Masks of God

Lily felt exuberant. All around her there were lights, people, and big swirly things in the air. It reminded her of peppermint. She began twirling around, her dress swaying with her movements. As she danced in the streets, the fire began spiraling upwards into the air, mimicking her movements. This made her even happier. "Hey, Masked Man? Do you like the pretty lights? Aren't they dazzling?" Lily walked over to a long blonde haired girl, who was also wearing a mask. "What about you? Do you like the pretty lights?" She asked, still dancing. "Woooh!" She exclaimed, "It's so much fun twirling." She giggled as she began feeling tipsy at all the spinning around. Slowly gaining her balance, she felt the need to take a dip. Walking over to the side of the bridge, she dumped down, screaming screams of joy on the way down.
 
Kiera held the intricately woven mask in her hand. It was beautiful, but it wasn't hers. She read the fortune cookie. Well, that was a strange fortune. She tried looking for the said man that gave it to her, but she say nothing and no one. She then noticed her father stand up. "Alright, let's go." Kiera simply nodded, hiding the mask inside her purse as she stood up. They rode the car in silence, her father constantly talking on the phone but she wasn't paying attention. Her mind kept on repeating the words of her fortune cookie: Brown murky and smelly, that liquid run underneath your feet. The next hint lies underneath the street.

Suddenly their car stopped. "Sir, it looks like some accident happened at the Kingsburg Bridge." Kiera was awakened by the voice of the driver and the honking of cars. It would be impossible for them to get home if the roads in the Bridge is locked. Her father grunted his disapproval. He looked around to try to find a way out of the situation, but they were in a gridlock. "Damn it." Kiera looked outside her window. They weren't so far away from the bridge and then... she quickly jumped out of the car, running towards the bridge.

"Kiera! What do you think you're doing!" Her father chased after her but she was only 17 and he was old. She had no time for explanations. A girl jumped off the bridge! At her haste she bumped into one of the cars, hitting against her hipbone which caused her to stop. "Ow," she said, clutching her hip. Her small purse was still with her, reminding her of the mask. "Kiera! Stop this immediately!" She looked up at the voice of her father who was panting and now walking closer to her. She looked to her father and then the bridge. She couldn't see the girl in the water anymore. But then... is that... is that another guy dangling off the bridge?

She started running off again but before she could get any further, one of her father's guards caught her by the waist and practically had to carry her back to the car. She was kicking and struggling to fight his grasp, but Kiera was lithe and tiny, only standing at 5'6". The urge to go to the bridge and to see that guy did not ebb. However, she spoke not a single word once she was fastened inside the car, her father huffing beside her.

"Don't ever pull something like that again, young lady. Jeez, what's gotten into you?!"
 
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Copper hid her bemused expression for lack of concert when a beam of light suddenly doused both she and Cathy. Copper flailed her hands above her face momentarily, squinting both of her eyes completely shut while she wore an expression of both annoyance and excitement.

"Hey, what gives!"she exclaimed, even as the piercing screams shattered the night time air. Copper was suddenly on the defensive, ignoring the light and looking around her at all of the cars set aflame...even her own. Her jaw dropped, but right when she made the motion to exclaim about how her car was on fire, another voice hit the air, except this one was detectable.

"--rounded. Take off your masks, and put your hands on the ground. Repeat, take off your masks and put your hands on the ground. Failure to comply and we will open fire." That got her to shut up. She darted her eyes up at the helicopter looming ahead of her. If her jaw could have dropped any lower, it would have been on the ground. Looking towards the others, she noticed how none of them made a move to do anything, probably afraid of the threat the police man shouted. None but Lily it seemed, bursting out in a spree of giggles before she catapulted her body off of the bridge. Copper's eyes doubled in size, stuttering nonsense words.

"I...wha...what...u-uhh..." Without really noticing, her skin suddenly turned a paler color, losing more and more of her sheen until it became...almost transparent. "Don't panic....don'tpanicdon'tpanicdon'tpanic..."she whispered, standing still as her body went from a full image to nothing more than a faded image of where Copper was before, an image that blurred away completely. She took in a deep inhale, feeling a prick forming at the side of her head, sliding a look over to Cathy before turning to face Conner, not aware that she was no longer visible.

