On the day of his mother's grave, Terrence promised high-tiers would pay. He had been born to extremely unfortunate circumstances. An unwanted child born from the abuse of a high tier to his mother. His mother was overworked, and couldn't keep a proper job. Her frustrations led to a lot of misery in his early life. To come home beaten by high-tiers in school, and in the streets, then to come and be beaten at home. Terrance's life was a swirl of negativity.
High tiers don't deserve the power they had. This society that punched down to keep power was out of whack. A disgusting space that propagated the idealisms of the powerful, the one percent. Thirty percent of people were low tier, and even more were between low tier and mid-tier. Yet, only the high-tiers were afforded benefits. At his lowest moment, he was approached by a man who promised to take him under his umbrella.
That's where he learned of an organization, Spectre. An organization whose aim was to topple the current administration and make sure everyone was equal… Terrence liked the idea, that ideal was beautiful. In the end however, it was nothing but that, an ideal. No, what Terrance wanted was something different, he wanted low tiers to be in charge, and the high tiers to be put on a leash. Many shared his ideals, and agreed with that sentiment. As such, the person who had introduced him to the organization, and his father-figure decided to take over. They formed a faction, and grew it, expanding under the noses of the other factions so they could have more control over their operation.
If Terrance had a choice in the matter, he would never go to a place like Wellston. Wellston was a disgusting space filled with nothing but elitist high-tiers. Every day he was beaten up and forced to do other people's homework for them. He had to remember, he wasn't there for nothing, he was there for a purpose. Something larger than himself, something larger than his wants. Which is why he was currently there, inside his dorm at 5:00 am.
His mission there was to record any prospects for Spectre, keep a file on them, and then to attempt an indoctrination. Currently, the top prospect was Seraphina, a high tier that willingly hung out with a cripple. Her best friend, John, didn't even have an ability of his own. Despite her dismissal for any other low-tiers, she did have the potential to see the end-goal. Plus, if Terrance could put her in a leash there would be little their faction couldn't do, after all, her ability was time-related. It transcended the third dimension and allowed her to tap into the fourth.
Besides Seraphina, there was one other person who Terrence eyed for the prospect. Looking through his files, he looked through the newest ones.
– Files –
Target 94
Name: Vritra
Ability: Dragon related (Unclear)
Level: 1̶.̶3̶ ̶2̶.̶3̶ ̶ ̶2̶.̶5̶+̶ Can evolve during battle.
Recruit: Likely
Description: Began as a low-tier. According to information, he is a late-bloomer. Helps other low-tiers and has been shown being overwhelmingly sympathetic toward them. Puts himself at risk for them. Has a hatred for the current system. The only issue is his temperament seems to only be handled by Azazel, and his answer to conflict is violence.
Terrence closed the file and turned off his computer. With an ever-evolving ability there wasn't a lot the Spectre couldn't do. If they were to break down his ability and find a way to make a drug that could advance a person's ability over-time they could over-take the authorities with ease.
He opened the door to his dorm and became invisible immediately. That was his ability, and why he had been chosen to gather information in Wellston. He did have a lot of information on Vritra's behavior, but none of his motives. He didn't know much about him and it was important to see if he was a genuine person, or someone simply trying to get brownie points.
Terrence walked through the dorms and found another one of his file-members, Azazel. He grabbed his phone, still visible to only him and looked through it.
– Files –
Target N/A
Name: Azazel
Ability: Fog Manipulation (Unclear)
Level: ̶1̶.̶4̶,̶ ̶2̶.̶4̶,̶ 2.5+
Recruit: NO
Description: Arrogant, egotistical, always thinks he is in the right. Does not work hard, does not train. Intelligent, calculating, lazy. Handles conflict through violence. Does not seem to care about low-tiers. Sees himself as better than everyone. Seems to hate everyone with the only exception being Vritra. Potential threat.
#Note: his ability seems to change every time it is utilized. (New)
Azazel stopped and turned his head, looking straight at Terrence. Has he been discovered? That wasn't even possible. He was being as quiet as he possibly could. Azazel turned his head again and continued walking. Did he turn it on instinct? No, the only thing that could have made a sound was Terrence's breathing… he was overthinking it.
Terrence took another soundless step forward and heard the footsteps behind him stop. He turned his head and saw a metal pipe come his way.
He ducked under it and let it hit the other side of the hall.
"Hmm…" Azazel narrowed his eyes, walked to the pipe, passing by Terrence. Terrence stopped breathing all together while Azazel was near, and only let his breath go once Azazel had left entirely. What kind of abnormal sensitivity to sound was that? To hear him breathing and suspect he was there… Was he superhuman even without an ability or something?
Terrence continued walking toward the other side of the dorm, where he found his actual target for today. A tall black-haired man with red eyes…
He's grown taller
Terrance thought to himself. They were in highschool, but this kind of growth spurt was unheard of. He'd grown from a 6 '9 (already incredibly tall) to 7' 0 overnight. Now that Terrence thought about it, the same could be said for Azazel… though he had a much lesser presence. Just like Azazel, he turned his way.
