A Hero's Curse

[Midnight_Dragon249]

OoC: *crosses fingers* Not Ethis, not Ethis, not Ethis. Well, my luck is terrible so it probably is Ethis.

IC: Ethis ran over to where Teria and Spikey were, and Spikey seemed to be using his abilities, but for what reason, she didn't know. Ethis heard Teria talking about, "it isn't going to do us any good if we're killed by some other force, correct?" when she got there.

"I really don't feel like dying, but I'm a little confused. So, some random guy went and attacked that Kanu person, Razz tried to get help but was afflicted by the Curse. Anything I missed?" Ethis then looked at Spikey and saw that he was still covered in thorns. "Need a cool-down, there, Spikey?" Ethis said in a cynical tone. "You're not about to lose it over nothing, are you? Or, if you're about to give that jerk from earlier what for, go ahead."

_________________________________________________________________

'Nother shortie, but we can't let this die. It's a really intereting plot. =(

 

[GodofPH]

Stab scowled for a moment, then he closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. The excess spikes on his body fell to the ground like icicles falling from a rooftop. Stab calmly cracked his knuckles and smoothed back his hair.

Stab said, "Sounds like we'll need a plan of some sort if we want to continue. Anyone have any ideas?"

 

[Alana]

Teria remained quiet for a moment, thinking. The idea she had forming in her mind did not seem like something others would like. She didn't much care for it either, but then again, she didn't much care for the curse either. "I suppose," she began, in an almost inaudible voice, "that we could split up. I know it sounds crazy in the circumstances, but it's also safer in a way and we'll get much more done much quicker. There are eleven of us, which will make ten almost perfectly even groups.

"Splitting up will make sure that if one of us loses control, or is attacked by some other force, and their group is also attacked or affected by the lose of their control, at least there will still be some of us left and perhaps we'll be able to help the others out. Also, we'll be able to go after the guy who attacked Kanu and search for a cure to the curse at the same time. How does that sound to everyone?"

OOC: I've randomly selected everyone's groups but if you want to have it changed PM the person you want to be in a group with then post here. Removes all the OOC clutter. There will be four groups of two and one of three (if I can convince SilverTail to stay) otherwise, five groups of two.

 

[SilverTail]

(start trying, its not that I wish to leave, its that im so confused I see no other choice @.@)

 

[GodofPH]

A search for a cure, eh?

If any place would have a possible clue towards the nature of the Curse, it would be The Facility. Stab had spent several years there, most of them being unpleasant. Bullying from older Ability users, neglection from the Instructors on his complaints, and constant testing of his Abilities. Not only that, but random dorm-mates of his would disappear without warning by night. The Instructors claimed they had graduated and were released, but a heavy feeling in his gut claimed another, more dark explanation. Stab never knew what happened to those Ability users, he himself was released after Instructors told him that he was ready to leave.

He remembered it well.

The cold, chrome chair in the waiting room served as a resting place for young boy in a blue Facility jumpsuit. The boy was panting after an Ability Demonstration, and his name was Stab. The Waiting Room was not your average one; as there was only one chair in an all-cement room covered in a pure white-colored wallpaper. Stab had been instructed to wait here while the Instructors discussed the results of his Demonstration. Stab was nervous, through out the entire demonstration he hadn't changed the stone frowns of the Instructors into any other facial expressions.

The door to the room slid open as a Lab robe-clothed instructor walked in clutching a clipboard. From the corner of his eye, Stab saw a picture of himself on paper adorning the clipboard.

The Instructor said to Stab in a grim, almost robotic voice, "Congratulations, you have graduated from The Facility. You may collect your belongings, and report to the Student Office to finalize arrangements."

The Instructor turned to walk out of the room immediately after his statement. Before he stepped out of the room, Stab eyed "Insufficient Powers" displayed under his picture on retreating Instructor's clipboard.

Stab piped up, "Why don't we send some to The Facility? I don't know if its still in operation, but I bet we could find answers of some kind there."

 

[SilverTail]

((well...looks like im staying))

Good...they arent masks....oh well, might as well give em to the cops I thought, suddenly behind one of them, hitting a pressure point and making him collapse, the second one noticing me as the first hit the ground. "W-Who are you?" He stammered. "I'm your worst nightmare" I replied, putting on a fake but convincing evil tone, suddenly behind him, hitting that same spot on him. "Sweet dreams creep..." I said as he collapsed, picking them bolth up and carrying them out to where i could see the cops, throwing them to where they could be seen, the bags landing ontop of them. "Happy birthday pigs...." I said, jumping up the side of a building, my claws gripping the stone. Whats that....other people...a large group....and they smell....different than normal people....USERS! I thought, jumping off in their direction suddenly, trying to find them.

