Simple Unicycle

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Fear not friends, for Uni hath returned!

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

VOIDED

---

ISSUE #6
DEFEATED

---

Alleyway beside the Royal Palace Hotel
New York City, New York

When I came to the rain was beating down on my body, blood and water mixing into a pinkish puddle beneath me. With a groan, I pushed myself up to my feet and looked over my wounds. A few stabs, cuts, and, oh yeah, my sword sticking through my chest. Grunting, I grabbed the handle and pulled it out, a yelp of pain escaping my lips.

I gave a bitter chuckle at the events.

Deacon beat me.

I couldn't fight him in this state.

I was too weak.

I needed to get stronger.

I lifted my sword into its sheath and stumbled forward, beginning to make my way back to my office. Deacon probably thought I was dead, which I guess helped. He probably wouldn't come looking for me. And I'll be right under his nose, getting more powerful, and when least expects it I'll go get him and I will end this.

---

An Hour Later
Outside a subway station

At this time of night, this part of the city was quiet. My only company was the distant sound of cars passing by a few blocks over. I was walking past the entrance to a subway, when I heard gunshots below. As if on instinct, I began to make my way down, intent on finding out just what the hell was going on down there.

When I got down there I saw a hulking beast fighting against two humans. The beast was a werewolf, towering over them at 8 feet tall and growling ferociously at them. The two humans were heavily armed, but apparently their bullets weren't silver judging by the fact that the beast shrugged them off. One of them was a woman, the other a man who I recognized.

"You having trouble there, Drake?" I yelled, walking forward. The beast was distracted by my sudden entrance, and the hunter and his lady friend looked at me. Drake scowled, while the woman looked rather confused.

"Well, if it isn't my dear old friend," Drake said with a scowl, before returning his attention to the werewolf. He and the girl continued to shoot at it to no avail. On instinct, I reached for the pistols beneath my coat, only to find nothing there. Right, I forgot Deacon had knocked both of them out of my hands when we fought.

Instead, I pulled my claymore from its sheath, knowing that one decisive blow from its silver blade would end this. "Why don't I show you two how a real hunter does his job?" I stated, before rushing at the werewolf and swinging my blade.

The wolf dodged out of the way of the blow, swinging his paw at me. In my weakened state, I couldn't dodge out of the way, and the attack sent me flying into a trash can a few feet away, trash flying all over me. Drake snickered, while his friend remarked dryly: "Yeah, real impressive." Despite myself, I let out a laugh. Now this was my kinda girl.

I pulled a banana peel off my head and jumped to my feet, charging at the beast yet again. He dodged my blow once more, but this time I was ready, and ducked beneath the attack he sent my way. With a yell, I jumped back up, ramming my sword through the beast's chest. I yanked the blade out of his skull as it shifted back into human form.

At my feet was a dying middle aged man, who let out a blood-tinged cough. "What... Happened?"

I knelt down on my knee, sighing. "Sorry, man. You were going nuts. Had to put you down."

A weak laugh escaped his lips. "... Should've known... One day this'd happen..." He let out his last breath, and then he was no more.

I stood up. "And that is how you take down a werewolf. The hell were you thinking, coming here without any silver bullets?"

Drake stepped forward, probably about to let loose an angry remark, when his buddy stopped him by speaking first. "The job we got called here for wasn't him, was just a bunch of goblins screwing around with the circuitry. As we were leaving, he jumped out at us. We should have expected a werewolf would be around during a full moon, but I guess it slipped both of our minds."

I looked her up and down, taking in her blonde hair and the scar running across her pale face. Aside from that scar, she was pretty banging. Her... Assets helped that too. I gave her a cocky grin, letting out a catcall. "Never knew ya had a girlfriend, Drake." The male hunter's cheeks flushed in both embarrassment and anger. "What's your name, babe?"

*BANG!*

My head bounced back as the bullet entered my skull. That crazy bitch just shot me!

As I set my sights back on her with a glare, I saw her smirk. "Rachel Van Helsing. And don't call me babe."

"Whatever. 'Sides, all my interest in a woman is lost once she shoots me in the head."

"If you wouldn't mind, we were just leaving," Drake said. Without another word, he and Rachel began to make their leave.

"And where you two going? Might need to hitch a ride, my place is kinda a few miles away."

Drake turned back to yell at me, but once again Rachel interrupted him by speaking first. "We'll give you a ride. We need to head back to our place first. But no talking."

