Heroes: The Road of Good Intentions

[SirNitram]

"I suspect he'll be demoted after that sorry performance." Gravitas quipped idly. "Everyone okay? Argent, Blackheart, you still with us?"

[Charon]

Legacies frowned at the missed opportunity to destroy his opponent, but there had been enough risk of his attack being redirected to his Blackheart that he'd stayed his hand. With the death of the demon Legacies made an easy time of crushing, smashing and otherwise destroying the annoyance of office material, regardless of if their movement had died with their master.

"That took too long, we must move forward."

[Cynical Cat]

"Yes," said Blackheart. The baleful presence in his skull had retreated, but why had it cared about Argent at all? It didn't. He did. Gods, what a mess.

"Let's get this done," he said. He could try to sort through this mess later.

[LadyTevar]

Elias was not exactly sure what exactly had happened but it had worked.
His eyes focused on Argent as she stirred against him, her words of thanks dispelling all doubts that what he had done had not been the correct choice. He almost lost themselves in those familiar ebon pools, but he could not allow himself to be snared in their depths. This was not the place nor the time. Still, it was impossible to hide his smile.
"Hey stranger." he whispered, supporting her against him tenderly, the contact through their link all that needed to be shared between them. He had so many questions. The memory of the blackness that had slithered along her link, the surprising power beneath that mental intrusion that had originated from her mind. So many questions... but no time.
"We have to go," he said softly, his head dipping down enough to plant a kiss on her temple. The contact was brief, his lips brushing against her skin before being withdrawn. His head turned as he sought the nearest way back to the others.

"Hi handsome...." she whispered in return, sharing his smile and as content in his arms as a purring feline. One part of her wanted to ask if they had to go back, the rest knew they did. The reluctance was a fleeting brush against his mind. At least, she could tell him not to rush. "The fight's over. They're fine for now."

He took a step and then another, the well-lit prison left behind them as he carried her away. The shadows before them seemed to part before them in greeting, but her words about the team attracted his full attention. "I see." he paused considering her words before he nodded. "I am glad, but they will need us." He had few doubts about that.

Her eyes half-closed in pleasure as he kissed her forehead, and she did not protest when he lifted her from the chair, nor when he carried her out. It was ... nice ... to have someone take care of her. But she needed to know. "What did you see ... inside my mind?"

Her question lingered in his mind. He looked down at her, his left hand unconsciously toying with a lock of her hair. "I am not sure," he admitted softly. "Not exactly." He thought for a moment as he continued to walk further and further away from where he had been reunited with her. "In my mind, the link that connects us is a glass channel." He let those words sink in. "Usually, I perceive your side as a calm ebon sea." It was in some ways mirroring the place that she took them when she teleported laced with his own experience. He had always loved the water, and the still ebon waters were a place of comfort to him. "It was different this time however, I knew something was amiss," he paused for a moment, a slight shudder passing through him. "I remember..." he went silent, seeking the words. "Black Veins that seemed to pulse and writhe just beneath the surface." He hesitated; it was the most vivid of his memories. "Do you have any idea what that was?"

Li Na also hesitated, sighing softly as her hand absently traced the seams on his jacket. "It was ... Blackheart..," she admitted softly. "... Or rather -the- Black Heart."

Her sigh spoke volumes, his attention oscillating between the woman that mattered so much to him and the path out. Once out of the maze of cubicles he would be able to utilize his gift to quickly find the others. He looked down when she revealed to him the source of those tendrils and a darkness so cold that it had seemed to suck all warmth towards it, a wanton hunger that had never experienced before. "Blackheart..." he whispered. There had always been whispers and rumors about what laid within the man but he had never expected something like that. How could Blackheart contain that? How could he stand it? In that moment, he could only begin to imagine the struggle within the man and began to glimpse at the mountain that the leader of Team Mirage's willpower must be.

