I felt myself being pulled. My vision blurred as I felt air rushing by my face as if I were racing at high speed. Suddenly it occured to me, I was.
I skidded to a stop, the boots leaving a trail of smoke behind them and skid marks for several yards. I whistled, smirking at the move. There was a slow clap behind me. I turned to see Mr. Roan coming my way by jetpack.
"Good, good. Unfortunately, you forgot to watch out for pedestrians... again..."
I winced. "How bad?"
"It's a good thing I was following you... You need to learn to focus if you ever plan to use these boots," said my teacher.
I looked down at the boots on my feet. Ten years of research went into these. I have no clue how they work, just that these things are so fast, no one can even see me half the time when I go by. And if I had a cloaking device...
My thoughts were broken as a woman screamed. Mr. Roan nodded in the direction of the sound, his face suddenly grim. I nodded and drew my bow, racing down the alleyway.
The woman was backed against a wall with three men slowly moving toward her, one wielding a knife. I shook my head, nocking an arrow. It flew, impaling the man in the arm. He cried out, whirling away from her.
I took advantage of the other two's moment of shock to let two more fly. One pierced a thug's foot, but the last managed to duck my shot. I sighed. Well, couldn't always get em.
He drew a gun, leveling it toward me. I burst forward, sticking him with a taser before he could blink. The man fell down, twitching.
I flashed my best smile at the woman. Her eyes went wide, then she shrieked. "Get away from me you freak!" She ran so fast, I forgot I was the one with the superspeed.
Another sigh. Crafton didn't have many heroes. Not too many bad guys above common thug level either... Then again, I could see how my costume might freak her out some. It was basically a black helmet and armor with spiked gloves and boots.
Mr. Roan descended behind me. "Good work, but you still have a ways to go. Four more laps around the city perimeter and you can rest for the day."
I groaned, then got to work. Training wasn't so bad, but it would be better if Ryan was still doing it with me. I haven't seen him since he walked out... A lot of the money our parents left behind went into looking for him, but he never turned up... Wonder what happened to him...
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
The winds whipped cruelly through the mountain peaks. A lone figure in a heavy coat trudged up the snow covered sides, the storm threatening to throw him down. He climbed through the fear, the pain, the danger, and the numbing cold that was eating at his insides even as he reached a shaking hand up to the ledge and pulled himself into the cave.
Though his legs were sore and frozen, he moved with a sense of purpose, deeper and deeper inside. As his lips began to return from blue to red, so to did the walls of the cave change colors with the torchlight ahead. The narrow tunnel opened up, revealing a large, red rock sitting on an altar, a man in a simple robe standing behind it.
Eagerly, the traveler staggered forward, careful not to throw himself onto the prize. "This... th-this is i-it?" he chattered.
The robed man nodded.
Ryan's grin gleamed in the light as he threw back his coat's hood and began to move his hands across the enormous stone. Its surface was smooth, not a trace of imperfection on it. He took a moment to stare at himself. He had changed so much... A full beard had grown in, and his eyes showed a touch of cruelty he was fairly sure hadn't been there before... Or maybe it had, but it was just hidden. Either way, such things didn't matter anymore. what mattered now was the stone, and what he must do with it. "I'm to make it from this?" he asked, looking up from his reflection.
The robed man nodded once more, his face utterly emotionless. "But first," he said, "Do you have the hilt?"
Ryan nodded, drawing a golden hilt, gleaming Jade set in it in the form of a serpent.
"Good. You will form the sword with that."
He blinked for a moment and looked up. "I was told if the hilt were to be broken-"
"It will not break so easily, and by bonding these items in this way, your weapon will be that much greater. The destiny within this is strong, and if you wield it as you have been told, it will bring you great fortune."
Ryan nodded and looked back down at the rock and its perfectly sleek surface. He stared into his own eyes. "Fortune?"
The robed man chuckled. "Of many kinds."
Ryan nodded, another grin forming across his face as he slammed the hilt down and shattered the image of who he once was.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
((Ok, so I started this story a while back. I'm posting what I have so far. I'll finish pieces and post em as I do, like Worlds of Confusion is. Enjoy.))
"Kickers, move!" shouts a man. I look over to see him, Hyper-Man, issuing orders to the group as his full metallic suit gleams brightly even in the dim light. Really more of a prison than a suit, since he's trapped inside it...
A red blur rushed by, wind slapping me in the face. Johnny Velocity was leaping forward to slash brutally at the black-clad villains with his claws. I never really asked where he got them.
Fire zoomed past my head, nearly hitting my ear as Burning Brawler attacked from the back of our formation. Several of the villains cried out in pain as they crumpled to the floor. I watched him leap forward, engaging one in a sword duel, the enemy's steel versus one he formed of ice from the thin air.
Java Juggernaut and Violet Tigress, the group's couple. Together they were terrorizing and blasting apart swarms of 'em. I could hardly believe how easy it was to see how scared the villains were, even though their faces were almost completely obscured by black cowls and hoods.
Jack Power was standing in their center, attracting attention, taking slashes from sword and shuriken like it was nothing, not even flinching as one lodged into his thigh and exploded.
