You can't even kill right... You're just so... Boring
Summer 2021, Week 3
Friday evening
Henry Park, The Wards
Storyteller
The night was cold and starless, the last remnants of dying stars having winked out of existence through a dense cloud cover that crept in over the course of the day and now blinded the city to the extraterrestrial lights of the cosmos beyond their fleeting home. In the wards, it was quiet as the criminals and thieves prowled for easy prey amid a thick curtain of fog that drifted in from the ocean and clung to the edges of New Victoria. The seaborne mist was heavy and moist, a further obstruction as the shroud drank the artificial light of the city in the rundown area of the otherwise illustrious city. It was a perfect place to hide especially among the trees, bushes, and scrub of the scarcely maintained park. A perfect hiding spot for a brigand hoping to make a big score, but one which had happened to make the worst mistake of their life as the distinct, resounding crack of a pistol split the silence of the night in two.Valentine
Having spent the last few days beneath the radar, biding her time as she readied her base of operations, a rampant blood lust had begun to take root and spread throughout her body. Her fingers had begun to twitch, and her mind had begun to wander from her mission as violence beyond the walls she called home beckoned to her like a siren's song. Sometimes its call was silent but today it had been deafening. The silence and solitude only contributing to her growing ire as she struck out into the night in the Wards hoping to catch something to scratch that near ever-present itch within her soul. It was when she was confronted in the parks that she had known tonight was going to be special. A brief confrontation had erupted as a nervous young man had leveled a gun at her back, and rather than speaking she chose to stand. Thousands of muscle fibers spilling from beneath her pale skin and intertwining like sinewy worms across her body in a tightly packed shroud beneath her clothes. The movement had startled the young man and the result was a bullet that would've severed her spine. Instead, it was caught amid the mass of muscle and only managed to fray a scarce few. The beads of her own blood the only signal she needed to let loose upon the man who had hoped to steal from her of all people. It was the last mistake he'd ever make. Not but seconds later she'd seized the man by his head, lifting him off the ground with a single hand as he screamed, lashing out at her arm as she began to squeeze his skull. "Why are you crying and shaking now? You're the one that shot me! I should be the one whining and bitching, but nooooo! You think this is all about you don't you, you selfish prick? Imagine thinking you could rob me of all people! Fucking pathetic! Good thing we won't be having more scum like you on the streets. You can't even kill right... You're just so... Boring." With one last definitive motion a ripple of power shuddered through Valentine's body as all her muscles worked in tandem to silence the man's screams and pleads as his head popped like a watermelon against concrete. His skin gave way to fragments of bone and his brain gushed between her muscle-laced fists as his body immediately began to shudder and convulse before going still. She dropped the now dead body in a heap at her feet, sighing. "That one wasn't even fun, he didn't even put up a fight... At least the cops shot at me the whole time." She sighed, stooping down to take the gun the young man had dropped alongside the money from his wallet. "At least you gave me some of the good stuff here, but too bad you were a waste of my time." Valentine sighed, disappointed with this outcome as gore dripped from one of her hands her silhouette looking like a behemoth in the night as she picked over the dead body without remorse.[Type 1: Normal Action (-3), Type 2: Normal Action (-3)]
Storyteller
Henry Park, hive for crime and villainy, and drugs--oh so many drugs. Bolt and Greg had made a recent stop to examine the ongoing drug deals occurring in the park. Just one of their normal random visits to make sure that, as Lucius would put it, all the dealers were within their Union of Dealers. That is to say, making sure they were all dealers who were forking over a percentage to Bolt to be allowed to deal in the Wards. A gunshot wasn't a rare thing in the park. But Bolt, if he was anything, was a seeker for excitement and any escape from the mundane responsibilities of managing a gang.Blood Bolt