The remembered feel of the Dæmonheart inside her made her shiver slightly, her hand clutching Elias' chest. "I was losing to ... her ... then I felt It taking over David. I linked to It, hoping I could use Its anger to chase her out." A deep breath, another shiver. "It came and helped me, gave me strength to fight. We hunted her together, and brought her to bay." Worried eyes looked up at Elias solemnly. "I think ... It pulled her over and ate her."

She shivered against him and he instinctively responded, his left hand shifting slightly as his fingers began to gently stroke the back of her head reassuringly. They were together now and nothing could or would change that. "It was a risk." He said softly and it was not a question, for he could see the worry in her eyes. "That he could harness that and aid you speaks well of Da ... Blackheart." It was difficult for him to use the man's name. He was even now a living legend to him in many respects. Maybe the man did love her, in his own way. They reached the end of the cubicles, crossing the threshold and exiting the area that had at one point held her hostage. "Lets find the others." He said, looking down at her for a moment before his eyes sought and found a familiar point of reference. He reached within himself and willed himself there. The world seemed to flicker, swallowed up in a fraction of a second before they were elsewhere.

"You were there too," she said between the teleports. "You were the white silken ribbons that first knocked her away from me ... and then as a cloak protecting me from her as she was dragged away." One hand reached up, a finger tracing his chin as she gave him a small smile. "And I think you protected me from the worst of Blackheart as well."

Between teleports time ceased to have its usual meaning at least to his own mind. It was a heightened awareness of the passage of time, her words rebounding in his mind and analyzed beneath the full measure of his gift. He heard every word that Li Na spoke to him, was aware of the pleasant warmth of her body against him and the way her lips moved as she spoke. Her words surprised him, for he did not remember all of it. He did not have her talents, he did not have her experience but he did remember. His mind flickered, a thought followed until a familiar sense of sensations was explored within his mind. He did not see those silken ribbons that she mentioned, but he remembered having found her and remembered straining to protect her in any way he could. He had visualized the way his mental defenses had been said to work and had tried to mimic that around her. Silken ribbons...
"I am not even sure what I did or how I did it." He admitted softly. He looked down at her when her finger traced his chin, her small smile mirrored in his own face. "I am glad that it worked though." He paused for a moment before softly adding. "I promised remember?" He kept his promises.

"I remember," was all she had time to say before the final teleport.

A mere moment after their arrival, Argent in his arms, Elias' gaze slid from Blackheart to Hotfoot and then to the others. His eyes eventually came to rest on the still burning mass that seemed to be the source of a particular foul odor. "This is why I prefer Legacies' cooking, Blackheart," he said softly, amusement lacing his words.

[Cynical Cat]

There was a haunted look in Blackheart's eyes for a moment and then it vanished under a veneer of good humour. He smiled. "What can I say? I'm a klutz in the kitchen."

[Charon]

Legacies spared a glance back at Argent, and she could feel the being was examining her, feeling for any weaknesses that she may still be suffering from. It lasted for only a few seconds, and then without a word the silver creature turned away again and began to walk towards where all of the soldiers had come from, many of the bodies still piled up high, non-chalantly, tendrils reached out and plucked the bodies from where they lie, throwing them away from the door for easier entrance.

[LadyTevar]

"This is why you should let me cook," Argent said quietly, giving Blackheart a look just as haunted before managing a wry smile for the team. What she truly wanted to ask was if Blackheart was feeling ok, but she settled for simply saying, "Thank you for your help, Blackheart. As far as I can tell, that one is never coming back."

As far as she knew, the Dæmonheart had eaten her/it already.

Tachyon looked down at her, he should set her down but was unwilling to let go of her. "Do you think you can walk?"

Argent blushed a little, sharing the reluctance with Tachyon alone. "I ... kinda fell from the ceiling," she admitted to the team, elaborating on the truth. "Twisted my ankle or something." She did not have to admit that the war inside her head, and the sudden entrance of Blackheart and Tachyon into the fray had also tired her.

