Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
Blackness threatened to engulf Michael as Madison hit him, her fist driving into him and knocking him to the ground.
It was not the first time someone had punched him. Growing up in the suburbs of Glasgow he had already run into more than a few ‘geek’ hating bullies, not to mention the rough ways of his elder brothers, but still he was not experienced enough at this sort of thing to ride the blow effectively.
*Oh well at least it must look convincing* he thought almost hysterically as he hit the floor hard.
For once luck was with him and he came down on his left side, the pain still stunningly awful but not so much that he couldn’t fight unconsciousness back for long enough to separate into his astral form. Immediately the pain ceased as Hood came free of his battered body.
The relief was as always overwhelming but this time Michael sensed that all was not as it should be. There was not the same sense of total physical well being which he normally associated with Hood.
Obviously, as he had feared, the force field he had run into back at the Center of Inquisition and which had shattered his astral form had weakened Hood at least temporarily.
However there was no time to dwell on that at the moment. For the time being his main concern was saving Connor from the grasp of the strange blue skinned mutant who had purchased him at the auction.
Floating free, Michael paused briefly to look at Madison sitting at the other side of the cage. Thank God she had reacted as she did to the woman’s seeming magic, otherwise there would have been no possibility of putting even this desperate plan together.
Michael knew just how risky what he was trying to do really was. The place was full of demons and he had already seen that certain of them could sense Hood even in this invisible form He only hoped that the presence of so many diverse beings would give him the necessary cover and allow him to follow Connor without being detected.
At least the sordid little scene he had played out with Madison gave him a good excuse for ‘passing out’ otherwise the watching demons would have been sure to smell a rat if he had just suddenly dropped down into a dead faint for no apparent reason.
"See Connor, she doesn't need you to fight for her You can't protect everyone all the time."
The voice was still seductive but apparently its attraction was less effective on Hood than on Michael. *Just as well. Can’t have me running off with her too. Good to know that the astral form has some protection against whatever spell she’s weaving. If I can persuade Connor to leave his body maybe that would help him break free of her.*
As Hood slipped from the cage he saw the woman lean forward and kiss Connor lightly on the lips. *Oh that can’t be good. If she can have me wanting to fight for her simply for the chance of getting her to smile at me what would I be ready to do for one of her kisses? More importantly what will Connor be ready to do for another one?*
"If you want me.. come and find me." she now said turning her back on Connor and pushing her way through the crowd. *Don’t do it Connor. That’s your sister up there in that cage You can’t turn your back on her. Can you?*
"You don't need me?" . *That’s not true. Of course she needs you. Madison tell him you need him. Madison? Damn it wish I could talk but I don’t dare turn substantial or the advantage will be lost*
"Would you respect me even if I wasn't your brother? Are you only tolerating me because I'm related to you?"
* Why doesn’t Madison say something?* Connor sounded so lost and desperate, his face mirroring the confusion of his words. Suddenly he pushed himself to his feet and started running franticly in the direction the woman had taken, ignoring the startled reaction of the crowd as he tried to follow her.
*Damn! I so wish he hadn’t done *that Michael thought as he sped after him. *Well, he might be running out on us, but there’s no way I’m running out on him! Keep me alive back there Madison! Now lets see where all this is going to lead us.*
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
OOC Suddenly realised George would be far from happy about this turn of events. Sooooooo!!
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George watched in amazement and growing concern as Connor was removed from the cage. Already he had felt his control of the situation slackening when they had insisted that the bomb he had so carefully strapped to his brothers chest be removed before the auction despite Georges protests that it was his guarantee that he wouldn’t be double crossed. They had reassured him saying that the reputation of the auction depended upon its fair trading. Looking round at the demons surrounding him George was far from sure that their idea of fair and his was the same.
Now it seemed they could just teleport into the cage and remove people more or less at will He didn’t like it, even if it did seem that the blue skinned woman had bid for the boy. He wouldn’t feel secure till he saw the money changing hands. He hadn’t come this far just to be betrayed at the last moment.
It seemed the girl mutant was also far from happy about the situation. He heard her sarcastic comments, only really snapping his full attention back to what she was saying when he heard his own name mentioned. He smiled at her words, sarcastic though they were. *Only been in the place a day and already their talking about me. Way to go George. Doesn’t seem to impressed with our Michael either. Got better taste than I gave her credit for.*
Suddenly he became aware that the blue woman’s strange eyes were focused on him, a look of blatant disgust plain to see. For a moment he almost blushed, embarrassed, under the penetrating gaze then he recovered and shot her a cynical look. *So you don’t like me well that’s just too bad. I don’t much like you either you little freak!* Still it felt like bravado Something in the strangeness of that contact chilled him. *Probably better to avoid that one after all.*
He turned his attention back to the cage groaning as he saw Michael pull himself up and stagger over to the girl. *Great! You had to show them how messed up you really are. Couldn’t you just have done something right for once and just stayed on the floor. What the hell??*
"You really are a pathetic bitch! Someone should shut that mouth of yours up once and for all."
The words coming from Michael shocked George to the core. This wasn’t his little brother speaking. He never said things like that even when he was angry. No, Michael took you down with cutting remarks and deadly wit, not with course insults. Could these last months really have changed him so much. Maybe. Certainly he had looked different when he had threatened George minutes earlier, harder, dangerous. But there had still been the old coolness about him. This clumsy attack was all wrong. What was he playing at.
"Pathetic bitch, hey? I'd like to see you try and shut me up!"
George started forward as Madison’s fist connected with Michaels jaw. *Damn him he’s going to get himself killed if he’s not careful! Stupid, stupid kid. He’ll ruin this deal yet! *
He saw Michael hit the ground and lie there unmoving and his anger flared. Where were the guards? Were they just going to sit there and let this happen? This was his merchandise that was being ruined up there. Wasn’t anyone going to do anything about it?
Fortunately now that Michael was out of it the girl seemed to calm, walking away from him with disdain. Still George wasn’t reassured. He pushed his way forward and caught up with one of the two men who had restrained the other boy when he had been brought out of the cage They looked like they were part of the official auction organisers.
"Hey just a minute.” The man turned round, a surprised expression on his face as George called out to him.
"Listen I'm one of the sellers here" George informed him "and that guy on the ground up there is my property. Now I’m not too happy about him spending a minute longer in a cage with someone that could take another swing at him at any moment. I mean it could lower his value if you get my drift. Who do I have to see to get him moved ??"
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
(ooc- Well then, let's give George something to get even more happy about! ... Or at least just something! *Ignores Madison complaining about being called a 'something' in the background*)
"If you want me.. come and find me." Madison could only watch as the blue-eyed mutant pressed her lips against Connor’s. Watch silently, stunned as her brother didn’t push Amlarie away. He just accepted the kiss. Madison knew parts about his date with Lara and ever since Connor hasn’t gone out with another girl. Perhaps if this was in another place she’d be happy to see him like this, but not now. This wasn’t right, and defiantly not the time nor place for something like this.
"You don't need me?" After her brother grasped onto the bars, Madison watched as he spoke so confused on what was going on. Don’t need him? Of course she did! Why did he believe what that mystic mutant was saying? Connor should know better than to trust people they don’t know. Special exceptions don’t come for those who buy you.
"Would you respect me even if I wasn't your brother? Are you only tolerating me because I'm related to you?" That wasn’t true. Arisa’s related to her and Madison doesn’t respect her! And the only times she tolerates her is when she’s forced to, even that’s not real since she only does it to keep Connor happy.
Then again, what if Connor wasn’t her brother? What if he was just like one of the other students at the institute, would she respect him? Well, he wasn’t so she didn’t need to think of an answer for that, and because she didn’t want to know the answer to it incase it was something both of them didn’t want to know.
She knew she should have said something. She even tried to think of something to say. Something to keep Connor from running off. Instead she just sat there. Sat and watched her brother run off after some mutant who has enchanted him…
Madison dropped her head. She had failed to keep him here, but Hood was around wasn’t he? She knew very well that he could be invisible in his ghost-like state, able to phase through just about anything. Hood would be able to something. She hoped her hit hadn’t knocked him out. It shouldn’t have, Madison herself had taken worse hits in the Danger Room and come out fine, but she was used to it since she had been training at a young age. Michael probably wouldn’t have had such training.
"Hey just a minute.” She lifted her head and looked over to George, curious to what he was up to. Her eyes saw him go after the guards, grabbing their attention almost instantly.
"Listen I'm one of the sellers here and that guy on the ground up there is my property. Now I’m not too happy about him spending a minute longer in a cage with someone that could take another swing at him at any moment. I mean it could lower his value if you get my drift. Who do I have to see to get him moved ??" George didn’t even care that it was his brother who had gotten hit. Wait, he did. Madison could see that, but it wasn’t as if he cared for Michael’s well being. He only cared because it might lower his value.
"Aww… I don't want my toy to get moved," Madison said in a sad tone, though only those that knew her would know it was fake and she was up to something. She knew she had to stop the guards from touching Michael, or at the very least delay them for long enough. First she could try and talk her way out of the guards coming into the cage with her famous mouth. If that failed and the guards came in she could always fight them. She was always up for a little fun, why let being in a cage stop it if they came in?
"Don't take him away from me. A girl needs something to keep her occupied. I don't have a TV or even a radio to listen to in here," As she spoke she stood up and began pacing around cage, looking towards George and the guards as she spoke. "Only got Michael here," Her voice trailed as she looked over to him, a frown forming on her lips as she looked over to his 'unconscious' body while on the inside she smirked hoping that Hood was doing his job. "And now he's no fun… My bad I guess, but you have to admit, he was surprising with what he had said. You can't blame for how I reacted, no? No..." Now she was going a little off-track, and that might lead to them attempting to take him away...
"Will you let me keep him?" She looked up from Michael and over to George, slowly stepping towards the side of the cage he was closest to. Once there she wrapped her hands around the bars and allowed herself to slowly slide down to her knees as she continued. "Just for now… I've got nothing else. My brother's gone. I'm virtually all alone in here. I won't damage him anymore... I promise… Please?" She asked innocently. This wasn’t normal Madison behaviour, but then again if she had a chance to fool others she was going to take it. She just hoped George would fall for it, he seemed to have fallen for the 'punch and knock out Michael' one. Though, she was ready if someone dared to take Michael and if she was lucky her claws would be too.
She knew how she was acting now, completely different to how she was before, might draw some more attention to her. But none of the demons here knew what went on in Madison’s mind, what her personality is like. Only Cole really knew of them and if he knew enough, he'd know that at times she could become unpredictable. She just had to keep up this act, fool everyone in front of here for long enough and as long as it stayed amusing for her, it wouldn't be too hard to keep up.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
No one really bothered to stop Connor as he raced towards Amlarie's direction, after all, she owned him now and if they tried to touch him there was no telling what damage would threaten to be imposed onto them if they dared get into his way, by him, his new owner, or the ones who were selling him off to her.
