Bluetommy

Monsters and Men: A One Universe Comics Presentation

The Eternal Warrior

Somewhere, at Some Point

The pounding of fist meeting target.

The furious growling of the attacker.

The snap of bone being smashed to flakes.

The cold hard ground at his back.

Wait, what the hell?

Gilad was on the ground with a broken orbital bone, staring up into the lights above.

What had just happened? He didn't think he was that drunk.

He ran a hand over his bloodied face, his cold, clammy fingers being coated in warm blood from a massive cut in his eyebrow. It felt good in a way. He pushed himself to a seated position, his hand staining the canvas.

Right, he recalled entering a fighting cage.

Right before he blacked out.

Okay maybe he was that drunk. On the bright side, he felt pretty sober right about now. On a completely unrelated note that headache could be either a concussion or the result of that aforementioned drunkenness. Well he was up now. What was he even here for again?

"Gilad? It's Tina."

Oh, Tina's calling. Either that or the big hairy Japanese guy in front of him has a very high voice.

"Hey Tina," he responded out loud, much to the visible confusion of the bloody-fisted gentlemen in front of him, right before Gilad's fist covered his confused expression.

"Just calling to let you know about a big monster mash going on in New York, like... I'm talking big."

"Oh really?" Gilad responded, holding his opponent in a leg-lock and elbowing him in the head. "That's interesting... too bad I'm in... uh..." Gilad looked up at the room around him, spotting a few tattooed Japanese men with missing pinkies. "Japan, right now, definitely Japan."

"Oh I know, just letting you know. You know, just kaiju stuff, seems like something you wouldn't wanna miss out on."

Damn her correct observations.

"Fine, I'll see about making my way across the Pacific within the hour," he said, dragging his opponent's face along the cage and popping his shoulder out of place.

"No need!" she responded all bubbly-like. It almost sounded like she expected him to say that. "Just get to open ground and I'll toss you over."

That's strange.

He'd never had a geomancer do that before. He pondered why this could be as he drove the other fighter's head into the mat with a slam.

"Never knew a geomancer could do that."

"Oh yeah!" she said. Excitement seemed to be building in her voice. "It's supposed to be a last resort thing but whatever, you're immortal if anything goes wrong."

Well, she was right there at least.

"Alright you've convinced me," he said, holding the fighter in his arms like he was cradling an infant. "Just give me a second." He tossed the fighter into the cage wall, collapsing it and causing a few of the spectators to draw swords. Yay.

A not-very-interesting fight later, Gilad wandered out of the building with only two swords sticking out of his abdomen.

"Right... open ground."

"You're in the middle of Tokyo."

"Yeah... but there's no roof or anything."

"I'm going to open a hole through the Earth, I'd rather not accidentally sink the capital city of Japan, thanks."

"Don't seem like a very skilled geomancer if you can 'accidentally' sink a city," Gilad grumbled as he walked through the streets, ignoring the concerned passers-by as they attempted to get his grievous wounds taken care of. His interactions with the passers-by were simple, sometimes he'd just need to reassure them with a bored "I'm alright.", sometimes he'd have to knock out some police officers, the usual walk back from a day at the bar.

Finally, after walking for far too long, he exited the city.

"Right, I'm here."

Almost immediately after he said that, he fell, and kept falling. The air above quickly faded into a horrible stuffy heat, he couldn't breathe, his body burned, his lungs cried out in pain, and then it was done. It was impossibly quick but astonishingly painful.

And somehow a baseball-sized hole had been burnt into his torso. He could see right through himself.

"I see why nobody has ever done this before."

"Yeah, not a fan myself, oh well, you're here."

He turned, and yep, he was here, right outside New York City.

"Well, time to get to work."

Gilad ran into the city, prepared to fight and probably get drunk again.

Monsters and Men: A One Universe Comics Presentation

Damn kids, get off mah lawn.

Monsters and Men: A One Universe Comics Presentation

The Eternal Warrior

"Fight on, Warrior of Ur."