"As you wish," Tachyon replied quietly, not surprised nor inconvenienced by the thought of carrying Argent for a time.

[Cynical Cat]

I may be a walking fucking dead man but I don't have to watch them carry on as if I was already dead. Blackheart turned away. "Let's get a move on and find whatever they still have stashed here." He started walking.

[SirNitram]

Gravitas shrugged and painfully pulled some pushpins from his skin as he followed Blackheart. "Pain's much worse than I remembered." He remarked absently. "We've definitely gotten their attention, though. You sure you're good down here?" He said, vaguely worried. "Don't want to make things worse for you."

[LadyTevar]

I may be a walking fucking dead man but I don't have to watch them carry on as if I was already dead. Blackheart turned away. "Let's get a move on and find whatever they still have stashed here." He started walking.

Argent's head jerked around to Blackheart, the intensity of his ... jealousy? ... making her wince. Dammit. Part of her wanted to slip out of Tachyon's arms and go to Blackheart. The rest of her was sure doing so would only earn Blackheart's scorn.

Then something caught her attention; a sense of outrage, of anger, of justified revenge. To reach her while in contact with Tachyon, it had to be extremely intense emotions. "Blackheart. Someone very upset is coming this way."

[Bloody Good]

"Blackheart. Someone very upset is coming this way."

"Crap."

Still covered in inky smears and red poke-marks, Hector unshouldered his backpack. Before delving into it, he looked over the group. "Gravitas, I can heal up the pinpricks if they bother you. Argent, if you can deal with a blessing, we could do something about your ankle. Same goes for your staple-wound, Blackheart. Nothing as potent as what scorched Dilbert over there, I promise." He looked around again, counting heads. "Hey, are we missing someone? Where's the guy with the huge shield?"

[LadyTevar]

"I Will Heal By MySelf."
The delivery could have frozen water solid. She'd felt the friar's blessing on the demon from several meters away. She did NOT want it near her. The man-shaped hole in the ceiling would have a partner if he tried it. Hells, she'd rather have Thalos' Blood Healing than a blessing at this point.

[frigidmagi]

"Shouldn't we get moving then?" Blast asked.

[LadyTevar]

"If you'd like, Blast, you or Hotfoot can go see what's over that way, coming for us with murder in mind."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart broke into a jog. "We'll see if it likes how I taste."

[SirNitram]

"They're just pushpins, Brother." Gravitas shrugged, starting to move slowly. "Pain is an unfamiliar sensation due to standard Homo Novus Insensate Syndrome. Being able to have a missile bounce off your chest means sensations are rather hard to feel."

[General Havoc]

The animate puddle of water slithered along the floor, largely ignoring everything else in its path, potentially hostile or not. It made no attempt to remain between the desks and cubicles, flowing over and through everything before, it, caring nothing of what electrical equipment might be shorted out, nor of which documents it soaked and destroyed in its path. Single-mindedly it moved, searching for something, its snake-like tendril sweeping back and forth as soft gurgling sounds emitted from within it.

It was clearly looking for something, though it was impossible to tell what, and why.

[LadyTevar]

It was hard to ignore the sound or smell of shorted out electronics, or how the remaining lights were flickering as the presence Argent had sensed approached.

She made a snap decision. She gave Tachyon a peck on the cheek as she apologised, "I can't get a good read on him this close to you, Elias. I have to get closer." Out of Tachyon's mental dampening is what she meant. Fading into one of the many shadows now present after the chaos of the battle, she reappeared in dragon-shape beside Blackheart. Amusingly, she didn't seem to be putting weight on her rear left paw ... it would touch down momentarily, then she would shift off it as if slightly pained (or remembering she shouldn't be on it).

"Wait for him to come to us, Blackheart," she suggested, getting a much better read on the presence. The flow of emotions suggested a male. "He's focused on getting to someone ..."