I made a motion as if zipping my lips shut, before striding forward, grinning at the astounded Drake as I walked past him and back up the steps.

"The hell are you doing?" I heard Drake hiss.

"Quincy said next time we meet him to take him with us if he's willing. The old man wants to talk to him."

"I never agreed to this!"

"That's why he told me and not you. Now come on, he's waiting."

Ah, the wonders of enhanced hearing. Still, I pretended I didn't hear anything they said as they made their way up the stairs to meet me at the top. "You guys weren't gossiping about me, were ya?" I asked with my trademark shit eating grin.

"What did I say?"

"Right, right, no talking..."

With that, we were on our way.

World of Light

Level 1 - 1/10 EXP
Difficulty Level 1
Location: Gene's Homeworld
Word Count: 456
About to attack: @DracoLunaris + general sweep

---

This was it.

The Demon King Angra was at his mercy. Looking down at his hands, the power of God flowing through them, Gene grinned. Just about time to end this. "May the light of good..." Gene began, beginning to form a Double Shaolin Blast to finish off the demon.

"Shine on his soul..." Gene readied the blast...

"Through these... Huh?" Gene's concentration was broken by the shining lights in the sky, that were racing towards him and Angra. "What the? Am I actually summoning God?" The fighter paused for a moment, and his grin widened. "Nice!" He looked up into the sky, welcoming the light, for he knew that he could defeat the Demon King with its power!

There was a flash, and then nothing.

---

Location: Outside Peach's Castle

The fighter had traveled far, searching for a worthy opponent. He wasn't sure how he had got here. He wasn't sure when he had got here. It could have been weeks ago, maybe months ago, hell it could've been years ago. He knew nothing of who he was or where he came from, only that he thirsted for combat. Though he had yet to meet a worthy opponent, he had already taken down dozens of low level creatures who had dared to bother him. It did little to sate his desire, but it would do for now.

Up ahead, he saw a large castle, hearing loud noises from inside. The noises settled after a moment, and then silence. He smiled. Maybe there were strong fighters there that he could challenge. He needed to fight something that wasn't a stupid goblin or a wimpy mushroom thing. His smile twisted into a vicious grin, and with a bounce in his step he charged forward to the castle, getting ready for a good fight.

When he arrived at the castle, he boldly walked forward and into it, striding through the entrance hall and into the throne room through the busted down door. He saw a plethora of people there, everything from humans like himself to creatures he'd never seen before. Some of them looked about as weak as the pitiful monsters he'd crushed along the way here, but a few of them...

His grin widened even more, if it was possible. Now those guys looked like they could put up a good fight. Cracking his knuckles, the fighter spoke up, attempting to grab the room's attention. "Well well well, lookie what we have here!" His voice carried an air of confidence, perhaps overconfidence even. With his thumb, he flicked his chin, grinning. "You all look tough! Let's dance!" Without a second wasted, he dashed forward with a yell, attempting to deliver a flying kick to the giant shelled lizard thing in the suit!

World of Light

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

You're welcome, and no problem. Would you like a link to our Discord server?

@Lugubrious

Sure thing. Seems like that's where you guys do most of your talking anyhow.

World of Light

The God Hand

Game Origin:

God Hand

Appearance:

God power keeps my pimp hand strong!

Personality:

A few words come to mind to describe Gene: brazen, cocky, stupid. He puts on the persona of a macho man, being quite bombastic, and attempts to act like he only cares about himself. The aloof part of this persona falls flat due to his own nature, however; he has a strong sense of justice and seeks to stop any wrongdoers, though his own good nature won't stop him from complaining about his responsibilities.

Background:

Gene wasn't anyone special at first; just a penniless 23 year old vagrant with a cocky demeanor and a knack for punching thugs, trying to get by in the world. He was traveling through a nameless town trying to find work when he stumbled across a trio of thugs harassing a girl. Angered, he threw himself at the thugs to protect the girl, and for his troubles he got his right arm chopped off and was left for dead.

Rough start, eh?

Just when Gene thought he was going to die, the girl came to his aid as thanks. Her name was Olivia, and she was the last of a clan that protected the God Hands; the arms of a legendary warrior who had defeated the Demon King Angra long ago. She planted the right God Hand onto Gene's stump, and he found himself good as new. He was ready to keep on living the way he was, until Olivia told him that carrying the God Hand made him obligated to fight any demons he comes across, and if he didn't, she'd have to take it back by chopping it off.