---

^{Ur | Babylon | Hellas | Zhao | Egypt | Macedon | Rome | Rashidun | Byzantium | Francia | Oda | Ottoman | Britain | America}

The Eternal Warrior

Birth Name: Gilad Anni-Padda

Age: Abyssal

Powers And Abilities:

• Immortality: Revived from death by his brothers with a device known as "the Boon", Gilad is immortal, having lived since the times of the city of Ur, thousands of years ago. Gilad's immortality is tied to the Earth itself, and he serves as an agent of her will. Gilad can be temporarily killed through severe enough damage, but will recover within a short period of time, ranging from a matter of moments to four hours if his limbs or head are separated. Gilad is slayable if separated from the Earth. If Gilad were taken to a magical realm, he would not be able to be revived if slain until brought back to Earth.
• Superior Strength: Thanks to the process that granted him immortality, Gilad is exceptionally physically strong, able to lift up to 2 tons. Gilad isn't the strongest being to exist, but he is one of the most capable of using his strength; in his millennia of fighting, he has come to understand his limits far better than any normal man.
• Millenia of Fighting Experience: Gilad has been fighting for longer than almost every other currently living creature has been breathing. If there is a weapon, Gilad knows how to use it, if there is something that doesn't work as a weapon, Gilad will find a way to use it as one.
• Legendary Cooking Ability: Gilad has eaten of the cuisines of most every culture to ever exist, and has combined aspects of each to form a palette enjoyable to pretty much every person on the planet who enjoys eating.
• Impossible Alcohol Tolerance: A side effect of immortality, Gilad can survive amounts of alcohol that would kill the average man, and it takes a truly legendary amount to get him any more than tipsy. One of his favorite party tricks is to drink a full bottle of rubbing alcohol.
• Astonishing Actor: Gilad has had centuries to imitate and combine accents, gestures, gaits, and quirks, to the point where he can disguise himself effectively from a person who had just spoken to him without actually disguising in the slightest. He knows exactly what pose to take at the exact right time, no matter the situation.

Origin And Backstory: A soldier of the City of Ur, Gilad Anni-Padda was the youngest child of three brothers. Always a rambunctious youth, Gilad proved to be an absolute terror to everyone around him as a soldier, often drunk and violent, and rarely just simply violent. He always meant well, but his drunkenness cost his family and city more often then it benefited them. And when combined with his even more prone to drunkenness brother Aram? Well, it was a miracle Ur survived as long as it did. Ur's fall came during an attack by an army of mystical creatures from every part of a magician's handbook. In a glorious battle, Gilad was slain. His brother, Ivar, ever the minder to his younger siblings, discovered Gilad's body. Overcome with grief, he used his magical abilities to transfer he and Aram to a realm beyond the normal.

After a long and arduous journey, the two brothers discovered a device, "the Boon", so it was called, that according to the shamans, would be capable of raising the dead. Ivar activated it immediately, and was overtaken with a flash of light. He and Aram would be tossed into the timestream itself, and though Aram would eventually be deposited in the modern age, just as immortal as his younger brother, Ivar would be sent careening through time, only staying in one period for short periods of... well, time.

In the material plane, a flash of light appeared in the center of Ur. In a moment, what remained of the city was turned to ruins in a moment, but Gilad was reborn. Connected to the Earth itself through an intermediary known as the "Geomancer", Gilad became the planet's strongest soldier. Gilad has fought on battlefields from Gettysburg to Nagashino, ever the heroic figure saving the day at the last moment. In between battles, he gets into petty fights and slays the odd monster, never existing as far as the modern world is concerned, but always having his presence felt.

Supporting Characters:

• Aram: Gilad's older brother. A transient who goes by the name Armstrong. Not as talented as Gilad, but far more in tune with new technologies, always looking to the future while his brothers look to the past.
• Ivar: The eldest of the three immortal brothers, known as "Timewalker". Ivar is stuck travelling through the timestream, though he can exist in one place for long, so long as he avoids dying. He has been known as Ivar "The Boneless" during a particularly long layover in the Middle Ages.
• Tina Daniels: An 18 year old college student who also happens to be the latest Geomancer, and thus Gilad's link to the Earth.
• Scheherazade: Wife of Ivar, magus in Egypt who was transported to the modern period by her husband in an attempt to keep the two united.

Sample Post:

"Loose arrows!" the roar of the Spartan cleaved the calm air, and the zipping of arrows swiftly followed. The battle had begun. Gilad leveled his spear and linked his shield with the hoplites beside him as the phalanx slowly began to march.

With this, the Persians would be driven into the sea, Greece would be saved, and the terror that the Earth had predicted would never come to be.

The hot sun beating down and the splashing of the tide calmed Gilad, and his eyes closed as he marched ever forwards. Forwards... forwards... forwards.

This bored him.

The phalanx was an effective tactic, but GODS DAMN if it wasn't the most boring thing to be a part of. Even in the middle of a life or death battle, a phalanx was a simple, boring thing. Wait for the enemy to impale himself and thrust the spear every now and again. He could do so much better than this.

