Cyberworld Hero Future RP Thread

Old Man Elijah

"Bah, some people I knew used their powers for crafts, to make their daily lives easier, even," Elijah grumbled. "It's a matter of gumption and practice. I'm sure you could make a lot of sculptures if you really tried...Okay, turn it again..."

The Delta symbol was taking shape nicely, and was in fact almost done. Elijah was just adding more shiny beads on one side to give the whole thing an illusion of depth.

"Bravery had nothing to do with it," he added. "I hate seeing other innocents hurt, no matter their make or creed. And when it got hard, I turned tail and ran like the rest. I haven't been brave. Not for a long time..."

Now he was done with the funeral shroud, and he turned it this way and that. "Looks alright, doesn't it? Though the beads would have been better used on a dress or something like that. Used to make them all the time for my sweethearts, but nobody in this era likes pretty clothes anymore. What a waste," Elijah sighed. "I'll be going, then, Bea. Thanks for your help."

With that, he turned to leave, knees creaking as he got up from his seat.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 2:23:26 AM

Bea sat, staring blankly at the table for a few moments as she processed the veiled offer.

"I... I may request such a thing of you, but not now. Maybe check with commander if I'm allowed something like that for downtime wear..."

Taking a deep breath, Bea got back up and went over to her desk. There was still a report to complete.

Old Man Elijah

"Hmph, looking forward to it," were Elijah's last words to Bea as he exited her room, continuing down the hallway to his own room. However, the door to Hux's room was ajar slightly, and so he peered in to find Hux meditating, apparently trying to force latent powers of his to manifest.

Elijah chuckled to himself, unbidden. Hux the First—his late son, not the one sitting in front of him just now—often tried to do the same thing to turn into a bat (and he'd always wanted to be a bat) to no avail. Back when he drank blood only sparingly, the more protective aspects of his curse were active, and nothing else. As he gained power through consuming flesh, the "weaker" aspects of his curse were withdrawn in favor of other, stronger ones, resulting in his current set of powers. Blood was power, and Elijah was no blood-gorged leech, at least until the current era. Now he feasted and waxed stronger by the day, or so he thought.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked Hux from the doorway, amused. "You'll give yourself a conniption if you keep straining like that."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 3:35:02 AM

Hux

"I can assure you I am not straining myself, old man." Hux said, smirking amusedly. If he was startled at Elijah's interruption, he didn't show it. "I'm merely attempting to replicate your abilities. I know I am many generations removed, but I know some of your power should still flow through me."

He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers, instinctively making the hand motion that would have fired his claw, if he were still wearing his gauntlet. But he'd taken that off before meditating, as well as his equipment. And his shirt. The markings of his clan were faintly visible against his dark skin, symbols almost as old as Elijah himself. Ancient wards to stave off evil.

Absentmindedly, Hux wondered if the wards might be interfering with his own vampiric abilities. He'd gotten them as a young child, so he'd never had a chance to see what he might have been like without them.

Too late, now. If they were removed, grandmother said, the darkness within would be released to curse the world. Hux didn't want to chance that, given everything else she'd been right about.

"Honestly, given how strong you are, I'm surprise you use guns." Hux mused. "I understand the desire for a ranged option, but still." Then he gave a toothy smirk. "And naming them 'Abel' and 'Seth' is a bit on the nose, innit?"

Old Man Elijah

"Yes, well, I'm afraid the only things you inherited from me are my stunning good looks, enhanced physical abilities, and occasional unspeakable craving to devour five or six rare steaks at once," Elijah sighed, deadpan, moving to sit across from Hux. "And even that last part's in jeopardy. I married Marah in the 2000s. This is the 7000s. The way the rush hit you in the jet, I could tell that was your first time drinking properly..."

"...And I've noticed you looking at my neck on the jet. Subconsciously or not, you must want more," he continued. "You must be brave, foolhardy, or both."

"Anyhow, would you prefer to drink from my wrist or my neck?" Elijah offered casually, as if he were offering a beer to Hux and not his own lifeblood. "I'm feeling strong enough now that I can give you a bit. Bite down once on the vein, don't tear at anything, and...well, you'll know what to do when you do it. If you're careful enough, maybe you won't have to name a weapon after me." That last part was only said half-jokingly.

