Eclipse

Unlikely Heroes

Hi all, sorry for the delay, AGAIN. This time, I've been preparing for Hurricane Iselle the past few days. It's likely to knock our power lines sometime tonight, so i can't say for sure when I will get my post up. However, my bosses decided to close shop tomorrow, since that's when the storm is supposed to be wreaking havoc here on the island of Oahu. Sorry about not getting a post up this last Sunday - without going into detail, my lazy Sunday wasn't so lazy after all. Hope everyone is doing well. I'll post an update as soon as I can.

CosmoNET: Be you. Become anything!

Damien watched from behind half-closed eyelids as the world outside his window stirred from its rest. The sun had yet to rise high enough to shine light directly into his room - the warmth on his face was what normally woke him up each morning. However, there wasn’t anything normal about the dream from last night, and he’d been awake ever since it ended.

He rolled away from the window and buried his face in his pillows.

‘What the hell was that dream, anyway?’ Damien thought as he took a mental inventory of what he could remember. He had never been adept at recalling his dreams, yet the details of this one stood out with unusual clarity. ‘CosmoNET. PhyKnight. A competition to become Champion of the Earth… and an insistence that it’s all “real.”’ He’d never had a dream like it before - as far as he was aware - and he wanted to dismiss it as just an odd dream, one that he’d remember for a few days before he forgot it altogether. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and sat there a moment, pushing away thoughts of the dream in favor of thoughts of a shower and breakfast.

As he did every morning, Damien jumped in the shower before the water was warm, letting the frigid water shock his body completely awake. As the water heated up and he went about his normal routine, his mind wandered back to the dream, and CosmoNet. That peculiar knight, almost tangible as he described the CosmoNET, was unlike anything Damien had experienced before. He wondered briefly what would happen if he jumped back into bed and returned to sleep. ‘Would PhyKnight return so soon? He did say he’d visit me again, in my next dream.’ The thought sent a shiver up Damien’s back, causing his arms to erupt with goosebumps. He realized he wasn’t ready to give an answer, not yet. He stood still for a few heartbeats, breathing slowly, the shower water pouring down onto his head as his thoughts raced. Then, he knuckled his forehead roughly with a fist, berating himself for thinking seriously about a dream. ‘Why is this bothering me so much? It was just a stupid dream.’ He shut the water off, stepped out, and resolved not to give himself another opportunity to think about the dream for the rest of the day.

---

After a quick breakfast, Damien grabbed his duffel bag and took off for the ice rink, intent on occupying himself with hockey drills and practice until he collapsed on the ice from exhaustion. His parents commuted to the Naval Shipyard together each morning, meaning he had free access to his father’s truck, most of the time at least. The drive was uneventful, and parking plentiful. The club was in it’s off-season, meaning the rink wasn't busy in the morning - he’d have plenty of room to run some of the more intense drills, which suited him just fine.

Damien saw there were a few people on the ice as he exited the locker room, his skates in one hand and his bag in the other. He immediately recognized two of his teammates, working on passing drills on the far side of the rink, and he started towards towards them. Having a few friends to practice with would not only be enjoyable, but they’d help keep his mind from straying to thoughts of the dream.

---

The moon hung above the trees in his yard as Damien sat on the stairs of his front porch, loosely holding a beer in one hand, his elbows propped up on the step behind him. His muscles stretched and ached with his movements, the lingering aftermath of his earlier hours of strenuous activity. He had run himself ragged on the ice, constantly moving from one exercise to the next, rarely stopping for water or to catch his breath. Single-minded in his approach, he hadn’t had the time or the energy to ponder the dream. The rest of the day was spent with his teammates and was mostly uneventful, up until the early evening when they met up with a few other friends for a small campfire gathering. Overall, it was a pleasant, albeit uneventful, day.

Now, slightly buzzed and bored, Damien’s mind began to wander once more. He mulled over PhyKnight’s message again, wondering at his subconscious’s creativity in conjuring up such a vivid and enthralling dream experience. Not for the first time, Damien wondered if he’d return to the same dream when he fell asleep. He admitted that the idea intrigued him, and without anything better to do, he decided it was as good a time as any to test it out. His earlier protestations and attempts to forget the dream had obviously failed, after all - what harm was there in seeing if the dream would continue? If it didn’t, at least he’d have something to laugh about in the morning.