This close, she was also getting a strong read on Blackheart and the rest of the team. The silver eyes tilted to look at him. "Everyone's worried about you," she said, sotto voice. "But it's more than HE getting to you ... you're doing something to Him too." This time, the 'he' meant the Dæmonheart. "Why else would he come save me?"

[Cynical Cat]

"He also didn't give a damn about what people said, let alone speak, until he hit my brain," said Blackheart. "He's hacked in and using my brain cells to think for him. Of course, my mind is full of all kind of shit from the twenty eight years I've been using it and he's stuck with that. My brain is probably full of black wires."

[SirNitram]

"Could we... stop discussing the Primordial? Just for a little bit?" Gravitas spoke up. "Not only do I not like to dwell on the most probable outcome, I've developed a healthy terror of Primordials, and that one is one of the nasty ones."

[Cynical Cat]

"Sure," said Blackheart, full of false cheerfulness. "Any idea of what's ahead?"

[frigidmagi]

Blast listened to the conversation and felt grim. That damn tumor was moving to fast for his taste. Blast was pretty sure he could gain the control to burn it out or at least burn it back to a controllable size with help from the rest of the group (they would need the ring or something to keep Blackheart alive... Maybe one of those magic types could stand in?) Or learn to drain energy from the tumor without touching Blackheart, like how he cooled the drinks at parties. He gritted his teeth. The idea of draining energy from a living beings made his guts quiver. Not only was it dangerous to be fooling around with, it drifted way to close to vampirism... He wasn't sure if you could gain forgiveness for that. He would have to start practicing more anyways. He took a deep breath, stay on the job.

"I could blow us a new path if you want Boss?" Blast offered.

[LadyTevar]

Since Argent had been TRYING to keep that conversation private, Gravitas truly earned the glare she sent him. Blackheart's false cheeriness was worse, the lie grating on her senses. Dammit, she wanted to comfort him, protect him ... but how could she do either when the problem was literally all in his head? All she could do was what she'd been doing the last several days, and simply be near him. When he wanted that comfort, he'd know she was there.

Yet that wasn't going to help with the whomever was coming, nor was such thoughts helping her focus on untangling what the ... man? being? male? ... was doing. "I don't think we'll need to go to him... I think he's coming towards us," Argent answered Blast as she tried to get a better read on the incoming presence. "I'm not even sure he knows what his intentions are."

[General Havoc]

The others did not have to wait long.

A cubicle wall suddenly came crashing to the ground, soaking wet, and behind it flowed a mass of water, but obviously not a normal one. It moved slowly, deliberately, almost gelatinously, save that it was clearly pure water, bubbling and gurgling and soaking everything it came into contact with, if only briefly, before the water flowed back into the main mass and trundled along. Slightly smaller than man-sized, the mass of translucent water initially did not appear to notice that anything else was nearby, but before it could move off again out of sight behind something else it stopped, and while it did not turn, a large snake-like tendril extended out of its peak, looming up into the air before peering down at the three figures before it, two of them humanoid, one a swirling semi-distinct but still solid dragon-shaped thing.

The thing paused, its featureless tendril approximating the act of 'looking' at the three figures before it, before a bubbling, gurgling sound emerged from within it, and the water in the center of the thing began to agitate. The sound of rippling, rumbling water flowed and clashed with itself for a few moments before the currents of sound harmonized into clearly understandable, if strange-sounding words.

"Fleshbeasts..."

[LadyTevar]

Whatever Argent had been expecting, this wasn't it. Part of her wondered if this was the 'Water' part of the elementals they'd fought earlier, but right now, she could feel the ... being ... was confused, surprised, and definately not hostile.

Now to just inform the team of that. She deliberately bumped Blackheart's arm before letting him share what she was sensing. She trusted he would understand what she was trying to do; give him a silent measure of the being's emotional state to prevent misunderstandings and more fighting for now.

"Flesh-Beings, not beasts," she said aloud, correcting terminology as she let Blackheart make up his mind. "Beasts implies non-intelligence." Yes, she was trying to confuse the water-being more.