---

"Let's see you do better!" roared Shaggy-Breeches. Apparently he had struck a nerve with the King of the Swedes. Ragnar looked almost about ready to spit up into his beard. Gilad chuckled and tapped at the sword at his belt.

"I probably could you know; I'm not just a pretty, beardless face," Gilad said with a mocking smirk that drove the king mad, he knew it.

"Then let's see how worthwhile you really are!" Ragnar said, dropping into a combat stance and drawing a blade. Gilad pursed his lips and shook his head. He wasn't quite in the mood.

"Now see, my king, this is your response to everything, get mad and fight. Remember when you went Viking? When you brought wealth in great amounts? Where is that Ragnar?"

Ragnar growled and tossed his sword, which Gilad deftly dodged.

"FINE! One last raid, the Angles in their Angle-land, you'll be wealthy, and I won't have to deal with your nonsense!" the king roared, placing special emphasis on the "nonsense" part. Despite the clear rage on Ragnar's face, Gilad couldn't help but smile.

"I simply cannot wait."

---

Climb the walls. Climb the walls, flag in hand. All that ran through Gilad's mind was the thought of planting the flag that he so tightly gripped. Explosions sounded all around him, swords clanged as the Turks funneled their way into Constantinople. Gilad felt blood pouring down his chin from an arrow he'd taken in the forehead. He'd be dead if not for the Boon, another reason of thousands to thank its creator should he find him.

The top of the walls was in sight. He was so close now, just a little longer. A black shape appeared atop the wall above. A pot, that was swiftly overturned. Unleashing what was sure to be boiling oil. All Gilad could do was hold the flag away, and hope that it wasn't stained.

The unbelievable pain from oil meeting skin was tempered by his desire to see the top, his flesh melting off of his bones wasn't enough to stop him, the spears poking through every little slit in the wall, impaling him like he were made of water weren't enough to stop him.

He reached the top, much to the shock of the oil-pourer. Gilad took the flag with both hands as arrows and shot entered his body, a soldier drove a sword through his spine, losing grip of his sword as Gilad kept going. With a whip, he pulled the flag in a circle around him, driving soldiers off of the walls and dropping the oil-pourer to the ground. With a mighty yell, Gilad pulled the flag up, and drove the pole through the man's chest. As he collapsed to the ground, Gilad looked up, seeing the first time that the Ottoman flag would fly over Constantinople.

---

"Constantinople? Really?"

"Fine city in its time, not a big fan these days, I hate it when cities ride off of their tourist appeal."

"Very true brother! Very true!"

Gilad and Aram clinked cups, concurrently taking shots and laughing greedily as the drink met their tongues. Meanwhile, a group of unconscious bikers twitched on the ground in front of them.

Monsters and Men: A One Universe Comics Presentation

Rather than just express interest without doing anything, I decided to make a sheet first! Hope it's good!

The Eternal Warrior

"Fight on, Warrior of Ur."

---

^{Ur | Babylon | Hellas | Zhao | Egypt | Macedon | Rome | Rashidun | Byzantium | Francia | Oda | Ottoman | Britain | America}

The Eternal Warrior

Birth Name: Gilad Anni-Padda

Age: Abyssal

Powers And Abilities:

• Immortality: Revived from death by his brothers with a device known as "the Boon", Gilad is immortal, having lived since the times of the city of Ur, thousands of years ago. Gilad's immortality is tied to the Earth itself, and he serves as an agent of her will. Gilad can be temporarily killed through severe enough damage, but will recover within a short period of time, ranging from a matter of moments to four hours if his limbs or head are separated. Gilad is slayable if separated from the Earth. If Gilad were taken to a magical realm, he would not be able to be revived if slain until brought back to Earth.
• Superior Strength: Thanks to the process that granted him immortality, Gilad is exceptionally physically strong, able to lift up to 2 tons. Gilad isn't the strongest being to exist, but he is one of the most capable of using his strength; in his millennia of fighting, he has come to understand his limits far better than any normal man.
• Millenia of Fighting Experience: Gilad has been fighting for longer than almost every other currently living creature has been breathing. If there is a weapon, Gilad knows how to use it, if there is something that doesn't work as a weapon, Gilad will find a way to use it as one.
• Legendary Cooking Ability: Gilad has eaten of the cuisines of most every culture to ever exist, and has combined aspects of each to form a palette enjoyable to pretty much every person on the planet who enjoys eating.
• Impossible Alcohol Tolerance: A side effect of immortality, Gilad can survive amounts of alcohol that would kill the average man, and it takes a truly legendary amount to get him any more than tipsy. One of his favorite party tricks is to drink a full bottle of rubbing alcohol.
• Astonishing Actor: Gilad has had centuries to imitate and combine accents, gestures, gaits, and quirks, to the point where he can disguise himself effectively from a person who had just spoken to him without actually disguising in the slightest. He knows exactly what pose to take at the exact right time, no matter the situation.