Pausing, his extremely acute sense of smell trying to pick up her scent, his right hand fingers raising thoughtfully to his lips as he felt the desire to draw closer to her increase the longer he was parted from her. He was starting to forget all about the auction, nothing mattered now aside from finding the one who would save him.. His location, the danger his sister was potentially in, everything, all was meaningless, all without substance, the only thing that meant anything was the mysterious woman who promised him heavenly freedom from the confines of his isolation, motherly security and compassionate adoration for all that he was and demanding nothing more from him.
She would free him, she would let him be himself without the mask.
With her he would no longer hide in a shell of pretense, no longer fight the desire to be human, to smile, to laugh, to cry, he will do what he fells he wants to do without the fear of losing all respect he has struggled to gain from the one closest to him. This stranger will be the one who frees him from the captivity that stress, solitude and neglect have so cruelly caged him in.
Why had she gone? Why was everyone leaving him? He wouldn't let her leave just like that! He could find her, she was calling for him, she was screaming out and he could hear her voice and feel her warmth, concealed from his sight by those that just wanted him to hurt without any hope of finding independence from the chains of depression his current life was weighing him down with.
His body turned about, the blue eyes vaguely taking any sort of recognition towards the fact that there was a sea of faces around him, solely searching for those large pale blue eyes that would be his rapture in life. The panic in his expression became mixed with confusion and loss, desperate to find the mission piece, anxious to unite with what was stolen away from him too soon. The thrashing of his heart pounding dangerous fast, the pulse felt in the pit of his stomach, the depth of his throat, the tips of his fingers.
There was something missing. She was gone. He was alone.. abandoned again..
It wasn't fair! This wasn't happening, she wouldn't have forsaken him like all the others have, she couldn't leave him, she was all he had, was everything, she was his only hope, there was nothing left without her to guide him! Tiny pinpricks of sweat formed, scattering faintly across his skin, anguish written plainly upon his face. He just had to focus, he just had to find her and everything would be alright, all would be fine again, he'd be safe with her, he'd be free!
There was a frustrated yell erupting from the feral as he looked about frantically, a slight anger flaring up in demand for her to return to him, to show herself so he could find her, there was nothing left now.. no meaning to life... there was only on goal in his existence, and that was to find the one who could bring meaning to all the miserable years that are to follow, a sole hope that this enigmatic creature would shape a better future for him to enjoy and be proud of... and for once, to simply be allowed to be himself.
I can hear you whisper.. but you can't hear me scream.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
George listened in disbelief as the girl attempted to sweet talk the guards. *Real little vixen that one*
Any other day he’d have been happy to sit back and watch her ‘play’ with Michael but not if it would cost him money. Still no one seemed to be inclined to do anything about moving his troublesome little brother from her clutches.
He looked up at the mutant still pouting innocently against the bars of the cage. "Listen you. If anything happens to him before I get my money I’ll make sure you pay for it one way or another. Understand! There’s more than you want some fun and games with him but at least the others are willing to cough up cash for the pleasure.
Speaking of which" George turned round as the two red demons approached him "Looks like his new owners could be just around the corner.Maybe you could ask them to buy you as well then you wouldn't have to give up your toy. Catch you later! " he said with a smirk and walked off to negotiate the asking price with Michael's would be buyers.
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Michael’s Hood form watched Connor’s frantic search for Amlarie, accompanying him, invisible and intangible but present, never leaving him for an instant as he pushed his way through the milling crowd.
*Connor come on! You’re free. No ones even paying any attention to you. You can go and get help. Contact these X men friends of yours. Come back and get Madison out. Surely you’d want to do that.*
But Connor seemed totally obsessed with his quest to find the strange woman who had bought him and sealed his fate with a single kiss. Faster and faster he sped in her pursuit his face echoing the anguish and loss her absence brought to his soul.
*This is no good She’s got him completely under her spell. What did she do to him anyway?* Michael remembered the feeling of warmth and security that had crept over him as Almaries gaze had rested on him and groaned inwardly. *Is that what Connors searching for. How do we fight that?*
*More to the point* Michael suddenly thought *what will he do if he doesn’t find her.* A vision of Connor rampaging through the crowd filled Michael's mind, chilling him with its implications. *If he loses it completely there’s no telling what damage he could do to himself or those around him. Not that I’m all that worried about these demons and fiends but there are too many of them. Eventually they’d bring him down. Kill him even Well I’m not going to let that happen. There must be some way to stop him.*
*But I can’t just keep following him* Michael thought to himself *He could explode at any minute .* With a sigh of resignation he came to a decision. *To hell with the risk I’ve got to materialise Hood and try to reason with him.* The thought of exposing his carefully hidden power, his astral self dismayed him but there seemed to be no other choice. Still he was now sufficiently far away from the cage. *They probably won’t make the connection between Hood and Michael. Lets hope not at least. For the moment the most important thing is to keep Connor safe. *
*Maybe seeing a familiar face, remembering that there are other people who are worried about him will snap him out of it. It would be better if Madison was here but it would have been altogether too suspicious if she’d keeled over in the cage. So he’ll just have to make do with me. Guess its better than nothing*
*I realise he doesn’t know me that well but already we’ve been through a lot together. He probably saved my life back in the cell. I’m not sure my heart would have started up by itself if he hadn’t shocked it back to life. I owe him at least this. To try to bring him back to his senses before its too late.*
A wild yell full of anger and frustration burst from Connors throat causing those nearest him to step back in increasing alarm. *Times running out I have to find a place to materialise and fast. Just hope I’m up to this Things still don’t feel to good, Hoods definitely weaker than he should be. Still all I want to do is talk. Surely I can manage that?*
Discretely, keeping an ever watchful eye on Connor, Michael sought out a darkened corner of the marketplace and concentrated his efforts on channelling the necessary energy from his physical form into his astral body.
As Hood gained substance he could tell that all was not well with him. He looked as if he had been in a roughhouse brawl, the leather armour scuffed and damaged , the sword dulled and heavier than usual dragging at his side. There was no pain but rather a feeling of light-headedness as if he was recovering from a long illness. *So this is what having your astral form blown apart does to you. Remind me not to do it again.*
Now that he was fully corporeal he could see heads start to turn as people noticed his strange attire and weapons. Still no one challenged him. *There are so many weird things here I’m just one more. Better take advantage of the effect it may not last for long.*
It was harder to reach Connor now as he had to elbow his way through the crowd instead of merely phasing through it but the feral had slowed down looking confused and lost. *Good! Maybe he’ll give up and come back with me if he can’t find her trail. Or maybe not!*
Michael caught a glimpse of the building fury in Connors eyes and realised that his worst fears could very well be realised. *Hes going to tear this place apart with his bare hands till he finds her. Is that what she wants? To see just how far he’s ready to go to reach her? Is that why she abandoned him like this? How could anyone who really cared for him do that? And why can’t he see that for himself.*
"Connor wait up! Connor!" Michael saw the feral swing round at the sound of his voice but there seemed to be little recognition in his troubled eyes. He ran lightly over to him ignoring the puzzled glances of the onlookers.
"Connor Its me Hood! Remember? Look you’ve got to stop this." He came to a halt in front of the young mutant, empty hands held up clearly away from his weapons. "Try to think straight." he entreated. "Madison’s waiting back there for you. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about her?"
He thought he saw some reaction at the mention of the girl's name but it was hard to pin down exactly what it was. Resentment, love, devotion, some complex mixture of all three, fleeting and ambiguous but there all the same.
"Look Connor you’re out and free now You can go anywhere you want, do anything you want. You can contact your friends and help Madison get out of here or just get away. I‘ll take care of her for you if you want me to. I’ll make sure she’s safe."
"But please don’t follow that woman. She’s got you under some sort of a spell. I know because I felt it too. The love, the warmth, an end to all my problems, a safe place at last after everything I’ve been through. And its great, probably the best thing I’ve felt in all my life but its not true Connor. Its all a lie to get you to follow her."
"Here, just slip into your astral form and you’ll see for yourself." For one moment Michael thought Connor would do just that but then the hurt look returned almost instantaneously changing to anger . *Ok so he doesn’t like what I’m saying but he needs to hear it. He needs to believe it.*
"Think about it Connor . She bought you just like she’d buy a pet dog. Came right down here with her other demonic friends and took her pick of the mutants on show. Does that sound like the actions of a caring person. And if she’s so fond of you why did she leave you here all alone. Come on Connor its not logical and you know its not. Please make an effort to break free."
He took a step closer to the Enright boy willing him not run, trying to hold him with his words and the sincerity in his voice. "Come back with me Connor. Madison’s waiting for us."
There was a momentary wavering and then the strange enchantment laid its hold on Connor once more and he started to turn. *No I can’t lose him now* Michael thought and caught hold of his arm.
Snarling the feral swung around lashing out his claws sharp and deadly. Michael felt a strange sensation in his side as they slid into his unprotected astral form. *Cold they are so cold.* The two boys stood for an instant linked together by the adamantine bond then the claws retracted and Michael started to fall, a surprised look etched on his face. "Why Connor ?" he said and faded slowly from existence.
Back in the cage Michael’s body convulsed, a gasp of pain escaping from him as Hood returned. Everything was crimson and black, the universe narrowing to a small point of light encircling Madison’s face as she bent over him.
It was hard to breathe, harder still to talk. *But she has to know what happened.*"I’m sorry" he said faintly "I couldn’t break him free. Connors gone to her."
Then the coughing started and the pain overcame him and the blood flowed from the tell tale holes in his wounded side staining the cage floor red.
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OOC Sniff Take care of him till I get back!!
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade"Listen you. If anything happens to him before I get my money I’ll make sure you pay for it one way or another. Understand! There’s more than you want some fun and games with him but at least the others are willing to cough up cash for the pleasure.” George’s threat didn’t really bother Madison as a smirk slowly spread across her face. She had gotten her own way and was happy about it, as she always was when something went her own way. She never liked it when things were against her, unless it was leading up for a challenge for her to turn things around that is.
“Speaking of which" Madison’s dark chocolate eyes followed the gaze of George’s as he turned it away from her and towards the two demons who had looked over Michael not too long ago. That couldn’t be good. They still wanted to buy him. 'Hood better hurry,' she thought knowing that it wouldn’t be that easy for her to fend off demons that tried to get to Michael’s body.