The elder unwound his scarf and rolled up his sleeves, gesturing for Hux to just pick one place to bite impatiently. "Choose."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 3:54:25 AM

Hux

Staring at his neck? Hux had been about to retort, when the old man revealed said neck, and his wrist. Hux suddenly felt... hungry. Hungry in a way he never had before. Part of him was concerned, that this hunger might drive him to do something monstrous. But part of him was strangely accepting.

If the father of vampires could learn to keep his urges in check, then a mere fledgling such as Hux could as well.

To that end, Hux chose the old man's wrist. The neck felt strangely intimate, and Hux wasn't comfortable with that. That, and he worried he might bite too deep.

Hux's fangs extended, sinking into a vein, and he began to drink, slowly siphoning the essence of life from his ancestor's body. Power thrummed within him, and the marks on his skin began to glow a soft red in response, writhing across his body as they did. For a moment he almost felt the urge to jerk his neck, to tear Elijah's hand of at the wrist.

But then the urge vanished, and the markings returned to an inert state as he pulled his mouth away. Swallowing the last drops of blood, he rose, exhaled, and then bowed deeply to the old man.

"Thank you for your gift, ancestor. I will do my best to honor it."

Alula Seles

It was easy for a mute person (or at least herself) to slip into the background, and Alula had decided to take full advantage of this. As soon as she heard the dismissal, she quietly slipped away to clean herself up—picking a corner in her room to meditate quietly to herself.

Even with the door left open for any visitors, she still sat there now—eyes closed and sitting atop her crossed legs as she let her magick dance about herself in vague runic sigils and shapes. She was remarkably unmoving, and even if one squinted they could've sworn she wasn't breathing much at all. Her room was meanwhile decorated with what limited trinkets and souvenirs she could gather from their missions, with her ultimate goal apparently being to fill up her desk.

If Croire happened to enter, though, his new knowledge might've made this sight suddenly unnerving. Especially since most of these souvenirs seemed to be parts of Machines.

Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 20th 2020 at 3:48:21 PM

Old Man Elijah

"Ow," was Elijah's deadpan response to being bitten, holding the back of Hux's neck as if prepared to rip him off his wrist if he went too far in his feeding. "You're done now? Good."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a gift. Most people would call it a curse. Still, it's up to you to decide whether this is a boon or a burden," he advised, healing his wrist slowly as he stared at it. "But it will make you stronger, and I'd hate to see you die. That's why I granted you this small favor. Grow strong, now, Hux. Grow strong and conquer. Someday in the future, I'll come to claim a bite of my own. You can count on that."

The elder took a deep breath and got up with some effort, a little woozy from blood loss, but otherwise fine. Elijah paused at the doorway and looked back at Hux, asking, "...You mentioned that a remnant of the Ahriman clan still survives. If I wanted to visit them...do you think that they'd let me?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 20th 2020 at 11:53:28 AM

Croire. Aaaaaaaaand lost.

Croire was...never really was good with directions. He could get the simulator and whatnot started no problem, it was actually finding where it (and by extension, training room) that was proving difficult.

At least Ramialia was being quiet and actually sleeping for the time being...so there wasn't any snarking only he could hear as they walked past...their dorms?

Curiosity got the better of him at the open door and wondering if it was that Sue girl only to catch a glimpse of Alula in the corner and get even more uneasy.

What would he even say? Asking the obvious would just be flat out rude and small-talk...okay it'd be a one-sided conversation either way and considering it looked like she was trying to concentrate...probably best to carefully back out of Alula's room and get back to finding the simulator room before he was noticed, face going slightly red again.

Alula Seles

Unfortunately for Croire, Alula's eyes opened the moment he began to back out of the room, and with a curious tilt of her head she hopped up onto her feet to catch up with him. Before he could get out of ‘earshot’ (or rather line of sight) she briefly signed to him, a placating look on her face.

~It's okay. I was just meditating,~ she motioned, giving him a small smile that was laced with some nervousness as she poked her head out of her room and glanced down either side of the corridor to make sure they were more or less alone. ~You wanna... talk about it? In private? Assuming it really is private...~

She signed this latter part in an unconventional way, to hopefully throw off in case anyone was secretly watching.

For a few moments, Croire was practically frozen to stop as he noticed the sounds of movement and slowly, nervously turning back around, getting more uneasy by Alula's smile considering he was aware it was essentially a mask and wanted to get out of there.

He got the general gist of what she was 'saying' sure, but...

