A brilliant ivory lunar display illumined the sky from above, piercing the grey cloaked fog from the silent bay of Paragon City. The docks below were mostly quiet, save for the occasional shriek of some meager scuttling nocturnal creature, or the dumpster rummaging of the common homeless person.
The water was placid, gently lapping against the splintered wooden pillars supporting the docks. Disturbing the tranquility of the murky sea was the offsetting buoyancy of an enormous vessel, motionless in its quiet vigil. Moored to the planks of the longest dock was the behemoth of a ship, striking the horizon with blackened smokestacks jutting into the sky, a seeming outline of mountain crags against the backdrop of the eerie moonlight.
Listen though...listen to the whisper shuffle of feet moving along the warehouses adjoined to the docks. Who goes for a stroll in the darkest and most dangerous hour of the night?
There, walking with purposeful yet graceful stride, a man dressed most elegantly in an expensive Armani suit. His hair an enjoining of dark grey and white streaks, whether from intense mental acuity or age it was unknown. The eyes an onyx shade, seeming to pierce the very fabric of the soul when gazed into, yet also drawing the viewer into their endless depths in a dreamlike fashion. Black to rival the charcoal grimness of the night, the suit belied a muscular form beneath. Yet it was not in sinew and flesh where this man, Raven, drew his strength....
Abruptly, metal screamed in a cacophany of torn steel, shouting voices, and the sound of small deadly objects whistling through the air. Eleven Tsoo warriors appeared from the shadows wielding all manner of death. The moment Raven perceived them, his eyes narrowed in focus and instantly a powerful mental wave burst from the well-dressed man. Invisibly the psionic emanation shattered the cognitive functions of the six Red Ink Men and one of the Sorcerers. They gripped their heads with such white knuckle intensity, it appeared they would tear their hair out in moments. Sensing a blade incoming to disembowel him, Raven coalesced his thoughts into a protective personal force field and the blade seemed to lose all accuracy. The five remaining Tsoo began to unleash their ire upon the dark-suited man, the sorcerers firing shocks of energy and the Yellow Ink men unleashing their blade knives. The mentalist leaned forward and gave a powerful blast from his mind immediately hypnotizing the men into a somnolescent slumber.
Within moments all the men were subdued for the time being, and Raven allowed his force field to dissipate. He pulled out a nail file and began to whittle his cuticles, then checked his watch for the hour.
"Ah, it seems I am late for the Paranormal Research Convention formal dinner. Well...*sigh*...off I go...but first..."
Placing his index fingers to his temples, Raven focused all of his mind's faculties on the inherent mistrust of the villainous mind inside the eleven Tsoo. He expanded it, increasing their suspicion to such insane levels that soon they lusted for murder against their own kind.
Raven snapped his finger.
The Tsoo, completely ignoring the mind controller, awoke and began to viciously attack each other. Blasts of powerful magic, spraying blood, and steel flashing in moonlight and striking mortal wounds seemed to erupt in a chaotic display of mass confusion. Within minutes all of them lay dead, except for one lone Red Ink Man hobbling away with a wounded gash in his side. He was suddenly lifted into the air, helpless in the telekinetic force maintaining him in place, then floated out above the sea on an invisible current...beyond the docks...high into the sky...and suddenly dropped into the moored ship's largest smokestack.
"That's that."
Brushing a modest budding of sweat from his brow, Raven lifted himself with his telekinesis, and floated off beyond the warehouses, and into the cityscape.
A brilliant ivory lunar display illumined the sky from above, piercing the grey cloaked fog from the silent bay of Paragon City. The docks below were mostly quiet, save for the occasional shriek of some meager scuttling nocturnal creature, or the dumpster rummaging of the common homeless person.
The water was placid, gently lapping against the splintered wooden pillars supporting the docks. Disturbing the tranquility of the murky sea was the offsetting buoyancy of an enormous vessel, motionless in its quiet vigil. Moored to the planks of the longest dock was the behemoth of a ship, striking the horizon with blackened smokestacks jutting into the sky, a seeming outline of mountain crags against the backdrop of the eerie moonlight.
Listen though...listen to the whisper shuffle of feet moving along the warehouses adjoined to the docks. Who goes for a stroll in the darkest and most dangerous hour of the night?
There, walking with purposeful yet graceful stride, a man dressed most elegantly in an expensive Armani suit. His hair an enjoining of dark grey and white streaks, whether from intense mental acuity or age it was unknown. The eyes an onyx shade, seeming to pierce the very fabric of the soul when gazed into, yet also drawing the viewer into their endless depths in a dreamlike fashion. Black to rival the charcoal grimness of the night, the suit belied a muscular form beneath. Yet it was not in sinew and flesh where this man, Raven, drew his strength....
Abruptly, metal screamed in a cacophany of torn steel, shouting voices, and the sound of small deadly objects whistling through the air. Eleven Tsoo warriors appeared from the shadows wielding all manner of death. The moment Raven perceived them, his eyes narrowed in focus and instantly a powerful mental wave burst from the well-dressed man. Invisibly the psionic emanation shattered the cognitive functions of the six Red Ink Men and one of the Sorcerers. They gripped their heads with such white knuckle intensity, it appeared they would tear their hair out in moments. Sensing a blade incoming to disembowel him, Raven coalesced his thoughts into a protective personal force field and the blade seemed to lose all accuracy. The five remaining Tsoo began to unleash their ire upon the dark-suited man, the sorcerers firing shocks of energy and the Yellow Ink men unleashing their blade knives. The mentalist leaned forward and gave a powerful blast from his mind immediately hypnotizing the men into a somnolescent slumber.
Within moments all the men were subdued for the time being, and Raven allowed his force field to dissipate. He pulled out a nail file and began to whittle his cuticles, then checked his watch for the hour.
"Ah, it seems I am late for the Paranormal Research Convention formal dinner. Well...*sigh*...off I go...but first..."
Placing his index fingers to his temples, Raven focused all of his mind's faculties on the inherent mistrust of the villainous mind inside the eleven Tsoo. He expanded it, increasing their suspicion to such insane levels that soon they lusted for murder against their own kind.
Raven snapped his finger.
The Tsoo, completely ignoring the mind controller, awoke and began to viciously attack each other. Blasts of powerful magic, spraying blood, and steel flashing in moonlight and striking mortal wounds seemed to erupt in a chaotic display of mass confusion. Within minutes all of them lay dead, except for one lone Red Ink Man hobbling away with a wounded gash in his side. He was suddenly lifted into the air, helpless in the telekinetic force maintaining him in place, then floated out above the sea on an invisible current...beyond the docks...high into the sky...and suddenly dropped into the moored ship's largest smokestack.
"That's that."
Brushing a modest budding of sweat from his brow, Raven lifted himself with his telekinesis, and floated off beyond the warehouses, and into the cityscape.