Origin And Backstory: A soldier of the City of Ur, Gilad Anni-Padda was the youngest child of three brothers. Always a rambunctious youth, Gilad proved to be an absolute terror to everyone around him as a soldier, often drunk and violent, and rarely just simply violent. He always meant well, but his drunkenness cost his family and city more often then it benefited them. And when combined with his even more prone to drunkenness brother Aram? Well, it was a miracle Ur survived as long as it did. Ur's fall came during an attack by an army of mystical creatures from every part of a magician's handbook. In a glorious battle, Gilad was slain. His brother, Ivar, ever the minder to his younger siblings, discovered Gilad's body. Overcome with grief, he used his magical abilities to transfer he and Aram to a realm beyond the normal.

After a long and arduous journey, the two brothers discovered a device, "the Boon", so it was called, that according to the shamans, would be capable of raising the dead. Ivar activated it immediately, and was overtaken with a flash of light. He and Aram would be tossed into the timestream itself, and though Aram would eventually be deposited in the modern age, just as immortal as his younger brother, Ivar would be sent careening through time, only staying in one period for short periods of... well, time.

In the material plane, a flash of light appeared in the center of Ur. In a moment, what remained of the city was turned to ruins in a moment, but Gilad was reborn. Connected to the Earth itself through an intermediary known as the "Geomancer", Gilad became the planet's strongest soldier. Gilad has fought on battlefields from Gettysburg to Nagashino, ever the heroic figure saving the day at the last moment. In between battles, he gets into petty fights and slays the odd monster, never existing as far as the modern world is concerned, but always having his presence felt.

Supporting Characters:

• Aram: Gilad's older brother. A transient who goes by the name Armstrong. Not as talented as Gilad, but far more in tune with new technologies, always looking to the future while his brothers look to the past.
• Ivar: The eldest of the three immortal brothers, known as "Timewalker". Ivar is stuck travelling through the timestream, though he can exist in one place for long, so long as he avoids dying. He has been known as Ivar "The Boneless" during a particularly long layover in the Middle Ages.
• Tina Daniels: An 18 year old college student who also happens to be the latest Geomancer, and thus Gilad's link to the Earth.
• Scheherazade: Wife of Ivar, magus in Egypt who was transported to the modern period by her husband in an attempt to keep the two united.

Sample Post:

"Loose arrows!" the roar of the Spartan cleaved the calm air, and the zipping of arrows swiftly followed. The battle had begun. Gilad leveled his spear and linked his shield with the hoplites beside him as the phalanx slowly began to march.

With this, the Persians would be driven into the sea, Greece would be saved, and the terror that the Earth had predicted would never come to be.

The hot sun beating down and the splashing of the tide calmed Gilad, and his eyes closed as he marched ever forwards. Forwards... forwards... forwards.

This bored him.

The phalanx was an effective tactic, but GODS DAMN if it wasn't the most boring thing to be a part of. Even in the middle of a life or death battle, a phalanx was a simple, boring thing. Wait for the enemy to impale himself and thrust the spear every now and again. He could do so much better than this.

---

"Let's see you do better!" roared Shaggy-Breeches. Apparently he had struck a nerve with the King of the Swedes. Ragnar looked almost about ready to spit up into his beard. Gilad chuckled and tapped at the sword at his belt.

"I probably could you know; I'm not just a pretty, beardless face," Gilad said with a mocking smirk that drove the king mad, he knew it.

"Then let's see how worthwhile you really are!" Ragnar said, dropping into a combat stance and drawing a blade. Gilad pursed his lips and shook his head. He wasn't quite in the mood.

"Now see, my king, this is your response to everything, get mad and fight. Remember when you went Viking? When you brought wealth in great amounts? Where is that Ragnar?"

Ragnar growled and tossed his sword, which Gilad deftly dodged.

"FINE! One last raid, the Angles in their Angle-land, you'll be wealthy, and I won't have to deal with your nonsense!" the king roared, placing special emphasis on the "nonsense" part. Despite the clear rage on Ragnar's face, Gilad couldn't help but smile.

"I simply cannot wait."

