Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 0:56:54 GMT
Well, this could've gone a lot better.
Young Houdin had his head laid on the floor, his forehead bloodied and his shoulder slammed down onto the wooden floor. This thoughts were jumbled, trying to regain focus on his latest suicidal raid. About several floors down were a band of Konatsians; an angry mob on the warpath for his and his mother' blood. They had breached into a multi-story structure far from where the cult's lair once stood before it all fell into chaos, the Saiyan that fathered him escaping in a bloodthristy frenzy. Neither Houdin or his mother had been taking notes on the place, though they had been planning to use it as their coven grew in number. A muffling within his ear rattling him as he started to regain his balance, the familiar voice of an old friend coming through.
"Young master...young master!" It was the homunculus known as Ethyra, her uncharacteristically shaky voice bellowing out as if the boy was already six feet under. She was a longtime servant of his mother and the cult, having personally watching over Houdin and his years of training with magic. He had to admit, she certainly didn't make the training easy, and it wasn't the most ideal of ways to handle what he once thought would be an easy task to take on, but he would never dream of having it any other way. The two forged their friendship through all the pain and strife they had to endure from each other, forming a nigh-unbreakable bond. While Ethyra wasn't quite the Konatsian she was, nor could she remember her old self, she still had his own dealings with being an android with burgeoning powers within her.
Houdin, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. He was a born of a sorcerer mother and a captured Saiyan father, concieved and raised as just one part of his mother's plans to overthrow the planet Konats and rule over its people. There wasn't much in the way of memories on Houdin's end, having been kept within the cult for most of his life. While his own biological properties would give him immense power, Houdin's body was forever changed by the dark magic that surrounded and embraced him. houdin became a warlock, his body and mind trained to the point where he could eventually fight alongside his mother -- and eventually, have his own seat on the throne that was promised to him.
At least, that was the plan the boy and his mother had.
However, this was not the extent of his strange condition, as he was soon about to demonstrate. "I'm okay, Ethyra. Relatively." Houdin responded within his mind, looking around the musty room as he finally came to. Ethyra breathed a sigh of relief, still not being used to her newly-honed telepathy. It hadn't been too long since Houdin had made some distance from the chaos at their base, though there was still the matter of the other Konatsians wanting to take down some petty cultistis. He wasn't the most powerful being on the planet, but he certainly wasn't going to waste away the arcane gifts that were given to him.
"You really need to warn me before you decide to throw your life away for the hell of it," Ethyra snarked at the young sorcerer, still a little shaken by everything that's happened. "I lived, didn't I? In...in the worst case, I get caught in the grave with all of our aspirations crumbling down, but I'd still be going out killing these worms." Houdin was being rather cocky, given the circumstances.
"Young master, I must insist that you try and prioritize your survival over your bloodlust." the homonculus' voice creaked again. Her tone was slowly getting back to its usual level of control, leaving the young spell-user to smile briefly. "The power you wield within you is good, we've made sure as such since your birth, but you still have plenty of limits as well. Even if it weren't the case, you can't be too careless out there."
Well, it wasn't the boy's fault that the roof caved in when he landed. Or that he may have woke up the entire building with his little stunt. Either way, he really needed to work out the ways to escape this wretched planet with his planet, not to mention doing so with mother and the others. Still, at the very least, it didn't look like anyone was coming--
Footsteps. Loud ones, coming up the steps.
Houdin crouched down and eyed the stairway across from him. "So much for the nice and quiet way. Taking these small fries out won't take long." The boy readied his staff, the humming sound of his magic filling the room as he took in a deep breath. "If you're listening, Ethyra...well...sorry I couldn't walk away without making a mess, here." the warlock started to hear some voices now, along with the metallic clang of swords and sadistic laughter. If he were a betting man, he'd guess that these guys may have long caught on to all the noise he was making. This certainly won't be an easy scrap, but then again, nothing ever is.