"Greg! Did you hear that. It was right around the corner. Ohmygoodness, I hope it's a fight. You think it's a fight? I bet it's a fight--come on, I wanna place bets." Bolt had immediately come out of his bored silent persona into the Bolt everyone--except Greg--'loved.' And he proceeded to skip down the pathway--if you could call the mess of broken and worn concrete a pathway--around the corner towards the sound of the gunshot. As they finally got close to where the sound came from, probably a good 20 feet away, Bolt could barely make out the shapes in the night. It looked like a normal mugging--well that's fucking boring. Not trying to stay hidden, that wasn't his style, he said loud enough, "Crickey, would ya look at that. Here we see a mugger in their natural habitat, folks! Look at how they search through the pockets of their pray, scavenging all they can acquire in record speed."Greg
Greg went along with Bolt's fun, but as soon as he saw the mugger, or whoever it was, he made the slow motion to unholster his 9mm and position himself in a place to push Bolt behind him in case the bum tried anything stupid. Most of the Wards knew who Bolt was, but it wasn't unheard of for a desperate man or wannabe kingpin to take a shot at his boss. Usually Bolt handled it, but it was Greg's job to cover the rest of the time left uncontained by that 'usually.'Valentine
It didn't take long for her to finish rifling through the dead man's pockets, the monotonous task grating on her last nerve as the less than satisfactory ending of that fight left her bored. That familiar itch and desire for something more clawing at the back of her mind like some predator hungering for its next meal. It was then that fortune smiled upon her, delivering unto her a man with a voice fit for rattling the last nerve in someone's mind. Rather than wiping her gore splattered hand free of the mess, she merely stood from her kill and faced towards the pair. Peering through the darkness, accustomed to nighttime operations, she was able to make out their silhouettes in a bit more detail than most. Feisty and small, likely scrappy, edge on caution. Large and silent, the real muscle. He'd be worth my time for sure, Val evaluated, her own form unfurled like a banner as she stood to her full lumbering height. Her presence was made only more impressive as the grotesque tendons and strips of sinew bulged out her form beneath her clothing. That wall of muscle only growing larger by the second as the former marine poured more of her focus into her power adding dozens upon dozens more layers to the already disturbingly impressive tapestry of blood and tendon. Those very same bands that amplified her strength curling about her legs and encasing her head partially like some horror movie equivalent of a hockey mask as she cracked her knuckles. Her bulging, power altered presence encased in the darkness only grew more grotesque as her silhouette swelled outward as more layers of tendons began to pack into the already impressive display of strength. The wall of muscle that she was only growing larger, her jacket beginning to rip as more sinew pushed out from her skin and intertwined with what was already present. More focus meant more strength as cables of macabre power curled around her legs and encased her head like something straight out of a horror flick. Her beady eyes burned in the darkness, flicking between the two as a slow grin crept across her face. "A mugger? Guess that's how it looks. Doesn't fucking matter really, what matters is you two interrupted me and he looks like he'd actually put up a struggle unlike this one!" As she called out, she hauled back and slammed her foot into the limp body of the boy she murdered, a sickening pop as bones shattered beneath her augmented strength as his body was sent tumbling down right atop Greg's feet. His mashed in head having left a winding trail of viscera along the path. "In a past life I may have asked you who you two were and why you're here but frankly... I don't give two shits." As she spoke, her voice reverberated within her helmet of muscle her focus entirely on Greg now, "Fight like your life is on the line, or I'll be really fucking bored." She was entirely aware of the weapon in his hand, but rather than rushing him she got down into a charging position. "Keep your boyfriend out of the way, if you know what's best for him!" She yelled across the short distance between them, her eyes wide and manic.[Type 2: Minor Action (x5) (-5EP)]
Greg
A well-timed raise of his foot and stomp down stopped the body's momentum as it came closer to him. The sick wet sound of torn flesh on concrete piercing the dead air in between the shouts from the maniac whose body appeared to be twisting and writhing constantly. Suppose I can't judge, figuring I do the same. Well, the same to a point when his body knit itself back together. The Boss always liked to watch like some sort of entranced child watching their favorite show. Clearing his head, Greg raised the gun in a no-nonsense fashion. He heard what was shouted at him, but as the speaker said, he really didn't give two shits. He had one job, keep the Boss safe, and he'd be sure to--Blood Bolt