"What should we do....?"she asked aloud, before her eyes flashed to the message. In an instant, she got it and made a face and a sound liking a dying cat. "Oh, don't tell me..."
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Chidone lay soft panting on the floor, what the hell did just happen in her always save room? Her mother impatiently knocked on the door again louder, and repeating her previous message over and over again. In total panic she grabbed the mask and shoved it under her bed cutting her fingers on the many shards of broken glass. The cold breeze from outside filled her room and she cursed pressing her hand against her side where she hit the floor.

"Chidone, are you alright? Open the door! Chidone! "

Her mother banged on the door, if she had to she would keep running into it until it broke. Cidone quickly stood up and picked her mirror from the wall putting it face down on the ground just in sight when the door couldn't hold any longer and her mother broke it open. The woman found her daughter sitting besides her bed her black hair fallen in front off her face to hide her shame,at least that was what she thought. How many times had she told the girl to not to move the mirror from its place? And she had opened the window as well on such a cold night?!

"You're going to clean this mess yourself got it? "

With that said the door was left open another thing she had to pay herself…. Still panting she stood up and closed the door. Chidone couldn't get a grip on the situation and just stared into the cold sky her head repeatedly turning to her bed where the mask was hidden. She dropped to her knees and reached for it carefully pulling it out underneath it. For a moment she forgot about her bleeding fingers as she observed the neatly made mask. It was made of a black metal like material elegant yet frightening molded into the shape of a skull. It took her breath and she flipped the mirror the reflecting surface showing her shocked expression. The words on her laptop screen were stuck in her head and she looked at the mask in her hands. It was as if it begged her to put it on so she obeyed, flipping it slowly and bringing it closer to her face. A shiver came down her spine when the cold metal hit her face, it fit perfectly as if it was made for her. She stood up and walked to the window gazing a the bridge in the distance which seemed to be on fire and hummed a soft tune, calling her to come. She heard her mother by the door again and leaped out of the window into the night a solemn scream from her mother reaching her ears upon finding an empty room with bloodstains by the window.
 
Cathy shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up at the helicopters with an irritated expression. So this was the ringmaster's first act? Bah, a minor inconvenience. They didn't know who they were dealing with. She felt energy racing through her body, like the touch of static electricity in her very veins. With a small grin, she realized that the mask was feeding her power. She'd have this obstacle cleared in no time. And there was no way she was taking her mask off any time soon. She just needed to hide and learn how to harness this power first...

The mysterious man's "hint" assaulted her mind. She had it figured out the very instant she saw it: the sewers. If this was the game master's idea of a riddle, he was truly a pathetic man, probably with delusions of grandeur. What a shame. She was hoping for a challenge. Cathy didn't even pay any mind to her "companions." She was far too focused on figuring out how to get to the sewers without being shot full of lead first.

Just then, she heard a voice. Use us, it said. We are here for you. She looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. It sounded...so oddly mechanical, without tone or inflection, but at the same time, it was comforting, and she felt like she could trust it. "Help me, then," she muttered, hoping that the strange ally would hear.

Several of the flaming cars began to act on their own, their dying engines revving with the last bit of energy they could muster. Tired squealed on the bridge, and the cars sped towards the police vehicles surrounding the bridge, crashing into them without regard for the safety of the drivers and pushing the barricade out of the way. In the ensuing chaos, Cathy made her escape, running away from the bridge towards the closest manhole, not bothering to look back and see if anyone was following her.
 
The fire rose, sending the helicopters careening back. The pilots were starting to sweat, what sort of human being could control flames like that? The God cackled and threw his head back at Lily's comments about light. Oh yes the god loved light, loved it even more when he was in the spotlight. He let out a peal of laughter as he watched Lily plunge into the frigid waters.

"Absolutely delightful! You're definitely the wild card!"

Flaming cars tore through the bridge, ramming themselves into the police cars. Some of them blew up upon collision, engulfing not only the vehicles but the officers that were standing besides them. Their cries of pain easily reached the players' ears. Immediately the helicopters started opening fire upon Connor, Issac, Qeren and Copper's image double. The pilots didn't know who it was that initiated the attack, thinking it was best to retaliate now before more of their men were killed.

