Hey, how's it going guys? Here's yet another episode of Dragon, Episode 3 is here. This episode is dedicated to Shen's General, the sole creator of Masamune Avia AKA The Devil's Trigger himself, as well as few more of his OCs that i think you'd find interesting. You'll even see a musical within Empire City's Broadway-like Avenue. Just a heads up, after I'm done with this chap, I'll be taking a break from Dragon to work on holiday fics. I'll also be watching an upcoming stop-motion movie called the Boxtrolls, which is based on a novel called "Here Be Monsters" and is made by Laika Entertainment, the same studio that came up with Coraline and ParaNorman (ironically, Coraline's younger sister is in Boxtrolls). With everything up to date, OCs and settings are they only things DreamWorks doesn't own, but they do own KFP and it's characters. Lights! Camera! 3, 2, 1 . . . Action!
Episode 3: Beauty and the Devil Pt. 1: The Trigger
Flashback, 14 Years Ago, 1991 . . .
It was a dark and stormy night within the slums of Empire City, the heavy rain drenching everyone who was caught in the wake of it. It was that kind of night where you would want to get indoors, and wrap yourself up in a nice warm blanket . . . unfortunately, this is the kind of neighborhood was home to people who had no such luxuries. Being forced to seek shelter in cardboard boxes and other things one would find in a dead-end alley, but try their hardest as they may, to stay warm in conditions such as this would be considered impossible. This concept applied to four children, in one particular alley, which were a quartet of hawks, sitting under a makeshift roof of a steel panel with stilts holding it up; the rain running off the surface of the panel. The hawks themselves to be Red Tailed Hawks and appeared to be related from the looks of things, sharing similar traits, though two were female as two were male, but another thing they had in common was the way that rubbed their arms together for warmth. One of the females, who appeared to be around the age of seventeen, would have been considered a very pretty girl, provided if it weren't for the dirt and grime that covered her feathers. She had vibrant blue-green eyes, medium length black hair that was caked with grime, a figure that was on it's way to becoming attractive, brown and white feather (the white of which were darkened by dirt). She wore a ragged sweatshirt, torn up jeans, and worn out boots; giving her the look of a homeless as she grimaced from the cold.
The other female seemed a bit younger, give or take one year, who appeared to be similar to and just as pretty as the older female, only with more bluish eyes, shorter hair, with only being covered in grime and wearing the same clothing being the one thing they had in common as well as colors in feathers. The older looking of the two males, who appeared to be the same age as the younger female (both of which would be considered teenagers) was in the very same states as the females and appeared different with red eyes and grey/brown mixed feathers. His clothing also differed from the two as he wore a black wind-breaker, but the rest was the same, only he wore black high tops. He was the only one of the four that didn't tried to warm up, although he was shivering and his facial features were in more of a sour expression. Lastly, there was the smallest of the four hawks, no older than the age of eleven, making him nothing more than an innocent child. His feathers were more grey than brown, but also had red eyes like the older male, only darker. He wore a torn up T-shirt, black slacks, and a big black jacket that was wrapped around him like a blanket, which he used to warm himself as he leaned against a wall to rest.
"My, it r-really is coming down out there . . ." The eldest of the four mused, gaining her a scoff.
"Really Nene, I haven't noticed . . ." The older male murmured sarcastically. "I just figured we were cold-blooded."
"Yoshi . . . l-let's not do this again . . ." The younger female tried to sooth.
"No, Noh! We are freezing our asses off and all Nene could say is that it's coming down?! Honestly, what does that do?!"
"I was j-just trying to make a conversation, Yoshi." Nene growled, glaring at the younger avian. "You don't have to bite my head off . . ."
"I'm sorry, sis, but this . . . all this . . . is getting to be too much for me . . ." Yoshi muttered; those were poorly chosen words.
"Too much, oh my god, Yoshi, are you really going to do this, right now?" Noh protested in annoyance.
"Noh's right, we are in no mood for your pathetic "poor me" act of the day . . . " Nene coughed as she continued to rub her arms.
"Well, excuse me for thinking I have the right to bitch about the state we're in!" Yoshi shouted, waving his arms wildly. "Especially since we are nothing more than damn hobos now!"
