- Invitation Status
- Look for groups
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- Multiple posts per day
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Nonbinary
- Transgender
- Agender
- Primarily Prefer Male
- Primarily Nonbinary
As the sun dipped below the horizon, a young man collapsed onto a park bench. His white-blonde hair was soaked with sweat, making him grimace as little droplets rained down onto his flushed face.
Ethan hummed quietly, leaning his head against the back of the bench. His glasses were slightly askew. Tendrils of energy snaked around him as he did, acting like an eraser against his presence. It was difficult to keep up such a complex illusion in his state of exhaustion.
Yet he did; he closed his eyes, savoring the cooled New York air flowing around his face. Ethan watched idly as several armed men rolled past. They seemed to be searching for someone by the way their eyes scanned every inch of land around them. If they came any closer, he was screwed.
Thankfully, it didn't seem like they were aware of his capabilities. One of the men had turned towards the bench he was on with a confused expression on his face. Could he hear Ethan's humming? He'd spent years learning how to modulate his voice, learning to sing or hum at around thirty decibels.
He froze as the Harpy moved forward, scanning his surroundings with an odd look on his face. He came to a stop about 20 feet away, turning back to his comrades. Ethan watched the man open his mouth to call to them.
A few moments later, the Harpy took off at a jog back the way he came. His black and purple cape flowed around him like water. Ethan just rolled his eyes. These people were too flashy for his tastes.
He jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was an old cellphone that was mostly obsolete, due to the lack of features and bulky appearance.
It was perfect as a burner phone.
"What did you find?" Straight to the point as always, these people were. He suppressed a sigh. He fiddled with his watch, frowning at the photos he'd taken. They weren't pretty. Corpses with torn vocal chords were common, as if the overuse had caused them to swell and eventually rupture, creating blistering lesions that danced across their throats.
The rest was boring; information on runaway Ixli, lab notes from attempting to force an Awakening with artificial memories, and a few safehouse coordinates. Hopefully, it's enough to satisfy them, Ethan thought.
"One more thing," Fate Joseph said. "The Oracle spoke of a disruption in natural Ki flow outside of the city. Please, investigate. We only need you to scout; do not, under any circumstances, engage with the source of the disruption. We could not locate the origin of the source's matter, so please proceed with extreme caution."
The Fate tilted his head as he examined Ethan through the holo-screen, his piercing green-eyed gaze borrowing a hole in his chest. "Understood," he muttered, rubbing his eyes and sighing. It usually wasn't much more than a mutated animal, and Fate Joseph has been viewed with skepticism ever since his repeated advice showed more paranoia than logic.
Ethan was not about to get in the middle of that. As a mercenary, he'd rather fly under the radar. The money kept him comfortable enough over the years. That didn't hurt.
It took him two hours by car to reach the signal origin. He shivered at the cold, tightening his jacket around him. At first, he saw nothing. Just endless snow and dead trees littering the valley.
It was only when his eyes adjusted that he saw the large figure standing at the other side of the valley.
Ethan hummed quietly, leaning his head against the back of the bench. His glasses were slightly askew. Tendrils of energy snaked around him as he did, acting like an eraser against his presence. It was difficult to keep up such a complex illusion in his state of exhaustion.
Yet he did; he closed his eyes, savoring the cooled New York air flowing around his face. Ethan watched idly as several armed men rolled past. They seemed to be searching for someone by the way their eyes scanned every inch of land around them. If they came any closer, he was screwed.
Thankfully, it didn't seem like they were aware of his capabilities. One of the men had turned towards the bench he was on with a confused expression on his face. Could he hear Ethan's humming? He'd spent years learning how to modulate his voice, learning to sing or hum at around thirty decibels.
He froze as the Harpy moved forward, scanning his surroundings with an odd look on his face. He came to a stop about 20 feet away, turning back to his comrades. Ethan watched the man open his mouth to call to them.
A few moments later, the Harpy took off at a jog back the way he came. His black and purple cape flowed around him like water. Ethan just rolled his eyes. These people were too flashy for his tastes.
He jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was an old cellphone that was mostly obsolete, due to the lack of features and bulky appearance.
It was perfect as a burner phone.
"What did you find?" Straight to the point as always, these people were. He suppressed a sigh. He fiddled with his watch, frowning at the photos he'd taken. They weren't pretty. Corpses with torn vocal chords were common, as if the overuse had caused them to swell and eventually rupture, creating blistering lesions that danced across their throats.
The rest was boring; information on runaway Ixli, lab notes from attempting to force an Awakening with artificial memories, and a few safehouse coordinates. Hopefully, it's enough to satisfy them, Ethan thought.
"One more thing," Fate Joseph said. "The Oracle spoke of a disruption in natural Ki flow outside of the city. Please, investigate. We only need you to scout; do not, under any circumstances, engage with the source of the disruption. We could not locate the origin of the source's matter, so please proceed with extreme caution."
The Fate tilted his head as he examined Ethan through the holo-screen, his piercing green-eyed gaze borrowing a hole in his chest. "Understood," he muttered, rubbing his eyes and sighing. It usually wasn't much more than a mutated animal, and Fate Joseph has been viewed with skepticism ever since his repeated advice showed more paranoia than logic.
Ethan was not about to get in the middle of that. As a mercenary, he'd rather fly under the radar. The money kept him comfortable enough over the years. That didn't hurt.
It took him two hours by car to reach the signal origin. He shivered at the cold, tightening his jacket around him. At first, he saw nothing. Just endless snow and dead trees littering the valley.
It was only when his eyes adjusted that he saw the large figure standing at the other side of the valley.
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