Reluctantly, Gene began traveling with her, fighting everything from thugs and demons to a gorilla in a lucha libre suit and a team of Super Sentai themed midgets. The most formidable of these foes were members of the Four Devas, a council of powerful demons looking to resurrect Angra. Among them was Azel, the man in possession of the left God Hand, who was Olivia's former fiance and was responsible for slaughtering their clan to take the God Hand's power.

Gene managed to defeat three of the Four Devas, but was unable to prevent Azel from capturing Olivia. He chased after his rival, managing to defeat him. However, Gene was too late to stop Azel from resurrecting Angra, the Demon King planning to use Azel as his vessel. Azel, with the last of his strength, removed the left God Hand and gave it to Gene, dying in the process. Angra, undeterred, simply used Olivia as his vessel instead. With the power of both God Hands, Gene was able to best Angra in combat. But just as he was about to deliver the killing blow and save Olivia, a beam of light shone through the battlefield...

Specialty:

Lightning Bruiser

Level:

4

Experience:

1/40

Powers:

• The God Hand - Gene is in possession of the right God Hand, one of the arms of a legendary warrior. The God Hand, as the name implies, possesses the power of a God. Gene always has access to a limited amount of its power, keeping most of it under the wraps of the Deistic Brace, but is capable of ripping the Deistic Brace off and unleashing the God Hand's full potential to boost his damage and attack speed for a limited amount of time.
• Taunt - Gene taunts the enemy, causing them to become enraged. The enemy will become more predictable, but also more dangerous at the same time.

Strengths:

• God Roulette - Gene has an assortment of special attacks that he can use that all have unique properties. He starts with only two, but can gain more over time, be they new or old. Every level up, he gains three new moves to add to the Roulette Wheel. This move is a bit of a gamble, however, as Gene never knows which attack he'll use.
  
  • Grovel - Gene gets on his knees and begs for mercy. What? He may be stupid, but he's not stupid enough to let his enemies walk all over him when the going get tough. Can only be used once every other fight. (Lowers Gene back down to Difficulty Level 1 for the rest of the fight, Adaptive Difficulty reverts back to a level below where Gene was before Groveling after the fight is over)
  • Ball Buster - A short ranged technique. One of Gene's signature moves, a simple backwards kick to his opponent's groin. Can only be used once a fight. (Stuns enemy, only works on males)
  • Shockwave - A long-range technique. Gene chops downward to unleash a vertical wave of energy, damaging enemies in a line. Can only be used once a fight. (Direct hits knock enemies to the ground.)
  • La Bomba - A short-ranged technique. Gene charges the God Hand then punches the ground, creating a shockwave-like explosion that sends surrounding enemies into the air. Can only be used once a fight. (Launches enemies into the air.)
  • Divine Smash - A medium-ranged technique. Gene charges the God Hand before dashing forward, launching all enemies in front of him with the force alone. Can only be used once a fight. (Sends enemies flying.)
• Move Master - Gene has a great knowledge of martial arts, ranging from kung fu to drunken boxing. He can potentially learn over a hundred different attack techniques, but right now he's limited to a few punches and kicks. Overtime, he can learn even more techniques, both new and old.
• Fly Like A Butterfly - Gene is quick on his feet, allowing him to dodge the first attack that comes at him during a fight, but he'll need to get out of the way of any attacks that come after manually.

Weaknesses:

• Dumber Than A Box of Rocks - Gene's never been the smartest guy, and he barely knows anything other than fighting. Ask him what his plan is, he'll automatically default to punch the thing.
• No Time For Talking - Because all he knows is beating things up, Gene isn't the most diplomatic of folks. He's more likely to piss off anyone he's trying to talk down, and usually he doesn't want to try talking anyway.
• Adaptive Difficulty - It almost seems like the universe hates Gene. Whenever everything's going good, he'll get his head kicked in sooner or later. The better Gene is doing during a fight, the stronger and smarter his foes will become. He starts at Level 1, progressing to Level 2 (enemies are stronger and dodge more often), Level 3 (enemies are even stronger and can counter attacks), and finally Level DIE (well, you're screwed). Can be lowered by Gene getting attacked enough, or getting knocked out.

Spirits:

• Nada.

