, Entertainer grabbed his shoulder and pushed him before the trio. “Answer their questions real quick. I have to deal with something.”
“W-What?” Dirk blinked. “I-You…You know I’m not good at this stuff.”
Entertainer ignored the plea of his brother and turned to the trio. “Something dire just came up. I need to go investigate it really quick. So my brother can answer your questions from this point. Alright? His name is Dirk.” He patted his brother on the back before promptly walking away, his bright smile quickly turned dark as his back was turned towards them.
“Oh! What’s it like being his brother?” Nox asked. “Is he the older one? Is he really annoying like my younger brother is?”
“U-Uh…w-well…” He laughed nervously. “He’s actually pretty cool. I uh…when we were younger he was the more uh…troublesome one…G-getting into stuff and getting into trouble. B-But I mean…well…” He frantically laughed. “He’s great!”
Lux stared at him and then to Nathan. “Looks like he has stage fright.”
—
“What do you mean? Onyx, please tell me what you’re talking about.” His walk never stopped as he headed in the rough direction of where Hyper X could possibly be.
After Onyx explained to him what Hyper X looked like and what he said to her, he frowned. “So Security is a bit smarter in these parts huh? No matter. With what I can do to them, their minds will simply…be blown.” He laughed a little.
Then as he discovered Hyper X, the robotic armored man was flung into several tents. Making a mess out of his circus. Crowds gasped and began to panic. And to save them all? He turned to everyone and said; “AH! DO NOT FEAR! THIS IS ALL A PART OF AN ACT! THEY’RE JUST…GETTING A LITTLE TOO INTO IT. BUT FEAR NOT, NONE SHALL BE HARMED DURING THIS. JUST…MAKE SURE YOU STAY AWAY FROM IT ALL!” He smirked and turned back to watch them skirmish a little.
“Interesting…”
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Post by Moe on Oct 2, 2023 16:30:04 GMT -6
"Heh, looks like it!" Nathan chuckled when Dirk got nervous, but quickly changed his tone as he noticed the hooded figure walking hurriedly away from the direction Entertainer was headed. Nathan wasn't as quick to notice details, but the glowing eyes were unmistakable.
"Huh. There are robots, here." he noted.
The robot definitely noticed him as well, and narrowed his eyes at him, causing Nathan to feel uncomfortable.
"Hey is it just me, or is that robot looking directly at me?" Nathan said, in a quiet voice.
What Nathan didn't know, was the robot was analyzing internal data and face recognition. The robot's eyes then widened as something finally clicked. It whipped its head back into the direction it was just running from, and slowly slinked back, careful to stay away from the commotion it had just caused.
"Okay, that was weird, right?" Nathan said. "Yeah, that was really weird. You guys think we should follow it?"
Hyper X came crashing down into a thankfully empty tent, though there was a crowd beginning to gather out of curiosity. The small robot had thrown him into what looked like supplies for the guy who'd throw knives at targets. It was difficult to think as his head was swimming and his chest hurt a little, but after a quick examination, he didn't notice any serious injuries.
"Heckin' heck." he wheezed, forcing himself to sit up. "Who the heck is that robot looking for, that's worth attempted murder?" he said to himself. He found it a little hard to breathe, but he'd also just landed head-first into a bunch of heavy weaponry, but he chalked it to shock more than anything. The HUD on his helmet visor was glitching, which was unusual since it was built to take massive hits, but at least he could still see out of it.
"Okay, cool. No vital signs being displayed. Should be fine as long as I don't die." he said, before noticing somebody pushing through the crowds and walking up to him.
"It's not an act..." he wheezed. "You need to get these people out of here!" he said, still finding it hard to breathe. He wasn't gasping for breath, but it did make it difficult for him to speak loudly. Which sucked. That was kind of his whole thing. "There's a rogue robot running around here, you need to evacuate everyone before he hurts any civilians!" he repeated.
As Entertainer grew closer in proximity, Hyper X's eyes widened, although one couldn't see them behind the mask. He stared at him for a moment, feeling as though he was in another place, or another time.
"I know you brother. He's a robot." he said, his tone sounding like he was spaced out and not even there.
He shook his head, and snapped back into reality. "I am so sorry, I have no idea where I just went. I didn't bring another dinosaur, did I?" he asked, sincerely.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 2, 2023 20:45:38 GMT -6
Dirk could feel the hairs on the backside of his neck stand up in fear and shock. A robot on my brother’s ship? He thought as he watched the thing run off after it had scanned them. There’s a No Robot sign on the front of the entrance. How did Onyx and Scarlett let this slip past them? Not unless they’re conspiring against Cedric? There was a sudden realization that there could’ve been some form of rebellion being built.
But then some thoughts dawned onto him. No...That can’t be right. Onyx knows Cedric since they were kids. She’s so loyal to him. And Scarlet? She may be a pirate from the seas and a creature from the far North, but she’s not really all that evil...Weird, they must’ve overlooked it or- His thoughts were broken when he heard Nathan ask about what they should do.
“We go after it!” Lux chimed. “If it’s going to take pictures of me, at least let me know first so I can flip it off.”
“Lux, that’s not...appropriate.” Nox frowned. “And what if we stalk after it? What are we going to do? We’re nothing special. We can just transform into swords. That’s it.”
“Well, if it’s going to try and cause some trouble on my brother’s ship. I’m going to stop it.” Frowned Dirk. “He worked hard with building this thing. I’m not going to let some stupid junker bot come and ruin it.” He held out his hand and a bubbling acid formed in the palm of his hands. “I’m going to melt it before it does anything.” And with that, he took off in a sprint.
“Wait! I want to go with you!” Lux whined as he ran after Dirk.
“W-Wait...” Nox frowned. “Man, I have such a bad idea Nathan. Lux is going to get into danger. I know it.”
---
The Entertainer smiled a toothy grin when Hyper X objected to his idea of being an act. People around him, clapped their hands and cheered. None of the onlookers were aware of the vents that were installed beneath the food stands and various tents surrounding them. These vents expelled a hallucinogenic gas that The Entertainer could create on his own, in masses. Once breathed in, they were basically sleep walking and were completely unaware of the heinous acts being done.
He walked over to Hyper X and examined the knife sticking out from him. A grin appeared on his mug. “What sort of creature are you? A robot?”
The Entertainer had no idea what Hyper X was talking about. “Dinosaurs? No. But you may become something interesting to put on display for a show.” He grinned. “A man who can survive stab wounds and act as if you’re completely fine. Impressive.”
He offered a hand to Hyper X. “Just take a deep breath and let Nature’s air relieve you of your stress. Relax and enjoy life as you have it. Because you’ll never know when it all comes tumbling down into dust...”
Onyx’s voice filled the air as she ushered all of the onlookers to head for the massive tent. “The show is about to start!” Her cold voice boomed through a microphone. She motioned for the zombie-like customers to fill into the tent in a neat and organized fashion.
Onyx then turned to Entertainer and said; “Do you have the new recruits ready?”
“I do. I’m debating on this one. He...may be of interest. Do you have the thieves ready?”
“Of course.” She nodded.
“What about Dirk?”
“He’s chasing after that robot. His acidic abilities will certainly melt the metal if ever caught.” She then looked at Hyper X. “What’s so special about him?”
