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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 2, 2009 23:50:30 GMT 9.5
It took a few days, but Darius soon realized the significance of the date on which he had suddenly gained his new powers. One could only read so much and not know that the Mayans and others put some significance on that date. Somehow, someone, maybe many, knew that something was going to happen then, something monumental. Maybe someone knew what was going to happen afterwards. If so, he was sure that someone wrote it down at some point, and if there was anywhere in America he was going to find it, it would be here, in the New York State Library.
There were so many questions running through his mind. What had happened? Why him? Was he the only one, some chosen hero or condemner of mankind? Or was just one of many with this kind of power? What was he supposed to do? He couldn't possibly be meant to live an ordinary life. But what sort of life was he supposed to live now.
Paladin hoped to find the answer somewhere in this library. But he was not prepared for just how huge the place was. Darius had no idea how to begin. The librarians at the front desk were too busy to deal with someone as unimportant as him, so he wandered one of the religious sections of the library in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, hoping that maybe something would catch his eye. "I wish there was someone who could just tell me what I want to know. Or at least where to find it," he muttered.
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 5, 2009 3:55:49 GMT 9.5
His footsteps echoed throughout the library. Dementis was bored, and it was driving him crazy. But...this was the library. There were tons of already-troubled souls in the library. All he needed was one person. One to drive towards the brink of insanity, and ultimately, their destruction.
He wore a dark green tee shirt, a pair of black faded jeans, and green shoes with black laces. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he looked around at the people. Well, not so much at the people...as through them. Seeing their thoughts, the inner mechanisms of their brains. What makes them tick. Or more accurately, what makes them sick.
One caught his attention. A guy in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. There we go... He casually strolled over, his eyes flashing a bit. This was going to be fun. "You seem....troubled...You need...help?"
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 5, 2009 4:27:16 GMT 9.5
Darius was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice anyone was nearby until the guy spoke to him. "Huh? Oh, yeah..." Where to begin? Well, see, I was murdering someone, then I suddenly got superpowers on the day the world was supposed to end. You wouldn't by any chance know my destiny, would you? Yeah, that'd go over real well.
He definitely wasn't going to start rambling about his problems, but maybe this guy could be useful in some way. Paladin thought of the few pieces of the puzzle he had put together. He thought he was part of some prophecy. He just had no clue which one. Maybe this guy could help him find out. "I'm looking for books on prophecies. I'm not sure which ones. Maybe Mayan... I need to find out what's supposed to happen now."
Paladin shook his head. "Maybe I didn't make much sense there. I mean...according to the Mayans, the world was supposed to end, or something. But it didn't. I need to find out what's supposed to happen now." It was pretty clear from his voice that this wasn't just a casual interest to him. A deaf man could have heard his desperation.
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 6, 2009 4:55:21 GMT 9.5
Dementis held back a smile. From the thoughts he was picking up, this was going to be quite fun. He pointed. "Prophesy books are over there. But I doubt they'll be much help."
He had to literally fight to hold back laughing at the man's urgency, but he managed to keep it down to just cracking a smile. "I can help you. Call me Ty." He extended his hand to shake, then spoke telepathically to the man.
"Shake the hand. Accept the help. It's the only shot you have....[/i]"
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 6, 2009 15:31:43 GMT 9.5
Darius felt a strong urge to shake Ty's hand. Why shouldn't he? This guy was the only hope he had. So he took the guy's hand and pumped it a few times. He tried to be careful not to accidentally crush his hand or something. Paladin still wasn't used to his increased strength. He looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone nearby. He could trust Ty. He didn't have a choice. He wasn't sure about anyone else, though.
When he was satisfied, he lowered his voice to barely more than a whisper. "It'....I'm not sure how to explain it. Have you ever watched one of those X-men films and wished you could wake up one day and have that kind of power? Well I....I did. And it wasn't just any day. It was the day the world was supposed to end, according to the Mayans. That can't just be a coincidence.
"I know that I'm part of something now, something a whole hell of a lot bigger than me. I just have no idea what it is or what I'm supposed to do. I don't know if I'm all alone in this or if I'm just a piece of the whole puzzle. But I know that it has to be something important. And I really, really need to find out what."
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 7, 2009 13:40:46 GMT 9.5
Oh, that's easy. Too easy. Far too trusting... Dementis thought to himself, listening as Darius spoke. "Can't say that I have, but you're right. It has something to do with everything."
Then, he spoke telepathically again. "You really think he'll believe you? That you just...woke up with 'superpowers?'"
Dementis smiled. "I can help you, Darius. Trust me...."
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 7, 2009 14:22:49 GMT 9.5
Darius paused. Something occurred to him. There was no way this guy would believe him. People didn't just wake up with superpowers. No, there was no chance of that. If Ty did believe him, he had to have been insane. But....Darius just couldn't shake the feeling that he could trust him. Ty was his only hope. If Ty didn't believe him, Paladin would just have to make him believe.
"What do you mean it has to do with everything?" Paladin asked. "What's happening to me, Ty?" His brain told him that this was a mistake. He shouldn't be trusting this stranger. It was all crazy anyhow. Maybe that's it, Darius thought. Maybe I'm just crazy. Maybe I'm crazy and Ty realizes it. Maybe that's how he can help me. But another part of his mind warned him that wasn't right. If he was just insane, he couldn't do the things he could do. So what the hell was going on?
"What's happening to me?" he repeated, whispering.