 

[Alana]

Teria gave a slight nod in response to Stab's statement. Her eyes shifted to the darkness around them for a moment. She thought she heard some one moving swiftly towards them, and she could feel the faint tingle of a person with Abilities. It was one she had already felt once tonight, an ally, not a person to worry about. She hoped that was the case, anyway.

She turned her eyes back to Stab and thought for a moment. She remembered the Facility, the place she and every other person with Abilities had been sent to for at least a little while during their life. It hadn't been too bad a place, in her opinion anyway. A bit odd maybe, but she had been trained by a well known hero who had come to check on the place's progress. It was also thanks to this hero that she had avoided the pressure being placed on so many others to become a protector of the people. Sadly, her instructor had been killed by Ino when he was strong.

"I think that's a good idea. Some people should also try to find the person who attacked Kanu. I think two groups should go after him. It'd be safer that way. Also, I heard a rumor about an abandoned lab where several Ability users used to work. It was kind of like the Facility where we were all trained, only completely controlled by Ability users. Some people should check that out two. And," she paused, considering whether or not her final idea was a good one or not, "I think one group should check out the place where Ino died. Maybe there's something there that can help us."

OOC: The groups and where each goes are as follows:

Shaydeh & Scottura: Investigate the sight of Ino's death.
Kogenta & Lightning McQueen & SilverTail: Goes after the strange Ability user.
Toomi & Midnight_Dragon249: Head to the ruins of a lab where research took place.
Dark Night & Erureido: Goes after the strange Ability user.
Alana & GodofPH: Head to the Facility where the Ability users were first trained.

If you want to switch with anyone just ask.

 

[SilverTail]

((What about me? *blinks*))

I continued to head twords them, my claws extending just in case. There..right....here I thought, jumping down into a park and seeing them in a group, watching htem and not noticing where I was going. To sum it all up, I made myself look like an idiot. I slammed face first into a tree next to them, sliding to the ground and landing on a rather sharp rock. "OWWWW!!!!!" I yelled, jumping up and grabbing my rear, retracting my claws as not to inflict more pain on myself. "owowowowowowowowowww....." I muttered, rubbing myself and looking around, turning bright red as I saw the group of people.

 

[GodofPH]

Well, don't I feel like a member of the Fantastic Four now. All this investigating these superhuman threats makes me want to slap on a blue jumpsuit and abuse my stetching powers...

Stab suddenly realised how much he enjoyed the fact that this City was perhaps hundreds of miles from his old 'home.' A return to The Facility, it initially made Stab want to shudder, but the thought of falling victim to the Curse simply because nothing was done to stop it was a worse thought. He drooped his head down to look at the ground while he remembered things that transpired there.

"Man-of-Thunder will be giving his lesson on Heroism Ethics in five minutes, all of those signed up please report to the West Wing Lecture Room."

The loudspeaker boomed these words as an eager Stab made his way through the Silver-colored halls to the aformentioned lecture room. Man-of-Thunder was Stab's hero idol, and he had literally jumped at the chance to attend a lecture by him. He had went through five sign-up sheets attempting to register himself for the class because he nervously grew spikes on his hands when he attempted to fill it out.

At the door to the Lecture Room, a Red-uniformed Prefect met him at the door. The Prefect eyed Stab's blue student uniform and grimly said, "Please state your name so I may check you in."

"My codename is Stab,' he replied.

The Prefect examined his list for a moment. Then, without even looking up to eye Stab, he said, "I'm sorry, but according to my list, your entry was rejected. Man-of-Thunder does not want to be wasting his time educating someone with Abilities he considers useless and primitive."

Stab said nothing, he merely walked away. A cold feeling of disappointment struck his heart, how could Man-of-Thunder do such a thing?

When Stab later heard that Man-of-Thunder fell to Ino, he found that he couldn't join the rest of the Ability community in mourning his death.

Stab had never been lucky enough to go under the tutelage of an accomplished hero during his stay in The Facility. His Abilities had no energy-traces in them, and was generally regarded by the tutors as a remnant of the first Ability users and their primitive, physical Abilities. After supposedly 'graduating,' Stab had started his own crime-fighting career to spite the Instructors that labeled him as having "Insufficient Powers."