"Looks like his new owners could be just around the corner.Maybe you could ask them to buy you as well then you wouldn't have to give up your toy. Catch you later! " She laughed sarcastically as Michael’s older brother walked off, before sending one of her sharp glares directly at him. Like he was going to be getting any money for his brother! Madison knew she’d have to do something if they tried to get to him before help arrived but she knew that she didn’t stand much of a chance against all of them, though she wasn’t going to let anyone know that.
"Looks like I get to keep my playmate, boys," She said to the guards, shooing them away from the cage with her hands. Once they had walked away to guard over another cage of mutants, probably who were to be sold shortly, Madison let her hands slip off the bars and slowly got to her feet once more before making her way over to Michael. "You owe me one…" She whispered, knowing that this was only borrowed time until George found a buyer. There wasn’t much she could do that might make the demons change their mind about Michael without him getting taken out of the cage and put elsewhere. While she wasn’t one that liked babysitting, she wasn’t one who liked failure either, a trait her family dislike even her long lost Slayer cousin hated failure over everything else, so she wasn’t going to let down Michael, thus letting down her brother who had become infatuated with the strange mutant, Amlarie.
It wasn’t long after Madison had made her way back to Michael, sitting herself about a metre away, that she noticed movement from him. For a split second, she thought that he had returned and looked about he crowd for a Connor that had come to his senses. Not finding this she looked back to Michael, who was still moving, but in violent spasms.
Pain. He was in pain. Madison quickly got up and knelled beside Michael as he continued to cringe in the pain that she knew her brother had put him in. After all, who else would Michael have shown Hood to? She may not have known Michael for that long, but she knew he was smarter than to allow everyone to see Hood before he got to Connor.
"I’m sorry" Her eyes narrowed a little at the apology. It wasn’t for the fact that she hated apologies, even though she did, it was more aimed for Connor. Of all times, why did he have to lose his sanity at this moment of time? He was always the sane one of the family, along with their mother. Madison would never have called Arisa sane if her life depended on it, often calling her crazy in her younger years, their father would surely never pass a psychological test and Madison knew that her personality didn’t allow for her to be totally normal. Normal people like other people, she simply didn’t.
"I couldn’t break him free. Connors gone to her." Remembering what Michelle did when she was in pain after breaking her arm when she was six, Madison made a hushing noise telling him to be quiet. When she had stopped complaining about the pain and stopped her tears (which had only lasted a few moments since she was too stubborn to allow herself to cry, even at such a young age) her mother had taken care of her and the pain seemed to slowly fade. Luckily her enhanced healing kicked in and her arm healed in only a third of the time than it normally would.
She tried to remember how her mother had made her feel comfortable while she was in pain, to try and do the same to Michael while he continued to cringe. However, it stopped as he gave in to the pain and slipped unconscious.
By now blood had already seeped through his clothing, a small pool of crimson liquid forming in front of Madison who just stared at it unsurely. Blood was only a good sign if she was in the Danger Room against one of her more hated opponents, but even then she never saw this much oozing out from Shalimar since she healed rather quickly, like Madison when she was bleeding.
Madison wasn’t quite sure what to do. She was the one who made others bleed, she wasn’t the one who healed them. That was for Beast to do, or themselves if they had rapid healing.
"Of all my time of causing stuff like this, I never really learned how to heal it…" Leaning over Michael she placed both her hands over Michaels three wounds, placing pressure onto the wounds despite Michael’s subconscious painful spasms. Together they were big enough to cover the deep wounds. Though, she could still feel blood coming through her fingers, as they were stained red in no time at all.
"Couldn't you have healing powers?" She complained before releasing the claws from her left hand, they had come out a little earlier than she wanted but at least they hadn’t cut into Michael anymore than her already had been cut into. Quickly, with her hands now away from the wound, she sliced her claws through the side of her jumper careful to not cut herself and quickly took it off. She didn’t care that she was now a little colder without the jumper, at least she still had a white tank top on underneath.
Her eyes flickered from the jumper to the wound then back to the jumper again. Maybe she should have paid attention in her classes that had focused on first aid. She would have killed to have at least listened in on at least one of those classes right now. But she hadn’t, so she was going to have to go on with what she knew… and that wasn’t very much.
The main thing she knew was important at least, she had to apply pressure to the wound to stop the blood. She had tried that before but her hands weren’t good enough. Perhaps her jumper might be more useful, though this wasn’t going to be as easy as wrapping it a multiple of times around him. If it was his leg, then yes, she could. But this was his side. She still wasn’t completely sure in what she should be doing, so she just folded her top up quickly and placed it over her wound, her hands once again placing pressure even though Michael’s body didn’t agree with her doing that at first.
"Connor, you are in so much trouble when you come back to Earth," She muttered, still angry that her brother had allowed himself to believe every single word of the mutant stranger and actually do as she says and follow after her. How could his lose control of himself at a time like this?!
Her jumper and the applied pressure was at least slowing the blood down a little, but it wasn’t taking too long for it to soak into her jumper. Madison’s clothes had never really been that lucky, she either wore them out with too many Danger Room sessions, or her claws came out at their own will and ruined them and now there was this.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade"Connor wait up! Connor!" A voice. Desperate. Pleading. Alien. Turning to look in the direction of the one calling out, Connor stared over towards Michael, it wasn't her... it wasn't the one who would offer him eternal peace with his inner self.
"Connor Its me Hood! Remember? Look you’ve got to stop this." A slow study of the other boys attire was seen as Connor's eyes traveled over Michael's form. "Try to think straight." Why was this one talking to him? Connor didn't understand, he was in a hurry, he had to find something, her, he had to find her.. whoever she was.. "Madison’s waiting back there for you. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about her?" Madison? .....Madison.. he knew that name didn't he? Of course.. Madison please! Please just stop yelling at her! Always yelling, always angry, always hating.. It's alright Madison, I'll always be around. But he wasn't around, their father wasn't there, she left him back in the lab hadn't see? She left their father like he left them so often when they were young. You can't just shut out the entire world Madi, I don't care how hard you fight me, I'm not going to let you shut me out as well. So angry..it was like she was afraid to be hurt again, Connor always assumed she just hated everyone because she was afraid they'd hate her, so she'd hate them first, she'd hate the entire world so she'd never trust and be hurt again by someone who betrays her. Do you just tolerate me Madi? Did she love him, did she care, did she even know if she felt anything for him or was he simply 'her brother', if he wasn't her brother she'd just hate him like she hates everyone else, and Connor knew that without a doubt in his mind.
"Look Connor you’re out and free now You can go anywhere you want, do anything you want. You can contact your friends and help Madison get out of here or just get away. I‘ll take care of her for you if you want me to. I’ll make sure she’s safe." Wasn't that his job? That's always been his job though, she didn't need him anyway, maybe it was about time someone else helped her, someone she needed, someone she might actually love, did she love this person? Who was in love with who now? What was he thinking about before? Does that woman love this boy!? Is that why she left Connor, because Michael was her favorite, Connor didn't even realize his mind had completely gone of the previous tracks of thought he had been on.
"But please don’t follow that woman. She’s got you under some sort of a spell. I know because I felt it too. The love, the warmth, an end to all my problems, a safe place at last after everything I’ve been through. And its great, probably the best thing I’ve felt in all my life but its not true Connor. Its all a lie to get you to follow her." He felt her love!? So he was her favorite then, he was the reason Connor wasn't able to find her, this one was keeping her from Connor! Now he was calling her a lier, he was trying to trick the feral, did this fool think Connor so simple minded that he wouldn't know the truth when he both saw AND felt the perfection of peace she had offered so freely to him?
"Here, just slip into your astral form and you’ll see for yourself." His astral form.. his true form, the inner self he always hides, the ghost that lingers within this shell that wears a mask to protect himself from the judgement of those around him. But he didn't need to use a power to reveal his true face, not any more, not once he finds Amlarie, that woman would save him from such petty dispair and dreams. But he couldn't find her, he find the one who promised to save him, why didn't she love him any more, how could he have messed up such a wonderful gift as the one she was offering?
"Think about it Connor . She bought you just like she’d buy a pet dog. Came right down here with her other demonic friends and took her pick of the mutants on show. Does that sound like the actions of a caring person. And if she’s so fond of you why did she leave you here all alone. Come on Connor its not logical and you know its not. Please make an effort to break free." A dog? But she wasn't a demon.. would she pat him like a pet, reward him when he did things right? Would she praise him, spoil him, show him affection? A dogs life sounded blissful, even if he was a pet, at least he was wanted, at least someone or something needed him to stroke and order about and praise and play with.
"Come back with me Connor. Madison’s waiting for us." He did miss Madison, they used to play together all the time didn't they? They used to have so much fun, they used to be so free.. but she'd just start yelling again, he'd be trapped in the tornado of fury that his two sisters provoked. He wasn't going to spend his entire life breaking them up, he was tired of standing up for them, he was tired of hearing all those heartbreaking comments, he hated them, he hated them because they pretended to love him when in truth they didn't, at least Arisa left him, Madison was just letting him linger about while she leads him in believing that there's at least one person who cares for his well-being.
Never again. He wanted to be free. He wanted to be himself. Connor turned, his eyes once again scanning the crowd for the only one who truly knew him, the only one who would know how to take away his pain. There was a hand though, someone stopping him from finding her, denying him the heavenly bliss of inner peace, how dare they! The boiling fury inside of him boiled over into an explosion of rage as a snarling growl seethed from his slightly fanged teeth, his other arm rushing forward in an uncontrolled fury and the knives ripping into the tender flesh of the illusionary being.
Those eyes. Connor stared at them. So familiar. The claws hadn't reached their full length by the time they were already being pulled back into the safety of his arm. Anger. Confusion. Shock. Hood's own face looking taken by surprise from Connor's actions.
"Why Connor?" The form disappeared, spirited away to another realm, to where ever it was that Hood merely 'vanished' off to. Staring down at his hands, already forgetting, already confused.. Why? ... What was the question for? Connor.. that was him wasn't it? There was a tremble in his hands, he was so thirsty, starving, he needed something, anything, he needed her.
I can hear you whisper.. but you can't hear me scream.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
ooc: *Throws a whole horde of characters into the mix coz this is the perfect place to start most of them off*
Rushed footsteps raced through the crowd, silent and swift, the dark suit clung tightly to the mysterious figure, her movements displaying a sense of urgency, yet perfect calm at the same time, a furious temper molded into a perfect assassination tool that helped her already lethal attacks explode with nearly unmatched fury. At her side, a white haired beauty, long silvery strands that dragged down about her waist, a contrast to the creature beside her, completely covered, masked, hidden… the glowing dots in the center of her goggles giving an eerie effect to the predatory creature.