---

Damien stood motionless, encompassed in ubiquitous darkness, when he suddenly realized he wasn’t alone. Across from him, PhyKnight stood equally still, as if he’d been waiting the whole day for Damien to return. Damien couldn’t determine the distance between them - PhyKnight appeared close enough to touch one moment, only to appear as if he stood a dozen yards away in the next. The abrupt proximity changes sent Damien reeling, and he took a single step backwards. The azure knight chose that moment to break the silence surrounding them.

“Have you made your decision, sir Reid?” The knight asked, as still as ever. The question hung in the air, awaiting his response.

Damien took a deep breath and swallowed, suddenly nervous. His weight on his back foot, he resisted a sudden urge to turn around and run. ‘When have I ever backed down from a challenge?’ Damien thought, suddenly agitated. ‘This is a dream, after all. Isn’t it?’

He wasn’t so sure, anymore.

He shifted his weight again and took a step forward, returning to his original position. “I’m in,” he stated emphatically, and realized he meant it. He felt compelled to see what would happen next, exactly how far this dream would go. Then Damien noticed PhyKnight was gone without a trace, and he was alone in the darkness once more.

Without warning, Damien felt as if he, too, had winked out of existence. His mind shattered in the wake of the pain that followed, leaving him unable to form a thought. He couldn’t scream, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. There was nothing but the pain, and the darkness.

---

The first thing he was aware of was a feeling of fullness - too full, in fact. It was as if someone had inflated him with air and his body was ready to burst from the pressure. He could hardly breathe due to the pressure on his chest compacting his lungs. His heartbeat felt strained, like his heart was clenched in a vise. His eyes watered, and his head throbbed. He opened his mouth a few times, gaping like a fish out of water as he tried to speak. Then, he sank to his knees, fists beating the glass panel in front of him in desperation. He had to get rid of the pressure, somehow, before he burst open in a morbid impersonation of an overfilled water balloon.

“Can’t… breathe…” Damien managed choked out, pounding the glass a little harder. It was difficult to determine the surroundings outside his prison through his watery eyes. ‘How did I get here, anyway? Where the hell am I?’ The thoughts came unbidden, and with them a surge of uncertainty and panic. He struggled to stand and managed to get off his knees, hands flat against the glass as he leaned into it. He noticed a shape moving towards him, vaguely humanoid through the glass, and was relieved to hear a voice call out. “Be calm, Damien. You are in no danger.” Although the voice was muffled, Damien thought it was PhyKnight.

He hit the glass again, harder than before, and felt the crack before he saw it. The pressure was getting more intense - as unbelievable as that was. His whole body began shaking, and he clenched his jaw in an effort to keep his head still. “Get… me… OUT!” he bellowed through his teeth. His vision narrowed as the pressure compounded further, and he groaned as his breath was forced from his lungs. Damien heard PhyKnight call out, but noticed his head was turned away from the panel separating them. He was speaking to someone else. “Keep them away, I’ll have to contain the release.”

Damien watched as a faint, bluish-white light descended from above his enclosure, surrounding it completely. Already trapped, it infuriated him that PhyKnight was entrapping him further, surrounding his cage with another. He wanted out, wanted to somehow get away from the unbearable pressure inside. Suddenly, the pressure compressed into a single point in the center of his chest, and Damien suddenly felt he could get rid of it.

“I SAID, LET ME OUT!” he yelled in fury and flung his hands out to his sides, pressed against the sides of the tank. With the motion, the pressure point in his chest exploded in all directions, and he felt the energy erupt out of his body in one massive pulse.

The glass in front of him was vaporised in an instant, and within a heartbeat the structure surrounding him split and bent outward as the energy ripped through it. It rushed away from him, a giant ripple in the air. Yet as soon as it connected with the dome of light, instead of surging right through it, the energy dissipated on contact. Within moments, there was nothing left.

Damien sank to his knees, gasping. With the pressure gone, he was left with a substantial headache and pain in every muscle in his body. He closed his eyes for a few moments as he attempted to catch his breath. He heard PhyKnight approach, and opened his eyes to glare up at him. Damien was surprised to see the knight without his armor, but he didn’t dwell on it long. PhyKnight extended his hand, saying, “That wasn’t what I expected. Let me make sure you’re all right.” His outstretched hand pressed against Damien’s forehead, and with it Damien felt a subtle flow of energy wash into him, diminishing the aches in his muscles and the throbbing in his head. Additionally, he noticed a portion of the energy flowing into him formed a pool, though where it was collecting, Damien didn't know. As the pool grew, Damien felt a slight pressure build in his chest, at the core of his being. He flinched away from the contact, breaking the connection.