Under the water, Lily would see nothing at first, just murkiness. But to her left was a cavern of light. It was the entrance to the sewers and it took her back into the city. The woman would have to push through the rushing water but if she were to get through, she would see the source of the light: a giant red flashing arrow pointing down the tunnel. Obviously the God was going to be blunt about which direction to take. Like all sewers, this one reeked and traveling was most uncomfortable. The brown water reached the woman's ankles, and walking caused the water to slosh about. The arrows would guide her for several feet until she reached a fork with no signs to aid her. In between the two pathways was a poem, carved into the stone. It read:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

To her left, the path was bare of water. The curvature of the ground kept the water from spilling into this tunnel. And from the litter, Lily would be able to deduce that people had passed by here. However to her right, the sewer water continued, swelling as the tunnel continued forward. The water would most likely reach her hips and there was no sign of previous passage. Scribbled underneath the poem in black marker was the question, "Which road are you suppose to take?"


​


"Really, what has gotten into you?"

Sitting besides Kiera was the god from the bridge, grinning with a leg crossed over the other. He looked far too comfortable sitting in this fancy car. Up close it was easy to discern his features: dark chocolate skin, pearly white teeth and mischievous looking eyes. Even though the girl heard him, her father did not; the business tycoon was too busy keeping on eye on the traffic. The oddest thing was if Kiera looked up at the bridge she would see the god as well, clinging to the metal railing, and yet he was still sitting next to her. How was this even possible?

"You're seventeen years old, you got enough experience don't you? Or are you senseless?" He glanced meaningfully at her purse, where her mask was being held. "Ah, nice to know you kept it. Listen, why do you listen to your father? Obviously you know better than him. He didn't give a rat's ass that a little girl jumped into the water. It's cold as fuck out there. Have you solved my riddle by any chance? If you have, put on that fancy mask and go get her. Be the hero, don't listen to your father. He hasn't got a heart."


A pair of armed men were patrolling the streets and alleyways of Corthan. They were in charge of ensuring that none of the civilians were to enter the bridge and to also be on the look out for any more danger. On their heads they wore flashlights, that along with the street lamps were the only source of illumination. Everything else was shrouded in shadows. So when a teenaged girl with black hair suddenly appeared out of the dark, the men were quick to lift their weapons.

"Miss I'm sorry but we can't let you get through. We have to ask you to turn around and leave."

Chidone could tell that these men meant business, they were carrying machine guns after all. Corthan was a city that wasn't afraid to use force when they needed to and if she were to push these men's buttons they would surely fire.

"If you're not gonna move we'll escort you," said one of them none too gently. Chidone's urge to go to the bridge vanished, her eyes catching sight of an open manhole on the street. The two men were advancing, their guns glinting dangerously. What to do, what to do...


As the manhole tumbled shut, all sounds from above were instantly deadened. All was dark and damp, with tiny fluorescent lights fixed upon the walls to light Cathy's way. Like Lily, the water reached her ankles, and the stench was none too inviting. However a familiar, panicked voice broke the silence.

"Help, someone help! HELP! Please I don't -" Their voice was suddenly muffled, a gag must have been placed over their mouth.

It was difficult for Cathy to judge distance, sounds bounced off easily from the sewer tunnels; everything echoed. But as the woman took several steps forward, she realized with a jolt who the voice belonged to: Derek Kuhl.

Another voice filled the space, the god's.

"I said you wouldn't die if you played the game... But who's to say I won't fuck with other people? Why don't you fetch lover boy before I turn him into my next torture toy?"

Despite the gag, Cathy could hear his screams of agony. But as she moved forward down the tunnel, she realized that she was at a dead end. How could she have heard voices when there was way for the sound to travel...? Looking up and squinting, there were little squares cut into the concrete, perhaps that was where the sound came from, the other side. She also noticed something else written on the wall...


Play the game. Use the water to write.​

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Kiera was shocked to her senses. How can nobody can see this guy? What's going on? But it was the strange compulsion that she followed. Her hand slipped in her purse and she took out the mask. Her father couldn't see her. He was too busy doing something else. She slipped on the beautiful mask over her face. Oh, how it made her feel more comfortable in her body. The strange man was right. Her father had no heart. Kiera unbuckled her seat-belt and jumped out of the car. Before anyone has noticed that she has moved she was already gone. To hell with the girl that just jumped off the bridge. Kiera is only here to have a little bit of fun. She ran in between cars, grinning like a mad woman. Little bits of laughter escaped her lips. Oh, how fun is it to be free! She saw a girl being blocked by two officers off the bridge so she turned away from that.