And there, like two complete opposites, so different on the outside, and yet so exactly the same that it is nearly frightening to realize how different and similar people could be, but it was more then just the lacking of personality that these two woman shared, more then being homeless, more then the fact they had been found and asked to join Amlarie and her cause… these two were true sisters.. both genetic wonders that are alone in the world, and further more.. that are somewhat related to an X-man.
The masked female released her adamantium claws, a sever hint to any who might wonder who of the X-men she was related to, yet unlike her male counter part, the clone known as X-23 merely had two claws within her knuckles, yet unlike her other genetic relations, she possesses her third claw.. in her feet.
And the silver haired beauty took little guess work on who she was related to, the fire elemental summoning wonder of science had a strong resemblance to her ‘mother’, the famous and power ‘Weather Witch’ known as Storm. Though at first she had been wild and with a will of her own that refused to listen to any other then herself, Amlarie soon was able to coax the stubborn and prideful ‘Fire Storm’ instead working in their group, showing Oraya different ways to fight other then using her destructive powers. Oraya’s perfect hand eye co-ordination meant she was with natural talent to wield weapons, there was also the added bonus that she had already been trained in combat uses with all sorts of weapons ranging from daggers and swords to advanced military gear while in Sinister’s training base (who was partnered with Apocalypse in search of ways to create the perfect weapon through genetic creations mostly based on samples of DNA collected from the X-men).
It wouldn’t take long to see that the members of ‘Liberty X’, are mostly all unique and special in some way, their history – or future – possessing unusual and unique characteristics that Amlarie has been chosen to watch over and help both heal and guide the struggling youngsters that are now trying to deal with their unusual lives as best they can. The target of the charging mutants was neither the wild Connor, the wounded Michael, or the caged Madison, or any other, they had not been ordered to help them, merely to wait while Amlarie retrieved Connor. But X-23 could see perfectly, her mask enabling her to see the danger Amlarie was in while Cole had his arm grasped clear about her neck, even Amlarie’s enchanted mutant powers had no chance against the high lord who’s powers had only been increased once Kayel ordered a Wicca vampire to unite the half-breed with his lost demonic form.
The night was dark save for the bright lights focused on the cages and the silvery hue of the moon that glowed elegantly down upon the mostly unholy creatures, so not many would be able to see the hasty movement’s of the two who shoved their way through the crowd. With a threatening snarl that caught even Cole’s attention, both Liberty members readied themselves for an attack, only to have another disturbance nearby as demon called out in a panic while a van drove into the crowd – it was not hard to see that Logan was in a really foul mood, even for his standards.
Oraya and X-23 turned their heads to look back at the vehicle, missing Cole’s departure as he angrily shimmered away, Oraya looked back and swore under her breath in frustration, seeing his escape as a failure on her part. The white haired beauty grabbed Amlarie and helped the blue mutant to her feet, a harsh whisper escaping her sore throat insisting they retreat before the X-men discover them. Oraya nodded her hair, though cast a look over towards the vehicle as people got out and instantly got on the offensive, her attention soon turned to taking Amlarie safely back to their small jet.
X-23 didn’t bother moving however, her hidden eyes watching the chaos before her, Logan had gotten out and was yelling at the top of his voice, his claws shown and threatening anyone who was foolish enough to try and stand in his way. The elder Wolverine had spotted Connor and hurried over to his son, while Frostbite quite merrily made her way towards Madison’s cell.
"...Oh my god," She sounded bordering stunned as she climbed the stairs casually and stared at Madison, "Did the pound capture you again? How many times do we have to tell them despite what it appears you really DON'T have rabies." There was a cruel little smirk as Frost fiddled with something around her neck that had been hidden under her dress, pulling the slender silver object as clicked a button and then after a moment added, "I knew this portable camera would eventually come in handy." The smugness in her attitude seemed to hint she was in a pretty good mood, could she be blamed though? This was like a perfect treat! And Madison would be enjoying it just as much if they had switched places. There was a yell from someone in the team as a few demons lunged at them, not ready to lose the mutants that these other freaks had obviously come to rescue.
"Sean! Stay by the van, don't let anyone near it, Talia, those bars are composed of adamantium," Riley's glasses had already scanned the substance and was able to recognize it as something he has on his computer, "Teleport in there and get Madison and any others caged, the rest of you stay with Sean, don't let any of them near the van and once Talia brings the captives make sure they get into the van!" Riley repeated himself so they understood it was important, after all, if they managed to get destroy, or worse, obtain the vehicle, then they'd either have to walk back to the school or the demons would manage to sell any and all of the information and technology stored within it.
Frost seemed to have lost her cocky attitude however when she noticed Michael's bloodied form, and there was no disgusting the fact she thought it had been Madison who had done such a horrible thing.
"..What did you do to him." There was an accusing tone, but somewhat shocked and in disbelief, how could Madison do that to another mutant? Surely he deserved it..
Just like back at the Inquisition, a fair few of the guards were vampiric here, due to them being easy to keep, fast to obtain, and with them feeding and turning others, easily making their ranks spawn off into larger and larger groups. The down point being if you knew what to do and had the strength to do it, you generally found them a rather pathetic challenge. That is of course.. unless you have about thirty closing in on you from all sides amongst OTHER demons also trying to stop the rescue of the stolen mutants.
Three vampires lunged for Riley who was more keen on trying to get to Connor who seemed to be having yet another fight with father, only this time Connor was more violent then he ever before. There was a grudging feeling as Riley was forced to fight the vampires, he hated demons sure he had been programmed to hate them, but he hated them for the added fact that he was stolen away from his family and his life just because of an organization that wanted him to join them in the endless battle against the demonic entities that infect the world like a sickly virus. Yet even a virus has its goods as well as its bads, something that Riley was able to see when he started fighting the mind control that he had been victim to since just before he had turned fourteen.
Riley had a bag of different items that he might need inside the van, so since he knew he was coming to a demonic residence such as the black market of Harmony, he came prepared and now arms with what demon hunters often call 'Slaying tools'. Well, he simply possessed his silver bullet loaded gun and a stake, not as fancy as the things he had back in the Initiative, but he could get those better toys if he wanted to.. he just didn't want to.
In a flurry of powerful spin kicks and using his arms to mainly block attacks, Riley quickly assessed his situation and spotting the fastest one, he slammed his elbow back into it's jaw and then his first hard into one of its companions, the same fist clutching the wooden stake which collided into the chest of the fastest of the three vampire's attacking him. For someone as tall and well built as Riley it was impressive to see how well he moved and handled himself, though by far he was no were near as agile as any of the Enright's or any other agility mutant, he was always in perfect balance as often as possible which made it hard for his opponents to catch him off guard and trip him up.
It didn't take long at all for the other two to crumble away into ashy remains, unfortunately he had another red skinned demon on his case before he could even think of going to see what was wrong with one of his best friends. Not all demons had supernatural strength.. must just be some twist of fate that seems to always send the strong ones towards Riley and the X-men in general.
"Eema denae sothestie!" The deep voice of the large human-sized demon rung out angrily, Riley seemed to understand whatever had been said because he flared up rather angrily and started wrestling and throwing punches right away. Talia appeared with Madison and Anna had run from the cage back towards the van, dismissing anyone who had tried to get in her way by freezing the moisture inside their bodies.
"Karto ja lumella trishta-kin!" The reply from the human startled the demon slightly, but enough that Riley was easily able to grab a hold of its dark red hair and pull its head down while thrashing his knee up into the creature’s repugnant face. Ok.. so Riley was a little sensitive on the subject of woman being raped.. but he couldn't really be blamed right? His ex-girlfriend had been raped and that had been one of the things that had started to really destroy passionate relationship they had into the awkward friendship they managed to build up to the point it was at today.
ooc: sorry there's so much text, I just really wanted to start to move this along..*has nightmares of another 'Hotel Possession' thread that remains open endlessly*
How am I going to be strong without you? I need you by my side..
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
(ooc- There’s nothing wrong with too much writing! *Goes back to laughing at Madi having her picture taken* And what's going on with all the titles? Who's stealing them? *Puts her Madi one back up*)
It was completely frustrating for Madison as her hands remained placed over Michael’s large wound. The blood wasn’t stopping and it wouldn’t take all too long for it to soak through her jumper. It was strange however, seeing so much blood, she had been so used to healing quickly that she never saw too much for all that long.
"...Oh my god," Her body seemed to freeze at that moment, at that all too recognisable voice. Who had let her come to the rescue mission? And here most people would be pleased to know that someone was saving them, friend or foe, but not Madison. It was so humiliating for the young mutant, who slowly looked up from all the crimson her eyes were getting used to seeing to the ice-generating mutant who was making her way to the stage. Of course, her eyes narrowed upon seeing the face of Frost.
"Did the pound capture you again? How many times do we have to tell them despite what it appears you really DON'T have rabies." There was a simple, yet extremely sarcastic, 'ha' from Madison before she looked down to see if the blood had bothered to slow down a little. Not noticing a change, though there was a slight change but Madison obviously hadn’t seen, her hands pressed down harder as she ignored that it might actually be causing more pain for the unconscious Michael. By the time she looked up a bright light flashed in her direction causing her to blink a couple of times before she realised what they flash was from. A camera. Which brought the question forth once more, who let her come along?
"I knew this portable camera would eventually come in handy." The smugness on Frost’s face only added to the anger that was brewing inside of her. She was about to get up, release her claws and get carried away in anger, though the warm liquid feeling over her hands stopped her. Besides, if Anna Drake took one step back she would completely be out of Madison’s arm reach, including the claws.
Her absorbed senses allowed her to hear the scream quite well, followed by the orders of her brother’s best friend. Couldn’t one of them be the one to find her and not Frost!
"..What did you do to him." For once this piece of artwork was not one of Madison’s, and by now Frost should have known that if Madison had hurt someone, she wouldn’t be the one trying to help them straight after. Like one time in the Danger Room for example, Madison had fought against a new mutant who only had physical mutations, no powers. The mutant had put up a good fight, but Madison was clearly the stronger of the two so she ended up easily defeating her opposition to walk out, dusting herself off as she did so and leave the poor hurt mutant lying there in pain. Luckily, a couple of students had been watching from the control room and rushed in and took her to Beast in the Med Bay.
"Oh come on, you should know that my claws are saved only for you," She called out to Frost in probably what would be the most serious of sentences she could conjure up for her at the moment. It was so tempting to get up and make her way to the side of the cage where Frost was, but she knew that getting up would put Michael in more trouble than he already was in. Besides, she’d only look like a caged animal and add to the pleasure that Frost was already having.