"I...I-I don't...really h-have anything t-to say... I-I mean, it's...a-a nice collection...? D-Don't k-know much a-about machines...w-well, t-the ones w-we fight at least...a-and I'd r-rather not w-waste your time..."

Edited by TheRealWren on Dec 21st 2020 at 11:56:58 PM

Alula Seles

~Neither do I. That's why I'm collecting them,~ Alula admitted, giving Croire a gentle smile as she moved aside from the doorway as if in invitation. ~You're not bothering me. I actually... wanted to thank you. For not saying anything. I know it might seem small... but you're saving my life. So... with all my core... you have my gratitude.~

The sign for ‘core’ replaced that of ‘heart’, indicating a power source rather than a mere muscle. Which made sense, given her true nature. After a moment's pause, she moved closer to him.

~I want to tell you something. A name. I trust you enough. You won't be able to say it, but... you can hear it.~

She leaned so as to whisper into his ear, her silence suddenly breaking as a few melodic frequencies passed through her lips, low in volume yet strangely piercing when coming out from her mouth.

“᧢.”

It was utterly incomprehensible, unable to be replicated by the human voicebox. But it was distinct enough to still be memorable, and she repeated it a few times to make sure he'd heard it before backing away again out of his personal space.

~If you ever want to ask me anything, please do. I'd be happy to,~ she finished, returning to signing with a somewhat more content expression on her face.

Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 21st 2020 at 1:45:54 PM

Hux

"I look forward to it, old man." Hux merely grinned. "By the time you're ready to take a bite of me, I'll have surpassed you."

Then he became solemn. "As for our clan... only me, and my grandmother remain. My parents... they had powers as well. They went off into the wastes, and never returned. Part of why I became a hero was in the vain hope they may yet live, but I doubt it."

Hux sighed. "I asked grandmother once, why there weren't more of us, if our clan didn't age. She told me that our clan was 'cursed by our blood to seek death'. You're welcome to meet her, but I don't know how she'd... react, you know? She's not as accepting of the whole 'vampire' thing as I am."

Old Man Elijah

"Well, you can certainly try," Elijah responded, lips quirking upwards in a fanged grin in spite of himself. "I'll be waiting most expectantly. In the meantime, I suppose I should better go rest. You too, Hux. Tomorrow brings another set of orders, and another day alive..."

He sounded almost bitter as he walked fully out of Hux's room, but a small scrap of paper dropped from the inner folds of the old man's robes, torn slightly in the middle from all the fighting that had gone on earlier, drifting in the air and coming to rest at Hux's feet. It was a photo, and its well-thumbed edges were already patched with copious amounts of tape.

A white-haired, red-eyed boy threw his arms up in the forefront, holding up an opened letter and whooping with joy as his albino cat tried in vain to stay on his lap. His jet-haired mother sat respectably next to him on the couch, obviously amused by his antics. Behind the couch, a blue-eyed, pale blonde man who looked almost like Elijah had to duck into the frame (he was simply too tall for the camera to capture his likeness fully) smiling somewhat awkwardly, though he seemed as happy as anyone else in the tableau. Finally, Elijah himself—there was no mistaking that grizzled old face for anyone else—stood next to the tall blonde man, both men having arms slung around the other's shoulders. For once, the elder vampire seemed at peace as he ruffled his son's hair with his free hand and looked down at the scene proudly.

Elijah had quickly fled the scene in the present, leaving Hux to wonder if the photograph drifting over to him was an accident or not, and what the purpose of this second gift was, if Elijah had really meant to give it to him.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 21st 2020 at 7:59:01 AM

Croire.

That...simply made Croire quizzically tilt his head. Know the enemy or her own kind? At least she wasn't annoyed although he couldn't help but get more flustered and anxious.

"Y...Y-You're welcome? Y-You don't n-need to though, I-I mean, you saved me f-first when..." He stopped himself, not sure what to say...and getting cut off by Alula speaking again and getting...way too close that his face had gone bright red again.

And if the name sounded so...alien, Ramialia stirred slightly, getting somewhat irritated as Croire nervously looked away.

"I...I'll try to keep t-that in mind...I don't h-have any q-questions now, j-just trying to g-get to the simulator..."