“I don’t know. But he looks like he could be a lot of fun.” He smirked. “And don’t worry, dear Not-Robot. I’ll keep your helmet on for the sake of keeping your identity. After all, it’s what makes things more fun when the mystery is strong.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 2, 2023 21:46:19 GMT -6
"What? No, I'm not a robot, the guy who threw me is the robot!" X protested. When the strange man mentioned being stabbed, it confused him even more. He brushed over all the areas of his suit that were softer, but didn't feel anything. With the HUD being glitched and not showing his vitals, he assumed he was fine. "Dude, I don't know what you're on about..." he droned off, beginning to feel woozy as Entertainer held his hand out.
Hyper X felt dizzy, like the world was spinning; he closed his eyes tightly as the fumes seeped into the creases of his helmet. He felt like he'd passed out, but still felt his body moving, out of his control. "What's going on?" he thought he spoke aloud, but it was all in his head.
He opened his eyes to see a desolate void in front of him. A sickly and unnatural purple sky, and nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. It was eerie, and though it wasn't cold, he could feel a chill in the air. "Where am I?" he thought to himself.
The answer, of course, came in the form of another strange figure. This one didn't have wings, but pointed, dog-like ears. He rushed over to X, and grabbed him by the shoulders. His expression looked panicked, and terrified. He looked X up and down, examining him.
"Uh, can I help you?" X said to him.
"You're not supposed to be here! This is the in-between!" the strange figure said. "The path to the afterlife! The crossroads in which a soul decides where they go!" he went on. "You're not supposed to be dead!" he shook X, anxiously.
"I'm not!" X shoved himself away. "I don't think. Wait. Did that guy poison me??" he came to a realization. "Wait wait, who are you??"
"Anubis!" he said, offended. "You were supposed to meet my wife, but you ended up here! That means you're dead! Hmm," he thought for a moment, before picking up X and lifting him. "Mm-hm, just what I thought."
"Uh," X said.
"Your heart!" Anubis said, offended again. "If you were dead, I could weigh your heart! But your heart is still very much attached to your body, so you're still alive!" he set X down, and poked him in the chest. "But just barely. What's going on up there?"
"I..." X started to explain, but ended up just sitting down on the sandy ground, in a huff. "I'm terrified!" he admitted. "First I lost control of my powers, then I just randomly blip back into dinosaur times, then I fall asleep and dream about some weird girl with wings, then I find myself in a circus thrown at a bunch of sharp things, inhaling toxic fumes!" he said, voice breaking. "And now I'm here in dead-world, talking to freaking Anubis! I don't know what's happening and I'm scared! I know you aren't real," he sniffled, "But it's good to talk to somebody. Even if it's just my own unhinged mind."
Anubis sat down next to him. "So nobody's told you, yet." he sighed. "Damn, I didn't want to have to be the one." he mumbled. "Alright, let me pull some magic strings and let's see what's going on." he said, dusting away a portion of sand in front of them to reveal what was happening to X's body, through his eyes.
"Whoah." X said, looking down. "Always heard about these. Never happened to me. It's kind of surreal."
"Out of body experiences always are." Anubis said. "They can be either illuminating, or traumatizing. It's up to you which one it'll be. Now, let's try and figure out what's going on." he leaned down to watch what was happening, as though watching a movie.
In the real world, Hyper X's body was pick-pocketing civilians, as he followed Entertainer to the show. Wallets, jewelry, watches, anything of value, he snagged.
"Hey! I would never do that!" X said, watching himself.
"You sure? I'll know, if you ever end up here for real." Anubis said.
"I wouldn't. Do that." X said with a snarl. "He's controlling me!"
"Oooh, that makes sense, now. Though in a dream state or a trance, you'd usually go to the one you're thinking most heavily about. Unless," something clicked for Anubis. "Were you hurt?"
"No! I mean, I don't think so." X started to panic. "My vitals were offline...oh crap, was I hurt??" he looked at Anubis.
Anubis just shrugged, in an "I dunno" manner.
Elsewhere on the ship, Nathan and the boys were trailing the mysterious robot. The robot, however, had been trailing Hyper X and quietly observing his behavior and taking mental notes of it.
Then Onyx's voice rang out, saying that the show was about to start. A crowd of people pushed past the robot, causing him to decide it was best if he backed off for a little bit and found a better hiding spot, to observe what this show was.
Until he bumped right into Nathan.
"Yeah, not so observant, are we?" Nathan looked down at the bot as he towered above it.
The robot narrowed its glowing eyes at Nathan and the twins. "Why are you so adamant on chasing me?" he said in the same smooth voice, as he tilted his head.
"Data breaches? You're being kind of a menace!" Nathan said to him.
"I'm looking for someone." The bot explained. "He is very good at hiding. Information was necessary." he said.
As more people began to file in and nudge past Nathan, he briefly looked away and shielded Lux and Nox from the oncoming crowd, so none of them got trampled or lost in the crowd. When he looked back, the robot was gone.
"Dang." Nathan huffed. "Well, at least we know he's looking for someone. That's a start, I guess." he shrugged. "Whaddya say we go in there and see the show?" he looked down at the boys. "Looks like it's a good one, judging from the crowd."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 3, 2023 6:14:05 GMT -6
At one point they had lost Dirk during the chase and it wasn’t until Nathan shielded the boys, when Lux was the one who recalled him following. As he hugged close to Nathan’s protective stance, he glanced around the crowd before him. No one. None of them looked like the same scrawny black haired mage-like looking fellow. Lux frowned and mumbled in concern as to where he could be and whether or not he was safe. Because out of the two performers, Dirk seemed to be the more level-headed one.
Nox cowered into Nathan, wishing things would calm down as the noise and movement were beginning to get to him. Everything suddenly became so confusing. The chase, the robot disappearing after stating it was looking for someone. The sudden movement of the crowds and the woman speaking over the megaphone. It was beginning to make him nervous.
However, Nox could feel Lux placing his hands over his ears with an attempt to muting the sounds. Nox then took his hands and covered Lux’s, trying to make it work better. Even though Nox was the taller of the two boys, Lux pulled him over and allowed Nox to rest his forehead on his brother’s shoulder. Pulling him into a comforting hug. Although Nox never questioned his brother’s love for him, he was always surprised when the rowdy Lux showed deep concern him.
Then the world seemed to have gotten a bit easier to deal with. Most of the crowd had already made their way into the tent and what was left were the few stragglers. Nathan then suggested checking out the show, in which both brothers were eager to see. They then followed Nathan into the tent and found a pretty good seat to view the show below.
The lights went dark. Then a spotlight lit up the center stage. Standing within it, Dirk was all primed up and ready for the show and standing behind him was a young pink haired woman in a witch-like costume which matched the purple color scheme he wore. Dirk stood with much more confidence, nearly acting as someone completely different from before. Waving to the crowd as they cheered, he then bowed to them.
“Wow! He looks so different!” Claimed Nox as he stood at the edge of his seat. “And the lady is so very pretty! Is that his girlfriend?”
“He looks so much more confident. Are you sure it’s him?” Lux tilted his head in confusion. “He looked so scared and timid when we spoke to him earlier. And who knows? Maybe she’s just another performer who works best with him?”