Not too long after, a 'bamf' sound told Madison that a Wagner had made their way into the cage. Madison could feel the powers she subconsciously absorbed; teleportation, shapeshifing, telepathic powers. Talia. And while she was the niece of Arisa, she didn’t hold a passionate hate towards the fuzzy blue elf-like mutant, however, she didn’t quite like being teleported to the van. She had absorbed teleportation herself, thus she could teleport! Alright, she didn’t know the exact location of the van so she wouldn’t have gotten too far, but Madison just liked doing things for herself.
While Talia teleported back off, perhaps to go and fetch Michael, Madison looked down to her bloodstained hands. She couldn’t exactly wipe them clean on her jeans, they were covered in blood as well. Not only could she see it, but she could smell it also, though that was only because she had caused an enhanced scent to kick in, curious to see what it smelt like.
Outside of the van she could hear her fellow X-Men battling against the supernatural beings, vampires, demons, they were all as bad as each other. Looking up from her hands she peered outside the van to watch them all fight against their opponents. It wasn’t fair, when she had been in her astral form Madison was stuck as her mother. Don't get her wrong, she loved her heaps, but in that form she wasn’t exactly fighting material. Michael was Hood where he was more stronger than his normal self and Connor was… was… well, Madison didn’t quite know who his masked form was, but he could still fight. And now she was stuck inside a van, couldn’t she fight and help the others? She could do her fair share, even though she completely forgotten that she was yet to recover fully one hundred per cent from being drugged.
With her eyes still watching everything outside, Madison stubbornly got herself out of the van. Talia helped out Hank in the Medical Lab, so she had a much better experience of helping the injured than Madison’s poor attempt, she could look after Michael. Instead, Madison was better at fighting. As her feet fell onto the ground outside she looked back into the van, half expecting to get told off for getting out. It was always when she wanted to do something that someone pulled her back and disallowed her to do so.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
The journey hadn’t been long, the van driving at speeds that Sean assumed wasn’t possible for a normal vehicle of this type. It had been a little rough but despite the bumps the journey had been in almost complete silence, every mutant in the van preparing themselves for the up coming fight in the middle of Harmony’s black market. For a second Sean’s thoughts wondered to Dawn, Harmony was where she studied with Willow and the other wicca to learn her witch abilities, was she in any more danger studying there than she was at the institute with this kind of mutant stealing trade taking place. The visored mutant had to put those thought from his mind quickly, if he found himself preoccupied with that kind of thinking when they reach the market he was definitely asking to loose.
The van suddenly came to a sliding stop and Riley was the first to leap from his position in the van and swing the doors open, quickly followed by each of the other mutants who had come along, eaxh one ready to do their part.
"Sean! Stay by the van, don't let anyone near it, Talia, those bars are composed of adamantium, Teleport in there and get Madison and any others caged, the rest of you stay with Sean, don't let any of them near the van and once Talia brings the captives make sure they get into the van!"
Sean nodded quickly and turned to the others who had been told to stay with him, including Ben and Taylor, the two men that had made up their trio when around the institute. His covered eyes then quickly glanced at Racheal and the others who were assigned to stay with him and protect the van;
“You all know your strengths, use them, use each other; nothing is to get to this van!” Sean shouted to the others around them. “Form a circle around the van it needs to be secure for our escape!”
Taylor’s face was suddenly covered with a wide grin, a flash of electrical energy lit his eyes; “I have been waiting for this for a long time!” Ever since he had arrived at the institute he had practiced using his powers in the danger room but he hadn’t yet been out in a real life situation, at last he was going to have a chance to use his martial arts training and his electrical manipulation in a way that would help.
Each of the remaining mutants by the van fanned out into the formation Sean had let them know and it was just in time as a large group of vampires; their faces twisted into their demon form; began to run for the van straight towards Sean and Taylor who were covering the back entrance to the van. To the other side a much larger demon began to stroll up to him, it was obvious that the massive red skinned demon was there for his physical strength. The two cousins swapped sides, Taylor now facing the vampire group, and Sean up against the massive nine foot demon.
The vampires charged first and Taylor was ready, his increased agility and speed meant he could hone his martial arts skills and seriously focus on using them in perfect symmetry with his electrical powers. Like a blur Taylor leapt from the hard floor, the artificial light making his yellow face contrast with his black X-Men outfit. Taylor’s heightened agility allowed him to see what each and every one of the Vampires was about to do and as he glided through the air above the group one made an attempt to grab him out of his jump and pull him to the floor; as if he had foreseen the attack in some kind of vision Taylor swung his left hand down as he began to descend to the ground and unleashed a powerful burst of electrical energy, it’s lightening-like form hitting the vampire attacker straight in the face, electrical burns forming as the powerful energy hit him, forcing the demon to grasp at his face with the pain.
Momentarily the vampires backed off as Taylor landed in the centre of the group, catching a couple of them off guard; obviously the ones that had thought the first vampires attempt would be successful and that they would get off easy without having to deal with any of the van’s guards. Taylor remained crouched on the ground for a moment as the demonic group stared at him until one of them lost their nerve and charged for Taylor. The yellow mutant had charged his body so that every punch or kick that he unfolded would have that extra shock involved. As the vampiritic assailant came for him Taylor swung around on his hands swinging both his tensed legs into the attacker, his form being thrown through the group and into a pile of wooden lift pallets which splintered on contact piercing his body including the long dead heart in his chest, erupting him into a burst of ashes.
Before Taylor could do anything the group suddenly lunged at him as one, dozens of arms coming around him and pulling him into a tight hold and despite his struggles the demons grip was to much to break free of, each vampire keeping away from his skin or metal conduction plates that allowed him to use his electrical abilities. A heavy laugh came from a larger male Vampire, his teeth bared, his large muscles prominent under his shirt which was torn in several places and as the pairs yellow coloured eyes met he spoke deeply; “I have never tried mutant blood before.” And as the other vampires held him tightly Taylor suddenly felt the deep bite of the feeding vampire, but the pain was not long; as the teeth bite into him the skin contact allowed him to send volts upon volts of electricity into the larger demon and as it channeled through his body he was thrown backwards and every vampire around him jumped with shock allowing him enough leverage to jump from their hold and back outside their group.
Ingenuity hit him and Taylor quickly grabbed one of the spare petrol cans from the van door and as the group of blood suckers came towards him he quickly unscrewed the cap and swung it heavily at them one of them catching the metal canister as it sprayed petrol over the whole group, for a second they all stopped and looked at him quizzically but it was that moment that they made their mistake as a devilish grin from on Taylor’s face, he through our both his arms and unleashed a flurry of electrical energy straight at the group, a moment of panic was seen in their eyes just before the bolts hit their petrol soaked forms, igniting the substance and taking each and every one of the group with it, their undead forms turning straight into dust.
Meanwhile Sean was facing off with the large red demon who had begun to charge at him and before he could do anything the large arms of the creature smacked into him throwing him into the van, the force of the assault denting the side of the black vehicle. The large creature grinned as he saw Sean’s much smaller form slump to the floor, but the telekinetic mutant soon wiped that off his face. As the demon began to run at him again, looming over Sean’s fallen body, the young man through out one hand and lifted the creature off the ground with his powers, momentarily stunned the creature looked down at his feet and then back at Sean, just in time to see his other hand raise to the side of his visor, and let out a powerful burst of optical energy through the ruby lense. The powerful kinetic energy smacking into the creature, a number of cracking sounds made as the nine foot creature was hit into a pair of other demons who had begun to run towards the van their small forms cushioning the fall of the massive demon.
However, despite Sean’s hopes, the attacker got back up and giving him another look of defiance at his ease of getting back up from Sean’s assault, the large demon began to grab anything at had and swing it at Sean, the first item behind a stand which had been selling food to the people at the market. All Sean could do was hold out his arms and concentrate as much as he could to erect a barrier of invisible energy; as the stand flew towards him, he was relieved momentarily to see it shatter a few meters ahead of him, but that was soon gone as he realized that that wasn’t the only item that was being thrown, and backed up against the van all Sean could go was stand defensivly, putting all his energy into this barrier so that each and every item that the physically powerful demon was swinging at him would not break through and crush his body under it’s substantial weight.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
The initial thought that crossed Riley's mind as Sean began to fight the large demon was 'He can handle it.' and there was not effort made to check if Sean really could handle the monster. After all, Riley knew that simple salt water would sear into that creatures flesh like acid, though it was otherwise a nearly indestructible skinned beast, its weakness made it a pathetic opponent if you knew how to destroy it.
The second van approached, Kurt's fuzzy form seen at the drivers seat, Riley had at the same point noticed Madison leaving the safety of the van, and he knew from being Connor's close friend that she was not one that tolerates being told off.
"Madison!" Riley's voice called out loudly from where he was fighting a blue skinned demon with red eyes, dark blue spots scattered across his skin and he had small ivy spikes running from the base of his skin all the way u the center of his face, over his bald skull and down his neck and spine. "Join the formation and have it expand to encompass both the vehicles!" It was more the fact that he knew she possessed fast healing abilities and that she was such a strong fighter that encouraged him not to demand she get back into the van, he hardly cared if she'd hold a grudge against him if he had ordered her back inside. The fact she was soaked in blood went completely unnoticed by Riley, only Catherine was aware of his inability to see blood, and if he did see the 'red stuff' and by chance did understand for a moment that it was blood, he'd shortly after forget all about it a second later, all thanks to one of the many brain washings he had received since he was a child.
The loud disturbance coming from over where Sean was fighting caused Riley to turned his attention back there and see the abuse that the young Summers was being dealt. A twinge of guilt rose, maybe Sean couldn't handle everything on his own, Riley just convinced himself that Sean was perfect enough to take care of anything thrown his way that the former Agent hadn't even attempted to SEE if his comrade actually could deal with what he was being faced with.
Riley run over various stores, the third possessing what he was searching for, then picking up the large sack with ease, the strong human hurried over to the hydrant - even demonic markets had safety restrictions they had to deal with. Before he attached the hose, the former demon hunter begun to pour the contents of the salt bag into the end of the hose, then quickly screwed it into place. Unlike most people, Riley didn't need any equipment to turn the handle, his strength handling it easy enough. Once the hydrant was open, Riley quickly made his way over towards Sean's location, not even seven meters.
Placing his hand on the handle of the hose, Riley pulled it back so that a stream of water burst powerfully from the nuzzle, a loud shrieking roar erupting from the foul mouth of the fanged demonic entity as it impacted the creatures chest, the acidic nature of the salt powerful enough to eat through its chest and cause fatal damage before the salty mixture disappeared entirely from the water. At first the red skinned demon cried out in agony and grabbed its chest, only to burn its hands and arms as well and then to fall back in pain, withering in torment and soon growing still and lifeless.