Kindred Spirits:

Olivia (God Hand) - The girl who made his life so complicated. She doesn't have any offensive skills, but what she lacks in strength she makes up in wit. Gene doesn't know what happened to her after the lights swallowed everyone up, but he's determined to find her.
Nero (Devil May Cry) - Another cocky white haired punk with a powerful right arm who fights demons on the daily. Almost like they're a bit too similar. Gene hasn't met him (different universes and all), but their shared good nature hidden beneath a cocky exterior binds their souls.
Johnny Cage (Mortal Kombat) - A fellow cocky martial artist with a showboat-y personality. Gene also hasn't met him (again, different universes), but between their similar cocky attitude and shared pragmatic mindset (hope people won't miss their gonads), the two of them share a spirit.

Inventory:

The clothes on his back and a fistful of pocket change.

Themes

Battle Theme

Character Theme
(As sung by the furious fighter himself)

World of Light

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

Not just good--great! Go ahead and put him over in the Characters tab. You good with Gene approaching Peach's Castle just after the recently-concluded boss battle wrapped up? Someone (or a few someones) can spot him and head out to say hello, which will likely end in a fight that ends up with Gene free from the influence.

@Lugubrious

Alright, thanks! And yeah, that sounds good. I'm trying to catch up on the IC right now so I have an idea as to what's happened, so it might be a bit before I get a post up.

World of Light

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

A good sheet, but there are two things I should point out.

The first of them isn't in the way of his acceptance, so you don't need to change it, but I feel like you would benefit from it. Having single moves as Powers is very limiting because it is a single thing you can do instead of a suite and the rate at which you get new special moves is slow. Rather than have Ball Buster as his Power, I would instead make it 'The God Hand" and describe what it allows him to do, including super strength. Then, I would say replace the Strength "God Hand" with something like "Move Master" or "Quick Learner" and have it say something along the lines of 'Gene is always adding to his arsenal of techniques, picking up new ones or remembering ones forgotten. Every level-up, his style gains three new techniques. He begins with just Ball Buster, a groin shot that leaves foes stunned.' I think that would be a better way to go around it.

The more pivotal thing is the end of his backstory. In the New World, all characters (pretty much) start out under Galeem's influence, oblivious to Galeem's presence and with altered behavior. While he might still wander around in search of a fight, and that wandering could very well bring him to Peach's Castle and the rest of the group, he wouldn't be able to oppose Galeem in any way until freed.

@Lugubrious

Alright, thanks for the response! I got rid of the last paragraph of backstory, so he's still under Galeem's influence at the start. Switched God Hand to his Power, and put Ball Buster under a new strength that borrows from his home game. Also clarified how the Adaptive Difficulty weakness works a bit better. Hope it's good.

World of Light

@Simple Unicycle

Gene and Geno huh? That may or may not get confusing later on... lol

Also:

<Snipped quote>

I swear, if you don't put Johnny Cage as a Kindred Spirit of some kind, I will throw a big-ole riot.

@Lmpkio

Oh shit, I didn't even think of Johnny Cage when picking Kindred Spirits. I might just edit him in.

Also, yeah, Gene and Geno... Won't get confusing at all.

World of Light

No, actually. I have a different Capcom character in mind...

Do tell me if there's anything that needs changing.

The God Hand

Name:

Gene

Game Origin:

God Hand

Appearance:

God power keeps my pimp hand strong!

Personality:

A few words come to mind to describe Gene: brazen, cocky, stupid. He puts on the persona of a macho man, being quite bombastic, and attempts to act like he only cares about himself. The aloof part of this persona falls flat due to his own nature, however; he has a strong sense of justice and seeks to stop any wrongdoers, though his own good nature won't stop him from complaining about his responsibilities.

Background:

Gene wasn't anyone special at first; just a penniless 23 year old vagrant with a cocky demeanor and a knack for punching thugs, trying to get by in the world. He was traveling through a nameless town trying to find work when he stumbled across a trio of thugs harassing a girl. Angered, he threw himself at the thugs to protect the girl, and for his troubles he got his right arm chopped off and was left for dead.

Rough start, eh?

Just when Gene thought he was going to die, the girl came to his aid as thanks. Her name was Olivia, and she was the last of a clan that protected the God Hands; the arms of a legendary warrior who had defeated the Demon King Angra long ago. She planted the right God Hand onto Gene's stump, and he found himself good as new. He was ready to keep on living the way he was, until Olivia told him that carrying the God Hand made him obligated to fight any demons he comes across, and if he didn't, she'd have to take it back by chopping it off.