PhyKnight drew his hand back, a curious expression on his face. “That's quite an uncommon ability,” he mused. "You'll have a distinct advantage early on..." Damien missed the rest as PhyKnight trailed off and moved past him, intent on examining the damage to the tank.

Now that he was no longer trapped in the tank, Damien stood up and finally got a look at his surroundings. There were at least two other people nearby, and more tanks, exact copies of the one he had destroyed. “Where am I?” he asked no one in particular. He didn't care who answered, so long as they did it soon. He couldn't convince himself this was just a dream anymore. Not after what had just happened.

'What the hell did I even do, there? What's wrong with me?'

Unlikely Heroes

Haha, quite true! However, quitters don't work those extra shifts anyway...

I don't mind the overtime pay though, so I guess I'll give them a reprieve for now. The person in question wasn't very adept at their duties, anyway. At least this way I know the job gets done right!

If someone else decides to do the same thing, I'll know who to call, Arcanic!

Unlikely Heroes

Finally, after an eighty-seven hour work week from hell, I have a Sunday to myself. I'll have something up by the end of the day! Hurrah!

...And death to co-workers who quit without giving at least two weeks notice!

CosmoNET: Be you. Become anything!

I'm working on my intro post, it's taking awhile due to work, overtime, and other such delays. Sorry guys, I hope to have it up by the weekend. My posts won't consistently take this long, I promise.

Unlikely Heroes

No need to apologize, I just hope you feel better! Are you sure they're not migraines? Your doctor might be able to prescribe you medicine to cope with the headaches. Regardless, rest up and avoid stress - at least that's what I do when I'm under the weather. I guess that's pretty general advice anyway, though.

I look forward to the next post, whenever you're up to it. No rush.

CosmoNET Character Sheets

Completed 7/15/2014, will tweak information as necessary.

Character Image

[Damien Reid | 20 | Male]

"One man with courage is a majority"

- Thomas Jefferson

---

Appearance - Damien is 6'2 and weighs 205lbs, spending considerable energy to maintain the solid build he developed over nine years playing hockey. He has short black hair, preferring to let it lay naturally as opposed to styling it. He has a square face characterized with a thick jaw, a solid, cleft chin, and a slightly crooked nose - courtesy of two injuries, long since healed. He has brown eyes and prominent, somewhat bushy eyebrows. He sticks to jeans and t-shirts most often, dressing up only on rare occasions, which may find him wearing a suit, or a jacket and khakis, depending on the event. Overall, Damien is very relaxed about his appearance, as he's of the opinion that those who judge by looks alone aren't the sort of people he wants to interact with.

Avatar Ability - Ebb and Flow

Damien's abilities revolve around enduring attacks and absorbing their energy in order to convert it into a unique form of ley energy he can store within himself. Then, Damien can either choose to channel the unique ley into powerful counterattacks, or infuse the ley into his body, enhancing his fortitude, strength, and other attributes.

Damien's first ability saps the power of attacks made against himself or against friends and allies. This absorption requires considerable concentration, leaving him vulnerable to flanking and rear attacks. The time required is entirely dependent on the type of energy and the magnitude of the attack. Damien can absorb many different energies so long as he can identify them, but he cannot absorb more than a few types simultaneously. He converts them all into the same resource.

Damien’s second ability channels the accumulated energy into his attacks and enhancements. Damien can discharge any amount of energy he desires - from a small, controlled stream to a devastating full release. Since it is derived from numerous sources, the unique ley effects all things equally - for example, it is as effective against fire as it is water. However, this also means it has no devastating effect against a counterpart, like how water quenches fire.

He may choose to forego channeling and instead continue to absorb energy endlessly, growing the ley reservoir. While at rest, the ley energy bleeds out slowly, and will continue to do so until Damien absorbs more energy.

Personality

As a general rule, Damien doesn’t do things half-way - he is either incredibly passionate and driven to achieve his goals and desires, or he is apathetic and unwilling to waste his time. However, Damien acknowledges that he isn’t infallible, but he has trouble admitting this fact to others, and has been known to argue a point or pursue a goal much longer than is practical.

Because Damien focuses his energy only on those things he finds interesting, he isn’t fond of conventional education, believing it too rigid and focused on averages and equality. He believes that no one should be forced to learn subjects they find unappealing, or act a certain way based on societal conventions, and should instead embrace their goals and desires wholeheartedly, regardless of the opinions of others.