Stab cupped his hands and looked up again to eye the rest of the group. He brushed a small irritant from his eye, then returned his hands to their cupped position. Stab asked, "So, I guess since I mentioned it, I'm going to The Facility. Whoever-is-accompanying-me, how do you plan to get there?"

 

[Midnight_Dragon249]

"Kanu, huh?" Ethis walked over to where Kanu was slumped against a wall. "You O.K., there? More importantly, do you have any means of ...aerial transportation? I really hate walking. And since I do, and we're partners, I need to know a little 'boutcha. So?" Ethis stared at him for minute. "Err...You awake, buddy? If you're really tired, I have handy waker-upper, ya know."

Ethis walked around Kanu, and in one swift motion, she summoned a sheet of ice right down Kanu's backside. "Well, that usually does the trick."

 

[Phanima]

The plan was simple. Teria had organised for the group to separate into packs of two and three. This would allow the separate teams to cover the city without attracting the public's attention. Plus with more teams surrounding the area, the higher the chance the group would have of catching the rogue Ability-users.

Teria had quickly taken the leadership role and established the teams. Kanu found her motives intriguing but decided not to question her decisions. He had been paired with another girl named Ethis. Their mission was to investigate the origins from where research regarding their Abilities was carried out.

Kanu regained his composure as he removed himself from the alleyway wall. Ethis herself had begun administering her own treatment in order to deal his condition. The effect of her Abilities were immediate and the coldness of the ice quickly spread across his back. He knew that the girl possessed some Abilities, but was surprised nonetheless by her sudden gesture.
"T-Thanks Ethis…I think I'm awake now…" Kanu began, as he removed the melting sheet from his trousers. "You can go ahead…I'll catch up to you…"
He spoke firmly about his condition in order to reiterate the fact that he was fine. The subsiding pain however, still coursed through his battered body, but he had no intention of showing them his weakness. "I'll catch a second wind…" he finished smiling. "Let's go."

 

[Alana]

OOC: SilverTail, I edited my post shortly before you posted. ^_^ You're with Kogenta and Lightning McQueen.

IC: Teria blinked at the sight of the boy who had just come crashing down from nowhere. It was his powers she had felt earlier but she hadn't expected such an entrance. "Are you all right?" she asked, walking over to see if he was hurt. His answer was a howl of "OW!" which confirmed her theory on the landing being rather painful. "At least you're not too badly hurt," she began with a sigh, "in pain, yes, but not too badly hurt."

She turned to look at the others and gave a half shrug to indicate she couldn't do anything for the new arrival. She could calm him down as he was obviously embarrassed, but her powers wouldn't take the pain away, only ease it a bit and make him forget about them for a while. Not a good idea because once the effect of her powers lifted, the pain would seem worse than before.

"I think he's fine, apart from being embarrassed and landing on a rather pointy rock," she said calmly, walking back to Stab. "I think he should come with us anyway. He's not an enemy." She remained quiet for a moment as Stab stated the fact that he was going to the Facility then nodded at him. "I'm going with you. No point delaying. Only," she paused, not wanting to sound rude, "you can't fly. I can combine two of my Abilities to carry you in a way."

 

[SilverTail]

((ok, I just didnt see it))

"Uhh....thanks..." I said, rubbing my backside. I looked around and saw nine others. So that makes eleven of us...not much of a group but more than the fantastic four had... I thought to myself, wondering what was going on. "Uhh, thanks for the help earlier with those robbers....luckily they werent others...like us...I'll just shut up now." I said, looking down and stopping talking.

 

[Dark Night]

Okay, so we're split up into teams. Got it! Razz was thinking who she was with, I know Qai. Teira had told Razz to go with Qai, and this new guy that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Razz turned to the new guy. He had been rambling on about stuff. "Hey! My name's Razz." she said as looked him over. He could be of good use! Razz thought for a moment, We don't really have a lot of time, we'll introduce ourselves on our way there. "Sorry to be so rude, but we really don't have a lot of time and we need to go stop those other ability users." She turned to Qai, "Are you comeing with us?" she asked. Razz's hands were suddenly surrounded with fire. She took out her staff and it was lit on fire. She pushed the both of them to show that they really needed to go. Razz's eyes changed so that she could see well in the dark. She tuned in her ears and tried to listen for the other Ability users. She heard a bunch of screaming and yelling about 3 blocks away. "I found them!" she yelled as she rushed toward the sounds.