Nox watched as the two performers began the show. The woman gracefully danced across the stage, waving her hands which created a flurry of sparkles that began to form shapes. He wanted to explain to Lux that Dirk probably lived for stage performances and could perhaps pretend he’s much like his brother while doing so. Giving him the shining confidence that he lacked when speaking in person. But the woman, he was just so mesmerized by her. She seemed so otherworldly.
Dirk’s voice echoed within the tent, his voice radiating with a confidence that was absent from earlier. “Let your eyes gaze upon us and feast upon the magical mysteries and heart fluttering excitement that we have in store for you. You will leave the show, thirsting for more!”
Suddenly the masses of glittery light that the witch created, shot towards the crowd like darts. But these lights didn’t harm anyone, as they were mere illusions which suddenly transformed into radiant shapes of butterflies, birds, lions, and more. Jumping and twirling, they gracefully danced across the shadows that cloaked the crowd. Sending them into an awe. As they moved, Nox noticed the witch and Dirk both dancing, controlling the creatures of light.
Once the introduction was over, both Dirk and the witch stood back to back with one another. Both with one of their hands reaching into the air. They waved them down, mirroring each other’s movements. The animalistic lights then rushed at them. Once the lights collided over them, there was an explosion of iridescent light.
As the light faded, the crowd realized that Dirk and the witch were replaced with Onyx and Entertainer. She stood in a brightly colored gown, her face appearing less cold and heartless than earlier and she even wore a smile. Entertainer held his hand with his right hand, then rolled it down his arm and over his shoulders to the other hand. It bounced and he caught it. Twirling the hat, he placed it onto his head and said; “WElCOME TO THE SHOW.”
Music began to play as the lights lit up the tent. Performers began to move around the stage, performing various dances and acts. Fire spitting and juggling, tight rope walking, and animal taming. Entertainer and Onyx interacted with some of the performers, adding flair to their acts.
“THIS IS SO COOL!” Lux screamed with enthusiasm as he looked to Nathan. “I know we’re here for some important stuff, but like...THIS IS AWESOME.”
“Where did the pretty lady go?” Nox seemed disappointed in the lack of the witch lady.
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Post by Moe on Oct 4, 2023 14:40:22 GMT -6
Nathan started to take a step inside, but somebody from behind set a pair of hands on his shoulders, causing him to turn around to face Hyper X.
"Oh hey, you're just in time for the show." he smiled at his friend, not knowing he was put in a trance. "Uh, ya' gotta knife in your chest. You okay, buddy?" Nathan pointed out. The suit his friend was wearing was thick and normally things like that rarely made it past the thick armor, so he didn't think too much of it until Hyper X spoke to someone else.
"Intruders have been found and caught." X said, most definitely not sounding like himself. He nudged Nathan forward, but Nathan outpowered him and set his feet down, firmly, stopping them both.
"Hey now, I dunno what's goin' on, but I've known ya' long enough to know when you're not bein' yourself." Nathan turned, grabbing X's hands and removing them from his shoulder. He clenched his fists, ready to activate something on the thick gloves he was wearing. Both of them stood in a face-off stance, waiting for the other to make a move.
Hyper X activated the EM shield on his forearm, and yanked the knife out of his chest without flinching, causing blood to splatter with the movement. "I'm...not..in..control.." he forced himself to say, as he lunged toward Nathan with both knife and shield.
As he sprinted toward him, Nathan activated a trigger on his gloves, causing two blades to spring out of the gloves on both arms. He caught the knife in between the blades of one glove, in an attempt to fling it out of X's hand. Instead, X had latched on tightly to it and the movement caused a sickening crunch sound in his wrist.
"Sorry!" Nathan said, before getting slammed in the face with the EM shield, causing him to stumble backwards.
The two continued to clash, Nathan was careful to draw the battle outside and away from the civilians, especially seeing that every movement caused blood from the knife wound to splatter in every direction.
X's mind, meanwhile was still watching his body attack his friend, while he was helpless to stop it.
"You've got to stop this!" he pleaded to Anubis.
"How? I'm only a guide, I don't have the power to stop whatever is going on." Anubis shrugged.
"Well then guide me back to my body!" X demanded, as he stood up.
"If you go back into your body, you're going to die from blood loss. Then you'd just end up right back here, anyway." Anubis said, but his tone sounded off and he was avoiding making eye contact.
"You're lying." X caught on.
"What? Pfff. Nooo." Anubis said, still looking away. "You'd definitely end up dead."
X narrowed his eyes at Anubis. Something was off and he knew it. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, angry that this presumed figment of his imagination refused to send him back into his body. He didn't believe Anubis was real, of course, just another strange dream, but he rolled with it even if he thought he was just talking to himself. After all, most dreams are strange.
"Fine. I'll figure out how to send myself back." he said, angrily.
"If you do," Anubis warned. "There's no going back. You're about to find out about things you aren't prepared for."
"I'll deal with it. But I'm not letting my friends get hurt, because I didn't at least try to stop myself." X said, walking away from Anubis, before realizing he didn't know exactly where he was going. "Crossroads..." he said quietly to himself. "Where lost souls decide where they're going to go..." he repeated what Anubis had told him. "Well, if I'm not dead and decide I want to go back to my body...then in theory, a path should appear."
Back in the real world, the two friends had fought each other to exhaustion; at least, on Hyper X's end. Nathan breathed heavily, but it was paced and he was still in a stance ready to counter another attack. He tried his best not to hurt his friend, but wouldn't hesitate if it meant Lux and Nox or any civilians were put in danger.
Hyper X took several quick steps forward, ready to throw the knife at Nathan in one final attempt, but he froze. The air around them felt as though it was vibrating, as everything froze and suddenly began to move backwards. Debris in the air, people running past, birds in the sky, everything except for those in proximity to Hyper X.
"Hey, buddy? You in there?" Nathan asked, still cautious.
Then everything around them suddenly jolted forward, as though rapidly catching up to present time, as a power surged and X fell to the floor in a gasp. "I'm sorry..." he gasped, as he held his chest. "He's..controlling everyone.."
"Yeah I kinda had that figured out when you started attackin' us!" Nathan retracted the blades on his gloves and rushed to help his friend up. "We can call for backup, but right now we gotta worry about you!"
"I'm fine, I'll call Genesis." X brushed him off. It took a moment for him to notice the blood splatters, before looking down at the same hand that he had against his chest. "How bad was it??" he said, in shock. "Is this all my blood?? HOW AM I STILL STANDING?!"
"Yeah, I was gonna ask ya' the same thing." Nathan said. "Hey, if one or both of ya' wanna make sure he gets home and in touch with our local healer hero, I'm gonna stay behind here and take care of this circus dude." he turned to the twins.
"Hey, Nate?" X said, holding his left wrist. "Why does my left arm hurt? How many times was I stabbed??"
"Oh. Uh. Don't worry about that. Just make sure Genesis knows." Nathan said, anxiously.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 4, 2023 17:01:18 GMT -6
The twins hugged one another in horror as the chaos was unleashed. Hyper X had no control over his body and Nathan was reluctant to harm his friend anymore. Then when Hyper X pulled the blade out, unaware of the amount of blood trickling out of the open wound, Nox nearly lost his food from earlier.
There was no way that Nox was going to stick around any longer. The thought of being stranded amongst many possible enemies was sickening to his stomach. “Lux...we...never been apart...”
Lux frowned. It was true. Neither one had been separated from each other for very long. But as he turned away to see the show continuing on while the chaos occurred, he could see so many innocent people, unaware of what was truly going on. They were stuck in the center of it all. And who knows how dastardly Entertainer and his crew were?
“I...can’t...” He said to Nox as he returned his attention to his brother. “Reese has said in the past that there will be a time where neither one of us will be together. It is then, up to us to decide on what we do with the skills we’ve learned...And...I cannot just leave Nathan here himself. That’s too many people against him...” He shook his head. “I trust that you’ll bring Hyper X back and do what’s right. But as for me?” He turned away and grabbed one of the blades that were tossed around during the skirmish between Nathan and Hyper X. Lux looked down at it. The balance was terribly off and uneven. Even the blade was dull to the touch. But it’d work for now.
“I need to stay here and help.” Lux finally said.
Nox winced. He knew his brother was going to fight without him. But there was nothing more he could do. And so, he turned to Hyper X and helped him remain standing while taking his scarf and pressing it against the gaping wound. He knew that his scarf was going to get bloodied up, but his friend bleeding out was a bit more important than something that can potentially be washed really well. “Alright, X. Let’s get going.”
Lux looked to Nathan and said; “Let’s get that guy to stop the show and stop causing people to go into a trance!” Without waiting for Nathan to say anything, he leaped over the seat in front of him and started down the stairs, without a second thought.
“Oh no. No. No. No.” Dirk winced as he stood on the sidelines. “Kyra, looks like we’ve missed some.”
“Oh my~” She pulled her hand up to her mouth with a gasp. “It’s just a young kid! You know Entertainer isn’t going to hurt him. But...the other guy...” Kyra winced as she dreaded the thought of them getting into a battle. “Dirk, we need to do something.”
“What can I do? I don’t want to hurt them. My ability can seriously melt metal...If it touches flesh...” Dirk frowned. “Man...I can’t do anything right.”
Lux made his way to the center stage, causing the performance to stop. Many of the performers quickly left the area as they noticed Entertainer becoming rather...unhappy with the interruption. “Ah, so you want to become stars of the show too? I like your determination. But you’re far too young-“
“Shut it, old man!” Lux aimed the blade at him, trying to be as threatening as possible. “Release all of these people or...or you’re going to regret it.”
“Threatening...” Entertainer dully said as he made sure that there was enough of a gap between him and Nathan. After all, he wasn’t intending to get into a fight. “Explain to me, boy. Why do you think I’m doing this? Hm? How bad of a villain do you think I am? Do you think I desire the lust for power and control?”
“Well...putting them into a zombie-state isn’t helping the situation.” Lux frowned. “Release them!” He didn’t even wait for Entertainer to respond to his question and lunged at him with his sword.
Watching Lux lunge at him, Entertainer had to admit that the kid had a lot of spunk. He stepped away to avoid the strikes that Lux unleashed upon him. Entertainer came to the conclusion that, with more training, Lux could potentially become a deadly sword fighter. But until that happened, he was far too predictable as Entertainer dodges the moves with simple side-steps. Not once, did he try to strike back.
“Cool it.” Onyx hissed as she slammed her hands onto the ground and iced the floor. This caused Lux to slip onto his butt. Forcing him to fail on his attacks.
“I am not here to hurt people.” Entertainer said as he remained positioned away from the others. “My reasons for this action is not of your concern. But I can assure you that these people will not feel a single thing from anything that happened here.”
Lux scurried to his feet and tried to make another strike. “RELEASE THEM!” Right as his blade nearly made contact with Entertainer, a blob of acid landed on the blade, melting it with a smokey hiss. Lux watched the metal get eaten away as he tossed aside the sword. “What the?”
“D-Don’t you think about it.” Dirk said out of exasperation. “I-I’ll do it again and...I won’t miss...” There was a clear indication in his voice that he was scared stiff and didn’t want to hurt anyone. “I-I mean it.” He gathered more green liquid in the palms of his hands. A droplet caused the ground to hiss and smoke.
“Dirk. Stand down.” Entertainer warned. “This is not a part of the plan.”
“I’m not going to let these guys...take everything from you. You’ve all worked far too hard to get this show going. A-And I’m not going to stand here and watch it...fall apart.” Dirk’s hands were shaking as he looked at Nathan and Lux. “This ship became a home...I’m not going to let it go. This is a home to all of us...”
Lux backed into Nathan. He really didn’t want to hurt Dirk either. “Man...”
“If you’ll have me, I’ll explain it.” Onyx said to the two males. “We’re here, not to take over a city or become powerful individuals. Robots all over the city have been replacing workers. Stripping them of their jobs and duties. And while some jobs aren’t worth keeping due to terrible pay and undesirable working conditions; it takes away from those who take pride in their work. Some look back to what they’ve helped create, and feel pride. They helped create something. Their names are noted. But with the robotic uprising? All of that is being stripped from them. Folks who have been replaced, have been reduced to street thievery and living on the streets.
Our movement isn’t for power or fortune. We simply want to eradicate any robots that walk amongst us as equals. As replacements for human life.” Her eyes narrowed at the pair. “We’ve not once, harmed an individual.”
“But what about our friend?” Barked Lux.
“Simple mistakes happen.” Entertainer frowned. “He’ll be fine.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 4, 2023 21:11:50 GMT -6
"Mark." X said to Nox, as he helped him up. "I think we're past the whole secret identity thing, so you can call me Mark." he said, trying to laugh but it only came out as a wheeze. "Listen, don't worry about me. If you need to stay and help your brother, that's more important. I've been through worse..there's a healer on the team, for a reason." he wheezed, attempting to laugh again. He eventually made his way down the ramp and into a safer spot in the park, away from the chaos.
When Nox went to press his scarf against him, X stopped him before it could get any blood on it. "Hey, I appreciate the gesture and that's good and quick thinking. But I don't want to ruin your scarf. Besides, you're not gonna get it through this armor, anyway. If I'm not dead after all of that, I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks."
"Genesis and his brother should be here, any minute. They can get me healed up and I'll be back in the action, in no time." he gave a thumbs up. He was lying.
"I'm lying." he admitted. "I'm freaking out! I know I'm supposed to be the mentor, but I can't even figure out what's going on with me, yet alone be able to give helpful advice to you and Lux!" his voice audibly shook. "All these things you've seen me do...I've never been able to do any of that! I just go fast, I thought! I've never stopped time or gone to the past or slowed down or sped up anything other than myself. And this?" he gestured at the gaping hole in his armor that was still spurting blood. "There's a gaping hole in my chest! Possibly an artery given the amount of..." he saw how uncomfortable Nox already was, and decided not to elaborate. "I shouldn't be alive, yet alone sitting here talking to you. Adrenaline and shock can do crazy things, but this...this doesn't make any sense." he sighed and leaned back on the bench, waiting for Genesis and Revelation to arrive.
"Sorry, Nox." he said, as he rested his head back and looked at the sky. "I didn't mean to drop an existential crisis on you, like that. I know you can't tell me what's going on, any more than the weird people in my crazy dreams."