You're kidding me, I'm at least five meters away.
He took two steps back and Vritra went back to drawing something on a cheap-looking sketchbook. Terrence could tell it was cheap because the outside looked like it was made of cardboard, it was falling apart and it had stains… what looked like blood-stains, on its corners. And so… Terrence waited for him to do something, or reveal some kind of information about his motivations, but nothing came to it.
Terrence had to leave the room, and come back into it without invisibility because he could understand it would take too long, and he needed some Aura to escape if a fight were to happen… though the chances of that happening were low inside the dorm-room lounge –
A large crash sent debris through a wall as a whirlwind tunneled through, striking at Vritra while he sketched. Pieces of debris hit him. From the hole on the wall came purple haired and dark pink-ish/red eyes. Terrence had already made a file on him.
– Files –
Target N/A
Name: Ventus
Ability: Whirlwind/Wind Manipulation
Level: 3.8
Recruit: NO
Description: The average high-tier snob. Listens and kisses up to the Royals in hopes of becoming one in the future, has no gripes with the current system and has been seen abusing mid to low tiers in the past.
"Oh god fucking damn it, ITS SEVEN IN THE FUCKING MORNING!"
"Arlo sends his regards." Ventus showcased exactly why Terrence hated High-tiers. They got to sit around and order weaker tiers around like pawns. He sneakily moved away from the conflict and watched from a safe distance as other residents looked in. Isen and Blyke walked into it, but immediately left once they saw who was fighting.
"Can you cunts come up with something original? Please? Its the fifth fucking time I hear this." Vritra growled at the intruder. "Also, if Arlo is sending me so many fucking regards, he should just come down and confess already, this is getting ridiculous."
"Your disgusting mouth is exactly why you're in this much trouble. You should learn when to keep it closed." Ventus reeled both his arms back.
Vritra smirked widely. "Well this disgusting mouth is what has your puppet king's panties all twisted up. He should just come out of the closet already… " Vritra appraised Ventus up and down. "Matter of fact? When are you coming out? Purple Hair? Bold choice, I have to say."
"Can it!" He threw both his hands forward and sent another tunnel of wind Vritra's way. Sending more debris his way as well. Terrence wondered what exactly Arlo was planning, wind? Sure it could cut and send debris his way, but why Ventus and not someone like Meili? She could cut through steel with her claws.
Vritra's eyes were glowing that haunting red once more, but no real change was apparent. Crossing his arms, the giant prepared to tank the hit just as he always did.
Terrence wondered why there was no physical change in his appearance. Typically after the first attack, Vritra's body would change drastically, height gain was not as present as it had been before. He thought the main condition of his change was threat. Terrence looked at the debris.
Well Arlo, I wasn't aware you thought things through that far. I might have to add a note to your profile.
Ventus was attacking with small cuts and debris. That was hardly a threat to Vritra, which meant his ability didn't escalate or evolve. His plan was to use low damaging attacks that would be threatless otherwise and kill him via one thousand cuts. But there was an issue with that… How many paper-cuts did it take before they became too dangerous?
Vritra scoffed, looking down at his body as though it had betrayed him. "Gotta admit, that golden bastard really thought this one out didn't he?" His scowl and ire was directed at Ventus, before a sickening grin set itself on his features. The giant lowered his center of gravity before rushing at Ventus.
Ventus used his ability again, this time when Vritra was closer, pushing him to the ground, and then forcing him to be pushed back, the consistent hits cut Vritra's arms ever-so-slightly. The real threat were the debris around that were pulled and pushed by the wind, hitting the large man with the force of baseball bats.
Vritra raised a singular arm up, palms open and pointing at Ventus, before glowing a fiery orange. A loud boom shook the Lounge as Vritra's palm released an explosion, flinging his arm back at the recoil.
Terrence's eyes widened, he thought pyrokinesis came after certain escalation, did that mean he could use it from the get go? And from any part of his body? Ventus seemed to be more shocked than Vritra, being sent back into the hole he'd made for his entrance.
It didn't take long for him to recover, sending another whirlwind, through another piece of the wall in hopes to get Vritra between debris again. He jumped through and kept one hand back and one hand in front. Terrence wasn't too sure what his idea was, but from his current performance it had to involve debris somehow.
"FUCK-!" Vritra growled out, his other palm already pointed Ventus' way as another loud explosion erupted out, sending the debris flying back. "-YOU!"
Ventus thrusted his other arm and expanded the whirlwind, pulling in debris. Terrence could tell it was by accident, but the wind combined with the debris acted as a tunneling shield that pushed the explosion away. It's a shockwave cancelling the wind. Ventus reeled both hands back and shot them forward again.
"God damn it, will you just fucking stop!" Another explosion, this one bigger than the previous ones, erupted but a loud pop soon followed. A grunt of pain left Vritra's mouth, looking at his shoulder in annoyance.
"Wow, it's really working." Ventus himself wasn't sure if it would work. Ventus kept his whirlwind up, sending debris to harm Vritra. The idea was clearly not his, it came from Arlo for sure. So that's his main weakness, if he can't feel threatened by something, then there is nothing to escalate to. Terrence knew better however, that loud pop was something Ventus should be backing away for.