Hmmm. What to do, what to do... She remembered the riddle, repeating it to herself with a sinister voice:
"Brown murky and smelly, that liquid runs underneath your feet. The next hint lies underneath the street. How positively nauseating." She spotted the open manhole and walked faster towards it. "Oh, well." She said in a singsong voice before jumping in.​
 
A sharp jolt of panic lanced through Cathy's mind, cutting through the haze that the mask's personality had placed on her mind like a hot knife through butter. "Derek!" she shouted, eyes wildly searching the walls of the sewer. "Derek, hold on! I'm going to find you and...a-and..." She trailed off. The ice was starting to seep back into her veins, though the warmth that kept her tethered to her desire for Derek's safety was still there. She fell silent and looked around, trying to think things through more logically.

It was fairly obvious that the two were on the other side of the wall, and as soon as she saw the puzzle, she knew what she had to do. Cringing slightly, she realized the cruelty of the particular game the god had chosen. If she lost, Derek would die. But...no, it wasn't that cruel, it was fittingly powerful. The god had to keep control over his game...right?

Conflicting thoughts flying through her head, she leaned down, dipped her fingers in the water, and wrote an "E" on the wall next to the board. Might as well start with the most common letter of the alphabet.
 
Lily wondered through the sewers, skipping along. That is, until she saw two paths before her. One seemed to be where others obviously had gone through. The other, it seemed to her, that no one wondered through there. In her mind she was thinking of candy. All the delicious sweets she could think of. Until she read the poem. It was strange, and she couldn't exactly tell what it meant. She crinkled her face in thought, and stood there in the rank sewer. It wasn't bad now, her nose drowning out the putrid smell. And she thought it was worth it if she could get candy. "OOOHH!" She exclaimed to no one in particular, as there was no one around. "Maybe, I should take that path," she said aloud, pointing to the one less taken. "If no one ever takes this way, there must be more candy. If everyone takes that way, there will be no candy." Then, humming to herself, she began walking in the hip high water.
 
Chidone froze on her spot her head bowed slightly to hide her face in her own shadow, making it hard for them to guess her age. The barrels of the automatic weapons interested her, very nice weapons they were. The voice she had heard, or presence she had felt from the moment she slipped the mask on told her there were far greater weapons, curved blades black as night. She only needed to know where to look for them. Even before she knew it she spoke a soft chant with a voice sweet yet deadly, her blue eyes glaring at the man who had spoken.

"An hungry weapon in thy hand, shedding its silver tears on command. Yearning for flesh they shall heed thy call, they're merely machines after all…. Do not choose the weapon with it's deadly tears, although they fit in thy greatest fears. Choose the blade forged by hand he will always follow thy command.... "

A sly grin played on her lips in a somewhat stronger voice she added a vicious spark in her eyes when she saw a shadow jump into the manhole she wanted to enter as well.

"Returning home I shall not, you see it's not your order which will send me away from my goal, therefore I now say farewell. "

She made her move, the manhole wasn't that far away. The moment she took a step she felt like someone let boiled water run through her veins, her skin gave off a soft glow as she accelerated to a speed of about 16 miles per hour. It felt great and an excited laugh escaped, she wanted to go faster but she had already reached the manhole and jumped in, hearing the first shots of the guns miss their target dramatically. Soon her glow would fade along with her cold laugh, Where to go next....
 
Issac realized the answer quickly, looking for the nearest man hole. He had to act fast, but decided to follow someone else. He was no good on his own. As he was being fired upon by a lot of cops. THis was not good odds. He quickly ran from the bridge while rounding the next alleyway, trying to lose the cops. He spotted a manhole, jumping in it without thinking. On the bright side, he lost the cops, but the sudden stench and murky water surrounded him. His jeans' ankles were drenched in god knows what. He had no choice but to push on and figure out the riddle. He couldn't do anything on his own. His powers were based off of other people, just like what is a leader without people to lead.

Issac let out a sigh and continued onto the dark tunnels.
 
Qeren was running before the smoke even cleared. She ran to the nearest manhole and ducked inside. Her oddly well focused eyes were searching for the next piece of the puzzle. The mask pushed away the scent and disgusting look of it and turned her into the female version of Indiana Jones. She was on some sort of miracle high and boy did it feel amazing. Everything was so intense and glorious and she just couldn't stop running and searching for the next clue.
 
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No sooner than she had figured out the answer to the riddle, lights flashed back onto her. The helicopters before them were not playing games, especially when they suddenly opened fire on them all! Copper gasped from deep within her throat, still unaware that she was hardly seen by anyone! Why she thought she was invincible to bullets, she didn't know, but when none of them managed to hit her person, Copper did the first and only thing she knew how to do since she put the mask over her face.

