[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wHMcDJX.png[/img][/center] Volume 1 - The Heir of Dorado [right]New Suit, New Enemies[/right] [hr] Necalli stalked through the trees, stepping from branch to branch high above the jungle floor as his newly enhanced senses guided him quietly towards his prey. His new Black Panther suit he wore clung to his body like a second skin, its design masterfully crafted for stealth and agility. The matte black vibranium weave was so dark that it seemed to swallow the moonlight, rendering him almost invisible in the dense shadows of the jungle canopy. Hints of vibranium shimmered subtly throughout the suit, woven into its very fabric. Shimmering purple accents traced in veins along his gauntlets, boots, and mask. The suit was more than just armor, it absorbed impacts with ease, redistributing kinetic energy to protect its wearer while maintaining Necalli's agility. The vibranium also reinforced the retractable claws in his gloves, which gleamed faintly under the light as they silently extended and retracted. Sharp enough to tear through metal, they lay dormant until needed, hidden in the folds of his fingers. His belt carried compact smoke bombs, designed to vanish in an instant into a thick, suffocating mist, and poisoned darts crafted from bone, tipped with deadly venom. Necalli's spear, sheathed at his side in its collapsed form, was also made of vibranium. Its sharp edge gleamed with faint purple etchings, and its handle extended at a moment’s notice, transforming it into a deadly weapon capable of cutting through nearly anything. The helmet, stylized after a sleek and fearsome panther, offered perfect visibility in the darkness. Its feline contours merged seamlessly with the suit, the vibranium reinforcing key areas without hindering his movements. The eyes of the mask glinted in the darkness, catching the faintest light as Necalli moved, with a simple tap it could change to Nightvision or Thermal. Not that Necalli needed it, the heart shaped herb had enhanced his eyesight to see in even almost pitch black. Draped across his back was a thin, durable cloak, made from a fabric interwoven with vibranium fibers. It added a layer of protection while still being light and flexible, allowing Necalli to vanish into the environment at will, like a shadow fading into the night. More reports of invaders had come in, and they were only increasing. Necalli had been surprised when he first confronted his father about them, but even more surprised when he was made privy to how often these events were happening. His orders as always, were to dissuade them from coming back, send them down a wrong path and scare them off hoping they wont come back. Necalli thought it was all so pointless. They'd done this time and time again what would make this time any different? As he neared the location they were spotted at, a concerning smell reached his nose. Smoke. Man made smoke. He picked up the pace, brushing past trees quickly as he began to see the clouds of black fumes rising up from the ground. What's worse was the sound of the hiss that caused it all. Flamethrowers. These savages weren't content with being turned around. They wanted Dorado, and if they couldn't find it through normal means then they'd burn the jungle down to find it. Necalli felt a surge of rage pulsing through him as he clung to the tree. How long could this go on for? Would they allow these men to burn the whole jungle down to reach Dorado? And what then? Hope the shield holds up? By that point these soldiers will have taken their photos and Dorado would be revealed to the world anyway. It was time for action. Necalli could no longer stand idly by while his home was destroyed. For a moment a faint glimmer of doubt took hold of his heart. Taking action without the permission of his father was tantamount to treason. He glanced across the burning jungle to a burnt tree, still somehow standing despite its base engulfed in climbing flames. On it crouched the first Black Panther, the man Necalli had seen watching him during his spirit journey. He had been having these hallucinations since then, seeing ghosts that weren't there. He took this as a sign. The first panther wouldn't stand for this, he would act. He slid the spear from his belt and flicked his wrist, causing it to extend to its full length in his hand. Necalli crouched low, watching from above as the mercenaries with flamethrowers moved through the undergrowth. His muscles coiled like a predator's, his spear vibrating faintly in his hand. The jungle crackled around them, consumed by flames that these men had set to flush out anything, and anyone hidden in the dense foliage. Necalli's anger simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode. These invaders weren't just intruders; they were destroyers. And this time, words and warnings wouldn't be enough. The first mercenary didn't even know what hit him. Necalli dropped silently from the trees, his suit absorbing the shock of the landing. In one fluid motion, his spear sliced through the man's throat, the body collapsing in a heap before he could let out a scream. His retractable claws flashed under the dying embers of the firelight as he dragged the body into the shadows before the others noticed. The jungle