---

Climb the walls. Climb the walls, flag in hand. All that ran through Gilad's mind was the thought of planting the flag that he so tightly gripped. Explosions sounded all around him, swords clanged as the Turks funneled their way into Constantinople. Gilad felt blood pouring down his chin from an arrow he'd taken in the forehead. He'd be dead if not for the Boon, another reason of thousands to thank its creator should he find him.

The top of the walls was in sight. He was so close now, just a little longer. A black shape appeared atop the wall above. A pot, that was swiftly overturned. Unleashing what was sure to be boiling oil. All Gilad could do was hold the flag away, and hope that it wasn't stained.

The unbelievable pain from oil meeting skin was tempered by his desire to see the top, his flesh melting off of his bones wasn't enough to stop him, the spears poking through every little slit in the wall, impaling him like he were made of water weren't enough to stop him.

He reached the top, much to the shock of the oil-pourer. Gilad took the flag with both hands as arrows and shot entered his body, a soldier drove a sword through his spine, losing grip of his sword as Gilad kept going. With a whip, he pulled the flag in a circle around him, driving soldiers off of the walls and dropping the oil-pourer to the ground. With a mighty yell, Gilad pulled the flag up, and drove the pole through the man's chest. As he collapsed to the ground, Gilad looked up, seeing the first time that the Ottoman flag would fly over Constantinople.

---

"Constantinople? Really?"

"Fine city in its time, not a big fan these days, I hate it when cities ride off of their tourist appeal."

"Very true brother! Very true!"

Gilad and Aram clinked cups, concurrently taking shots and laughing greedily as the drink met their tongues. Meanwhile, a group of unconscious bikers twitched on the ground in front of them.

1918: The New War

Rossiya

The All-Russia United Front

Heads of Government:
Republican: Alexander Kolchak
Soviet: Yakov Sverdlov

Capitals:
Republican: Omsk
Soviet: Petrograd

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

The European half of the former Russian Empire is controlled by the recently formed Russian SFSR. Ruled by Vladimir Lenin as head of government in theory, in fact the Socialist Republic is dominated by the triumvirate of Commissar Leon Trotsky, Chairman and head of state Yakov Sverdlov, and Commissar Joseph Stalin. This is as a result of a massive stroke suffered by Lenin after Dracula's horde shattered the Austro-Hungarian Empire and began making inroads into the western provinces, leading to his death mere days after. The power struggles between the three men are dominated by Sverdlov, once Lenin's right hand man, but Stalin is secretly receiving support from the Whites in the east, as fears of Trotsky's wishes for a continued revolution have driven them to work against him, and Sverdlov is seen as simply being a second Lenin as well as possibly having been responsible for the death of the Tsar.

Although in theory the more powerful half of the country, the Soviet state is poorly organized and ill-prepared for an invasion, having been driven back already by the surprise attack of the vampiric hordes. Their still vast manpower reserves are their only saving grace, and the death of Lenin may lead to a loss of stability that neither Russia needs.

The Military is lead by Jukums Vācietis, a Latvian crony of Trotsky and heavy believer in the value of riflemen. Vācietis has lobbied against industrialization of the army, believing that infantry are all that is needed to defend the Soviet state.

The Provisional All-Russian Government

The Asian half of the former Russian Empire is the domain of the Russian Whites, ruled by Alexander Kolchak as Supreme Leader. The Kolchak Government was widely unpopular during its initial days, his uncompromising stance on moderate leftists and reliance on western support harming his support base. The sudden emergence of Dracula and his horde was enough to make Kolchak compromise slightly. The initial Soviet demands of White submission were almost enough to make Kolchak abandon negotiations, but former Tsarist minister Sergey Sazonov was capable of negotiating an uneasy peace. Now seeing the Soviets at least as convenient allies, Kolchak's stance on moderates has eased, but many of these moderates worry that the growing centralization under the admiral is a threat to the new Republic.

The army of the Republic is lead by Anton Denikin, an excellent offensive leader who realizes the potential of motorization in an offensive army and has been instrumental in encouraging industrialization in the republic. He and the recent arrival Pyotr Wrangel, have reorganized the severely ailing Russian army, rearming it with Western aid and reforging it into a truly modern fighting force. Disagreements between the two men have lead to Wrangel volunteering to lead the White detachment fighting alongside the Red Army, a request which has been granted. Wrangel and his troops have proved much more effective than their Soviet allies, and have especially grown a resentment towards Commissar Stalin, whose brutality clashes with Wrangel's belief in honorable combat.