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 7, 2009 23:47:14 GMT 9.5
Dementis smiled, "It is exactly as I say. There is more to this than anyone can perceive, and you now play a part." He smiled, seeming to be reassuring, but in reality, that was far from the reason. Oh, you're not crazy.....yet.... he thought, enjoying this a little too much.
"Oh, we're all some level of crazy, Darius. Maybe I can help because I've seen it before. I don't take pity. What's happening, Darius, is that you are discovering who you really are...." Sure, Dementis was actually giving some good advice, but that was a small price to pay...
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 8, 2009 5:27:49 GMT 9.5
"I'm beco-" Darius cut off as a realization hit him. How the fuck does he know my name? Did I tell him? [/i] Darius searched his memory. No, he hadn't told him. Paladin took a few steps back from Ty. "How did you know my name? What are you?" Darius looked around for a weapon. Then he remembered what he had done to the last person he had gotten into a fight with. A man who can throw a human body through a wall doesn't need a weapon. Then a new thought occurred to him. Maybe there was one very simple explanation why Ty knew who he was. "Are you....like me?"[/size][/blockquote]
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 8, 2009 6:19:59 GMT 9.5
Dementis laughed. "No, you didn't tell me your name. And no, this doesn't make you crazier."
He chuckled again. "Not quite, but close." He looked around, making sure no one was looking. He really didn't want to have to kill anyone. When he was sure the coast was clear, he outstretched his hand, making a flickering flame.
He controlled it, letting it move and dance a little bit before making it disappear. Then, he decided to see just how far he could push this guy. Telepathically, he said, "You mean nothing. Those words are just what you want to hear. The only thing you were born to do is die. End of story. You're worthless. Meaningless. Nothing..."
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 8, 2009 6:51:20 GMT 9.5
Now that Darius was suspicious, he was more aware of the voice in his head. It really was a voice, not a faint suggestion like he had thought. And it wasn't his voice. At least, it didn't sound like it. Could it belong to Ty? No, ,that was impossible, wasn't it? But what he was hearing....it sounded like....well, like what he'd always heard crazy people heard in their heads. Maybe that's what was happening. Maybe he'd just lost his mind.
But then how had he killed Mitch? How had he gotten away? But....maybe he didn't kill Mitch. At least, not like he thought he did. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, showing him what he wanted to see. Or what he didn't want to see. Maybe it was all a figment of his imagination. But maybe it was all real, in which case, it was entirely possible that Ty was talking in his head. If so...
Darius's head spun.He was starting to get dizzy, so he grabbed onto a bookshelf to steady himself. He looked at Ty. "So jJust what the fuck are you? Answer me!"
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 8, 2009 7:03:22 GMT 9.5
Dementis' entire demeanor changed; his eyes flashed and he grinned his signature grin, one of pure insanity. He spoke, his voice more firm. "What am I? You don't wanna know, boy. I'm the one who can make something out of you."
He laughed. "Look at you. So you killed a man. Big. Fucking. Deal. Nothing to get worked up about. Neither are the powers. But getting on my bad side? That's where you have the problem...."
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 8, 2009 13:41:17 GMT 9.5
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Darius demanded. In truth, he was. This guy could influence his thoughts. He could control fire. What else could he do? What was he, even? This was not a fight to pick. Not when he had no idea what was going on, who this was, what his game was, and what he could do. Picking a fight was a bad, bad idea. But clearly, standing here wasn't a good one, either. Not when Ty could twist his thoughts like that. There was really only one thing to do.
Run.
The front doors were on the other side of the library. Paladin could move vast...incredibly so. But he didn't know if Ty could, too. He didn't want to chance a sprint with someone who might be even faster than he was. He'd have to go for an exit Ty wouldn't be expecting. Then his eyes fell on it: a large, circular window twenty feet away from him. They were on the third story. Could he survive that sort of drop? Did it matter, even?
Paladin turned and ran as fast as he could. He was at the window before he knew it. And then he was through it. He had known it would hurt, but he didn't realize how badly. There were a hundred shards of glass in his face, arms, chest, and legs. Like a hundred knives that had been slammed full force into him. And that was just the smashing. He completely forgot about the crashing and falling.
He slammed into the wall of the building next to the library so hard that he cracked some bricks. He felt his nose and a few ribs creak as he hit. Worse, the impact drove some of the shards of glass deeper into his chest. He was in such agony that when he landed on his back in an alley, he didn't even really feel it.
And then the pain started to go away. Slowly at first, then faster. There were still shards of glass in him, but the wounds healed up. He gripped one shard between two fingers and yanked it out. It sun, but the wound closed quickly. He lay there for a moment, recovering himself and waiting for his bones to heal. "That....hurt ..."
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Post by DEMENTIS on Oct 8, 2009 13:57:06 GMT 9.5
Dementis laughed. "Fool. You can't run. You can't escape me. You can't escape....Insanity...." He turned, and ran full speed. Only, unlike Darius, he took the stairs.
He walked down into the alley, noticing him. "Nice. But ya know, stairs hurt less. You've got a lot to learn..."
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Post by Darius Martin on Oct 8, 2009 14:48:04 GMT 9.5
Darius climbed to his feet. He pulled a large shard of glass, a few inches long, out of his arm. He held it like a knife and turned to Ty. "If you think that hurt," Darius responded, looking at the destruction he had caused, "Just wait until I'm through with you." Darius threw himself at Ty with all the speed he could gather, meaning to drive the shard of glass right into his heart.
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