"Run!"she snapped at the others, ducking her head and sprinting to the nearest manhole she could find. Shoving past the thought of diving into one of those disgusting things, Copper's barely visible body pushed through the throng of other mask wearers. Conner, Qeren, and the others were barely a few paces behind. She found herself trying to soften the rapid beating of her heart. Once adrenaline got into her system, Copper was like an Energizer bunny on speed. She bounced on the balls of her feet, waving frantically at the others while hoping to whoever she was supposed to hope to that they wouldn't be shot in cold blood before her very eyes.

"Come on guys! Move it! We gotta--"

Ssszzzpp!

The gun barely grazed her parker. That was fair warning. She held her nose as much as she could and plunged down, successfully managing to not scream the entire way down. Her landing was sloppy but she was alive so it didn't matter. Of course, the putrid smell was doing things to her, causing her to puff out her cheeks while fighting against the invisible fumes. But, when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, she let out a sight of relief. The first she saw was Issac before Qeren appeared. Copper's image was no longer seen since there were little to no lights in the sewer to even cast a shadow! She shook her head and whistled out of her mouth.

"Goodness..." That was all she could think of. The other two didn't look like they were in the mood to discuss how they almost died so she kept it at that, waltzing the tunnels with a face contorted in disgust. Out of all places...
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The Galveston Extraction Facility was a factory that specialized in extracting oils from seeds, particularly sunflower seeds. The demand for sunflower oil was growing as consumers in Corthan were becoming more health conscious. They wanted oils that didn't contain saturated fat - the gross fat that news anchors and bloggers all ranted against. Galveston was already producing the oil for other uses but their productivity tripled in the past year and a half. Everyone was rushing trying to meet this new demand; caution was thrown to the wind. Instead of ensuring that all of their equipment was regularly checked, the boss and the bosses' boss squeezed out every ounce of productivity they could get from the machines.

It should come as no surprise then when one of them broke down that evening when the God of Trickery made his appearance.
This piece of equipment was responsible for the recycling of the gas hexane, used to aid in the extraction of oils. Instead of being pumped back into the main chambers of the facility it instead leaked out into the sewage system. If inhaled long enough, the breather will experience a mild euphoria before succumbing to headaches.


One of armed guards looked side long at the other, muttering with only the corner of his mouth moving, "The fuck is she saying Richard? Some sort of spell?"

"Hell if I know, she's fucking creepy."

They drew their weapons when she spoke again, an odd grin lighting up her features. The malice in her eyes made the men take a step back. But when Chidone fled to the sewers they shouted in terror. Without thinking they unloaded their guns.

"What the hell! Randy did you just see that?"

"Fucking - Radio HQ, we're going after her!"

The guy named Richard spoke rapidly into a walkie talkie, both men sprinting to the man hole. It was still open, faint light flickering upon their faces. A voice from their walkie talkie gave the men permission to confront the girl, also informing them that back up was on the way. Holding onto their guns and their breaths, the men dropped down into the sewage, gagging as the smell hit their nostrils.

They jogged down the tunnel, making brown waves in the sewer tunnel. Their machine guns were equipped with tactical lights, illuminating areas in front of them. It wasn't long before the men found the two girls, Kiera and Chidone. It looked like the two just barely met up but that wasn't their concern. HQ had just informed them that the suspects involved in the Kingsburg accidents were wearing masks and it looked like these two just got out of a Masquerade Ball.

They brought their guns up, flashlights on their faces. "Hands up in the air! Right now! Hands in the air or we'll shoot!"


A lumpy piece of feces was riding the waves of the sewer like a sailboat cruising out on the sea. The darkness was interrupted by the trio's ragged breathing. Copper, Issac and Qeren were unfortunately lost with no help from God of Trickery. The smell was getting overwhelming.

Then another sound accompanied them.

Thud... Thud... Thud...

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The thing had a flashlight, revealing that the trio were in fact in a large cavern, about the size of a gymnasium. The thudding came from what the male human was strapped into. Max the shy and geeky kid was in a robot suit, adding at least two feet to his current height. The mechanism also enhanced his strength in his arms and legs - it was the weight in his feet that made the ominous noise. Glinting from the flashlight on his head, they could see a flamethrower attached to the robotic arm, a cross bow on the other.