With the Soviets fighting against the Vampiric hordes, Kolchak and his advisors have begun looking for ways to gain an advantage for when their "allies" inevitably fell. Plans have been made to head south into Mongolia and Manchuria, with ambassadors also being sent to Japan to perhaps negotiate an alliance.

I made sick man of Europe #3

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Literally one post

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

Harris’ Forest Retreat, Hope Springs, West Virginia
12 PM, February 15th.

Harris had taken to sitting silently. No movement, no noise, just sitting simply and listening as thousands of horrible things happened that he could no longer stop without potentially making things worse. He watched as the gathered transients lived their lives off of the fruit of his connection with The Green. Homeless, penniless, all living their lives simply, and all because of him. He felt a sense of pride, but also a sense of melancholy; he couldn’t do any of this again.

Well, sitting here and being sad never helped anyone, he’d always gotten over difficulty before, and this would be no exception. The Green would fix itself, it had been around for millennia before he showed up, why would that change? He just needed to wait a little while, that was all.

His attempts to calm himself were unconvincing, but maybe he just needed to take his mind off of it and wait. He’d only killed a few people, that was no big deal, right?

The world almost seemed to turn black for a second, but he smiled the best he could anyway, and started walking in no direction in particular.

”Aw, man, who cut this watermelon into a heart shape and just left it overnight?! … Even if it is really cute …” Surprisingly, Josh had taken to the gathering of people rather well once introduced. At least, once they got used to him. Being used to strange beings was probably a prerequisite for living with Mr. Harris, after all. So even if some of the people only skirted around any discomfort the ten foot tall ‘Demon’ brought, it was never spoken out loud - to Josh, it was a definite improvement!

Even if he was kind of jealous to find all these people in his forest home initially.

Still, Josh did his best to help those there. Including cleaning up discarded pieces of fruit, it seemed. He wasn’t nearly as useful as Mr. Harris, but when all your powers centered around destruction and you were scared of leaving your home…

Well, Josh made himself useful.

”Mister - Mister Harris!” The surprised exclamation was accompanied by the teenager jumping up, his long navy ears shooting skyward akin to a dog’s. ”Are you, uhm, done ‘meditating’?”

Harris turned to face Josh, his quite obviously fake smile distorting half of his face. This fake smile quickly faded into a real one when Harris made eye contact with Josh.

”Yes, I suppose I am. At least for today that is,” Harris said, scratching his chin. ”What have you been up to, Josh? Just cleaning up like usual? Have you been talking to anyone your age?”

Harris couldn’t help but flood the poor kid with questions. He was a little insular, and Harris thought he should try to break that, encourage him to get a few friends, take his youth back. Harris had found it easy to get used to this new life as soon as he had found himself, but he got the feeling Josh never had.

Maybe helping Josh out would take his mind off of The Green’s problems.

”Uhm,” Josh shifted on his bare feet, nervously scratching his thick nails against the black scruff on his jaw. ”I’ve just, you know, been up to the usual… I don’t, I don’t really talk to people much - oh, but the old blind lady likes telling people stories about the Actor Activists! So, I sometimes listen to them so she’s not lonely…” The boy trailed off, only to clear his throat and offer a toothy smile to Harris that didn’t seem entirely sincere.

”But that’s okay! I’m happy just being back home.”

Harris nodded in acknowledgement, keeping down a sigh, he was a good kid, but he really needed human contact.

Not that Harris was an expert on human contact or anything, but his point still stood.

”You know, maybe you should walk over to Hope Springs every now and then, talk to people, they already know you’re a good person, but if you actually care and get involved then they’ll see you as a superhero, like me!”

Harris realized after he finished speaking that he had another reason behind saying that. He was worried that he might die if The Green didn’t fix itself, and he wanted Josh to… not so much take his place, but at least be capable of doing some of what he had done.

Maybe he should have told Josh earlier, when he had started meditating. A voice in the back of his mind told him that there was no time like the present. Harris didn’t much like that preposition. He tried to keep his face at least neutral, but it was probably clear that he was in conflict.

Harris swallowed. Josh had to at least know what was going on. He couldn’t keep hiding this from him.

Harris opened his mouth a moment and then closed it suddenly. Finally he was able to sigh away his bubbling stomach just enough to be able to get a word out.

”There’s something I’d like to talk to you about, alone,” Harris said grimly. Too grimly. Oh god. His brows lifted and he offered what he thought was a comforting smile. ”Wait, not like that, I just want to chat is all! Yeah, come on, let’s talk.”

