[img]https://i.imgur.com/fCa90aX.jpg[/img]
This life was starting to get to him. Well, maybe it already had been for a while. But the stress from the past few days really put things into perspective. Seeing how quickly the damages from the Scream were already taken care of and basically forgotten nagged at a part of Alex. It was stupid to think one guy could protect so much space. Hell, he wasn’t even present at Shieldtown when shit went down. And they managed just fine without him. Even still, wasn’t he obligated to do everything he can at this point? Great power and great responsibility . . . . Right? So why did he feel so conflicted right now as he finished up his patrols?

When all this started, he just wanted to be another guy. Sure some of his powers meant he was always gonna stand out, but he came down here in the beginning for something new. It was a world almost entirely separate from the brand covered, corporate media hellscape that topside felt like daily. Ironic how being underground was a breath of fresh air.

He trundled along down the street, giving a few nods and waved as he went. The beloved Rogue of Shieldtown kept quiet though. Not really sure what would come out of his mouth right now as he stewed. Was he stewing or brooding? He assumed brooding involved some amount of isolation. Anyways. Dealing with that first Apex saved dozens of lives. Hell it almost ended Alex’s. But he’d thought about that day over and over again enough times to know he wouldn’t have done anything different. Which still left him where he was now. Stuck.

Caught up between obligations that came from answering the call to action and becoming less relevant in his current space. Granted all it took was one of the gangs trying to move in or a super with a considerable amount of power to prove the continued need for Aegis. Once again, Stuck. Alex wanted to punch something. 

That was when a familiar roar caught his attention. He whipped around to get a sense of where it came from. Emergency lights up on the settlements wall confirmed it came from the east. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Scarhide.”[/b][/color] The local Apex was bellowing out a challenge. I like most of the walking disasters. Some through whatever means stabilized and didn’t just die off in a blaze of glory. Becoming near permanent fixtures of the Under Cities various territories. Old Scarhide was possible one of the longest lived of the bunch. And the most stubborn. Of course he made his territory right near the most fortified settlement. And the beast was calling Alex out again. 

[color=deepskyblue][b]”. . . Well, I guess I did ask for it.”[/b][/color] The lack of banging on the walls was a good sign, must be a more mellow day for the Apex. Probably wanted someone to “play” with that wasn’t gonna get torn to shreds with one bat from a pickup truck sized paw. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Monster wrestling it is. Time to go get mauled.”[/b][/color] the amount of enthusiasm he said that with did result in a few mildly concerned states. Alex opted to not explain himself and launched forward into the air. Time to go play with his cat. A gigantic scar covered cat thing that looked suspicious close to a behemoth from a certain famous fantasy RPG franchise. 

Can you copyright a monster? He let that thought slip by as another roar rattled nearby windows while he launched pass.