On his head was a grotesque piece of equipment. A metallic band with thick wiring sat on his forehead like a crown. The wiring pierced his skin, drilling through his skull and into his brain. Tiny sparks spluttered through the head gear, his hair, his mind. It was rewiring his circuits. His eyes were glassy, a void. When they met Copper's face, he grinned the grin of a Trickster, pearly whites shining against the shit brown water.

"Die."

The cross bow cocked, loaded, and fired towards Issac's heart.


The grinding of metal on stone filled the chamber. Something light dropped into the sewer water with a plop. It was a sandal.

"A lucky first guess."

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The sandal floated on the surface before changing shape. It became the size of a great dane, acquiring dark mangy fur, yellowed teeth and red glowing eyes. It laughed the laugh of a giant hyena, looming behind Cathy. Poor Derek lost it then and he started sobbing, begging to be let go, but none of his words made any sense. His gooey snot mixed in with his gag.

Cathy would have to hurry up and write faster. Two letters this time, Derek's life was at stake.

When the woman finished the hyena would have pounced, snarling, his spittle flying from his jaws. His bite was aimed for Cathy's throat.




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Lolita was a bitter girl now. The mask had ensured that. It also ensured that she received a twisted perspective of the world. The world was unforgiving, cruel, grim and nasty. With the Creation mask she could fix it, but she didn't want to play a game. Games were for children. She was no longer a child, her innocence was gone wasn't it? Instead she ran, chased by whatever police force were brave enough to subdue her. She laughed shrilly as the mask's powers unlocked. Her feet touched air, the cold wind made her face ruddy. They tried to shoot her down, but all of their shots missed. The girl was dancing in the air , so graceful was she! When the boys suddenly brought out the big guns - meaning their tanks - Lolita flipped them off with both hands. For every shot they fired she dodged and returned the gesture by shooting a fireball towards a skyscraper. Plumes of smoke filled the skies, along with the cries of the people.


"You see what happens when you let a kid starve! You see! Lets see how you guys like it! You're all sleeping in the streets tonight!"

Connor watched horrified, as the child began setting the city a flame. He was the last to leave the bridge, the police surrounding him with their guns drawn. One of them was shouting to put his hands in the air. Grimacing at the situation he obeyed but not without a retaliation of his own. A dozen police men rose into the air, crying out their surprise. They were weightless and it looked like Connor turned off gravity. Before the men could right themselves and shoot, Connor was gone. He jumped onto the bridge, the street and then made a mighty leap towards a 20 story building. The air here was warmer, no surprise there. Lolita was making the temperature rise. Connor had to do something to save these people... Taking a pencil from his bag he began sketching a giant monstrosity on the roof.

The water levels dropped down to her ankles. The silence was so strong here that it made Lily's ears hurt. She came to the end of the tunnel and placed against the wall was a ladder leading upwards towards a manhole. Strapped against the bars of the ladder was an orange bucket painted with a black jack o' lantern smile. Inside was a pile of brightly colored candy and a flashing pin that said, "Go up."

Outside Lily would see chaos. The streets were lined with cars backed up from the Kingsburg accident and a tank had rolled in. Up above was the girl who tried to pay the taxi driver with monopoly money, she was laughing hysterically. A ring of burning buildings surrounded her, the fire climbing its way down to the street. Everyone was screaming and running. The wail of sirens was deafening. On the opposite side of the street from Lily was a giant hyena. He cornered a family of four against the wall, strings of his saliva dangling from his jaw. He looked hungry. The family looked terrified.

The God sat on the street next to the manhole Lily exited. No one paid him any attention. He had a bag of open marshmallows and a branch in his hand. The God proceeded to slide the white confections onto the stick, licking his fingers as he did so, smacking his lips with enjoyment.

"So what's it gonna be? Are you gonna save the family from the hyena or are you gonna put out the fire?"


Once Lily was outside, with the man hole closed, a message was sent to those still inside the sewer.
Use flames and sparks with caution, otherwise this city will be blown out of proportion. ​
 
The sound of Derek sobbing and blubbering pulled at Cathy's heartstrings. He was never one to let fear get to him. He was a courageous young man, with a cool, level head, but this had pushed him over the edge, and the thought terrified the blonde woman. And yet, the words that left her mouth didn't match her thoughts at all. "Shut up!" she snapped. "I'm trying to think!"

She heard the beast snarling and panting and sloshing the water long before it prepared to pounce, and as soon as she scrawled out her next guesses - S and T - she swerved to the side, ducking and spinning, moving as quickly as she could in the sewer water. One of her heels came off of her foot, and her dress was soaked, but she didn't care. The God's next message, however, almost proved to be a fatal distraction. But she managed to keep her cool. If Derek couldn't, then she'd have to stay calm for the both of them. For his sake...
 