"Oh my god, Greg! Did you hear that, are we official now? I fucking knew you couldn't keep on resisting me and my charms. Did you set this up?" Bolt chimed in, turning to beam at Greg with wide fluttering eyes. "You big lug, you shouldn't have. Like...seriously you shouldn't have. This is the most unromantic way to ask someone out I've ever seen. We're gonna need to have a talk." Bolt glanced around and found a streetlamp with its bulb smashed nearby. Walking over to it, he found the panel popped open. Likely some bums stealing the electricity to charge their portable radios. Bums need to listen to the Billboard top 100 too, after all. Setting his hand on it, a dim glow emanated from under his palm, the power still coursing to the lamp even if the light was broken. "You totally could have picked a singing gram; you know those people who run into the office and sing shit? That would have been awesome.[x1 Normal, -3EP (37/40)]
Greg
"I really think you should get back before--"Blood Bolt
"Before what? Before the child who doesn't know not to play with their food does something stupid? Come on, Greggy Poo, I'm bored. Lemme have some fun." The light went out as he removed his hand from the pole, and his eyes locked onto the grim and dirt on his palm now. "Ew...do you have some hand sanitizer, Greg?"Greg
"Are you--"Blood Bolt
"Because I could really use some hand sanitizer. Hey, messy eater numb nuts, do you have any hand sanitizer I could use!?" Bolt shouted in the direction of the stranger.Valentine
She didn't have the time nor the interest to listen to the senseless yammering of the scrappier of the pair, instead of charging them she opted to crouch down low before leaping upward utilizing her enhanced strength and propagated muscles to propel her high. High and right into the branches of the tree closest to her position. It wasn't a long jump by any means, but it was certainly a feat that only was accessible to her in this heavily empowered state of being. As she landed soundly among the branches, one of the heavy ones nearly yielding under her increased density, Valentine couldn't believe her ears. They were still bickering and the smaller one seemed to be charging up just like she'd done just a second ago. Not insignificant either, whatever he's doing I'll need to watch out for. The big one's gun won't be an issue, but he seems to be a brute in some capacity too. Enough so he could stop that body, at least. Rather than screaming, her words were replaced by the sound of a heavy branch being torn from the stout tree its smaller off shoots before broken off with a deft swipe of a muscle covered palm. The sting of bark amid the bloody muscle of her hand was a welcome sting as she turned the branch into a wicked impromptu javelin. "Hope you like peppermint scented, it’s all I got!" She bellowed back towards the scrappy stranger before hurling the branch-turned-javelin with staggering speed towards Blood Bolt's center of mass. Not wanting to give Bolt's apparent protector any time to think or shoot, she crouched low again amid the foliage and pushed off the branch in a pounce aimed towards Greg, effectively turning herself into a living missile intent on tackling him from above. The branch she'd been standing on consequently snapping and falling down to the earth where she'd stood just moments before. "Keep your guard up, Greg! Don't let me down now!" She screamed as she flew towards him, a sheer wall of muscle with dangerous intent.Blood Bolt
“Geez. A simple no would have sufficed. Didn’t need to try and run away.” Bolt grumbles like a hurt kid, eyes tracking as the figure leaped into the air and landed on the tree. “I give that a 6 out of 10. What about you, Greg? I thought the jump was nice, but the landing could have been better. There wasn’t even a pose. How could you forget the pose!” Raising one hand as he watched the arm cock back and throw, multiple fine arcs of red electricity lashed out in front of him, connecting with the branch that, even moving at such speeds, shattered like so many trees do when meeting a lightning bolt. Splinters expanded in many directions, a good deal striking him, but others further vaporized as he kept the tendrils lashing out. “I hate peppermint.”[x1 Normal, -3EP (34/40)]
Greg
Greg hated this part. He saw the dangerous spike of wood shatter in front of Bolt and knew that his Boss was safe. But now he had to deal with the human rocket. “Great.” Was all he had time to say before dropping his gun, holding out both hands, and as his fingers made contact bending his legs to take the force of the jump and roll it backwards while holding onto his opponent. Doing two backwards rolls, Greg dug his fingers into the mass of muscle with more strength than her should be able to have. A crack was heard as some of them broke from the effort, but he kept pushing to get a grip.[x1 Normal, -3EP (22/25)]
Valentine