”Well…” Josh had initially been hesitant, not wanting to deny Mr. Harris - even if he was talking of leaving the forest to go to Hope Springs. However as the Vinestalker continued talking, the teenager’s glowing eyes widened, and he began to fidget nervously. Mr. Harris was not good at this, if it was supposed to be comforting!

Still better than Miss Lady Arcana, though.

”I… Of course I’ll walk with you, Mr. Harris,” Josh finally said weakly. What else could he do? He would never deny his mentor. The teenager stood to his full height, abandoning the little compost bin he had been shouldering during clean up. ”If, uh, if this is about the three I’m really, really sorry - I didn’t mean to drool on it while I was sleeping….”

”No, no, it’s nothing you did. Just follow me.” Harris said again, gesturing for Josh to keep following. He made his way over to the largest tree in the small forest, the one he slept in and stored his things in. He pulled it open, letting out a characteristic crackling noise that reverberated through the trees.

”Come on in,” Harris instructed, placing his arm around Josh’s massive shoulders and lightly pushing him in before pulling the tree closed behind him.

He sighed, and finally turned to look at Josh.

”There’s something I haven’t told you,” he said solemnly, avoiding eye contact. His face turned from a clearly fake smile to a very hard frown. He stammered for a little bit, sighing quite a bit, before one final sigh, combined with a groan and a hand on the face, ended his stuttering. ”Right, here’s the truth...”

”I might be dying.”

”Wh...What?” The nervous shuffling stopped, the giant teenager having been glancing around curiously - as he did every time he was in here. Now his glowing white eyes were focused intently on his mentor, fanged mouth opening and closing slowly. After a long moment he finally took a step closer.

”You…” Another step, then another, until Josh was directly in front of Harris. His hands gripped onto the man’s arms, a pained noise escaping him. ”You can’t be dying! You’re - you’re Vinestalker! You’re with Mr. Green and you said he’s been alive like… forever! How?!”

If Harris had been a human he probably would have started crying then. Thankfully he wasn’t, and thus was incapable of crying unless he wanted to. If that was something to be thankful about. Whatever the case, his heart felt like it had exploded in his chest when Josh grabbed onto him. He softly placed a hand on Josh’s head, trying to comfort the best he could.

”It’s not a guarantee, best case scenario we wait a while and everything turns out okay. However, back when I was working with Ka-... Lady Arcana, she needed my help in order to transform. Doing that for her had some unforeseen consequences. The Green is a mess right now. It’s not quite apocalypse-level yet, but I’m worried it may get there. If it does… I’m going to have to do something. I either wait and die with the rest of the planet… or do… something… something that I probably won’t survive.”

Before Josh could say anything, Harris held up his hand.

”Of course, Lady Arcana isn’t to blame. The only person to blame is myself, and I’m fine with that. I guess what I’m saying is that I might be gone soon, and when that happens… well I’m not going to choose for you. You make your decisions, I’m not demanding you take my job when I’m gone, but I do want to be sure you’re stable, you have somewhere to live, you have people to support you. I don’t want your life to end because I’m not there, that’s all I care about.”

Harris moved his hands to Josh’s shoulders, having unconsciously grown to be slightly taller than Josh as he always did when someone needed comforting.

”I’m going to talk to Lady Arcana, Emerald Knight, all of the Justice League. They’ll take care of you. I promise.”

”I don’t want to be taken care of!” Was the immediate response, blurted out without thought. Now tilting his head up to look at Harris, the white eyes beginning to shimmer with tears. Josh was always prone to crying. ”I… I want to stay here, with you! Anywhere with you! You took me in, Harris! You’re the one who cared enough to and … you … you’ve been …” He choked on his words, taking one of his hands to scrub at his face with a blue palm.

”... I know it hasn’t been long, but … but you’ve been like a father to me.”

Oh God. Oh good God in heaven.

This had to be the most difficult thing Harris had ever done. He felt like his stomach was about to explode and he had no idea what to say. His mind raced and he knew inside that he would have been reduced to a blubbering mess were he human. Finally he grabbed the back of Josh’s head and held him for a while.

”I know… trust me I know,” he said. He stood with a pained look on his face and collected himself. ”If it were up to me I wouldn’t change a thing. But it’s not, so I’m doing the best I can while I still have the chance. You’re my… you’re like a son to me just as much as you think I’m a father to you… if that makes any sense.” His words were coming out jumbled and his voice weak, but he kept going, because he worried that if he stopped he wouldn’t be able to start again. ”Just trust me, Josh. I can’t know everything, but I know for sure that you can be happy without me. I love you Josh. Nothing will ever change that. If there’s any chance I will take it, not for me, but for you. For now, I’m going to be at your side every moment of every day. And… I know that The Green will always have a place for you too, even if it complains… and moans… and cries.” Harris managed to make himself smile despite all of it.