Issac was disgusted by the dirty, feces-ridden sewer water. He hated being shot in the heart more, though. Going against his will to stay dry, he dived out of the way as he cursed. A couple thoughts went through his head, Was this trip worth it? Who the fuck is this guy and why does he have weapons like that? And lastly, Why does he have to go through all this? He got up quickly before the man in the robot suit could retaliate. The man prepped for another attack, while Issac tried to find something to defend himself with. The two others seemed to be idling about and looks like they should help. "Hey, C'mon guys! Help me! And who the fuck are you?" The last part directed at the robotic man.

None of his powers would stand up to this guy, he relied heavily on other people so he decided that he would help Copper and Qeren out a lttle. He diverted some of his own power to them hoping that they would fight him off. In the meantime he looked around for some kind of metal pipe to throw at him or something. Soon, his prayers were answered in the form of a lone wooden plank drifting along. IT wasn't much but it would do. He turned to face the man who already looked posed to strike once more.

In a panic he dove again, a bit too early, but he managed to get out of the way just barely.
 
Chidone heard foot steps behind them, she stopped for a moment and was greeted by an unpleasant bright light. Her eyes dilated when she faced the men from before with their flashlights. What was their problem.... Her hands had clenched into fists and an unknown warmth coursed through her veins, warmer and intenser than before awakening the glow she had gained again. She glowed brighter her clothes drying as her body temperature rose. What in the name of hell was the reason for following her down here. Oh how she would have loved it to kill them on the spot but the voice told her to be a smart girl and run, flesh is not made to stop the silver tears. And that was what she did, after giving one last look at the woman she turned and accelerated once more, this time to a fairly higher speed of 31mph. She splashed through the filthy water like a dancing flame above a river of filth. Her body emitted a bright light, to be compared with an actual flashlight. She took a few turns and ran through different pipes and squeezed herself through random holes and cracks. She was in a pipe which looked older than the other ones when she stopped. Five minutes she had ran and she was panting heavily. With her eyes closed she pressed her back against the dirty wall struggling to get her breath back under control. It was then that the shadows started to engulf her. The voice chuckled, congratulating her for unlocking a second power and telling her to now stay completely still. A blink was enough to break the illusion of being a shadow. Not daring to move she stood there listening to the echoes of her own steps and the faint sound coming from above, soft screams and heavy objects falling. She remembered what the message of the unknown man, something told her to get the hell out of the sewers but she had to wait, regain the feeling in her tired legs. Gasses were in the sewers but could it really be in a high enough concentration to explode...? She waited, hoping someone were to give her more time to escape.
 
Lily looked at the masked man again. He was funny. But that wasn't what caught her eye. It was the marshmellows. She was wanting some. But he asked a question. She looked around at all the lights. "How come I can't choose both? And can I have a few marshmellows? I love marshmellows. They're like candy, but fluffy, and sometimes in candy. I wonder how they do that. Do they wrap chocolate around the marshmellow, or stuff the marshmellow in the chocolate? Both seem so hard to do. Hmm. Now, what to do. I wouldn't know how to take out the fire. Or scare the Hyenna away. Both seem difficult. Maybe a TON of marshmellows could work. Like, I could cook all the marshmellows which will bring down the fire and the marshmellows could stop the Hyenna by making it full. But we would need a lot of marshmellows. Hmm." She thought about all this. Then decided to dance.

As she twirled, she hoped that the masked man would give her marshmellows for dancing for him. As she spun around in circles, the fire began to mimic her movements, turning a blue-ish hue, matching her mood. A little down at having to choose and the fact the masked man had a lot of marshmellows. Of course she was oblivious to the fact that the fire was moving with her, and the Hyenna was closing in on the family. It wasn't her doing all these things, it was her deepest personality coming out with the mask. Completely oblivious to the world, and free of it's constraints. And all she wanted was candy and to share. Jumping over to the Hyenna, now bout to feast on the family, she tapped it. Still spinning around in circles on her tippy-toes, the fire moved with her. But upon tapping the Hyenna, she felt a jolt of electricity surging through both her and the savage animal. Instead of circulating, the electricity began going in one direction, Lily's body. Draining the Hyenna, disconfiguring it's brain, and filling Lily up with insurmountable amounts of energy. This fueled her, making her want to dance more. The flames on the other hand, couldn't keep up with her. They died as the amount of oxygen received was less and less with each movement.