swallowed the sound of the kill, but not for long. A flamethrower hissed in the distance as another mercenary swung around. "We got something!" he barked into his radio, noticing his comrade's blood trail leading deeper into the jungle. The roar of fire flared up again as he sprayed the surrounding trees, desperate to flush Necalli out. Necalli crouched low and rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the flame. The fire splashed against his suit, but it dissipated harmlessly as the vibranium weave almost all but neutralized the heat. He moved, a blur in the darkness, closing the distance between him and his next target. Two more men appeared from his right, weapons raised, their flashlights cutting through the smoke and shadows. One of them shouted "There!" as he fired a burst of bullets in Necalli's direction. Necalli twisted his body, gripping the end of his cape and swinging it around him as a shield. The vibranium infused fabric flared out around him, hardening upon impact with the bullets. The rounds slammed into the cloak, stopping dead in their tracks, the kinetic energy being absorbed harmlessly into the suit. As the fabric fluttered back into place, Necalli reappeared, his claws gleaming in the moonlight. He sprinted forward, the movement so fast the men barely registered him as more than a blur. The first soldier swung his rifle, trying to get a shot, but Necalli was already upon him. His claws extended, slicing through the barrel of the rifle as he knocked it from the man's grip. Necalli brought his fist down, claws puncturing through the soldier’s chest plate, then spun, using the body as a shield against incoming fire from the second. The remaining man panicked, spraying bullets wildly. Necalli flicked his wrist again, hurling the body of the fallen soldier forward, crashing into his comrade with a sickening thud. He followed the momentum, leaping into the air, his spear aimed with deadly precision. It pierced the first man's back straight through the second, pinning them both to the jungle floor. For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the crackling of the fires around them. Necalli's breath came steady. His suit pulsed faintly, redistributing the stored energy he had absorbed from the earlier attacks. The flamethrowers hissed in the background, the inferno threatening to consume everything. Necalli reached for his belt, tossing a compact smoke bomb at the remaining men who had been watching in horror as they swung their flamethrowers around to burn him. It exploded in a cloud of thick black mist, obscuring their vision completely. Before they could react, Necalli was already inside the cloud. One man screamed as claws tore across his chest. Another fired blindly, the muzzle flashes giving Necalli brief flashes of his desperate face. Necalli ducked low, then surged forward, his elbow slamming into the man's jaw with a satisfying crack. He dispatched the last with a fluid motion of his spear, the blade slicing clean through the flamethrower tank strapped to his back. The mercenary screamed, but it was too late, the equipment burst into flames, engulfing him in the fire he had unleashed on the jungle. Necalli emerged from the smoke, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene. He crouched beside the fallen mercenaries, his enhanced senses picking up something strange amidst the scorched earth and scattered equipment. As he sifted through their belongings, he noticed a small, reinforced tactical pouch attached to the leader's belt. His eyes narrowed, it was too sophisticated for regular mercenary gear. Carefully, he removed the pouch and inspected it. The material was heat resistant, designed to withstand extreme conditions, and the lock required a complex code to open. Necalli tapped into the technology integrated into his suit, scanning the lock with his mask. A faint, almost imperceptible pulse of energy disrupted the code, and the lock clicked open. Inside, he found a set of encrypted documents and a compact tablet. The tablet's screen flickered on, revealing fragments of communication logs and schematics. Strange symbols and coded instructions jumped out at him, along with blurry coordinates that linked back to several key locations around Dorado. One logo caught his attention. A stylized claw, stamped repeatedly on the documents and interface. He looked over some of the equipment around him. It was cutting edge technology for the outside world, largely unmarked, but some labeled with the cryptic initials [i]L. Corp[/i]. Necalli's eyes narrowed. He didn’t recognize this name, or the claw symbol, but it was clear this wasn't a simple mercenary mission. Whoever sent these soldiers had deeper plans for Dorado than just exploration or looting. Necalli pocketed the tablet and encrypted papers. Whoever was behind this operation had vast resources and ambition, and it was clear they weren't going to stop until they uncovered Dorado's secrets. Necalli stood, the jungle crackling and smoldering around him. The hunt was far from over. His father would find out about his transgression, and no doubt he would be punished. But before that, he would take this evidence to his sister for research. Hopefully she could help him track whoever it was encroaching on their territory.