It's the first obvious hint Riley has ever so openly showed towards the fact he knows how to deal with demonic life, but then again he hasn't been involved in any real demonic missions with the X-men before. It wasn't like he was trying to hide the fact, it's just he hasn't revealed that he was a former demon hunter before and if he tells people he knows all about demons they'd probably want to know how so the topic not only never came up but was also carefully avoided by Riley when it risked surfacing.
Closing the nuzzle of the hose so the water no longer shot out of the end, Riley glanced over towards Sean as he dropped the hose onto the ground, withdrawing his gun from his belt. The sound of an aircraft taking off however caught his attention as he looked over into the distance to see a small sleek black jet cloaking off in the distance, obviously a stealth fighter of some sort, but Riley tore his eyes and mind from the sight and focused on yell of Connor who was basically being dragged towards the van by Wolverine.
"One my command all X-men are to retreat into the last van!" Since the one they arrived in was getting filled with the rescued hostages, Riley hurried over to help Logan handle Connor, whose legs were kicking out wildly in an effort to get his father to drop him. Logan had a tight hold on Connor, his arms wrapped about the younger feral's chest and standing behind him, half having to lift his son from the ground in order to move him.
It didn't take too long for Riley to take hold of Connor's leg, something the wild feral didn't like at all, responding with a furious threatening snarl as he tried harder to struggle free of their hold.
"Calm down Connor!" The elder Wolverine demanded, Logan's gruff voice filled slightly with concern as both men tried to move Connor into the back of the last van. As the young feral - who was suffering from some type of intoxication - began to focus his mind slightly more, a flicker of yellow sparks ran across his chest. There was another animalistic growl from Connor a moment before Riley felt a current of electricity flow over Connor's body and painfully shock Riley and Logan. Instantly Riley let go, a partial yell escaping him as his hands rushed to press against the sides of his head, his implant was sensitive to electrical currents and would go off painfully. But an instant later, while Connor's body was still being help tightly by Logan who was coping with the pain enough not to be forced to let go, a red glow formed in Connor's eyes followed by a powerful impact slamming into Riley's torso and throwing his body backwards.
"Hey, watch who you attack flea bag!" Frost run over to help Riley up while Logan fought to control Connor on his own, his son started frantically yelling for Madison as his father managed to forcefully seat him as belting him in with his arms crossed over his chest so that the young Clawed warrior didn't slice anyone - including himself.
The masked figure of X-23 tilted her head slightly, Connor, Madison, the names were only faintly familiar to the clone of Wolverine, not because she had met them before, but because they had been in the file Hydra had on Logan. It felt unreal... to see them, to watch them fighting, she had wanted to meet Connor, it was the only reason she bothered to come on this mission. Raising her arm slightly, the female clone took her chance at firing a tiny device that shot from a launcher hidden around her wrist and mostly beneath the fabric of her uniform. Madison would have felt a stinging sensation hit the back of her right shoulder as the tiny needle injected the tracking device into the female feral.
X-23 didn't wait around to see what happened next as she turned and with her enhanced speed retreated out of the market on foot since the others had gone and she refused to leave with them. By luck - for X-23 anyway - Madison was attacked by a shocker demon, it's fanged mouth opening to reveal the jagged teeth within as a wave of sound blasted towards her, followed instantly by a electrified pulse which radiated from the demon's yellow and black stripped body, it's large black eyes looking on in delight, having been attracted to her by the strong scent of blood. The lucky part being that the evidence of the needle hitting Madison had been knocked from her and fell to the ground, soon trodden on and destroyed, leaving everyone clueless as to what had secretly taken place.
Of course Madison's body would detect the intruding device, and begin to try and remove it, her body would have probably destroyed it by the end of the coming month, but X-23 was all to aware of that, and knew she had to make her move fast.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant TradeOOC: *Sighs* I spent 2 days trying to think of how to adjust my post (that I must say took 1 1/2 hours to complete) that was lost because of my stupid computer only to find another post to add into the story. *shrugs* Oh well. I expect (and hope) that this will be a rather long post. *grins*
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The feline mutant listened in silence to the brief explanation of the mission. Silently she hoped they could avoid a fight, but even as she said a silent prayer, she doubted it. Racheal had never been a natural fighter, avoid areas of conflict when she could. However, she knew the instincts of her morphs actted as if they had lived seperate lives, instinct and apparently acquired knowledge giving them the power to fight. One morph imparticular...
She had begun her morph even before the van skid to a halt in the market place, her already heightened senses catching sounds and scents from outside the vehicle that were alien to her. Her normally bright green eyes gained a tawny edge, and black stripes faded into appearance on her face. Whilst within the confines of the vehicle, she had no intention of becoming fully morphed. After all, the Siberian tiger is the largest feline in existance today. Her nails shifted into razor sharp claws as she climbed out of the vehicle, the changes small but noticable now.
"Sean! Stay by the van, don't let anyone near it, Talia, those bars are composed of adamantium, Teleport in there and get Madison and any others caged, the rest of you stay with Sean, don't let any of them near the van and once Talia brings the captives make sure they get into the van!" This time Racheal, Feral, didn't have time to react to the fact it was Riley's voice she heard. Her sharp eyes saw through the night just as clearly as if it were the middle of the day, and what she saw surprised her, but also reassured her. From inside the van, catching the strange scents and sounds had worried her that she might be imagining things. But this showed her that she wasn't. But saying that, a new worry crossed her mind. Although she had never fought before, she knew it would have been easy enough to bring down a human. But these?...
“You all know your strengths, use them, use each other; nothing is to get to this van!” ... “Form a circle around the van it needs to be secure for our escape!” In truth, although the feline mutant was not used to taking even the simplest of orders, she was glad of this. The shock her senses had delivered her since leaving the vehicle may have left her standing there, partially morphed and rather dumbstruck. Turning, she moved to the front of the van as orange and black fur appeared, her form seeming to absorb the leather suit. Although she sped up her morph, she was still humanoid as she reached the front, just in time to catch one vampire with her normally deadly claws. Although the attack pushed the vampire back, it was hardly enough to actually harm the demon. Although she seemed almost completely morphed, she still lacked much of the strength the feline would lend her. Siberians tigers are not only the biggest feline, after all, but also the strongest.
As her joints shifted, cuasing her to fall on to all fours, onto large paws, the vampire lunged again at the physically fully morphed Feral, followed by a second and another demonic being, whose appearance wasn't too different from that of what a humanoid Ankylosaurus, though quite abit shorter and this was no gentle herbivore! Still lacking the instincts of the tiger, she used speed to avoid the demon's club like tail. The demon was not only small, but luggish and seemingly dim - more likely to be another demon's lacky than here on it's own. As she avoided the slow yet steady demon, she used her new found strength against the two vampires. Her knowledge of demons in general was more than lacking. It was practically non-existant. Unlike most children, she had never even heard the various fairy tales surronding some of the demons - such as vampires. Infact, she hadn't even heard of them until she reached the mansion. And then it was one of the fews things that hadn't sparked her curiosity enough to make her find any books in the library.
Suddenly, she felt the almost overwhelming instinct of the tiger kick in, and for once she was glad that it was stronger than normal. It was as if she had suddenly been giving the knowledge of many fights, fights for territory and for life. And as with most mammalian species, the female is the more dangerous when she has got something to protect. And although normally that would be young, this tiger felt the need to protect the van from her human counterpart, and the anger in the tiger grew. The instinct brought to surface Racheal's own memories of fights with her twin whilst in morph, a cub-like practice for the future.
As she once more dodged the demon's tail with ease, the second of the two vampires lunged at her, but she caught him first, her long canines sinking into his leg, pulling him over. Although vampires are strong, much stronger than the average human, this angered tiger easily overtook any contest when it came to strength. Her head shook the vampire's leg only once, before she slung him to the side, unaware of their demonic healing. Although at this moment the tiger was in more control than the human, Racheal silently decided against using her deadly canines if possible, disliking the taste. As the first vampire again rushed at her, Feral balanced up onto her hind legs as she leapt at him, though rather than pining him, she simply knocked him back. At the same moment she moved, the demon's tail sailed past her, smashing into a small sapling that had somehow found it's roots here. And just as the first vampire stood up, the sapling's broken trunk flew into him, stapping him with relative ease through the chest. Perhaps the actions of the demon simply proved his dimness, but Feral wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
It took only an instant for her to realise what had happened, and Feral had quickly moved to the broken tree, snapping a branch in her jaw. The second vampire, whose leg had quickly healed, yelled at the demon, which appeared to increase the dinosaur-like demon's anger. As they vampire raced towards her - the demon seemed more to dawdle - the tiger pounced onto the vampire, pinning him with relative ease, her weight fully behind her attack. Turning her head to the side, she drove the stick home into the vampire's chest, who turned almost instantly to dust beneath her paws.
Perhaps it was the surpise of her dusting the vampire, but she dodged the demon's attack a little too slowly, and the club caught her, if only partially, across her flank, sending her skidding towards the van more. Shaking herself as she stood, Feral could feel the deep bruising caused by her misjudgement. She knew full well she was lucky to have only bruised the bone, rather than broken it, but the tiger seemed more annoyed at the pain that shot through her leg as she stood, and even more angry at the creature that had delivered the blow. Despite the slight blow he had managed to deliver, the creature seemed unaware of his success, no expression crossing it's face as it more or less plodded towards her. Attempting to ignore the pain, she lept at him, hoping that by getting to close for his tail to hit her, she would be able to attack him. What she didn't know was, that like his dinosaur counter part, this demon, despite his size, was armoured heavily by his green and brown scales - even th eyebrows were protected. So, although he stumbled back slightly at the weight of the tiger, her claws failed to do more than remove a couple of insignificant scales. Infact, all she seemed to have managed was to anger the demon even more.
Managing to keep clear of the demonic beast, her hackles high and body low, ready to move, Feral tried to find any possible weakness. Just one tender area would do. She was sure that if she could just get past that tail and find a weak spot, he would be easy enough to bring down. A low snarl left her maw as she paced back and forth in front of the van, dodging the blows from his tail and then drawing him a little distance from the vehicle. More than one the dim, and it seemed clumsy, demon managed to at least knock out another demon who had run in to join the attack. One ear flicked back as the sound of the second van approaching reached her. Then the general sound of a new hustle. Although she could easily pick up the details, she chose to ignore them as she once again moved clear of the demon. Silently she cursed, surely this thing had some weakness!