Alula Seles

~Okay. Go on, then,~ Alula nods at this, blinking a moment before stretching as she moves back to her original position to sit back down again. ~Might join you later, after my meditation... ~

Soon enough those runic sigils began to form again; burning amber magick manifesting out from her and causing a soft orange glow to emanate from her corner of the room.

Only to seem to have a sudden thought, and opened her eyes again as she quickly signed to Croire before he left.

~Croire. Before you go, remember the word “K'narii.” If you hear someone say it, tell me. That's all I want.~

"W-Well, i-if I do, y-you'll be t-the first to know...a-and I guess I might s-see you later i-in that case..."

The young man gave a polite nod and bow before nervously heading off to find the simulator room.

The Tanglewire (Ohio Wire-Wastes) Year: 7057 Month: June Day: 21st Hour: 1345

As the Domed City of Dahlia moved ever onwards toward the Tangle, the Command Center of the HERO Units of the Domed City would review a new piece of information. A new Artifact signal was received from somewhere beyond the Tangle. It was of a similar nature to the signal received from Moldbug's stronghold.

Alcor had received the report from Bea, but filed it away instead of relaying it to her fellow superiors - deciding this was something she needed to deal with herself before it spread outward. Elijah in particular.

Ever since the last incident, the City had seen no hint so far of Moldbug. Though understandably considering Doulin's death, Leadership was hesitant to classify the Machine Leader as deceased. Whatever the Dark Thinkers were, it was obvious they operated at a different level than prior logged Machine capabilities. Almost...to a level of sentience. Sapience.

Nobody however would concede they were so close to human kind, and simply classed the Dark Thinkers as "life like".

The world outside was vastly different from the blasted ashlands of what had once been New York. The so called Wire-Wastes of Ohio were after a certain sense fertile...but what grew there was not plant life.

Countless wires, cables and "trees" grew from the ground in a massive patchwork, emulating plants and in some cases seeming to grow in a manner evocative of the more jungle-esque past of some corners of the globe. Tightly weaved mechanical fibers spun into the shape of leaves, auburn colored metals woven together as bark, covering the buzzing, whirring insides of the mechanical trees.

This strange growth had started around the beginning of the wars with the Shadows and the Machines. Nobody knew what incited its genesis, just that for whatever reason the razor sharp wires and tangle grew out like dense plant life. It was almost like the Machines were trying to create a new jungle, but without the vital functions of actual living plant life, the jungle they made would never bear fruit or participate in the necessary cycle of plant life.

As beautiful as the tangle was, it was a cruel place. As an emulation of a jungle, a strict food chain was observed by the machine-beasts living in the jungle. Were these creatures developing some method of digestion and life-like energy absorption? Or were they just fruitlessly emulating the extinct life they grew in the shadow of?

Zhane Noon

As the call came in to report to the main command area, Zhane got up from a nap, conducted due to poor sleep the last few nights...and he needed to readjust almost immediately. His legs seemed longer, his body seemed to reach higher. A smile crested his face and he rushed into his restroom, clasping the sink as he looked in the mirror.

Zhane was 3 inches taller than he was merely a week or so ago. His face growing slightly out of its rounder cuteness into a more angular appearance. He wasn't close to handsome yet, but that was obviously in the cards now more than ever.

He evaluated his body - his formerly child-like body was now blessed with slightly more lean muscle mass. As he examined himself he saw his chest pressed against his shirt in a way familiar to the more developed male HEROES. His chubby midsection was more toned. And his arms looked stronger.

Though...it seemed his hair was changing too. The mix between silver and black had been a rather odd quirk he had, and now it seemed there was a bit more silver in there.

Zhane shook his head and ran off, getting dressed in his usual ensemble for missions. He noted as he retrieved his sword he could carry it far easier. A confident smile settled on his face.

Zhane then ran off to meet with the others at the Command Center. He found himself bounding there with greater energy than usual.

It reminded him vaguely of when he touched that petal...

Old Man Elijah

"What the—" Elijah swore as Zhane bounded away in front of him just as he was about to round a corner. "Zhane! Watch where you're going!" Shaking his head, he muttered something about impetuous youngsters for the sheer irony of it, and continued on his way to the briefing room.

"Good afternoon," he sighed as he walked in, dragging his feet over to one of the chairs and sitting down heavily. "Zhane, you've gotten taller. My, your hair will be as white as mine if whatever's happening to it keeps up. You need to get more rest, too. Looks like puberty fairly smacked you in the face almost overnight...That's good, I suppose."