 

[SilverTail]

"Wait, let me get this straight, five of us are going after them, two are going one place, two are going another....and two are going somewhere else?" I asked "who are you people? the X-Men or something??" I was completely dumbfounded, I had stumbled upon a group of people with abilities who were eventually going to try and save every spandex cowboy on the planet, and I was going to help??? This was AWSOME!! "Forget I said anything, lets just go!" I said, noticing one of them was a bit like me. She had ears and a tail, just like me, and I could see where claws could come and go as she pleased. I quickly looked away, slightly red again. "So, lets get going...." I said quickly.

 

[Dark Night]

Razz turned around back peatleing as fast as she could without falling over. "The X-Men?!" She yelled as she started to laugh! "That would be cool, but no! We're just other people like you who have abilities." She kept back peatleing, watching this new guy just ramble on. He seems to do that a lot! She smiled and turned around. Razz was haveing a good time, she hadn't had this much fun in quite a while. "Come on guys! You're not going to let a girl beat you there are you?" she yelled back she picked up the speed. Boy are they slow!

 

[SilverTail]

"Not on your life" I said, darting after her and easily outrunning her, grinning and jumping over a log. I could smell others with abilities, it was faint, but i could smell them, and it was getting stronger. I had memorised all the group's scents, and these were not any of them. "So, you guys have a battle cry? Y know, like 'Avengers Assemble,' 'It's clobberin time,' 'Hulk Smash!' ?" I said, looking back at them, waiting for a responce.

 

[Dark Night]

"What?!" Razz yelled as she turned to see the new guy run right past her. She sped up to keep up with him. A battle cry? "No, not that I'm aware of." she replied. "So what's your name, I never caught it." she asked. Hopefully he isn't one of those ability users who are bad. Razz didn't wait for him to answer, she could hear more things now. She ran faster, practically sprinting toward the sounds.

As Razz and the others reached the place, she stopped dead. There, she saw the guy that had attacked Kanu, or who she thought had attackd Kanu, she really didn't see it happen. For some reason she started to feel the Curse comeing on again. "NO!!!" She yelled. She dropped to her knees again. I can't let this happen, not again! I won't let everyone else down! Out of nowhere a ring of fire surrounded Razz. She got up, a little shakey but okay. Her black eyes, back to violet again. She looked around for Rolven, hadn't he have said he was going to be here? The curse was still there, but she could still stand, walk, and talk. She let the fire go, the less she used, the less it would hurt. She turned to the mysterious Ability-user. What is it about this guy?

 

[Midnight_Dragon249]

OoC~If anyone watches .hack//roots, you'll know what song Ethis is listening to.

"Err, no. I don't think so, anyways. But if I were to come up with one, then you all might die from the sheer corniness. Ah, we need to get going, don't we? And hey, since technically, I am in a group by myself, since Kanu still seems to weak to do anything, EVERYBODY WATCH THIS!" Ethis slipped on her headphones and switched it to 'God Diva'. She closed her eyes, put her hands in the pocket on her hoodie, and then her foot started tapping. Ethis opened her eyes, raised her arms in a slant, and leaned forward a little, all in one motion. She felt a warm tinge in her body. A small, bright yellow orb appeared several feet in front of Ethis, then shrunk to the size of a pinhead. Then, all of a sudden, it expanded and took the shape of a phoenix, whose whole being was blazing with fire's fury. Gotta love how my abilities actually care about technicalities.

"Is that not awesome?" Ethis ran over and hopped on the phoenix's back, but suffered from no burn whatsoever. "See you guys later!" The phoenix flapped its wings and rose higher and higher into the air. Ethis pointed forward, and almost said 'Onward!', but instead commanded the fire beast back down to the ground. She dismounted and walked back to the group.

"Hey, anyone know where the place is? I have no freaking clue..."

 

[SilverTail]

"Whoa..." I said as the flames appeared. "My names Haru, but you can call me Silvertail. Anyways, I have one, 'Don't Die'" I said, running forwards past her and landing ontop of one of them, flipping back and landing in a tree. One down...how many of these guys are there? I thought to myself. I had hit the pressure points as I was jumping away, knocking him out. Lets just hope these guys dont have too good of abilities... I thought, jumping out of sight incase they attacked my previous hiding place.