She hadn't forgotten about the lightning bug in the background, but he'd fallen out of primary focus for the time being. He was a blot in her periphery, a streak of red destruction to be focused on in a moment's time. Greg, for all his stature and size, was stronger than her by all accounts normally. Yet it was this grotesque collection of dense muscle splitting from between her skin that granted her greater strength. She was not yet finished as her beady eyes grew wide with excitement feeling his fingers tearing through her muscle fiber armor after such a deft roll. "Fuck, Greg. You're strong, and you're letting loose right in front of your boyfriend too? How fucking scandalous! Imagine how he feels if you're showing off to other people!" Valentine screamed her voice dripping with exhilaration, "I knew you wouldn't disappoint!" They were of similar heights, but she went in low as the muscle fibers across her body went wild a sudden surge of them pushing out and bulking up her form even further into an abominable mass of bloody flesh and sinew. This wasn't senseless, however, each fiber seemed to have a purpose as they quickly locked in placed over Greg's fingers where they gripped. Crossing over the back of his hands in a latticework and quickly doubling down on their snare to form a net amid the mass with terribly crushing weight pressing in from each side. The flex of her muscles pinching his hands and his own grip strength used against him. She also wasn't above fighting dirty as she crashed into him, she threw her muscle-encased head forward to crash into his chin with all that brute force and mass behind it quickly followed by a quick jerk of her strengthened leg turning into that of a dagger as it sliced through the air. Its location being Greg's groin, even a cup wouldn't have protected his masculinity from her despicable, surprisingly rapid strike of her bent leg. She hadn't forgotten of the red elephant in the room, her eyes and ears both peeled as she scoped out her surroundings, anticipating Greg's allied onslaught while grappling with the mountain of the man.[Type 2: Normal Action [x2], Minor Action [x1] (0 EP Remaining)]
Blood Bolt
"Oh shit!" Bolt cried out with a wide smile, one hand in the pocket and the other hand pointing. "You just lost your boys. Not little Gregs going be forthcoming after that. How'd you like that, five-star word huh? Forthcoming. Do I get to go get ice cream for that?Greg
A fast regenerator he was, but immune from pain he was not. The shock of blow caused his breath to escape, but the fury from the pain caused his head to rock back and slam forward into their opponent, skull cracking against skull with the force of all the temporarily unmanned Greg had. Meanwhile his hands still dug deeper into the fibers, fingers snapping back, and bones exposed as the pain from his kiddos blocked the pain from everything else. "Fucking piece of shit." He breathed out in pain.Blood Bolt
Taking a step forward, Lucius was growing bored. "Greg. Ice cream. When? I wanna go. Can we just end this? Do I need to kill this bitch? Excuse me, stranger danger, you're in the way of me and a vanilla cone with jimmies. Can you please, pretty please, fuck off?" With his spare hand, he sent a shock towards the assaulter.[x1 Normal, -3EP (31/40)]
Valentine
Felt her whole-body rock and shudder as the pressure from his grip increased, but fortunately her own enhanced durability afforded Valentine the endurance to sustain the assault. Her bones certainly began to strain, and more fibers began to be snapped, hemorrhaging her strength by a sizable margin. Pangs of adrenaline began to race through her, her pupils blowing outward as the shock of true pain rattled her body to its core. It likely was a combination of that coupled with her own brain being rattled from the back-to-back headbutts. She howled in delight, blood trickling from her nose as she felt her nose break beneath the headbutt even with her helmet of muscle. Before she had a chance to quip, she saw the flash of electricity lance through the air. There was no avoiding it in that split second, but she'd been anticipating him joining the fray in some regard. Those tendrils of shock met their target true, her sizable frame and the muscle now sent partially into spasms diluting the power of the shock but doing nothing to dampen the electric pain and burn erupting over her body. She took it full well knowing the consequences, but as the surged forward and it connected, she dropped low into a trained fighting stance. Using Greg's center of mass and size against him by hauling him up and using him up and off the ground to be used as a human shield to defend against the assault. "C-c-come on!" Her words came out with a stutter as the volts rocked through her like a trainwreck hoping to catch a majority of Blood Bolt's attack or delay him by using his very own Greg as a shield against the storm.Blood Bolt
"Well...shit." Bolt said as the power poured from his hands. "Sorry 'bout this Greg." Pushing more power through his hand, his attack struck the back of Greg's body.[x1 Normal, -3EP (28/40)]
Greg