Elijah proceeded to yawn and lean back in his chair as he waited for the other members of the team to arrive and critically eyed any higher-ups in the room as if he were taking their measure. Did he know that they knew whatever it was that he knew?

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 24th 2020 at 9:35:14 AM

Dressed once more in her prim and proper mission regalia, Bea strode with the impassioned precision that had earned her reputation among the HER Os all the way to the Command Center where her resolute stoicism faltered just slightly as she spotted Zhane.

"Pilot. You've changed. Is there a reason behind this?"

A hint of concern in her voice. She looked around the room for an explanation before trying to center back on the mission.

"Apologies, we should focus on the briefing..."

Croire, Briefing.

Well...it bit longer than he was expecting but at least it was time to try and get some training in. Croire just wished there was more than just a few bruises to show despite all the effort.

Still, he was probably the last to arrive, quietly apologizing and armlets locked together since he wasn't training or out in the field as the young man quietly glanced over at those who'd arrived there before him with a nervous nod and looking down at the floor.

Briefing

Alcor walked over, looking at Elijah with a pointed and somewhat dark look briefly before looking over at Zhane. When she saw how different he looked, she seemed to briefly give a small smile and even blush a little, but then turned away. As if she did not want to give any indication of what might have just happened. She spoke up after steeling herself again.

"We have managed to locate a similar energy signature to what we uncovered prior - and thanks to the signal of the Black Lotus, we have been able to ascertain what it is this time."

She took out a small hexagonal device, which opened up and displayed a map of some sort through the Tangle, leading to an energy signature far off beyond it. "We have acquired the energy signature of the Mox Jet, a construct of the same nature as the Black Lotus, but much less volatile. The Jet is said to be involved in the channeling of dark energy of all types and natures. We are still acquiring data about where it is the Jet is located, but it is within some sort of Machine Settlement beyond the Tangle. If I had to guess, there may be Dark Thinker presence involved."

Bea raised an eyebrow at the momentary lack of composure from her commander before turning her attention to the map.

"Very well. We are to traverse the Tangle, retrieve the Mox Jet, slay any Dark Thinker presence and extract to deliver the artifact back to command, yes?"

It was less a question and more a command to the rest of her team. As far as she was concerned, the mission clock was already on and it required her utmost attention.

Old Man Elijah

Catching Alcor's eyes, Elijah bared his teeth in a spiteful scowl and stared back with equal—if not more—predatory intensity, before she turned away to deal with other matters and he was left alone with his old man conspiracy theories and thoughts about them. If only there was a pen or coin nearby for him to fidget with, so he could better process what he was about to do and say.

"Hold it," he began slowly. "We have the Black Lotus already, that much is true. It looks like we're going to start gathering the entire Moxen set of gems, too. Five more cursed artifacts, all eventually placed in the same place: Dahlia. You actually think that's going to be good for humanity, in the long run?" The words obviously left a bad taste in his mouth, but he pressed on.

"Having come into close contact with the Black Lotus, it could draw the Dark Thinkers right to us," he reasoned. "Do you think that's not important, somehow, Commander?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 4th 2021 at 10:23:24 AM

Hux

Hux had remained silent for much of the briefing, his arms crossed, clearly lost in thought and only half paying attention. Elijah had, knowingly or not, left him a picture. A picture of his other ancestor, the First Keeper of Ahriman. Marah.

She looked so much like Hux's grandmother. Or, rather, Hux's grandmother looked so much like her, with long dark hair, and the same dark-mocha skin lined with ancient wards. The only difference was red eyes.

It had made him wonder if Marah could somehow still be alive. If perhaps she'd let her husband transform her. But Elijah almost certainly would have been with her, if that were the case. And Hux would not wield darkness if she yet lived. Because his darkness was a piece of hers.

"I concur with Elijah. He likely knows more about these things than anyone else in Dahlia." Hux spoke up. "With all due respect, Commander Alcor, Moldbug proved incredibly strong and killed one of our fellow heroes. I'm not certain it's wise to risk more lives, no matter how powerful this artifact may be. Especially as this could be a trap, now that the Dark Thinkers know we're after such power sources."

Privately, Hux was somewhat concerned at the fact that this Jet was said to channel 'dark' energies. If it was anything like the darkness he could command, such a thing could prove highly destructive.