Reluctantly, Gene began traveling with her, fighting everything from thugs and demons to a gorilla in a lucha libre suit and a team of Super Sentai themed midgets. The most formidable of these foes were members of the Four Devas, a council of powerful demons looking to resurrect Angra. Among them was Azel, the man in possession of the left God Hand, who was Olivia's former fiance and was responsible for slaughtering their clan to take the God Hand's power.

Gene managed to defeat three of the Four Devas, but was unable to prevent Azel from capturing Olivia. He chased after his rival, managing to defeat him. However, Gene was too late to stop Azel from resurrecting Angra, the Demon King planning to use Azel as his vessel. Azel, with the last of his strength, removed the left God Hand and gave it to Gene, dying in the process. Angra, undeterred, simply used Olivia as his vessel instead. With the power of both God Hands, Gene was able to best Angra in combat. But just as he was about to deliver the killing blow and save Olivia, a beam of light shone through the battlefield...

Specialty:

Lightning Bruiser

Level:

1

Experience:

0/10

Powers:

• The God Hand - Gene is in possession of the right God Hand, one of the arms of a legendary warrior. The God Hand, as the name implies, possesses the power of a God. Gene always has access to a limited amount of its power, keeping most of it under the wraps of the Deistic Brace, but is capable of ripping the Deistic Brace off and unleashing the God Hand's full potential to boost his damage and attack speed for a limited amount of time.

Strengths:

• God Roulette - Gene has an assortment of special attacks that he can use that all have unique properties. He starts with only two, but can gain more over time, be they new or old. Every level up, he gains three new moves to add to the Roulette Wheel. This move is a bit of a gamble, however, as Gene never knows which attack he'll use.
  
  • Grovel - Gene gets on his knees and begs for mercy. What? He may be stupid, but he's not stupid enough to let his enemies walk all over him when the going get tough. Can only be used once every other fight. (Lowers Gene back down to Difficulty Level 1 for the rest of the fight, Adaptive Difficulty reverts back to a level below where Gene was before Groveling after the fight is over)
  • Ball Buster - One of Gene's signature techniques, a simple backwards kick to his opponent's groin. Can only be used once a fight. (Stuns enemy, only works on males)
• Move Master - Gene has a great knowledge of martial arts, ranging from kung fu to drunken boxing. He can potentially learn over a hundred different attack techniques, but right now he's limited to a few punches and kicks. Overtime, he can learn even more techniques, both new and old.
• Fly Like A Butterfly - Gene is quick on his feet, allowing him to dodge the first attack that comes at him during a fight, but he'll need to get out of the way of any attacks that come after manually.

Weaknesses:

• Dumber Than A Box of Rocks - Gene's never been the smartest guy, and he barely knows anything other than fighting. Ask him what his plan is, he'll automatically default to punch the thing.
• No Time For Talking - Because all he knows is beating things up, Gene isn't the most diplomatic of folks. He's more likely to piss off anyone he's trying to talk down, and usually he doesn't want to try talking anyway.
• Adaptive Difficulty - It almost seems like the universe hates Gene. Whenever everything's going good, he'll get his head kicked in sooner or later. The better Gene is doing during a fight, the stronger and smarter his foes will become. He starts at Level 1, progressing to Level 2 (enemies are stronger and dodge more often), Level 3 (enemies are even stronger and can counter attacks), and finally Level DIE (well, you're screwed). Can be lowered by Gene getting attacked enough, or getting knocked out.

Spirits:

• Nada.

Kindred Spirits:

Olivia (God Hand) - The girl who made his life so complicated. She doesn't have any offensive skills, but what she lacks in strength she makes up in wit. Gene doesn't know what happened to her after the lights swallowed everyone up, but he's determined to find her.
Nero (Devil May Cry) - Another cocky white haired punk with a powerful right arm who fights demons on the daily. Almost like they're a bit too similar. Gene hasn't met him (different universes and all), but their shared good nature hidden beneath a cocky exterior binds their souls.
Johnny Cage (Mortal Kombat) - A fellow cocky martial artist with a showboat-y personality. Gene also hasn't met him (again, different universes), but between their similar cocky attitude and shared pragmatic mindset (hope people won't miss their gonads), the two of them share a spirit.

Inventory:

The clothes on his back and a fistful of pocket change.

EDIT 1: Added Johnny Cage as a Kindred Spirit. Got all three now.
EDIT 2: Added changes.

World of Light

Hey everyone. I'm interested in joining, if you'll have me. Got a CS whipped up and ready to go too.