The electricity was painful, but not foreign. Digging his fingers in more, Greg felt the electricity pour into him and through him, into the assailant as well. But god did this suck. Really, he needs to look into other employment opportunities.Blood Bolt
"Look." Bolt said as he took steps forward to the two individuals. "Seriously, can you please. Just. Fuck. Off. I WANT MY FUCKING JIMIES!" Bolt took out his other hand and sent a blast directly into the open leg of the attacker. The channel would still go to Greg, but Bolt didn't really care too much about that. Jimmies, Lucius, we need our jimmies.[x1 Normal, -3EP (25/40)]
Valentine
This felt terrible. Her fight with the lovely Greg interrupted by a fuming, indignant child unable to stay out of something that'd actually been occupying her attention! That and the liquid fire coursing through her veins in the form of red electricity. Her muscle fibers fried, her body spasmed as more and more of that electricity began to rip through the layers of dense protein protecting her innards from being outright fried. She knew she couldn't sustain this, it was too much, and it was hell that wracked her brain. Even as she wanted to flee, there wasn't anywhere to go as her body locked up and seized as more was poured into her. Briefly she felt her body lock up, nearing unconsciousness. Or was it death? She thought to herself distantly. There were many things she suffered, and while electricity was among them, this was unheard of. A storm is breaking on me, and all I can do is endure. Survive. Live! Her mind screamed as she began to roar in protest focusing her body to adapt, overcome, and defend against the onslaught. She'd only ever bothered to use her durability to weather the physical, but it was all rooted inside her. Malleable as much as her muscles were, and so she hoped it'd be enough to buy her time as her body hardened. It won't be much, but maybe a second is all I need. With that thought in mind, the screaming woman lashed out as adrenaline wracked her muscles in tandem with rage and pain. She went as far as attempting to hurl Greg towards Bolt. It wasn't coordinated. A reckless motion meant to interrupt, break the current, and buy time. Time she'd spend dislodging herself from her grotesque embrace with the regenerating man and attempting to leap away from the storm that was trying to break her.[Type 1: Normal Action (Durability) [x3] (3 EP Remaining)]
Greg
As he was getting thrown, Greg did his best to hold on to no avail. As he was thrown through the air, he only had one hope--okay two--first, that his balls would heal normally. Second, that the boss would be okay.Blood Bolt
He seems crazy, that's a fair assumption. But Lucius grew up brawling well before he had powers. Dodging a thrown object--especially one as large and sexy as Greggy-poo--wasn't too hard. Okay that and I don't need to really move so much. One side step as Greg flew past his face and Bolt tilted his head. "Now that wasn't nice. Greg is a sweetheart and you're just being mean. Can't have that, can we darlin'?" Power charging in his hands, the red light growing brighter than anything else, Bolt smiled. "So, you have a choice. You can try--key word there Mountain knockoff--to leave. Or attack. Or fuck with me. But I promise you, lightning moves faster than you. So fucking try me. Please, PLEASE, try me, bitch."Valentine
Her entire form heaved from exertion and residual pain that still cascaded through her, her blood boiling in equal measure from battle and anger as her eyes narrowed as Blood Bolt faced off against her smiling at her. He's got a face I want to break, she thought to herself as she stayed silent, listening to him as tension pooled within her core. All the muscles across her body coiling like a spring ready to burst. "Lots of tough talk from the boy who came with a babysitter. I'll get my fight one way or another. Try not to miss me too much sparky." Rather than waiting to see the results of her antagonizing, she pressed all her remaining strength into her legs and launched herself away. Utilizing the dense foliage and trees around her as cover. Once, twice, three times she leapt deeper into the darkness hoping to avoid any last-minute shots of lightning by putting obstacles between her and the potentially lethal adversary.Blood Bolt
Sparky? Oh, no. That’s not allowed. I come up with the nicknames you piece of shit. Energy already channeled it didn’t matter that she was moving with speeds greater than a human. Lightning moves faster. Greg’s groan was all that stalled him. Sigh. Fuck it. Releasing the energy back into his body, Bolt flicked open a phone and pressed a button. Within a ring someone answered. “The Park, find my location. Bring my hounds. I’m off on a hunt old chap.” Closing the phone, Bolt saw that Greg was already repairing himself. Won’t help the pain. Sitting on the sidewalk, he let out another sigh. “Well, there goes my chance at ice cream. Damnit.”
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
July 9, 2021
Authors
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