"One my command all X-men are to retreat into the last van!" Inwardly Racheal sighed. Brilliant idea, but two things bothered her about it. The demon was still after her, and she wasn't looking forward to becoming human again. Although as a tiger she had only bruised the bones, she couldn't be certain the same could be said if she was to morph back, as she knew the wound would normally become like it was if she had been hurt in which ever form she morphed to. Well, she knew it was true of cuts and normal bruises. But something like that could have easily broken a bone if she had been human. She could only pray that it would remain a bruise, and just increase in size. Feral had actually forgotten the fact that to get to the second van she would have to actually make it past the first one with out any trouble.
The other sounds she heard from the second van bothered her, but she didn't have time to concentrate on it as she ducked under another sweep of the demon's hammer-like tail, which had been aimed too high and hit hard against the chest of a larger demon who had raced forward, who, despite his size, had a good deal less strength. Feral half considered just teasing the dim-witted demon for now. He seemed to be doing a pretty good of protecting the van himself. Inwardly Racheal sighed slightly at her own thoughts.
Suddenly a thought hit the feline morpher as she dodged another better aimed attack. When she had ducked under his tail, she thought she had seen a slightly softer scaling on the underside of the tail, mostly near the club like tip. Once again leading the demon away from the van a little way, just so she was close enough if she had any need to dash at another attacker, she tried to get a closer look, encouraging the creature to try and hit her high enough so she would be able to see. She growled as she raised up onto her hind legs, pawing the air as if aiming for him, before falling to the ground once more to avoid a hit aimed at her chest. As she felt the wind from the near miss ruffle her coat, she couldn't help but feeel that that had been too close. Even so, it had allowed her to confirm her suspisions.
The underside of the demon's tail was smoother than the rest of his scaly body, like the underside of a snake. Racheal had come across snakes a few times, and sought the knowledge from her memories, against the grain of the strong willed tiger instincts. Normally, no matter the strength of the instincts, human and morph agreed. But when it came to try to pull a human memory, it actually used to distress the animals slightly. They had no use for a lot of them.
But there it was anyway. Okay, so it was a slow-worm rather than a snake, but the two were similar enough. The underside was smoother, but more importantly softer. Racheal could remember the rippling feel of the soft scales over her hands. As the memory came to surface, the tiger gave a soft blow (a sort of puhh sound) as it realised what that meant. Ears flattening with a snarl, Feral began to pace again whilst avoiding the blows. The one problem now was to get in to get a hold without getting hit by that tail...
______________________________________________________________________________________ OOC: That will do me thinks lol. That took me about 2 1/2 hours in total - excluding the days I've had to think about it at work lol*sigh*
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
Sean watched in awe as Riley easily disposed of the nine foot tall demon that had so powerfully pushed Sean straight back against the van; Sean's eyes met Riley's despite the fact that the older man would not be able to see the eye contact, he hoped that Riley would realise his gratification as he nodded to him slightly as thanks. For a moment it made Sean start to think about how this man would instantly know how to take down such a powerful being, had he had a lot of experience in that kind of thing?
"One my command all X-men are to retreat into the last van!" Sean was snapped out of his thought; and just in time as it seemed that another demon had noticed his pause and made a run towards him, Sean easily dealt with the coming attack as his hand quickly whipped to his visor and another blast of ruby energy sliced through the air and smacked the charging demon in the stomach his form being thrown into a wall and landing ontop of another group of panic looking creatures that were obviously here for the sale.
Sean quickly turned towards Taylor who seemed to be getting into his role as an X-Man very easily, his cousin using his increaed physical abilities in perfect symmetry with that of his powerful electrical mutantion. Sean quickly ran at another demon that was charging towards the first van that now held the captured mutants; all except Madison who was someone who did not enjoy being told to shut herself in somewhere. The young man stretched his arms out and concentrated hard on a piece of rope tied on one of the nearby walls; as his hands and mind manipulated the object it went flying towards the green coloured demon, his snubby face and toothless grin shocked as the rope sweapt his feet from under him, his spiked body hitting the floor with a thud and paused enough for the rope to return and wrap itself around the creature holding it tightly.
Sean's ran straight past Taylor towards the second van like Riley had informed and as the electrical mutant unleashed another powerful kick to the head of another attacker, he swiveled and chased after Sean, easily passing him because of his increased speed and showing off a little with his enthusiasm. Both Taylor and Sean stopped outside the open second van; they both looked at each other and subconciously agreed to protect the entrance from any coming intruders so that the rest of the rescuing team could dive in and ready for escape. It made sense for them to be guarding here as they could both attack from a distance stopping the on coming assaults and just as they had agreed the two cousins began to unleash vollies of electrical bursts and optic blasts; each aimed mutant abilite hitting one of many angree demons that were enraged that they would not be buying any of Xavier's mutants like was promised.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant TradeOOC: Hey guys, I'm still on holiday but I found a computer *jumps up and down grinning stupidly* I didn't miss the mission! Anyway I'll only be here for a couple of days then I'm of for another week >:
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Ben had watched nervously as the other members of the team got into the car. He had seated himself in the farthest corner of the car and had tried to avoid meeting Talia’s gaze, not that this was difficult as she kept herself to herself and only looked around the car now and again. Racheal came next and as usual did not seem to be particularly at ease around people, but he understood this as during his months at the institute he had learned that she had had a rather solitary childhood.
"Will you all please board the vehicle and I will inform you of the team's mission on the way."
He didn’t know whether to be pleased or worried at this announcement but whatever happened next there was no turning back now. As Sean and Taylor took their positions in front of him he had felt the thrills of anticipation run through him, his first mission, fingers crossed he wasn’t going to mess up. He had been snapped out of his reverie by the arrival of the last member of the team that was on time, Anna Drake was her name although he had not learned this till after the mission. She was a shocking addition to the team, his first impression of her was that she was blinding although this was probably mostly because of her light couloured attire.
"Hey fuzzy," Ben’s mouth had fallen open at those words, how could she talk to Talia like that, it was….he was lost for words, the familiarity of her words to Talia had shocked him more than he thought possible. It had shaken his protective reasoning that Talia talked to very few people and therefore that was the reason she never talked to him. How could he have been so stupid of course Talia had friends and well if she didn’t like him it was his own fault.
"The mission objective is merely to locate and rescue Madison and Connor Enright, there's a mutant trading operation down in Harmony market, rumours say that they were taken there with others to be sold."
The jaw he had barely been able to close moments before fell open again it wasn’t the fact that they were going on a rescue mission but the fact that Riley had used the word “merely” and mutant trading in the same sentence. It had never occurred to Ben that mutants could be considered as commodities, things to be bought and sold. This strengthened his resolve besides it was Connor they were going after, he owed the other mutant. Connor had helped him on his first night at the school and now it was time to return the favour.
The journey passed in silence as team members prepared themselves for what was to come. He didn’t know what to expect from people, who would buy and sell mutants on a whim, he just knew that it was not going to be a pretty sight. So he steeled himself to what he might find. However the car came screeching to a halt all to soon for his liking.
Riley, Talia and Anna were the first out of the car and the two girls headed straight for the cage that could be seen in the corner of the large room. As for Riley he seemed to have spotted the figure of the driver that had been out of the car so fast that no one had had the time to react. At that point Ben caught a glimpse of Connor but he had no time to think about anything as the people that were here for the sales were not quite so human and they were heading for them.
"Sean! Stay by the van, don't let anyone near it.”
Without thinking Ben stayed close to the doors of the van and let the others fan out around the vehicles. He had not as yet learned how to use his powers offensively but he had perfected his defensive techniques in the danger room. He watched his companions start to come face to face with their first opponents, Taylor laid about him with a certain amount of excitement. Ben had often trained with Taylor and Sean in the danger room so he knew their style and he knew that they trusted him to watch their backs. As for Racheal he had to admit that he was startled to find a tiger in her place, well he had always been curious about the nature of her powers and now he had his answer. Once he had established the perimeter he had to try and keep clear he set to work.
As he focused his mind on the light and dark light particles in the room he began to gather them dark light together and readied them to form a wall or a shield wherever it should be needed. A flicker of movement caught his eye from one of the corridors on his left it was obviously some small passage way that lead to an important room as the two guards that had been at it entrance had leapt into the fray. Some gut feeling told him that they really didn’t want to meet whatever was going to come out of their so concentrating he bent his mind to building a wall. This obstruction was solid enough but it mainly gave of the impression of staring into an endless amount of nothingness. He doubted it would hold back any king of large assault but it would buy them time.
From behind him he could here the sound of teleportation and to his surprise a girl he ha never met stepped out of the van and want to help with the protection of the van. He could see that his friends were having some difficulties in holding of their foes but the best he could do for them was to stop any more demons reaching them by sending out blasts of dark like that would break their charges or if aimed correctly knock them over. Things seemed to get better as Riley came to Sean’s aid, however this was not going to last. Taylor dashed past him and grabbed a spare petrol can. As the vampires that had been rapidly closing in on the van burst into flame, so did the rest of the petrol.
This had seemed like a good idea at the time but Ben could see the flames creeping their way towards the van so, he divided his attention once again in order to keep the flames from reaching the petrol tank of the van or they were all dead. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, as the strain of maintaining so many barriers together at once.
"One my command all X-men are to retreat into the last van!"
That command and the arrival of the second van send waves of relief through Ben and he almost lost his grip on the dark light he steeled his will again and as Taylor and Sean retreated to the second van he turned his attention to the others. The driver, Riley and Anna were wrestling with Connor and after a significant amount of struggling they managed to get the other mutant into the passenger seat of the van. By then Ben could feel the heat of the flames, which had now set some crates alight, on his face. He noticed that Racheal was still fighting of a demon. So with one final look around and a prayer that everyone was back within reach of the vans. He dropped the wall that had been covering the door of the corridor and with a final effort he sent a blinding globe of dark light to surround the head of the demon opposing Racheal. It was not much but it was all he could do. They were going to have to go his barrier against the flames was not going to hold much longer. At least when it came time to leave all he had to do was fall backward into the open door of the van.
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
Knowing that she really should start to back up towards the second van, Feral snarled at the dinosaur-type demon who continued his attack. Till suddenly she realised something was wrong. Instead of aiming towards her, the creature gave a scream of a mix of anger and pain, and started lashing furiously out, but with such a clumsy effort that he was putting other attackers at risk once more rather than anyone protecting the van.
One rounded ear flicked forward in surprise, before the tiger's ears flattened against her skull once more, grasping at the oppertunity. It only took a split second for her teeth to find their goal, but to her it felt like minutes had passed. Although earlier she had promised herself not to use her canines again if she could, she couldn't see any other choice right now. As the demon made a rather high, slow sweep of his tail, Her teeth sunk into the softer under-scales near the club section of his tail.