"I trust that you know that you know how to handle yourself to an extent." Ethyra came to embrace having a young master and a partial friend, even if Houdin himself sometimes wasn't too great at understanding the weight of some situations. Being a bright-eyed babe learning magic in a world facing uprisings from every corner of itself tends to let some people be attached, even if Ethyra wouldn't really consider herself much of a decent friend. Still, the ego-boost did always help Eli, and the guy's heart was often in the right place. "I trust myself enough to get through this. I've been in spots like this a few times already now, why break the streak?" Eli responded in kind.
It was time for the young sorcerer to fight.
The door was suddenly kicked in, a few guys with blades and staffs barging in at the sight of an empty room. Well, an empty room with a newly-minted sky window, but nonetheless. "Keep watch, men. That devil and her spawn could be anywhere," one of the mob said, the others scouting out the place as the silence began to seep in. Unbeknown to them, Houdin was hiding away near some crates and rubble, his eyes scanning their weapons and conditions. They were just some regular superstitious folks, nothing special or out of the ordinary. This came at a relief to young Houdin, nowhere near ready to take on any especially powerful threats.
"Look around, he has to be somewhere. They think they can take over and make me lie down...," bellowed the larger bald man from behind the group. He was roughnecked and scowled, likely had a few years of this life left in him. Plenty of time to use his absent-minded head to do nothing and allow the Kashvar's power and influence to ruin the lives of so many people. It was just as well that he'd have a bone to pick with the new heretic in town, busting up the peace and messing with the cushy lives of their bosses. Then again, Houdin didn't really give much of a damn about wrecking things for the blind and foolish. He needed to start moving, however.
The top of the crates suddenly toppled over to the floor, loudly crashing down near the team. Magic-shots and sword-clangs soon followed, the mysterious figure dashing away into the shadows. Some of the magic bullets were lucky enough to catch the very end of his cape, but Houdin was left intact. The konatsians quickly made their way to the splintered wood left behind, right as a white blast of Ki suddenly lands on a grunt's neck. A pained howl echoed out as sparks of white lightning enveloped him, the others looking at him in astonishment. Quickly getting into their sense, they quickly aimed their arms to the sight of a black-cloaked figure standing on top of a tower of crates, a smile creeping along his face.
"You really shouldn't get so spooked by loud noises. Are you sure you guys are ready to slay me?" Houdin flashed a wicked smile, staff at the ready.
"Finish him!," The bald-head said, more Ki blasts erupting as Houdin leaped forward with his magic staff, the ends of them emitting more white blasts. The first guy in front of the boy was naturally the first to go, one of the staff ends landing directly onto his chest as Houdin fired a point-blank blast. The warlock soon made quick work of two more with a rapid twirl of his staff as he landed hard on the first target. Before he could make another desperate move, however, his head raised up to come face-to-face with the wrong end of a blast. "Heh. Wrong move, demon." The Guardian was well-built and skinny, but seemed pretty young compared to the others. He was likely some new recruit.
"You don't have to do this you know. Killing innocents, serving under false masters. You could help make this world all the better if you open your eyes." Maybe Houdin could try and reason with the newbie, if nothing else. There was that dark optimism of his acting up, always wanting to shepard new would-be cultists above all else. However, it didn't quite take this time, the blade beginning to rise above the young Konatsian's head.
"Nah, purging your filth's easer," the punk said. Houdin could only sigh. "Suit yourself."
The warlock quickly raised his hands and clenched them hard, bright lights flashing from them both. The shielding came quickly and expanded in a near instant, pushing everyone onto the walls as Houdin quickly recovered with two new balls of Ki. The energy was enough to push, but he wasn't sure by how much, so he had to act quickly. The first blast went onto the young Guardian's hands, getting him to let go of the blade as he threw the other into the bald wonder. Another guy, armed with chains, suddenly came at the cultist with a hellish scream. A few hits with the staff to this neck, stomach and legs made quick work of him.
"Hm. I expected no less from you, master." Ethyra was genuinely impressed, even if she couldn't see what was going on. Just the imagination of her master putting his training to good use was more than enough to sate her, apparently. Houdin scratched on his left ear as he began to step over the thugs, looking at the stairway again in case there were more punching bags coming. "I know you're as afraid of how things are going right now, Ethyra, but have you heard anything from mother? I keep fearing, in all the chaos that she--"
A sudden sling of chains wrapped around this neck, the back of his head slamming onto the ground with a loud thud and a pained yelp. His head looked up, coming face to face with the young Guardian holding onto the ends of the dropped chains. "Sorry, my friend. Not gonna let you make more trouble for these good people. I'm not sure how your lot hid from us for so long, but no longer..." His hands pulled, the chains tightening around Houdin as his opponent tried to reach down for his discarded sword. A stronger blast, his staff, anything that could take this guy down for the count. "Heard your friends already downed one gang looking for you....rng...had some friends in there myself. A shame."
From what he could see at the corner of his eye, the staff has already rolled to the edge of the steps. It didn't seem like the boy had much choice. With two raised palms and a flashing light, an energy blast toppled the man over as young Houdin quickly regained his breath. With not much time to think, he quickly started to make a dash out of the door and made a dive towards the staff. He knew the blast wasn't enough to kill, but he needed to buy some time. He could already hear the Guardian readying his blade as his shoulder hit the ground.
Unfortunately, the rest of Houdin crashed over the railing and plunged him down the steps. At the he avoided the incoming magic-fire, but that didn't quite make up for what he was in for if he didn't hurry.
Quickly, the boy focused his energy and chanted as he began to float in midair and catch a few breaths. He managed to grapple onto the nearest railing, wrapping onto one of them as his body swung over and crashed into the door of one of the lower floors. Wood and debris cut into Houdin's skin and clothing as he scraped along the floor of a hallway, the vulgar taunts of the Konatsian hunters going on. The warlock slowly got back up, making his way around the labyrinth of halls in a makeshift attempt to avoid what will surely be mobs of goons closing in on him. He didn't have to wait, no room to retort, only to run.
The young sorcerer finally stopped, ducking into a nearby room as footsteps began to close in on him. The tension was growing, Houdin's hands clutching onto the wall as he took in one breath after another.
One. The footsteps were growing closer, and so were the voice, some doors near him opening.
Two. BANG. BANG-BANG. Slammed doors and the sound of magicks blowing things away. Whoever was leading them was not leaving things to chance.
Three. Faded footsteps turning into silence. "He's not here, keep going." A few moments pass, Houdin's counting his luck with exhaustion.
Houdin creaked open the door, facing the hallways once again and finding them empty. He calmly breathed in, a musty gust of wind blowing through the window behind him and into the night sky. He wondered what would be left of his family's dreams after everything that's befallen them tonight, let alone if he himself would have the power and skill to survive the fallout for more than two seconds. He had to keep moving however, and he really needs to stop picking fights with every bloody roach on the path that he sees. Houdin would've wanted to take down everyone that opposed his cause here and now, but tonight, he had to focus on simply surviving.
From what he could gather from what his mother told him earlier, their meeting place should be around here..not much far from Houdin or most of the others looking for him. The boy couldn't help but let his imagination ran about, trying to think of the circumstances that might've brought the child in such a position. Even with the fact that he still had a family of sorts to rebuild, Brigid could very much feel some fear in his heart. Everything happened so fast, and there was little guarantee that everyone under him would survive. He wished that this was the kind of situation where he knew the right path to victory, where a few sparks of genius could change someone's life in an instant.
Whatever was ahead could very well be dangerous, however, and Houdin was very well aware of that. He could feel his own heart wanting to claw its way out as his weathered feet ventured forward. The other blood-hungry hunters could double-back or send more people down to where he was, himself not knowing how quickly things may escalate. Perhaps the others had already taken off, or that last thought was just the boy's head trying to justify being a weakling and high-tailing out of the place. He didn't have much in the way of fighting experience with his magic, and who knows if this could all end up blowing up in smoke?
With a disappointed sigh, Houdin immediately stopped dead. Yes, he was afraid, that that no excuse to stop himself from doing what he needs to -- to deny the task that he had been working towards his whole life. The mere thought of abandoning everything he fought towards shouldn't even cross his mind, and yet, here he was. The warlock readjusted his shaken form, trying to make out some form of renewed courage to keep going. With luck, however, he did started to hear some muffling and shifting as he went deeper into the hallways. Houdin beamed with curiosity and anxiety as he slowly got closer to the source, his feet softly touching the ground with each step.
Then, there was a sudden thud.
The boy jumped as his gazed focused on the darkened door in front of him, right at the end of the hall. He was getting a touch bit worried now, his mind thinking of pressing forward or maybe calling out to whoever was there. He was going to handle things, sooner or later , and things were already getting a little too tense for him to hesitate again. For someone as new to the world outside as Houdin, this felt like a self-inflicted trial of his own character. Before he could even try to think of doing otherwise, the door slowly started to creak open...
"You...you're..." Eli trailed off. It was his mother, Mahou, looking no better than he is at the moment.
She didn't seem to be doing too well, given the disastrous look of her hair and her hand holding onto her bleeding forehead. She was trying to look out to her son in a trembling voice, trying to reassure him. Instinctively, her very dear son held onto the woman as he slowly pulled away her hand. Houdin was no doctor, but he didn't need to be to tell how bad the gash was. The young boy could see another one like him at the corner of her eye, hair shaded purple and looking back at him with curiosity. There was some familiarity to him, but Houdin was too shaken to really dwell on it right now.
The boy kept apologizing to Houdin for not protect his mother properly, telling him about the Konatsians that came after the two, about having to run and hide after exhausting what little Ki he had. Houdin's hand didn't leave his mother's healing forehead, even as he could hear more footsteps growing closer to where they were. They had to move soon, before more chaos begin to ring out, but Houdin could take the extra moment to carry Mahou while the other boy followed. The warlock looked to the other boy as he remained quiet and nodded, the purple-haired Konatsian responding in kind.
"S-son...it's not too far from here" Mahou offered a weakened smile to Houdin, breathing heavily. "I know, mother, from where we need to hide and-," Houdin was interrupted by a sudden cough from his mother, but she raised a hand to him before he could say anything further. The two boys glanced at each other with worry, and back at her. "No, no. There is something that will carry you away from this wretched world, so you may carry my will. You will need to trust me, boy."
"Carry me?...mother, I--" Before he could protest any further, the sound of their enemies grew larger. They didn't have too much time left, but the implication of what Houdin's mother said filled him with dread. "Go, master! I'll hold them off!," their other ally said, already rushing off to give them some more time. Houdin began to grow more concerned, carrying his mother by the side as they began to make their escape. "I...will do as you command..."
Houdin's eyes creaked open at the sound of birds fluttering in the air. Everything seemed to fall into silence now, the familiar shade of a tree looming over him. He had to sigh at himself for drifting off into another memory, of a time before he called this planet as his new home. Earth always had its moments of peace, even if its history was anything but. Still, times like these give him moments to reflect, especially how that he's become much older.
It had been several weeks since Houdin was forced to abandon his mother to travel the greater universe, testing his skills and gaining more power through knowledge. He was sure that he would start over from his mother's failures just fine, but he couldn't help but miss his former home at times. After all, it was the one thing that he had been training to conquer and enslave. Where would the years of hard work that his mother's cult put out go if his eye wasn't on the metaphorical ball (well, planets are spherical anyway, but that's beside the point)? Worst of all was the feeling that Houdin had left behind the children of the cult that could've used his guidance. It was a shame, losing the opportunity to have proper minions of his own.
The warlock really needed to take his mind off of things, and there was plenty that he could do on this planet. Still, Houdin had to be mindful enough to not be too reckless, lest his greater be revealed to the world too early. As much as someone like him wanted to paint the stars themselves red, it wouldn't be too long until someone got lucky enough to kill him in the middle of his fun. The rest of the world was not much different compared to back home, and there was no doubt that there would be plenty of powerful warriors waiting for her. Houdin needed to get stronger, if not for his sake, but for the sake of protecting his soon-to-be rebuilt throne atop of his enemies.
For now, though, his was just Houdin. A strange alien, on a planet of strangers...
(WC: 3,653 - I'll take my reward in Zenni, thanks!)
Young Houdin had his head laid on the floor, his forehead bloodied and his shoulder slammed down onto the wooden floor. This thoughts were jumbled, trying to regain focus on his latest suicidal raid. About several floors down were a band of Konatsians; an angry mob on the warpath for his and his mother' blood. They had breached into a multi-story structure far from where the cult's lair once stood before it all fell into chaos, the Saiyan that fathered him escaping in a bloodthristy frenzy. Neither Houdin or his mother had been taking notes on the place, though they had been planning to use it as their coven grew in number. A muffling within his ear rattling him as he started to regain his balance, the familiar voice of an old friend coming through.
"Young master...young master!" It was the homunculus known as Ethyra, her uncharacteristically shaky voice bellowing out as if the boy was already six feet under. She was a longtime servant of his mother and the cult, having personally watching over Houdin and his years of training with magic. He had to admit, she certainly didn't make the training easy, and it wasn't the most ideal of ways to handle what he once thought would be an easy task to take on, but he would never dream of having it any other way. The two forged their friendship through all the pain and strife they had to endure from each other, forming a nigh-unbreakable bond. While Ethyra wasn't quite the Konatsian she was, nor could she remember her old self, she still had his own dealings with being an android with burgeoning powers within her.
Houdin, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. He was a born of a sorcerer mother and a captured Saiyan father, concieved and raised as just one part of his mother's plans to overthrow the planet Konats and rule over its people. There wasn't much in the way of memories on Houdin's end, having been kept within the cult for most of his life. While his own biological properties would give him immense power, Houdin's body was forever changed by the dark magic that surrounded and embraced him. houdin became a warlock, his body and mind trained to the point where he could eventually fight alongside his mother -- and eventually, have his own seat on the throne that was promised to him.
At least, that was the plan the boy and his mother had.
However, this was not the extent of his strange condition, as he was soon about to demonstrate. "I'm okay, Ethyra. Relatively." Houdin responded within his mind, looking around the musty room as he finally came to. Ethyra breathed a sigh of relief, still not being used to her newly-honed telepathy. It hadn't been too long since Houdin had made some distance from the chaos at their base, though there was still the matter of the other Konatsians wanting to take down some petty cultistis. He wasn't the most powerful being on the planet, but he certainly wasn't going to waste away the arcane gifts that were given to him.
"You really need to warn me before you decide to throw your life away for the hell of it," Ethyra snarked at the young sorcerer, still a little shaken by everything that's happened. "I lived, didn't I? In...in the worst case, I get caught in the grave with all of our aspirations crumbling down, but I'd still be going out killing these worms." Houdin was being rather cocky, given the circumstances.
"Young master, I must insist that you try and prioritize your survival over your bloodlust." the homonculus' voice creaked again. Her tone was slowly getting back to its usual level of control, leaving the young spell-user to smile briefly. "The power you wield within you is good, we've made sure as such since your birth, but you still have plenty of limits as well. Even if it weren't the case, you can't be too careless out there."
Well, it wasn't the boy's fault that the roof caved in when he landed. Or that he may have woke up the entire building with his little stunt. Either way, he really needed to work out the ways to escape this wretched planet with his planet, not to mention doing so with mother and the others. Still, at the very least, it didn't look like anyone was coming--
Footsteps. Loud ones, coming up the steps.
Houdin crouched down and eyed the stairway across from him. "So much for the nice and quiet way. Taking these small fries out won't take long." The boy readied his staff, the humming sound of his magic filling the room as he took in a deep breath. "If you're listening, Ethyra...well...sorry I couldn't walk away without making a mess, here." the warlock started to hear some voices now, along with the metallic clang of swords and sadistic laughter. If he were a betting man, he'd guess that these guys may have long caught on to all the noise he was making. This certainly won't be an easy scrap, but then again, nothing ever is.
"I trust that you know that you know how to handle yourself to an extent." Ethyra came to embrace having a young master and a partial friend, even if Houdin himself sometimes wasn't too great at understanding the weight of some situations. Being a bright-eyed babe learning magic in a world facing uprisings from every corner of itself tends to let some people be attached, even if Ethyra wouldn't really consider herself much of a decent friend. Still, the ego-boost did always help Eli, and the guy's heart was often in the right place. "I trust myself enough to get through this. I've been in spots like this a few times already now, why break the streak?" Eli responded in kind.
It was time for the young sorcerer to fight.
The door was suddenly kicked in, a few guys with blades and staffs barging in at the sight of an empty room. Well, an empty room with a newly-minted sky window, but nonetheless. "Keep watch, men. That devil and her spawn could be anywhere," one of the mob said, the others scouting out the place as the silence began to seep in. Unbeknown to them, Houdin was hiding away near some crates and rubble, his eyes scanning their weapons and conditions. They were just some regular superstitious folks, nothing special or out of the ordinary. This came at a relief to young Houdin, nowhere near ready to take on any especially powerful threats.
"Look around, he has to be somewhere. They think they can take over and make me lie down...," bellowed the larger bald man from behind the group. He was roughnecked and scowled, likely had a few years of this life left in him. Plenty of time to use his absent-minded head to do nothing and allow the Kashvar's power and influence to ruin the lives of so many people. It was just as well that he'd have a bone to pick with the new heretic in town, busting up the peace and messing with the cushy lives of their bosses. Then again, Houdin didn't really give much of a damn about wrecking things for the blind and foolish. He needed to start moving, however.
The top of the crates suddenly toppled over to the floor, loudly crashing down near the team. Magic-shots and sword-clangs soon followed, the mysterious figure dashing away into the shadows. Some of the magic bullets were lucky enough to catch the very end of his cape, but Houdin was left intact. The konatsians quickly made their way to the splintered wood left behind, right as a white blast of Ki suddenly lands on a grunt's neck. A pained howl echoed out as sparks of white lightning enveloped him, the others looking at him in astonishment. Quickly getting into their sense, they quickly aimed their arms to the sight of a black-cloaked figure standing on top of a tower of crates, a smile creeping along his face.
"You really shouldn't get so spooked by loud noises. Are you sure you guys are ready to slay me?" Houdin flashed a wicked smile, staff at the ready.
"Finish him!," The bald-head said, more Ki blasts erupting as Houdin leaped forward with his magic staff, the ends of them emitting more white blasts. The first guy in front of the boy was naturally the first to go, one of the staff ends landing directly onto his chest as Houdin fired a point-blank blast. The warlock soon made quick work of two more with a rapid twirl of his staff as he landed hard on the first target. Before he could make another desperate move, however, his head raised up to come face-to-face with the wrong end of a blast. "Heh. Wrong move, demon." The Guardian was well-built and skinny, but seemed pretty young compared to the others. He was likely some new recruit.
"You don't have to do this you know. Killing innocents, serving under false masters. You could help make this world all the better if you open your eyes." Maybe Houdin could try and reason with the newbie, if nothing else. There was that dark optimism of his acting up, always wanting to shepard new would-be cultists above all else. However, it didn't quite take this time, the blade beginning to rise above the young Konatsian's head.
"Nah, purging your filth's easer," the punk said. Houdin could only sigh. "Suit yourself."
The warlock quickly raised his hands and clenched them hard, bright lights flashing from them both. The shielding came quickly and expanded in a near instant, pushing everyone onto the walls as Houdin quickly recovered with two new balls of Ki. The energy was enough to push, but he wasn't sure by how much, so he had to act quickly. The first blast went onto the young Guardian's hands, getting him to let go of the blade as he threw the other into the bald wonder. Another guy, armed with chains, suddenly came at the cultist with a hellish scream. A few hits with the staff to this neck, stomach and legs made quick work of him.
"Hm. I expected no less from you, master." Ethyra was genuinely impressed, even if she couldn't see what was going on. Just the imagination of her master putting his training to good use was more than enough to sate her, apparently. Houdin scratched on his left ear as he began to step over the thugs, looking at the stairway again in case there were more punching bags coming. "I know you're as afraid of how things are going right now, Ethyra, but have you heard anything from mother? I keep fearing, in all the chaos that she--"
A sudden sling of chains wrapped around this neck, the back of his head slamming onto the ground with a loud thud and a pained yelp. His head looked up, coming face to face with the young Guardian holding onto the ends of the dropped chains. "Sorry, my friend. Not gonna let you make more trouble for these good people. I'm not sure how your lot hid from us for so long, but no longer..." His hands pulled, the chains tightening around Houdin as his opponent tried to reach down for his discarded sword. A stronger blast, his staff, anything that could take this guy down for the count. "Heard your friends already downed one gang looking for you....rng...had some friends in there myself. A shame."
From what he could see at the corner of his eye, the staff has already rolled to the edge of the steps. It didn't seem like the boy had much choice. With two raised palms and a flashing light, an energy blast toppled the man over as young Houdin quickly regained his breath. With not much time to think, he quickly started to make a dash out of the door and made a dive towards the staff. He knew the blast wasn't enough to kill, but he needed to buy some time. He could already hear the Guardian readying his blade as his shoulder hit the ground.
Unfortunately, the rest of Houdin crashed over the railing and plunged him down the steps. At the he avoided the incoming magic-fire, but that didn't quite make up for what he was in for if he didn't hurry.
Quickly, the boy focused his energy and chanted as he began to float in midair and catch a few breaths. He managed to grapple onto the nearest railing, wrapping onto one of them as his body swung over and crashed into the door of one of the lower floors. Wood and debris cut into Houdin's skin and clothing as he scraped along the floor of a hallway, the vulgar taunts of the Konatsian hunters going on. The warlock slowly got back up, making his way around the labyrinth of halls in a makeshift attempt to avoid what will surely be mobs of goons closing in on him. He didn't have to wait, no room to retort, only to run.
The young sorcerer finally stopped, ducking into a nearby room as footsteps began to close in on him. The tension was growing, Houdin's hands clutching onto the wall as he took in one breath after another.
One. The footsteps were growing closer, and so were the voice, some doors near him opening.
Two. BANG. BANG-BANG. Slammed doors and the sound of magicks blowing things away. Whoever was leading them was not leaving things to chance.
Three. Faded footsteps turning into silence. "He's not here, keep going." A few moments pass, Houdin's counting his luck with exhaustion.
Houdin creaked open the door, facing the hallways once again and finding them empty. He calmly breathed in, a musty gust of wind blowing through the window behind him and into the night sky. He wondered what would be left of his family's dreams after everything that's befallen them tonight, let alone if he himself would have the power and skill to survive the fallout for more than two seconds. He had to keep moving however, and he really needs to stop picking fights with every bloody roach on the path that he sees. Houdin would've wanted to take down everyone that opposed his cause here and now, but tonight, he had to focus on simply surviving.
From what he could gather from what his mother told him earlier, their meeting place should be around here..not much far from Houdin or most of the others looking for him. The boy couldn't help but let his imagination ran about, trying to think of the circumstances that might've brought the child in such a position. Even with the fact that he still had a family of sorts to rebuild, Brigid could very much feel some fear in his heart. Everything happened so fast, and there was little guarantee that everyone under him would survive. He wished that this was the kind of situation where he knew the right path to victory, where a few sparks of genius could change someone's life in an instant.
Whatever was ahead could very well be dangerous, however, and Houdin was very well aware of that. He could feel his own heart wanting to claw its way out as his weathered feet ventured forward. The other blood-hungry hunters could double-back or send more people down to where he was, himself not knowing how quickly things may escalate. Perhaps the others had already taken off, or that last thought was just the boy's head trying to justify being a weakling and high-tailing out of the place. He didn't have much in the way of fighting experience with his magic, and who knows if this could all end up blowing up in smoke?
With a disappointed sigh, Houdin immediately stopped dead. Yes, he was afraid, that that no excuse to stop himself from doing what he needs to -- to deny the task that he had been working towards his whole life. The mere thought of abandoning everything he fought towards shouldn't even cross his mind, and yet, here he was. The warlock readjusted his shaken form, trying to make out some form of renewed courage to keep going. With luck, however, he did started to hear some muffling and shifting as he went deeper into the hallways. Houdin beamed with curiosity and anxiety as he slowly got closer to the source, his feet softly touching the ground with each step.
Then, there was a sudden thud.
The boy jumped as his gazed focused on the darkened door in front of him, right at the end of the hall. He was getting a touch bit worried now, his mind thinking of pressing forward or maybe calling out to whoever was there. He was going to handle things, sooner or later , and things were already getting a little too tense for him to hesitate again. For someone as new to the world outside as Houdin, this felt like a self-inflicted trial of his own character. Before he could even try to think of doing otherwise, the door slowly started to creak open...
"You...you're..." Eli trailed off. It was his mother, Mahou, looking no better than he is at the moment.
She didn't seem to be doing too well, given the disastrous look of her hair and her hand holding onto her bleeding forehead. She was trying to look out to her son in a trembling voice, trying to reassure him. Instinctively, her very dear son held onto the woman as he slowly pulled away her hand. Houdin was no doctor, but he didn't need to be to tell how bad the gash was. The young boy could see another one like him at the corner of her eye, hair shaded purple and looking back at him with curiosity. There was some familiarity to him, but Houdin was too shaken to really dwell on it right now.
The boy kept apologizing to Houdin for not protect his mother properly, telling him about the Konatsians that came after the two, about having to run and hide after exhausting what little Ki he had. Houdin's hand didn't leave his mother's healing forehead, even as he could hear more footsteps growing closer to where they were. They had to move soon, before more chaos begin to ring out, but Houdin could take the extra moment to carry Mahou while the other boy followed. The warlock looked to the other boy as he remained quiet and nodded, the purple-haired Konatsian responding in kind.
"S-son...it's not too far from here" Mahou offered a weakened smile to Houdin, breathing heavily. "I know, mother, from where we need to hide and-," Houdin was interrupted by a sudden cough from his mother, but she raised a hand to him before he could say anything further. The two boys glanced at each other with worry, and back at her. "No, no. There is something that will carry you away from this wretched world, so you may carry my will. You will need to trust me, boy."
"Carry me?...mother, I--" Before he could protest any further, the sound of their enemies grew larger. They didn't have too much time left, but the implication of what Houdin's mother said filled him with dread. "Go, master! I'll hold them off!," their other ally said, already rushing off to give them some more time. Houdin began to grow more concerned, carrying his mother by the side as they began to make their escape. "I...will do as you command..."
---
Houdin's eyes creaked open at the sound of birds fluttering in the air. Everything seemed to fall into silence now, the familiar shade of a tree looming over him. He had to sigh at himself for drifting off into another memory, of a time before he called this planet as his new home. Earth always had its moments of peace, even if its history was anything but. Still, times like these give him moments to reflect, especially how that he's become much older.
It had been several weeks since Houdin was forced to abandon his mother to travel the greater universe, testing his skills and gaining more power through knowledge. He was sure that he would start over from his mother's failures just fine, but he couldn't help but miss his former home at times. After all, it was the one thing that he had been training to conquer and enslave. Where would the years of hard work that his mother's cult put out go if his eye wasn't on the metaphorical ball (well, planets are spherical anyway, but that's beside the point)? Worst of all was the feeling that Houdin had left behind the children of the cult that could've used his guidance. It was a shame, losing the opportunity to have proper minions of his own.
The warlock really needed to take his mind off of things, and there was plenty that he could do on this planet. Still, Houdin had to be mindful enough to not be too reckless, lest his greater be revealed to the world too early. As much as someone like him wanted to paint the stars themselves red, it wouldn't be too long until someone got lucky enough to kill him in the middle of his fun. The rest of the world was not much different compared to back home, and there was no doubt that there would be plenty of powerful warriors waiting for her. Houdin needed to get stronger, if not for his sake, but for the sake of protecting his soon-to-be rebuilt throne atop of his enemies.
For now, though, his was just Houdin. A strange alien, on a planet of strangers...
(WC: 3,653 - I'll take my reward in Zenni, thanks!)