I looked down at the bow in my left hand, the arrow in my right, and sighed. What good was an archer next to a team like this? I nocked it, then let the wooden shaft fly. It hit my target, sinking in right between his eyes. I would have smirked at the good shot, but Brawler had just taken four in a row with an explosive fireball.
Showoff...
But we're superheroes. Busting the bad guys and fast is what we do. If I made them all slow down to make me feel better, we wouldn't have noticed the bomb in time.
"Guys, back here!" called a guy in armor and shades. Super Shard. Hyper ran toward the bomb and quickly began entering codes into the panel on his arm. I was about to head back towards the entrance, they had things wrapped up here. But then I saw it... A familiar flash of red and black. A ruby sword sliding smoothly from its scabbard.
Sliding smoothly into my gut.
I tried to cry out a warning, but it came out as only a wet gurgle as blood began dripping from my mouth. My knees buckled and the pain became blinding as he twisted the sword before yanking it out of the wound. The Ruby Blade wiped the blood from his weapon on my cape, then faded from sight as he moved to do the same to my companions, my friends.
My world went dark, and a sensation of cold fingers gripping my skull came over me. I am The Obsidian Arrow. Friend, teammate, archer, hero.
And I am dead.
***
They say that as a man dies, his entire life flashes before his eyes. Maybe it's God's way of showing us all the places we really screwed up so when we're sent into the fire it's not so much of a shock. Or maybe it's just another one of those little tortures we find in life. One last kick as you walk out the door.
Either way, this is still what I saw, everything leading up to my death. In the blink of an eye, I relived all twenty-six years of my life. Though this may seem bad, at least I can be grateful it wasn't boring to watch.
I watched as a small boy ran down the halls, bare feet across the hardwood floors. I watched and smiled. That boy was me. I had to be... four maybe? Yes. Four, six at the oldest. Because I just ran past my parents. I wanted to call out to them, but I couldn't get my voice to respond. They walked away, and I helplessly was dragged along behind the running boy.
Suddenly I felt a strong gust of wind and was knocked forward. It seemed I was about to crash into him, but at the last second, we merged. I was now reliving it, not just watching. I looked down at what I was holding against my chest so tightly. It was an egg.
I remembered now. I found it in an abandoned nest outside. I was going to take care of it, and have a little baby bird of my own. I ran into my room and quickly went straight to my bed. I slid the egg under my pillow for safe-keeping. It would be warm there. Then one day it would hatch and-
A door slammed. My brother was home...
***
I heard his angry footsteps as they thundered up the stairs. Quickly, I slid back by my bed, trying to make myself as small as possible until I saw his shadow go past my door and into his own room.
I lifted my pillow and took one last look at the egg. I smiled, taking a blanket and wrapping it inside. After I was sure it was safe, I ventured outside my room, and straight into my brother.
He looked down at me, and a grin broke out across his face. "You ready?" he asked. Ryan was four years older than me, but we got along alright.
"Yeah," I said, smiling large enough to match his. Today was an odd day of the week. That meant class. Our parents had this weird idea that we should learn Martial Arts, most importantly, weapons. Most parents would have said I wasn't old enough for that kind of thing, but I wasn't complaining.
The two of us ran down the halls. It was a bit of a ways to the training room. Our house was a mansion after all. We went down to the first floor and into the back wing. Mr. Roan was waiting for us.
"Come on boys, we only have so much time today." He was an older guy. Already his hair was turning gray and starting to disappear. I asked him where it went it once and he said as far from loud, annoying children as possible. Ryan said it just couldn't stand the smell anymore. "Now, Austin, Ryan, what did we learn last week?"
I looked down. "Don't point the weapon at the teacher."
"Yes. Fortunately, I can sit down now. However, I think you will be practicing with padded tip arrows for now." Mr. Roan handed me the plastic bow and several arrows. I frowned at the foam tips. What fun is that? "I want you to go over there and practice while I get your brother started." I nodded an sullenly walked to the targets.
I shot a few, hitting the target, if just barely, each time. Most shots hit the outer edge, but it was still good, or at least I thought so. I glanced back to see my brother was still talking to Mr. Roan. Then our teacher walked over to a cabinet, opening it, and grabbed a shining sword. He took an orange, from his back pocket, threw it in the air, and sliced it clean in half. That was the real deal.
Then he took a sheet of leather and wrapped it around the sword edge and pointed at a wooden dummy. Ryan frowned, but went over to the practice bit and hammered at it anyway, following the occasional pointers from Mr. Roan. By the end he was doing more fancy moves. Spins, quick stabs.
I looked down at my little bow and the fake arrows, and sighed. This wasn't half as cool. Still though... I was gonna win. I was gonna beat my brother and be ten times better with the bow than he'd ever be with a sword! I nocked an arrow and squinted hard as I aimed. I let it fly.
And it went straight over the target, bounced off the wall and flew backward, striking Mr. Roan in the head. He groaned as he laid on the floor, out cold. Ryan shook his head, trying not to laugh. "I'd leave. You don't wanna be here when he gets up."