Back on the ship, Lux was getting heated and Nathan did his best to back him up, without hurting anyone. He used his tail to grab and pull Lux back and forward to get a better aim on his attacks, and pulling him back and out of immediate danger when they countered.
Nathan himself offered more support, than directly attacking, but Lux did have a right to be angry. "He's not fine!" he said to Entertainer. "What kinda person just stabs a guy and then mind controls him?? Seems like hurting someone, to me!" he growled. His eyes glinted a bright yellow, and he shook his head as though shaking out a thought from the back of his head.
Before he could compose his thoughts, the rogue robot decided to intervene. "They didn't hurt him. I did." he confessed. "It was an accident." he clarified.
"You, however," he turned to Entertainer's crew. "I do not mind hurting, on purpose. Robot life is just that. It is life. It shouldn't be deemed any more or less important, than any other life." he narrowed his eyes. "I've come to learn that, over the millennia. I do not know where you come from, but I have been observing this city and its history and have not found any evidence of robots taking over jobs, nor any violence toward robots. It seems as though this city is painfully mundane, compared to other cities I've traveled to, on this side of the planet."
"This side of the planet?" Nathan repeated, looking at Lux.
The robot's stance and glare never wavered, as more copies of the same robot began to emerge from the crowd. Every one of them looked exactly the same, and when they spoke once more, they all had the exact same smooth, organic voice, speaking in unison.
"I am one unit, looking for my creator in order to preserve my own life. I did not come here to harm anyone, or interfere with anyone's conflicts. However, it seems as though you have involved yourselves in people of interest, to me." the crowd of robots grew quiet, as a single robot appeared behind Entertainer. Only the one spoke; "My avatars are all over Kaiser City. Even if you manage to destroy every one of these, I will reign down absolute hell on your entire crew, should you continue to stand in my way. You have a choice, now. If you choose to pursue this task, you will die. If you choose to surrender and leave the city, I will spare you."
"It is your choice, and yours alone."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 5, 2023 6:20:27 GMT -6
Quietly, Nox listened to Hyper X explain himself in a rather, rambled and disorganized way. But he was able to keep up with him as he silently sat beside the wounded man. He wasn’t sure on how he could survive and manage to form full and coherent sentences either. All Nox could think of was, there was some form of magic at play.
“You’re fine.” He smiled at Mark when he apologized for throwing him into his existential crisis. “I think we all have those moments from time to time. I don’t think you’re crazy or anything. And...well...if it helps, you’ve got all of us to back you up and support you if needed.”
He lowered his hand so that he wasn’t trying to use the scarf anymore. Mark told him to go ahead and help his brother. “I...don’t know what’s going on in there...but it’s not sounding good.” Nox then pointed at the flood of people rushing out of the tent, guided by some of the performers. “Hold on...” He noticed Kyra was one of them.
He got up and rushed over to her to ask what was going on. She stopped ushering and turned to him with a panicked expression on her face. Kyra then explained to him what was going on and then told him to get away from the area, as she didn’t think the ship was going to stand tall for much longer.
Nox returned to Mark and explained to him that things weren’t looking so hot. “Y-You stay here. I need to make sure Lux isn’t getting too over his head on this...” He then stood up and darted towards the tent. Weaving in and out of the crowd and avoiding any of the performers that could potentially stop him from entering.
Before Entertainer could manage a single remark to Nathan about the incident with Mark, a robot appeared and began to talk. As Entertainer listened to him, he could sense an immense danger radiating from it. The words it spoke. Entertainer knew it had no feelings in regards of a human opinion. He wasn’t there to witness the loss that people suffered because a robot took away their job. It was merely defending its own kind.
And when the robot threatened that he wouldn’t mind knocking Entertainer around a bit, he smirked. “Oh? Then I think it’ll be fun, wrecking every single one of your creations.”
“Cedric.” Onyx whispered as she grabbed his arm to force him to look down at her. He was much taller than she but this didn’t stop her from trying to reason with him. “He’s right. We’re just knocking down avatars. The main course is elsewhere. We’re only going to be wasting our time with these guys.”
“I’ve been thirsting to destroy a bunch of robots for a time.”
“Brother, aren’t you listening?” Asked Dirk. “He can just keep spawning avatars. We’re going to end up retreating.”
“He doesn’t know that you’re our secret weapon-“
“Don’t be serious.” Hissed Onyx. “Dirk is not a tool for war. He is your brother. A loyal one at that. If anything happens to him, you’re never going to forgive yourself. So stand down, let these guys escape, and lets leave the city...”
“Do you honestly think he’s going to keep his word? We have no choice but to stand strong and fight. If we need to escape, then we will. But he’s going to follow us. And besides, if it’s got their claws in more areas? Who’s to say that it won’t keep going? The robot is a plague, a virus. It’s going to keep spreading and soon enough, we’re not going to have any other place to hide.” Entertainer said to her as he planted his hands on her shoulders. Onyx was his love and if this robot was going to be a threat, then so will he.
“It’s been nice knowing everyone. But I’m not going to be followed to my grave nor am I going to be a coward.” He turned to Kyra who was quietly standing behind him. “Kyra. Get all of the innocent out of here. And do not intervene afterwards. If things go south, I’d want you to survive as you’re only dragged into this because of me.”
Kyra nodded. “Be...careful...my brothers.” She backed away from the group and took off towards the unaware crowds. Kyra and a few others began to initiate the retreat for the people of the city. There was no desire to have them suffer deaths over something so...trivial.
Entertainer looked to the lead robot and smiled a toothy smile. “If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you’ll get. You rusty bastard.” Behind him, Dirk readied his acid and Onyx prepared herself to unleash some frigid cold.
Lux gulped a glob of air down his throat. He suddenly felt incredibly nervous about this robot guy who then multiplied, surrounding them all. “Yeah...” He agreed with Nathan when it was mentioned that he only had been able to spread himself amongst this one side of the planet. Then something clicked in the front of his mind. Lux looked at the robot and his growing army and realized something that he should’ve noticed a long time ago. “Wait a second!” He called out to Entertainer and his family. “Nathan. That robot’s design. It looks similar to the ones that have been running Rex City. I…didn’t realize that Cornelia Corp had their claws all the way out here…”
he then turned back to Entertainer and said; “You don’t know who you’re dealing with! If he’s a part of Cornelia Corp, he’s going to destroy everything you love. Please, don’t do this.” He even ran over to Entertainer and stood before him. “Please, don’t.”
Entertainer looked at the young boy. He really didn’t want to listen. It was a cowardly move in his eyes. But the boy seemed quite adamant about it as he continued to tell him to leave the robot be. “What makes you so sure?”
”Ive seen families be destroyed whenever they turned against them. Please don’t let the next family be yours.”
Onyx lowered her arms to her side and turned to Entertainer. Her voice, no longer the icy and cold tone she once used. “Cedric…what if he’s right? I…I can’t risk his life.” She wasn’t clear on who she was speaking about. “We need to do something different. Cornelia Corp is dangerous. And the more they know, the more dangerous they are. We need to listen to the kid.”
“But what if he doesn’t let us go?” Asked Dirk.
“Then we make our way out.” Lux firmly said. He turned to the leading robot and said; “We aren’t going to fight you.”