{I hope this is acceptable. Everything she did was within her power, though I don't want to make it seem as if my character is better. She doesn't even know what she's doing. Maybe the god of trickery get's a lot of amusement from her. IDK :p }
 
Kiera lifted a dainty hand over her eyes to take cover the glare of the light. Her expensive shoes were completely ruined in the sewers, her mini dress still pretty but it was rather too long for her taste. She watched as the little girl ran off, deciding whether or not she should follow. But then again, she had other pressing
matters to attend to. "Well, boys, should we have ourselves a little fun?" She smirked as she watched the man back up as she progressed towards them.

"S-stop right there or we'll shoot!" She giggled in response.

"You wouldn't hurt an innocent girl like me, would you, mister?" She continued to walk closer and closer still. But something inside of her told her to do so, letting the shadows shroud through the both of them as her hands reached for the lights on their guns. She smirked, letting the coldness surround them. Her eyes glimmered in the dark from the lights escaping her fingers. She could feel their minds in her hands and she projected an image of her being shot repeatedly by them. She watched the horror pass through their eyes with a smile. "Sweet dreams," she whispered as she turned away from them, laughing as they went down, going through the direction that the girl had just abandoned.

Use flames and sparks with caution, otherwise this city will be blown out of proportion.

She looked up at the message she just received. Hmmm. What now? She continued walking towards the direction the girl just took. She must've been pretty quick. Kiera wondered what the riddle meant. Was there some gas leak in the sewer system? Could very well be. How fun would it be to see the whole city collapse upon itself?
 
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She wouldn't have been able to recognize him if it hadn't been for the glasses. When the thudding began, Copper instantly halted in her steps, taking one last, dirty step in the sewer waters before pausing. It was ominously quiet despite the sound of the thudding that rolled around the walls like a tibial drum. Her breathing slowed, her way of trying to remain calm before whatever it was had the notion of attacking her. Sliding one weak smile to Issac, she turned to face it.

Him.

"....Max?" She was answered by a sinister smile curling on both sides of his lips, pulling so far back that it reached both sides of his ears. A jester's grin. An evil smirk. Copper's face drained from all color when the crossbows on Max's arms locked, pointing directly at Issac.

"Not good! Not good! Issac!" She waved her arms frantically but he didn't so much as give her a sideways glance. What he did do, however, was leap out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled on the spot. Copper's feet splashed against the waters below her, never keeping her eyes off of mask. He looked horrible; like a Frankenstein from the future. The tubes and wiring in his head had to be the reason he was out of his mind, because there was no way he would try to hurt her! They had been friends since she could remember, and never before had he tried anything drastic before. Sure, some of his inventions may have been less than friendly towards her, but Max's intentions were good.

That was until he locked onto Issac again.

"Max, cut it out! You're gonna kill him!"she screamed, stomping her foot and bringing up a splash of water along with her, as if it were going to be that easy to stop him. To her dismay, her friend was too far gone to snap out of it just by the sound of her voice. The smile never his face, even when he continued to trudge in the insane contraption, aiming the deadly weapons at Issac. Why...Why wasn't he going for her? She was stunned, watching as Max, her friend for such a long time try to attack a guy she barely even knew! That's when something hit her. The headache lodged on the side of her head softened so much to the point until it was nothing more than a mere prick. Her head perked up, the rest of her body going from a fuzzy image into a complete invisibility. The new found strength coursed through every vein in her body.

"Pay attention to me, you nerdy buttface!"she shouted from far away before making a bee line towards Issac until she was completely in front of him while he lay on the ground. She knew that Max wouldn't be able to see where she was unless he looked towards the water below him, but she had a feeling the contraption wouldn't be able to turn away from Issac quickly. It was a lot of wiring meaning that he moved dangerously slow. Perfect. Copper silenced her steps kneeling in front of Issac before holding both of her hands above her head. In that instant, a shimmering image of clear light laced with a light blue flickered in front of the two. A second or two later and the force field was compacted before her. No matter how much power she felt before, the force field took a bit out of her, causing her to close one eye in pain. As long as she held her hands up, anything Max had for the two were going to hit that field.

"You should probably do something..."she whispered to Issac who was behind her, making sure not to make too much noise to where Max could hear her. It was best to remain invisible and silent.
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