Damien has a strong sense of empathy, and is always willing to donate his time and energy to others - which has led to his exploitation on more than one occasion. Damien is fiercely protective of those in his inner circle and does not hesitate to confront those who would, or have, hurt them or himself. In a confrontation, Damien doesn’t pull punches, verbally or physically, and more often than not he is the instigator rather than the peacemaker, although the most common reason he fights is to defend his friends or get revenge on their behalf.

Traits

- Damien is particularly fond of group projects and other collaborative endeavors. He can hold his own in most subjects, although he isn’t interested in many. His favorite subjects (not necessarily his strongest) are physical education, English, physics, and astronomy.

- Besides his love of hockey, Damien likes rock and alternative music, winter, snowboarding, woodcarving, reading, and rock climbing.

- Damien can play bass guitar and occasionally carves figures and other trinkets.

History

Damien grew up as the only child of his career-military parents, his father a Naval helicopter aviation instructor and his mother a Naval engineer. They never lived in the same state for more than two consecutive years, and he attended three different schools over his five years in high-school, having had to repeat his junior year due to ditching the classes he didn’t like.

Although his parents were unhappy with him for having to repeat a year of school, they always encouraged him to trust his instincts and make his own decisions. They gave him a great deal of freedom to do as he wished, never telling him what to do - perhaps out of a sense of guilt for the constant moving from state to state. Damien spent much of this free time playing or trying out for different hockey clubs in each new state, always eager for the opportunity to test his skills against new teams and players.

Damien discovered hockey when he was ten years old, after attending a classmate’s birthday party at an ice rink. After the party ended and the kids were ushered off the ice, falling down half a dozen times in the process, a youth hockey club skated onto the ice, and Damien was fascinated with their practice. It wasn’t two weeks later that he joined the club, spending each evening after school learning to skate or observing the older members practice their skills. A few months later, Damien’s family moved again, and he immediately sought out the closest club, picking up where he left off, improving his skating skills and dreaming of the day he’d skate out onto the ice to play a game. He continued this trend after every move, meeting new friends and rivals each time.

When he was thirteen, Damien started playing in games and rapidly discovered he still had much to learn. He wasn’t terrible, but he knew he could get much better. He took to bringing his hockey stick with him everywhere, tied to the side of his backpack or stuck in a locker at school. He practiced incessantly, practicing his skills whenever and wherever possible, on or off the ice, at the mall or in the school hallways, much to the chagrin of his parents and the consternation of his teachers.

Eventually, Damien’s persistence and unflagging desire to improve paid off, and during his junior year he was invited to play for an elite club. Just after joining, Damien was goaded by his new teammates to play as an “enforcer” on the ice, answering penalties and dirty tactics with heavy hits and equally dirty play, or when passions ran especially high, dropped gloves and raised fists. They convinced him it was the rite of passage for all new players, when in fact they were hoping to get him thrown off the team by the coaches - they didn’t want any competition for their positions. Damien, hoping to prove he had the mettle to play on that level, did as his teammates told him, launching an occasional illegal hit every few games to provoke other teams into fights. At first, it didn’t seem to be an issue, the coach only yelling at him after particularly fierce brawls, which his teammates convinced him was also part of the hazing. They told him he needed to fight even more, and so he did. After a week in which he drew penalties or fought on the ice every game, the coach excused him from the team, shocking Damien. He tried to explain what his teammates had told him, but they denied his claims and the coach angrily escorted Damien out of the rink and told him not to come back.

He returned to playing in the local club league, angry and humiliated at being so easily deceived, and for readily believing his teammates’ insistent lies that they had all gone through it. He wasn’t invited to play for any other elite leagues, where college scouts would come and watch, hoping to snare talented players, and thus Damien graduated high school without any of the scholarship offers he had once dreamed about receiving to play collegiate hockey.

Now, a year out of high school and in yet another state, Damien splits his time between playing for a club league and coaching youth hockey. He still hopes he’ll get a chance to play at an elite level once more, which he is convinced will prove his efforts weren’t for nothing.

Music

Mystic Ram - the newest guild of Fiore!

Hey there. If you guys are accepting new characters still, I'd love to draft a CS when I get some more writing time. Would having a character in the A or B power level be acceptable?

Thanks!

--Eclipse

The Bureau of Unconventional Crime

This sounds really interesting. Looking forward to reading more about it!

Unlikely Heroes

Sounds good. I just posted in the IC thread - let me know what you all think the group should do, and where we should head next. I'm eager to see where this story goes.

Looking forward to writing with all of you!