Entertainer hissed but said nothing. The thirst to trash this robot was so strong. He wanted to pull out each and every cable that held it together. But he realized now that with this action, he was going to risk someone’s life. And he couldn’t do that. Not now. Not while they were present within the ship. He whispered to Onyx, “How are we going to get him out?”
”We have Kyra’s sister in charge of that. She knows enough to get out when things go south.” She then returned her attention to the robot and waited to see his response. “Something tells me the kid is right though. There’s something off about this thing. And I don’t like it.”
Nox came back to the tent and stopped beside Nathan. He held his hand up to his mouth with a gasp. His brother was speaking to the enemy. But for what? Why did he want to converse with someone that was trying to cause harm! He looked to Nathan and said, “I feel things are about to get hectic…”
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Post by Moe on Oct 5, 2023 14:31:37 GMT -6
"Then you have chosen your fate." the robot spoke, as alarms blared from a distance.
"Wait!" Nathan protested. "Wait, wait. Just. Wait. Ya' don't gotta take out the whole ship! There's innocent lives, here!" he pleaded to the robot.
The robot stared at him with a cold, emotionless stare. "City artillery has been accessed. I did provide ample warning. It is not my fault that they chose to ignore it, and make a foolish decision. The fate of everyone on board is not my fault." he looked directly at Entertainer.
"Guys," Nathan said to Lux and Nox. "I know we're supposed to be the heroes and all, but my fight or flight response is tellin' me to fly you guys the heck outta here." he said, grabbing both boys and making his way out of the tent. He was promptly stopped by one of the robot avatars.
"Do not worry. I need you, alive." the robot said, ushering Nathan out of the way, and guiding a path out of the ship. "Our paths will cross, again. Your friend could be the connection to my creator. Please hurry, there is not much time."
"I dunno what Cornelia Corp is," he said to Lux. "But are ya' sure he's with those guys? If they're as evil as ya' say, he sure is helpin' us out a lot." he treaded carefully through the path the avatars had created for him.
A booming sound was heard in the sky, as much smaller airship floated close by, overhead. It was part of aerial security, and had the symbol of what looked like a cross between an owl and a dragon, on the side. Its cannons dropped from the sides, aimed directly at the circus ship.
Nathan couldn't help but watch as a flash of light bolted out of the laser cannons, and right at the ship. He braced himself and the twins for impact, but there was nothing. No boom, no flash of light, no nothing. He opened his eyes to find the lasers frozen in place. "Uh, the laser stopped, right? I'm not goin' crazy?"
Hyper X was standing a small distance away, between the park bench where Nox had left him, and the entrance ramp to the ship. This would've been a fantastic time to say something really cool and catchy, but it was taking all of his energy to stop the flow of time around the lasers.
"Interesting." the robot looked up at the laser, which had stopped mere feet away from the ship's crew.
Hyper X made a counter-clockwise motion with one hand, the other still gripping his chest, and the laser began moving backwards into the cannons as time reversed itself to before the cannons fired.
"Very interesting." the robot repeated. He looked up at the security ship, as though telling it something. The ship floated away, released from the robot's control. "They have no doubt sent a distress signal, as I surrendered control." the robot tilted its head. "Something has come up, that I must look further into. A few avatars will remain here, to make sure you stay out of my way. That includes ensuring their safety." he looked down at Nathan, X, and the twins.
Nathan sprinted toward X, who had collapsed on the ground from blood loss and sheer exhaustion.
"Holy hell-" he said, picking up X.
"I know, I'm awesome." X said.
"No, seriously, holy hell." Nathan repeated. "How did-"
"I don't know." X groaned. "I thought...I don't know what I was thinking. It felt like I wasn't in control, but not like I was being mind controlled again. Hey, Nathan?" he looked up at his friend. "I think I'm gonna pass out." was the last thing he said, before blacking out.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 5, 2023 16:53:49 GMT -6
It was like a doomsday clock that struck hard and a weird echo of a harrowing bell rang in Entertainer's mind. He had been known for messing with folks, getting them mad, and then get away with it all. But this time? It felt like it may be his last.
“Get out of here.” He whispered to Onyx and Dirk.
“But Cedric...” Onyx said to him but was immediately pushed away from him. “You can't...”
“I caused this and dragged you both in. Get yourselves out of here before it's too late. A captain never leaves the ship until everyone is in safe hands. Now go. Grab him and get out of here.” Entertainer looked back at the robot as it initiated the killing sequence.
Onyx didn't want to leave her love behind. Entertainer meant everything to her. But Dirk dragged her away as everyone began to vacate the area. She couldn't bear to think of how her life would be without him. After all, they had been through so much hell together that it was just going to be void of life and enjoyment without him.
The twins couldn't say or do anything as they quickly were dragged out of the ship, guided by the very same creation that was going to destroy the entire ship. Neither twin questioned it and simply hoped that everything would work in their favor. And once they made it outside, they could see a laser preparing to fire.
“I...feel really sad about this...” Nox admitted as he helplessly watched. “I mean, if it weren't for Entertainer's attitude, none of this would've happened. But... I can kinda see where he was getting at...”
“I'm not sure if they're definitely with Cornelia Corp.” Lux admitted. “But they have a ton of robots that run among the city and cause a lot of mayhem for people who make mistakes and whatnot. It's...kind of scary to live there because you never know what will trigger their responses...” He frowned as he hugged Nathan and his brother close, preparing for the laser to strike the ship.
But nothing.
Lux watched as the laser retreated. “What in the world?” He blinked. Then when Nathan made his way over to Hyper X, the twins both ran over to see if they could be of any assistance.
“O-Oh no...” Nox gasped as Hyper X fainted. “He saved the ship? Why?”
“Beats me.” Lux admitted. “But Entertainer really aughta thank him whenever he gets another chance to.” He then looked over to the ship to see if he could see any of the crew members. But as they were ordered, they had all vacated the area. All was left was the ship. “I...hope he has a change of heart...”
“People like that often don't, brother. Now help us get him back home. He needs medical assistance right now. And none of us are really qualified for this.” He frowned as he moved to help Nathan get Hyper X ready to go.
Lux took one last look at the ship. Something within him just felt that there may have been a lesson that was learned. But without talking to the others about it, he would never know if they truly did learn anything. “It's a shame...” He mumbled. “The show was really well organized and done... It's a shame that it's run by someone who is hellbent on causing trouble...” He then turned away and helped Nathan.
Meanwhile, Entertainer was waiting for his demise. But nothing. No burning sensation. No pain. Nothing. When he opened his eyes, everything was still intact. His heart had once been trapped in his throat as thoughts of never seeing another show performance came to mind. He let loose of the air stuck within his lungs and collapsed onto his knees. Shocked. Bewildered.
“Why would I be given another chance?” He asked himself, without expecting any answers as he was left alone in the room. Entertainer looked down at his hand, within his palm he held a small pendant. It popped open, showing a picture of Onyx and him on one side, and a baby on the other. His family. He almost lost everything. His family included.
Entertainer clamped his hand shut, shutting the pendant as well. He glanced up, without saying another word. Something burned within him. Something...bitter. No, he wasn't mad at the twins and the strange reptile looking fellow. It was...another feeling. Rage? Perhaps?
“No matter.” He mumbled to himself as he stood upright and adjusted his collar to his coat. “If it's a performance that one seeks, then it's one that they shall get.” He reached down and grabbed his hat, smirking.