I nodded, running out of the room quickly, glad that no matter what happened, at least my brother would always have my back.
Or at least, that's what I thought.
***
I smiled as a 2D pixellated Italian plumber jumped on the heads of what I thought were pieces of poo. They went squish and I got points. That game was so much fun...
There was a knock on my door. I turned my head as my dad stepped inside. "Your mother and I are going out tonight. Do you want us to bring something back?"
I grinned. Most times my parents had Mr. Jade, our butler, cook for us. "Hamburgers?"
My dad smiled and nodded. "We'll be back in an hour or two. Stay out of trouble, oh, and avoid Mr. Roan. He just woke up and isn't happy. We'll have to talk later about you being more careful if you're going to use real arrows soon."
I nodded, then turned back to my game. Mom and Dad always went out at night, to where I didn't know. My dad shut the door, and I listened as his footsteps went back downstairs. I wish I had gotten up and hugged him, or at least said a real goodbye. I even felt weird. A sense that I was doing something wrong. But I didn't recognize what it was, and didn't realize I had missed my last chance.
Hours went by. I was wandering the house, wondering when mom and dad were going to be back. Ryan passed by, muttering something about his stomach growling. I almost went to go see Mr. Jade to get a snack, but I knew they'd be home any minute now. I could wait.
A few more hours passed and I finally could stay up no longer. I went to my room to 'rest my eyes' for a few seconds and watch T.V. I woke up to Mr. Roan gently shaking my shoulder. "I need you to sit up, boy."
I wearily rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I saw Ryan sitting in a chair across from me. His face was... confused. "Boys, this may be hard to hear at first, but you need to know. Your parents are dead."
I stared, confused. Dead? My mouth hung open, my lip trembled as my brain tried to understand that. I would never see my parents again? Tears began welling up in my eyes as I looked down.
My head snapped back up as there was a crash. Ryan had grabbed his wooden chair and thrown it across the room, where it hit the wall. His face was red and tears were flowing freely.
"I know this isn't easy, children, but-"
Ryan stormed out of the room. Mr. Roan quickly followed, worried my brother would hurt himself. I reached under my pillow and grasped the egg. I held it close, closer than an even smaller child would cling to a stuffed animal. How could they do this to us? How could they just leave like that?
I looked up. I hadn't even really said goodbye. The tears began to blind me now. The whole world was becoming a blur as I spun and landed face-first into my pillow. I cried myself back to sleep, feeling my entire world end. Nothing would ever be the same, I thought.
How right I was...
***
I woke up to a boom of thunder. Everything was dark, and I was still holding the egg close to my chest. I sat up, wiping the moisture from my tear-soaked pillow off my face. I looked over to see Ryans bed was still empty.
For a minute, I forgot why I had been crying. I had an odd sense as if I were in a dream, but then it all rushed back to me, hitting me like a car running down a highway. I felt sick for a moment, and wanted to fall back onto my pillow. But I had a stronger feeling than my child-grief.
Loneliness.
I got out of my bed, bare feet going numb on the ice-cold wooden floors. Quickly, I ran down the hall to find my brother. It was a big house, but I knew where he went when he was upset.
I hurried downstairs and up to the door of Mr. Roans dojo and slid the oriental screen door aside. There was my brother, hacking away furiously at the wooden dummy. He was covered in sweat. He mustve been at it the whole time
R-Ryan? I said, stepping in slowly. He looked at me, his eyes full of anger, as if all of this was my fault. For a moment, tears came into my eyes and my lip quivered, but I managed to hold it back. It didnt help that he didnt respond though. I woke up Im scared.
He looked at the egg I was holding, then back up at me. His face went calm. He even seemed to smile a little. Ryan walked toward me, a hand out. I stepped toward him also, expecting hed help me back to our room. It was so dark in there at night Mom asked Ryan to sleep in the same room because I got so scared. Dad didnt believe in night-lights.
I held out a hand for him to take, but he reached past it and ripped the egg from my arm. I cried out as he held it above me, higher than I could jump. Tears began flowing down my cheeks. Give it back! I shouted. I saw his hand whiten with strain, then heard a crack. Yoke spilled down onto me. The baby bird It was and he I HATE YOU! I screamed.
I swung my fists at his middle, but Ryan was bigger. He grabbed my head as I rushed at him and threw me behind him. I skidded to the floor and scraped my elbow. I didnt try to get back up.
Our eyes locked for a minute. There was a stillness, and years later, I would still feel that sixth-sense twinge that tells you your life is at an important crossroads. My brother, ten years old, walked past me and grabbed his sword. He walked toward the cabinet where Mr. Roan had kept it, and slammed the pommel down, breaking the padlock. When did he get so strong?
Ryan threw open the cabinet doors and grabbed the scabbard. He ripped off the leather cover on the blade, shoved it into the black case, then slung it on his back. It was almost as tall as he was. Hed look silly if it werent for the look on his face, the hate in his eyes.
And then my brother walked out. I didnt know it, but I wouldnt see him again for a long, long time.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell