[center][h1][u]Rumblings of a Storm[/u][/h1][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/cgwz5Z1.png[/img][/center] [hr] It was early one day at St. Laurel's. A commotion quite unbecoming such a prestigious school was brewing. Attention was drawn to the large fountain in the center of the main courtyard. Students were gathering around to stare at the [url=https://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=2732997]strange girl[/url] who had perched herself atop the fountain. Finally it seemed a large enough crowd had gathered for her liking. "PEOPLE OF RHEA!" She shouted suddenly, startling a fair few of students below. "Classes start soon, so I'll keep this short. I know that times have been hard recently, but fear no longer! My father has sent me here to save you all!" She announced this all with a confident and cheerful smile. She was met with mostly dumb stares from the befuddled onlookers. The painful silence that ensued seemed to shake her confidence slightly. "Uh, d-do you have any questions? I know this is very sudden!" "Well, uh, the name of our savior would be a good start..." From within the crowd, Cassius had taken pity on the poor girl and chosen to humor her. "Oh! Of course!" She jumped down to a lower level of the three tiered fountain. "Vala Ace, at your service!" "I see. Well, I think it's just hard for them to believe that one girl can do all that much, Vala," Cassius told her. "What? Because I'm a girl?" "Well, by girl I mean child... and the fact that you're just one person," Cassius explained, "I mean, we had some of the strongest people around there, but they could barely even slow them down." He hadn't witnessed it, but he'd eventually heard what had happened. "Oh, I get it! I need to show everyone what I can do!" Vala's face lit up. "Err, I-I suppose that would help, yes..." "Are you strong?" "Uh, I mean-" "Hey, is this guy strong?" she asked the crowd. The response from the crowd seemed to indicate that most people thought Cassius was fairly capable, leaving Cassius blushing slightly. He hadn't realized he'd had a reputation of any sort. "Perfect!" Vala hopped down in front of him. "Fight me." "Wh-what?" "Right now. Fight me." "I don't think I should." This wasn't Mephistos. Random fights in front of the school weren't really appreciated. But soon the crowd began egging them on. It seemed they wanted Cassius to put this newcomer in her place. "You said it yourself right? I need to prove what I can do. So I need someone worthy to prove myself against. The people have chosen you! Are you going to let them down?" She looked at him quizzically. The peer pressure was getting intense, and finally it broke him. "O-OK, just like a quick sparring match, OK?" he relented. "Perfect!" And suddenly Vala pulled a flask seemingly out of mid-air. Immediately Cassius reacted, snatching it out of her hands. "What, are you crazy?! You can't bring alcohol to school! Where are you from!?" "Oh, don't be so silly! This is different!" She told him, holding it back up again. Wait, what? When had she gotten it back!? She twisted the neck of the flask twice, and it began to glow slightly. She threw her head back and drank from it. She then took a stumbling step forward, the flask seeming to vanish as her hand dropped. "Alrigh... lesh go... fight!" she slurred. "Uhm..." Cassius didn't feel right- [i]BAM![/i] Vala suddenly lunged forward, spearing his gut with her fist. Cassius felt himself slide back a few feet and was left clutching his stomach before falling to his knees, struggling to inhale. He broke out into a cold sweat immediately. That had... that had really hurt. "O... OK... I get it..." Cassius wheezed and pushed himself to his feet. He took a few unsteady steps before using his power to accelerate himself into a run. He tried to surprise her with a high-speed punch, but she swayed away from it. He kept going and rebounded off the edge of the fountain, accelerating himself again to throw himself into a mid-air spin-kick that caught Vala across the jaw. This spun her around and he aimed to follow up while her back was turned, but she suddenly bent over and took a step back, backing herself into his still aching midsection, doubling him over. She then rapidly stood up and the back of her head slammed into his face. "Ugh... guh... not again..." He clutched his now bleeding nose. "Waz wrong... thought you was a tuff guy..." Vala stumbled despite standing still as she questioned him. "F-fine... have it your way..." Cassius took a deep breath. [i]SNAP![/i] HE thrust his arms forward, loosing an explosion right at her. Her eyes widened before the flames engulfed her. When the smoke cleared she'd been thrown back quite a bit and was lying on the ground staring up at the sky. Rather than get up, she pulled her flask back out and twisted it again and took another drink. She then coiled up and sprang back up... and over... face-planting herself back onto the ground with her butt sticking up into the air. Fortunately, or unfortunately for those watching, she had shorts under her skirt. However, she then pressed her palms to the ground and tucked one of her feet under her, this time launching herself forward like a torpedo in a ridiculous burst of speed. Cassius got a glimpse of her eyes, and they were almost lifeless, but scarily focused. She reared a fist back as far as she could and then threw it forward. Cassius grit his teeth, waiting for what was undoubtedly going to be an even worse punch than the first. However, it seemed she was still conscious enough to show mercy as at the last second her fist unfolded and instead she palm struck him, though this still resulted in him being catapulted right out of the courtyard into the nearby hedges. Somehow, Cassius found himself unable to pick himself back up this time. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck -- twice. However, a bit later he felt himself being dragged out of the bushed and onto his feet. Vala, well inside his bubble of personal space was holding him up and patting him on the back jovially, "Sho how'd I do, huh, huh?!" she asked, speech still slurred. "P-pretty good..." Cassius squeaked out as his lungs tried to reboot themselves. "Shee! I told you I'd shave everywun!" She threw both her hands up in victory... and promptly collapsed onto her back. "I did it..." she mumbled sleepily and promptly started snoring. Cassius hoped she could last longer in a real fight before falling asleep... [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/foRacjk.png[/img][/center] [hr] It had been some days since his botched meeting with the witch, Diana, and now Ward was an official member of St. Lucifer's. It was time, then, for his proper introduction. He showed up to his first class, some sort of science class he was fairly certain, and the teacher gave him a halfhearted introduction and told him to find a seat. "Oh please, we can do better than that," Ward ignored the man. "Hello, my name is Ward Cross. I come from a neighboring country because your city has been troubled as of late. However, trouble does not always mean disaster. Sometimes it is an opportunity-" "Pfft, who does this guy think he is, Clara?" he heard someone chuckle in the back of the class. He ignored it. "I will be getting to know you all to see who among you may aid me in taking advantage of these trying times to make a difference. There, I believe that will suffice." "Oh really? Mr. Big Shot here to show up all us plebs?" "Fuck off, dude!" ". . . how trite." Ward muttered. "And why the fuck should we care?" "Because, unlike most, I have the will and the ability to do something. So I might as well take charge," Ward told them. "Please, Mr. Cross, take a seat," the teacher groaned. "Is that so?" And then one student in particular stood from his seat and the teacher immediately threw his head back in despair. "Fine, just don't break anything. I'll be back in a few minutes," the teacher quickly gathered a few of his things and fled the room. The student in question was Gabriel Brekke. If Clara was the Queen of the school, Gabriel was considered to be the King -- not that the two were so closely associated. While Gabriel was on the council, he usually didn't bother himself with doing much. He seemed content to sit atop his throne, only rising when he felt challenged. "Yes," Ward replied. "What? Do you need an example? Is that what it takes to get through to you people?" "Maybe it is." Gabriel stepped around his desk, squaring off against Ward. "So you have the will?" "In spades." Ward's tone hardened in response to challenge. "Hmph." Gabriel's face scrunched up, not looking impressed. Suddenly a spectral figure shot out from Gabriel, swinging violently at Ward. Many of those watching were surprised that Ward immediately began dodging successfully... until Gabriel shot forward in a blur, merging with the spectral figure once more and slamming his fist into Ward's stomach. Ward doubled over, falling to a knee. "Better than expected... but that's not saying much." He turned to go back to his seat. "So quick... to proclaim victory. To me, that's a sign of weakness," Ward coughed. Gabriel turned around at the exact second Ward rapidly rose to his feet. He was caught off guard when a baton suddenly sprang to existence in Ward's hand and cracked him across the face. Before Gabriel could retaliate, chains sprung from the floor, binding his wrists and neck. He found himself unable to pull free, as if something was clawing at the back of his mind, stopping him from giving it his all. "You there!" Ward pointed to a student at the back of the room. "Open that window for me!" The commanding tone in his voice had the student obeying practically before he realized it. "Wait, why?" "The teacher [i]did[/i] say not to break anything..." Ward's voice suddenly held a hint of malice as chains and shadow began to wrap themselves around his arms. The next thing anyone knew, Gabriel was flying out of the recently opened window and crashing to the ground outside. Ward also stepped out the window, coils of chain forming steps for him to climb down. Outside he found Gabriel struggling to his feet. "Ahhh, not done? I'm impressed." Ward clapped slowly. More spectral figures launched at him, but he swatted them away like clouds of fog. Finally, Gabriel himself charged forth, fist first, but his hand was caught in Ward's palm. He twisted until the pain forced Gabriel to kneel. "I think that's quite enough, don't you?" he said icily. Gabriel stared back defiantly, but then to the shock of many onlookers, averted his eyes. It was over, and as far as many were concerned -- Mephisto's had a new king. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/D3fPMd7.png[/img][/center] [hr] King stood surrounded by all those he'd managed to gather that day. They stood in the church that served as the makeshift base of operations. They gathered to welcome a prospective new member. He claimed to be from a neighboring country, wanting help out in light of recent events. Oh, King had seen through him immediately. He had ulterior motives, but that just meant things would no doubt become interesting in he allowed this. Keep the rest of his group on their toes and allow them to grow, and if this newcomer became a true ally in the end, then all the better. "All right new guy! Go ahead and introduce yourself, I think this is everyone we'll get today," King told him. "Good! My name's Jasper, Jasper Aldon!" He told them. "You a rich kid? 'Cause you talk like you're normal but you walk like a rich kid," Vera, who'd come along with Wolf, questioned him. "If you're just gonna be fake, I'm out of here." "Whoa, not one for warm welcomes, huh?" Jasper laughed. "Fair enough, you got me. But I don't feel like it. My family barely takes the bronze medal when it comes to wealth in my country. It's enough that I feel like a commoner when they look down on me. It's a smaller country, so even third place doesn't mean much to some," he told them. "Yeah, sure, whatever." Vera rolled her eyes. "Vera..." Wolf sighed. He'd thought she'd been a little more humble lately, but apparently old habits died hard. "Well, you're here to help, right? Well it's been some pretty serious stuff lately. You aren't just some pampered kid with a big head, are you?" King rode a fine line between judging and testing the boy. "It was pretty rough." "Of course not! Strength is needed just as much as money to keep respect where I come from. I've had to push myself since I could walk just to keep up," he said. "Great, then one last push to prove what you can do should be fine, right?" "Oh, a test? No problem!" Jasper nodded. "Wonderful. Wolf, you're up!" King snapped his fingers. "Wait, what?" "Oh just do it and get it over with." Vera rolled her eyes. And so, Wolf and Jasper were soon facing off in the main aisle of the church. Wolf was armed only with this shield. There were no safe guards to stop him from accidentally killing Jasper if he used his sword here. A shimmer came over Jasper as the two engaged. Jasper was quick, uncannily so. Not enough to be quite superhuman, but enough that it didn't feel right. With neighter gaining an immediate advantage, Wolf finally dodge and turned, aiming to strike Jasper across the face with the edge of his shield, however a blue energy washed over Jasper and redirected the strike away from Wolf. The shimmering around Jasper intensified and he spun and struck the back of Wolf's head with his elbow, knocking the boy to the floor. He then kicked Wolf in the ribs, sending him tumbling away with great force. One couldn't say Wolf had made any mistakes, but still Jasper had the upper hand by a wide margin. "So, is that good, or-" Jasper began to speak but suddenly Vera marched over to him. "This is pathetic," she whispered harshly. "Look, if you want a real fight you're gonna have to make him mad." "Oh, uh, how?" "Hit me." "What?" "Just do it. Not hard, just p-" "I'm not hitting a girl I just met!" he frantically whispered back. "Then I guess you belong in third place-" [i]SLAP![/i] Vera stumbled back and all three just stared in shock for a moment. Vera that he'd actually hit her, Jasper that he'd... actually hit her, and Wolf that some guy they'd just met had hit his girlfriend. Well, in the end, it did the trick. A spike of anger shot through Wolf and in a flurry of red he barreled at Jasper, his spiked armor and warhammer bursting into reality around him. He swung and Jasper had to quickly lean aside, but Wolf's other hand soon wrapped around Jasper's neck. "AHEM!" King loudly cleared his throat. "This is getting intense! Why don't you take it outside before we upset the priest?" As soon as Vera had been struck, King had made his way to the front doors and opened them. Wolf acquiesced... by tossing Jasper into the air and batting him out the door with his hammer. The new boy rolled to a stop a few dozen feet from where he'd began and blinked rapidly as he tried to get back up. That one had stung a little... OK a lot. "Guess... I can't hold back, then," Jasper said as he staggered to his feet. He hadn't wanted to do this, he was supposed to be working with these people, but right now this Wolf guy seemed to be on the warpath for real. He shut his eyes and just before Wolf closed in once more to bring his hammer down, twin jets of flame, like wings, burst to life over his back and his hand shot out. He caught the hammer in his palm and stopped it dead. His eyes opened, having turned a blazing amber color and his hand tightened, more and more, around the hammer. First there was a crunching sound, and then suddenly a chunk of the hammer's head was smashed in Jasper's hand. Wolf, caught off guard, was left open as Jasper speared his knee into Wolf's gut. However, he [i]was[/i] on the warpath. He immediately gathered himself, the hammer repairing itself in a swirl of red smoke and he swung again, horizontally, with full force. A lesser being would have been pasted. Jasper, however, backhanded the hammer so hard he tore the head clean off of it. He then surged forward and with three rapid punches, took Wolf off his feet and left him airborne before he found a handhold and swung Wolf back to the Earth and left him in a small crater. This time, Wolf was left stunned and out of sorts -- to the point he lost focus and his armor faded away. "Hoo boy..." Jasper exhaled, returning to normal. "Hey, you all right? Had to take it up a notch when you went for my head there!" "AH, he'll be fine!" King grinned. This was good. Jasper was powerful. Just as he'd suspected, his inclusion to their group would keep everyone on their toes. Whatever trouble loomed in the boy's wake would no doubt keep things interesting for quite some time. "But since you just damaged public property what with that crater you put in the sidewalk, I think it best we all jet and reconvene at a later time..." And then a small shiver went up his spine. King could see the pieces landing on the board, but there was still something else yet beyond his sight. That "trouble" that the boy had brought with him. No, not brought with him. Something Jasper was following. And then he knew, powerful as Jasper was... the boy was out of his depth. So what did that mean for the rest of them? Ah, he was sure it'd be fine.