He cheated death, somehow. And he was going to use his second chance to do things...a bit differently. Or as he thought.
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Post by Moe on Oct 5, 2023 20:45:36 GMT -6
Blackness engulfed him. He could hear voices murmuring and footsteps clamoring about, but couldn't open his eyes. It was hard to breathe and everyone sounded panicked. He thought he remembered hearing Genesis, the healer, and Nathan speaking. But, it had to have been a dream.
"...sliced right through both, the pulmonary artery and the aorta. He shouldn't be alive."
"But he IS alive! Maybe it just nicked him?"
"They were completely severed! He should have been dead, on the spot!"
Then he faded to blackness, again. Everything had grown silent and dark, and he was expecting another strange dream. But this time, there was nothing. No strange people invading his dreams, no weird out of body experiences, just nothing. Nothing at all. And honestly? It felt nice.
Until he woke up. The light hitting his face hurt his eyes, and he shielded them with his arm as he sat up in his bed. He held his chest, feeling for stitches or a scar or anything. "Guess it wasn't as bad as I thought." he sighed, in relief.
The door creaked open, letting in more light, causing him to close his eyes tightly shut for a brief moment.
"Sorry." Ikuki said. "I was just checking on you. Good to see you're awake. That Genesis guy wasn't sure he could heal you."
"He doubts himself too much. He's a great healer." X said. "Is Tiffany okay?" he inquired about his daughter.
"She's okay. Nathan and I have been taking turns watching her, and you. Um. We should talk. I..brought you some tea." she said, handing him a cup.
"I prefer coffee." X grumbled. "But...thank you." he took the tea, noting her awkward expression. "And yeah, you're right. You seem to know a lot more about me, than I do." he groaned. "As much as I don't want to have anything to do with my dad, it's time for the truth. All of it. You told me before that I was about to have a massive power influx. How did you know that?"
"What I told you was the truth. You father is Chronos. And he's forfeiting his godhood." Ikuki said. "I think he wanted me to tell you all of this, because he's too big of a coward to do it, himself." she said, a bitterness in her tone.
"Let's say I believe you." X sighed, deciding to humor her. "It still doesn't make sense. If a god was real, they can't just retire."
Ikuki couldn't look him in the eye, and just shrugged. "Not unless they pass it on to their child." she winced as she said it.
"Oh. Okay. Gotcha." X laughed. "I'll play along." he sipped on his tea. "So, Dad's telling me I'm his predecessor for the god of time." he joked. "Guess that's why I've been dreaming about Fate and Death." he laughed.
"You've met Ananke and Anubis??" Ikuki gasped.
"What? No. It was just a couple of weird dreams. They both told me to dream about Bastet, next. My guess it's because of what you said about the dragon creators, or whatever. Just stupid dreams because my mind hasn't had a chance to rest in...I dunno. A while." he shrugged.
"You really don't believe any of this, do you?" she pouted.
"Nope." he said, finishing the tea. "Weird dreams happen. I've been stabbed before, too. Nothing Gen couldn't heal. This is all normal hero business, Ikuki. If you want to jump to gods and magic, then maybe it isn't the right business for you." he shrugged.
"Nathan told me about the laser." Ikuki said, before he could walk away.
"What about it?" X said bitterly.
"You altered time around it, but nothing else. That takes a lot of power, and a lot of focus." she noted. "Just saying."
“So…” X blushed. “So what! It’s just a new thing I learned I could do! And you know what? It was awesome! You should’ve seen it! It stopped just feet from the ship, but I froze it and sent it back to the cannons and it was…” he turned to look at Ikuki, who was smirking at him. “I mean, it wasn’t that big a deal.” He crossed his arms and huffed.
“I know you aren’t ready to accept any of this, or even believe it. I just want you to know that I’m here for you, whenever you need to talk about something that’s weighing on your mind.” She smiled sweetly at him, causing him to blush. “Whether you believe you’re the new god of time or not, you are having trouble controlling your powers. That part, I can help with. As well as just being a shoulder to lean on, and helping out whenever you need it. Seems like you’ve got your hands full as it is, without the looming existential crisis.” She chuckled, nervously.
“Heh. Yeah.” X agreed, choosing to ignore everything about magic and gods. “Being a single dad is hard enough, without trying to juggle being a vigilante and a mentor to newbies.” He flopped back down on the bed, and let out a deep breath. “I need a break. No work, no hero business, no weird magic stuff. Just spending some quality time with Tiff.” He sighed. “But I can’t. There’s too much going on. Mind controlling circus people, evil robots, my powers going berserk. Even if I did take a break, something would happen. It always does.”
Ikuki flopped down next to him; “And it always will.” She said. “But that’s okay. You have people who care about you, and can help you. Your family, Nathan, Lux and Nox, and I’d like to think we can be friends, too.” She smiled. “We’ll all be here for you, to help you get through this. You’re not alone. You never were, and you never will be.”
He didn’t say anything back to her, and the two were silent for a long moment. Ikuki took the hint, and sat up. “Um, I’ll let you get some rest.” She smiled at him, and started to leave.
He sat up as well, and grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Don’t…leave. Please. I…” he looked frantic and panicked. He set his hand on his chest in the spot where he had been injured; it had been completely healed up by Genesis, but he could still feel the phantom pain. “Am I really…” he couldn’t make himself say the words. “Is my dad really…” he still couldn’t say it. “I’m scared.” he finally said. “I don’t believe any of this is real. Gods and magic…I never believed it. I still don’t. But everything that’s happened to me…I’m scared, Ikuki.” He said, as his voice broke and he fought back tears. “
She sat back down on the bed, letting him lean on her shoulder. Neither of them said anything for a long while. She felt the best thing she could do in this moment, was offer a literal shoulder to cry on.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 5, 2023 22:01:35 GMT -6
“I think it's...probably due time that we spoke with our brother.” Nox sighed as he held the phone in his hand and looked dully at the number he had typed in. A frown filled his face as he was reluctant to press the green icon that indicated the calling option. “He hasn't heard from us in about a month and every time he calls, we're in the middle of something and we forget to call him back...”
“Ugh...just do it so we can get it over with.” Groaned Lux as he lay beside his brother on the couch they confiscated from everyone. “I just hope he's not too mad at us for ditching him for so long.”
Nox had an alternate feeling that Reese probably was. And so, he pressed the button and listened to the disheartening sound of the ringing. Once. Twice. Three times. And right before Lux wanted to hang up on Reese, he answered the phone with an image appearing on the screen.
The twins gave him the brightest false-smile they could muster up as their older brother was glaring daggers through the screen. He leaned into the camera and instantly started on them.
“Brothers! You have ignored and repudiated my calls. I was apprehensive that you both had perished and that I would never visually perceive either one of you again. It is my obligation to train you, and yet? You ran off without giving me any indication as to where you went! I feel as if you do not desire my guidance into making you both puerile gentlemen!”
Lux went to speak but Reese interrupted him.
“SILENCE. YOU ONLY SPEAK WHEN DIRECTED!” Reese some how reaches through the phone to smack Lux on the head with his cane. "Interrupting someone is considered absolutely inopportune and will bring you much deprecation from others. Now listen!” He wagged his cane at the camera as he scolded Lux and Nox. “I am visually examining the two of you. Lux, I don't believe you have gotten a hair trim since the last time we spoke. And Nox! You look sickly! Have you been consuming food at all or has your brother been victualing all of your food instead?”
“Reese...Please speak normally. I don't understand a single word you're saying...” Winced Lux as he tried to figure out what on Earth his brother was talking about.
“Foolish brother!” He reached through the screen again and smacked him on the head once more. “Had you fixated on my schooling then you would've understood precisely what I've been telling you. But since you didn't, this is the result you get. Be a sagacious boy and look up the words in a dictionary, if you don't know them. Do not cheat and use your brother.”
Nox watched as his brother rubbed the top of his head in pain. “How in the world did he do that?”
“I wish he'd stop. It's beginning to hurt...” Whined Lux.
“Now listen up! I demand you to return home immediately. You have more training to go through and I refuse to sit down and bide for the sun to go down. Because by then, I'll be old and frangible and won't be able to felicitously edify you anything with the skills you've gotten from our parents. Understand?”
“We...can't really do that.” Nox said to him and flinched when he made a move with his cane. He automatically covered the top of his head when the cane shot through again and smacked Lux instead. Nox glanced over at his sore brother, wondering why Reese would've deliberately hit him instead. “We...are kind of in the middle of helping some heroes out. They need our help. With my intellect and Lux's ability to think on his feet--”
“FOOLISH. Lux hasn't got a cell in that brain worth using!” Reese shot down Lux. “He doesn't do anything other than to play around during his edification's and skip out on them. He is nothing more than a mere miscreant who causes trouble during class. It's an inglorious behavior. He has such great potential to become something far more preponderant than he can ever imagine. And yet he discards his aptitude because all he wants to do is mess around and have fun. I don't know why I even bother training him, if he shows a lack of self control and discipline.”
Looking away from the screen and down to the material of the couch, Lux knew that he was the lesser favorite of the twins. Where Nox was intelligent, if he placed his mind to it, Nox was also an amazing fighter. He was skilled and quick on his feet as well as sharp thinking and was keen on his opponent's movements. All the while Lux has to pray that the enemy they fought was an idiot, because his moves were often geared towards over-powering the enemy.
Reese was often most critical over this as he knew thinking on his feet was Lux's biggest weakness. He was too predictable and too easy to counter. Lux had trained nearly three times harder than Nox, who simply understood everything within a few tries. And no matter what Lux did, he never could amount to his brothers. Everything he did was never good enough.
“Now wait a minute.” Nox said as he could see the absolute hurt in Lux's eyes. “Reese? Can I say something, please?”
“Go on.”
“Look, I understand that Lux isn't the brightest person on the planet. But you really need to give him a chance and stop being so critical over everything he does. I know education was hard for him and that's just...well, that's who he is. He learns on the go and the more he does it, the better he gets. And I've never met anyone nearly as dependable and brave as him.” He smiled at Lux but Lux continued to look defeated. So Nox continued; “I wouldn't want to trade him up for any other partner in this world.”
“His negligence is restraining you from becoming a noble warrior, like most of our family.” Reese wasn't buying Nox's defensive conversation. He simply just didn't find Lux worth training anymore, as he was always skimping on everything.
“Well...if that's the case, then that's fine with me.” Nox frowned. “He's the best partner I could ever ask for. I learn from him, just as much as he learns from me. You just don't see it because you're too concerned with following our parents footsteps.”
“Do not insult them!” Hissed Reese.
“I'm not.” Nox objected. “But you can't ever be them because you're not them. And neither are we. We're our own entities and we have our own techniques. We just...have to learn what we can do...That's all. So...That's why we're out here, training with a group of actual heroes!”
Reese frowned at Nox, disappointed in him for defending Lux. His gaze then turned to the depressed brother and said; “Until I visually perceive amelioration, I will never cerebrate highly of you.”
“Well...” Nox decided to try and dumb it down for his brother to understand. “You won't see improvement until you actually come here and witness it yourself. As for thinking highly of him? He doesn't need your approval because he's got mine and everyone else here.”
“Nox...You don't...”
“No, I mean it. You've been amazing since we've joined these guys. You're learning and you're so much cooler than before. Reese just doesn't want to admit that your techniques are far different than his. He wants you to be just like Mom and Dad. But you can't because you're not them...and neither am I.” He smiled. “So as far as I'm concerned. You're totally awesome.”
Lux had enough of the conversation and rose from the couch. “You can keep talking to him. It's clear that he doesn't want to hear anything from me...” He turned away and started to walk into another room.
Nox sighed and looked back to Reese. “You know, Lux was really looking forward to this call.” It was a lie but he wanted to get it through Reese's head that he was being harsh. “He wanted to tell you everything that we've done as a team and the crazy things he managed to do without my help. But all you did was shoot him down like you always do. I just...sometimes wish that you'd stop comparing him to me and to our parents. Maybe one day, the two of you could have a conversation...without the insults and degrading comments.”
Reese fell silent.
“Sorry. But he is our brother, my twin brother. And I'm not going to let him struggle. Even if it takes me down with him, he's not going to be alone. Ever. And even when I'm not there? There's this girl he likes...She'll be there with him.”
“Wait, what?”
“The battery is dying on the phone. I'll call you back again. Just...I need to see if he's okay.” Nox said with a bit of bitterness in his voice. “I love you Reese. Just...try to set aside your negative opinions of our brother. He's...really trying.” Nox then bid farewell and hung up.
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Post by Moe on Oct 6, 2023 9:11:01 GMT -6
Between Mark having a breakdown and the conversation happening in the living room, Ikuki couldn't take it. Not that she was upset with anyone, but it hurt that everyone else was hurting. "Okay, you know what." she said, standing up and grabbing the pillows off Mark's bed. "Help me. You have extra pillows and blankets, right?"
"Uh, yeah?" Mark sniffled.
"Good. Go order some pizza, find some movies, and meet me in the living room." Ikuki commanded.
"Why-" Mark started to say, before she shoved him out of his own room.
"Go! We are all having a stress-free, relaxing evening!" she shood him out.
Mark stood at the door, frozen for a moment, wondering what she was going on about. "Uh, okay." he finally said. "So you guys want pizza, or..." he said, sitting next to Nox on the couch. Of course, right as he sat down, Ikuki came barging out and threw a bunch of blankets and pillows at him, covering both him and Nox. "Ikuki, what the heck?" he said, muffled, through the blankets while trying to untangle the mess.
Ikuki dragged some chairs over, to set up the blankets. "We are making a pillow fort." she finally clarified. "No sadness allowed. Only comfort and snacks and movies and good times."
"I appreciate the gesture," Mark told her. "But you could have asked me, before making a mess of my bedsheets."
"Was that an offer?" she smirked.
"What?" Mark was confused for a few seconds, before it clicked, causing him to blush. "NO. THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT."
"Heh, sorry. I couldn't help it." she laughed. "But seriously. You guys need a night off. I promise I won't talk about gods or magic, until you're ready. I don't know anything about this whole hero business, you're right about that. But maybe being a good guy, doesn't always mean being a vigilante. Maybe sometimes it means just, well, being a good person to someone who needs it. That, I can do." she smiled sweetly at him, as she started hanging the blankets around the chairs and couch.
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