”Do you want a hug?”

Instantly Josh launched himself at Harris, throwing his immense weight into hugging the other man tightly. He was openly crying now, words coming out in a blubbering mess as he rambled and choked on them. Still, he made an effort to say the most important ones clearly - and to not hug so tightly he split Harris in half.

”I… I love you too … and I’ll - I’ll make you proud! I’ll be, I’ll be the best hero, and I’ll protect Mr. Green too!”

Harris didn’t waste a second.

”I’m already proud, Josh. I know how hard you have it, I went through the exact same thing, and you’ve gone through even worse after that. You’re so strong, Josh. I’ll never stop cheering for you.”

Harris held him tight, not saying anything and keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t need to breathe, but he took deep breaths anyway to encourage Josh to do the same. He knew this was going to be hard, but not this hard.

But at the same time… he was so glad to have done it.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

5 am, February 10th
Bazaar District, Atlantis

Bjorn Bjornsson wandered out of the party. He'd been there a while, watching. It was a bit juvenile to be honest; stalking felt beneath him! He was a soldier, a career soldier, not a middle-aged house-husband with nothing better to do than watch young women enjoy their lives. On the other hand, he was glad to have gone, what with the sudden breakout of violence and the arrival of a disguised man who could be no other than that young Malcolm boy, and another who was far more readable: the King of Atlantis himself.

Some secret mission had gone on here, something about blackout drugs and other stories he didn't care to listen to. All he knew was that these men were rather important, and although a good number of them were taken down in the assault, there were definitely some who had slipped under the radar. It was simple to identify them and track them down, they left in a hurry and weren't shy about leaving evidence. It was so simple in fact, that Bjorn found it simple to retrieve his gear from where he had stashed it at the side of the building before returning to the escapee's trail. He attempted to hide himself among the few people walking at this ungodly hour, dipping into alleyways, all of which were luckily empty, and kept on his way.

Bjorn didn't know where the man thought he was going, but he seemed to know what direction he was heading at the very least. Bjorn leapt from building to building, suiting himself and holstering his weapons, finally placing a helmet overtop of his head, his breaths began to make a soft noise, and a dim red glow began to come from his eyes.

He smashed down into the dead-end alley behind the fleeing man, a cape flaring behind him as it caught the air. The man barely had time to turn around before Iron Eagle unleashed an explosive combination of blows, fragmenting the brick wall behind him and utterly deforming the man's face.

"I see your fear, Atlantean. I feel your pain. And I enjoy it, as we enjoyed watching your friends' suffering at the party. You are in my way, and I will remove you, once we are done... Well, I may as well show you."

Iron Eagle grabbed the man by the throat and tossed him to the ground, crouching down beside him and preparing a single finger as he tried to crawl away. With a swift thrust, Iron Eagle drove his finger through the man's cheek into his mouth. He hooked his finger around, and dragged the man into the air. He dangled the man in the air, reveling in his groans and desperate cries of pain

"All of this city, of this land, all of it is our domain. You may claim it, but we have only allowed you to live here out of the kindness of our hearts, now we've come to take what is ours. Every Atlantean will be driven out of their homes, brought to the surface, and shot under the sun, and then we will inherit Atlantis. So warn your colleagues, tell them your king openly consorts with us, and tell them that you have no time left, already the surface's strongest warrior has arrived in Atlantis, and she makes me look like a mere minnow."

Iron Eagle tossed the man to the ground with a thump, watching gleefully as he spasmed and crawled.

"How unafraid we are, to tell you exactly what we plan," Iron Eagle said with a mocking laugh. "Try your hardest, Atlantean, we will still exterminate you like the pests you are."

It was an impromptu plan, but reading the man's mind and seeing his pure disdain for the surface, Wilhelm knew it would work. With seemingly every prejudice being confirmed, the man would radicalize, and soon none of those from the surface would be safe, well, except for maybe Karen, but he'd work on that. Just as he'd work on influencing these weak minds further. There was some kind of larger plan Wilhelm saw that the man didn't quite know about, but Wilhelm didn't much care about that. He was just looking for a little fury, a little resentment.

A little chaos.

The Queen's Hand

I'm interested in joining this, if you would have me.

The Sputtering Sun

I'm interested.