The first real sign that things began going downhill is the way Vritra's uniform tightened against his frame. With his back facing the debris, Vritra tried and failed to set his shoulder back into its place. He tried using the momentum of the blast to his favor, not the dumbest thing Terrence has seen, but it would require finesse, and Vritra was a late-bloomer which meant he didn't have a lot of time to become experienced with his own ability.
Ventus broke another wall with his whirlwind, aiming back, then aimed forward again so there was a bigger mass of debris hitting Vritra.
The sickening pop of a shoulder being set back in its place was soon followed with Vritra's body beginning to… Escalate.
Terrence knit his eyebrows. It was too sudden, too out of left field. He began escalating from nowhere. Was there some kind of requirement needed to be met before it began? That couldn't be the case because it'd done so instantaneously in previous fights. Terrence simply couldn't understand.
Vritra hand lashed out. His arm already possesses lizard-like traits, all claws and scales.
Did he inject some sort of drug into himself? Or was the escalation happening because the accumulative papercuts had become too threatening all at once? Terrence wasn't even sure as to what he was doing, slowly reaching for the ground… not the ground, but Ventus' shadow, cast below by the rays of light striking him from the back thanks to the hole on the wall he'd made.
"Got ya~" A sickening smile, one that Terrance was beginning to notice as a recurring element in every single one of his fights, spread across his face, this one full of nothing but malice and promises of pain as his hand sunk into the shadow and pulled.
Shadows were a second dimensional thing, something humans can't really interact with without the use of an ability. So why was Vritra not just interacting with, but yanking Ventus' shadow towards him? As if to respond to this incongruence in space-time, Ventus himself was pulled alongside the shadow, his sudden loss of balance made his arms flail and thus his ability was no longer targeting Vritra.
A sudden gain in ability?! That could only mean one of two things. Vritra had a second ability, or, the more likely scenario… Somehow Vritra's ability allowed him to adapt to his most threatening environment. The explosions had only been seen after Howard's heat palm and Kalum's ability. The shadow ability was only shown after his entire body had been covered by darkness, Azazel's ability. Much like how in mythology dragons gain elements based on where they live, could Vritra gain a trait by doing the same? That made him even more of a threat if he did not join Spectr. If that was the case, he was a potential bigger risk than someone like Seraphina.
The impact of Ventus' head cracking the floor cut that train of thought off, Vritra's fist slowly pulling out of his face with blood smeared all over it. A mad cackle erupted from Vritra, deep and rich with joy. "Wow, even your shadow betrayed you~" Wiping an imaginary tear, Vritra's palm pointed down at the fallen Elite-Tier. Vritra's face lost all positivity as he glared down at Ventus. "Time to send a fucking message to Arlo and his lackeys." A loud Explosion erupted, enveloping Ventus. A second followed, as all one could see on Vritra's face was euphoria.
"Do you ever get tired of finding new lows, kitty?" Azazel had walked in with both hands in his pocket. Terrence had no idea what kind of confidence he could possibly have to talk to an escalated Vritra like he was an equal, let alone a superior.
A groan "He fucking attacked at the Lounge, the fucking Lounge, I was having breakfast and drawing."
"Yeah, so maybe try not to coat my cereal with blood. No killing, toss him outside." Azazel's words felt like they held little weight behind him, probably because he didn't really care. Maybe because he was tired.
Shrugging his shoulders, Vritra picked up the downed Elite, his body smoking and his chest enveloped in second degree burns. "If this is the 'King' keeping order, I don't want to know what Anarchy looks like in this shithole."
"Fakers pretending to be nothing, kings that are nothing but puppets. The essence of shallow skin is all they understand, bone and blood is beyond them." Terrence wondered if he'd been reading some poems with a feathered hat. His way of talking was annoying, it grated his ears. Without looking Terrance could tell he had a shit-eating-grin on his face.
Just as Vritra was about to throw Ventus out of the window, he paused. Looked at the downed body in his hands, before raising an eyebrow. A quick punch to the leg and Ventus' limb broke. Only then did he drop him out like trash.
Incredible. Terrence pulled out his phone and went invisible, slowly blending into the background and walking away. He furiously typed on his phone.
– Files –
Target 94
Name: Vritra
Ability: ̶D̶r̶a̶g̶o̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶l̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶(̶U̶n̶c̶l̶e̶a̶r̶) Superior Draconic Adaptation.
Level: 1̶.̶3̶ ̶2̶.̶3̶ ̶ ̶2̶.̶5̶+̶ Can evolve during battle.
Recruit: LikelyDescription: Began as a low-tier. According to information, he is a late-bloomer. Helps other low-tiers and has been shown being overwhelmingly sympathetic toward them. Puts himself at risk for them. Has a hatred for the current system. The only issue is his temperament seems to only be handled by Azazel, and his answer to conflict is violence.
#Note: Has shown very sadistic tendencies when feeling slighted.