The demon gave another roar of pain, not used to anyone managing to find away of causing him any. The roar turned into something resembling an angry whimpering snarl as he lashed his tail round. Fortunatly for Feral, the weight of the tiger plus it's natural feline agility meant that the demon could do little more than pull her of balance once for a brief moment.
With every pause the demon made to try and cause her to at least let go, Feral would shake her head, worrying the wound and causing more pain. To her, it felt like at least half an hour had passed before she let go, convinced that the demon would not try again and would cause more trouble amongst the other demons than with any of the mutants. However, in truth it was barely more than two minutes.
Trying to ignore the pain caused by the bruised bone, which during the short, final fight had been agrivated even more, she backed up slowly, slightly towards the second van, ready to move when needed. Her hackles were up, and body low as her eyes read the crowd, silently hoping that the remaining 'creatures' would give up.
Despite her posture, one ear moved towards Ben, not risking a glance, "Thanks.." Even telepathically, her voice held a grateful tone to it. Infact, it was one of the few things she had worked on since arriving at the institute. Having, on her second day, discovered that other's could hear the telepathic communication she had assumed had been only *audible* between herself and her twin, she had almost unknowingly worked on *talking* to others whilst in morph, both as a shout - to more than one person, or as a whisper - just to one person. She was more experinced with whispers, that was true, and sometimes had difficulty speaking to a group. But it was one of the few things she could actually say she had done since getting there.
Rounded ears twitched, waiting for, well, anything. Another attack or the command to retreat. She was pretty sure she wouldn't have time to demorph, but the idea of fitting a tiger in the van along side everyone-else seemed ridiculous, so, almost unnoticably, she started to switch morphs, her frame slowly becoming a little smaller and lighter...
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
(ooc- Hope he forgives ya! Good to have you back, have a good holiday?)
"Madison!" Half surprised from hearing the voice coming from somewhere outside the van and not from inside it, Madison turned her head around to look over to see who was calling her and seeing Riley, her brother’s best friend. She was expecting to be told off as she had been waiting for it. Why is it that no one ever let her have some fun? Though, how was he going to stop her from doing so anyway, he had a demon to take care of, so if told off she could still get away with fighting for a little while at least.
"Join the formation and have it expand to encompass both the vehicles!" She gave a satisfied smirk upon hearing that. After all, she hadn’t expected that and when she got things her own way she was pleased.
Her eyes wandered over the other X-Men, and a tiger who she guessed was a shapeshifter, for a brief moment, who were all dealing with their own foes and soon enough Madison had her own. A brow rose as it let of a threatening growl. It didn’t intimidate her at all, more amused her to be exact. Though, there was no time for laughing, she had to deal with this demon before it dealt with her. Knowing this she clenched her fists and released her claws, which didn’t come out until a few seconds after she had mentally demanded for them.
"Yeah, like that scared me!" Well, she wasn’t going to let the demon get away with thinking that the growl was scary. She was helping for the future so he could be more scary. Not that that was going to happen after Madison was finished with it at least.
Madison gave a slight twitch when she felt a sharp sting in her right shoulder, which was unknown to her that it was a needle. Though before she could react to it and realise what it was, the demon opened its mouth and revealed it’s giant, sharp fangs and not a moment later a sound blast knocked her backwards, much to her displeasure.
This wasn’t the first time a sounds blast had knocked the young Enright back in her life however. Her last boyfriend had done that to her, knocking her out cold at the time with his uncontrollable power. Of course, it was an accident because Madison had made him so angry and he had to yell to get his point across but he never meant to hurt her. Though it had made Madison extremely angry with him when she did awake, though there was still a chance that he would be forgiven. That was if he hadn’t of broken up with her in fears that he would hurt her again. Madison had never forgiven him because of that and it took her a long time to get over him and it was even worse when he started dating Shalimar. At least now she believed that she was over him, like the previous guys before him, whom she had decided to forget completely about.
As she forced herself up Madison found that she wasn’t moving quick enough when electricity brought her down to the cold surface of the ground once more. Now while Madison could take a loss not in the best of ways at least she could get over it, though she was certainly not going to let some hideous beast get the better of her.
After the painful tingle of the electricity left her body, Madison forced herself up, determined not to give this creature any more satisfaction than it already had. The demon gave another soft growl and Madison quickly moved away from its gaze before it could let off another sound wave. She had fallen victim to it once, the Wolverette wasn’t going to allow that to happen again.
"Ha!" She said arrogantly as the demon slowly turned around. It seemed that it’s speed was its weak point and Madison knew that she had to use it to her advantage. However, before she could conjure up something to give her an edge, the demons mouth opened, its large, slimy teeth being shown once more. "And you think I can fall for that, how many times?" She said sarcastically before leaping into the air as another sound blast passed beneath her. Luck partly aided her as by the time she landed the demon had given up in his sound blasts for now.
While she wasn’t gifted with agility, she had absorbed it while caged with Michael and her brother and put it into action as she ran towards the demon, claws still out and ready to stab the thing repeatedly. Though she faced a problem as her claws sunk deep into the black and yellow demonic skin that let off another electrical pulse emitted from its body. She had been electrocuted a few times before facing this demon but it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling to have going through your body. Luckily the amount it was letting off wasn’t enough to harm Madison too badly, nothing she wouldn’t be able to recover from in a few minutes.
Her claws retracted quickly on their own, as if they figured out that if Madison wasn’t making and contact with the demon then she might be safe from the electricity. And they were right and the female feral was thankful of her claws having a mind of their own for the time being.
Before it could send it’s electrical pulse into a blast Madison had jumped back and out of its direction to give herself some time to recover. While she wasn’t always the brightest when it came to battles, she knew that she couldn’t go on and on without a little break every now and then and was smart enough to see when she could take even the smallest of breaks. Probably does help when you’ve been trained in how to fight since you were young, like all of Wolverine’s children had been.
Getting back into the demons sight Madison could see that her claws had done the damage, but it hadn’t affected the demon all too much. She frowned as she paced circles around it, speeding up every now and then when it tried another sound blast or an electrical blast, not caring what damage it could be causing to anyone else, most were probably other demons anyway. It was easy with other mutants, pain could be caused easy enough with claws, or absorbed powers if need be... but demons? She knew they existed but knowing how to destroy them was another thing altogether.
Feeling a little dizzy the demon stopped shifting around to keep track on Madison, thinking that it knew her moves and she would just repeat her circles and so it could keep its energy in tact. This gave Madison some time to look about and notice that the others were retreating back to the van. Now it would have been wise to make her exit while the demon wasn’t looking at her, instead Madison found herself going in the opposite direction and returning to the demon.
Claws retracted once more as she silently approached the demon from behind. Her claws then finding themselves at home once again inside the demons body. Using her strength she dragged them through the demons body, seeing its tough flesh cut into deep wounds and feeling bones break as her claws passed through them. While it was rather quick, the demon’s skin sparked a few times as it focused on electricity going to it’s growing wound, not caring about how much it hurt itself but more how it would hurt Madison.
With her eyes catching sight of the bright sparks Madison pulled away and was lucky to only get struck by the electricity on a weaker scale. It would have proved harmful if she received the full blow.
The demon gave a screech in pain from causing more pain to itself, which was something that gave Madison something to smile about as she made her way quickly back the van. From there it could probably live or die, dying being the most likely of the two. Life for it would have to come in some form of miracle and Madison didn't believe in them.
(ooc- Geesh, took me three days to type this up! Damn distractions doing their distracting business!)
Re: The Black Market Auction - Official Mutant Trade
The blast of red that knocked Riley back left him slightly disorientated, the lingering pain of the momentarily activated chip that was kicked into shocking him by the electric pulse that rippled though him by Connor’s borrowed power kept him down a little longer then the actual attacks themselves. With a dazed groan, Riley managed to get back to his feet with, placing a hand on the side of his head as Frost was yelling scornful insults towards a few demons that she was toying with, freezing them or the air around them and caging them. Her yells echoed loudly and he found himself wishing for the first time that he was back with his old team, mostly because of his two other best friends, Graham and Forrest, they always got the job done and none of them made so much noise unless it was part of the planned attack.
"In the van!" Riley's own voice irritated him as he yelled out over the noise, he almost forgot how painful his implant was - almost - after a few months of having it randomly shocking you at different levels of agonizing bursts, it tended to make forgetting it very hard.
"On the double people, we have wounded!" Not that he could see any blood, but Talia seemed to be working over some unfamiliar boy with a worried expression as she tried to help stop his bleeding. Again Riley couldn't tell the boy was hurt, let alone bleeding, so he was just assuming by her body language that something was wrong. Meanwhile Sean and Talor where guiding the entrance to the van, Riley lingered in front of the open doors, watching for a moment as Wolverine kept a firm hold of Connor, who was already strapped in tightly, the added bonus of his father's tight grip making any struggle rather pointless and he was too weak to keep using borrowed powers.
The command to leave caused a last minute burst of energy in the remaining few demonic fighters that were determind to recapture the hostages in order to gain a reward of some kind. Riley's tolerance for the unholy beasts was thin at best, his patiene by now had more then worn down, so when a thin pale blue skinned demon charged towards them the former secret Initiative agent made an irritated noise in the back of his throat as he withdraw his weapon. With a smooth motion of his arm and a simple clean shot to the head of the oncoming humanoid creature, Riley was already turning his attention back towards the others, mainly Madison at the point the blue hued creature's form crippled lifelessly into the dirt.
Having your mind manipulated into dispising demonic entities for about eight years of your life was a hard thing to shake, but on top of all the brain washings Riley's lost too many friends, team mates and innocents to scum like them and there was no chance in hell they were going to take any of his crew on such a simple search and rescue mission. Madison was making her way towards the van and Riley was trying to see if she was in alright condition - mo point in letting Connor see her hurt and limping about when he was upset enough - unfortunately for Riley he was blind to the fact she was smeared in blood.
The other van with the recovered mutants - most of which weren't from the school - drove off and Riley motioned impatiently for Madison to hurry and the others to climb onboard. The team leader barely had time to shut the doors before the van began to move, the inhabitants of the van probably able to see the last remainding demons watching and snarling as the intruders left their place of business.
"Is everyone alright?" Riley turned around, making one final check that all of them were present, the fifth he's made since he started counting outside. After all, if anyone managed to be hurt or was bleeding he wouldn't know, so he had to ask even if it was obvious to others, usually Joan or even Jon in the last few missions, would be assigned with Riley and they were not programed to be unable to see blood like most of the others.
TBC: Next person can either post here if they wish or over in the hanger to speed things up.
How am I going to be strong without you? I need you by my side..
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