"Hideyoshi Avia, language! Mom and Dad taught you better-"
"Mom and Dad are dead! I don't think they are going to care if I cure a little now and then!"
"Our parents may not be here, but that gives you no grounds to reduce yourself to a ruffian!" Nene stated angrily. "We have to set an example for our brother!"
"Example . . ?" Yoshi questioned, his eyes narrowing and his posture showing what he was going to do next.
"Yoshi-" Noh tried to quell.
"Example?! What example can we set really?! I mean, LOOK AT US! We are four orphans with no family, no home, no money, and to top all that off we're forced to live in the streets! We're all too young to get any good jobs and we have to search dumpsters to keep ourselves from going hungry! So you tell me whether or not we're setting good examples for Mass!"
This caused the two to go mute for a minuet . . . then for Nene to glare at her brother with misty eyes that were on the verge of tears.
"What do you want me to do, Yoshi, make thing better?!" Nene demanded, angrily sobbing. "Well I hate to disappoint you, because I can't!"
"Alright, listen here-" Yoshi tried to sneer, but was cut off by his now livid sister; eyes swollen with tears.
"Look . . . I know the past few months haven't been easy in us . . . but we cannot turn on each other like wild dogs. We are the only Avia left in this world and we have to make sure that name survives through us . . . no matter how hard it is."
After she was done, Nene leaned on Noh's shoulder for comfort as she let out a small sob; dampening Yoshi's sour expression
"Nene?"
The siblings looked at a much younger hawk, who was more than likely the one they called Mass, who was wide awake with tears welling in both eyes.
"I miss Papa and Mama . . ." Mass whimpered.
This sight broke the older avians' hearts as Nene wiped away her tears, went to Mass and held him close for him to sob into her shoulder as she stroked his feathers; her own eyes swelling ups with even more tears.
"Oh, Mass . . . your sister, brother and I miss them too . . ." Nene replied as she cradled the younger hawk, gaining frowns from Noh and Yoshi, both nodding in agreement.
"Why did they have to go away?" Mass sobbed. "Why?"
Nene had to use every once of inner strength not to break down and kissed her brother on the forehead.
"I wish I knew Mass . . . I wish I knew . . . It'll be alright Mass, it will . . ."
"I'm going to see if I can find anymore food." Yoshi sighed, feeling his own tears welling up, but didn't want to cause more tension. "You two watch Mass, alright?"
Nene and Noh, forgetting the argument they had with him moments ago, nodded as the young man pulled his jacket up to cover his neck, then went to scavenge in the rain . . . but didn't get much far when he suddenly crashed into something hard, falling to the ground with a thud.
"Ouch! Grr, sorry. I didn't see you . . ."
Looking up, the hawk stopped in mid-sentence, at the person he ran into . . . or rather people he ran into. In front of him were four men, all in their late-thirties, their heads bald or nearly shaven off, wore grey T-shirts, black leather jackets with red skull logos on the back, black leather jeans that were held up by brown leather belts, black boots and on their hands were tattoos of the same skull that was on their jackets. All of them were of a different species: a bull with black fur, brown-haired, tan muzzled bull with green eyes that was twice the avian's size; a bald grey-skinned hippo with black eyes that was slightly bigger (in both height and girth) than the bull; a Scottish terrier who was the smallest of the four, covered in deep brown fur (excluding the top of his head, which was the least hairiest) and grey eyes; and the one the hawk ran into, a Doberman pinscher, who had black and brown fur, nearly shaven grey hair, an X-like scar on his right cheek, dark-red eyes . . . and to the avian's discomfort, a sinisterly-sadistic grin.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The Doberman sneered viciously. "You get lost, birdie?"
". . . Sorry, I was just looking for food." Yoshi apologized, not bothering to look at the canine, but was stopped by mentioned canine. "Scuse me, if i can just get by?"
"Sorry, kid, can't do that . . . none of us can."
This confused the hawk as the dog nodded to the bull and hippo, both of which grabbed the avian by the shoulders.
"Wh-what're you doing?!"
"You must be new to the slums boy . . . let me spell it out for you . . ." The canine explained, bringing a hand up to show his skull tattoo. "This part of the slums is Skullz territory and we have a very strict "No Trespassing" policy . . ."
"Skullz?" Yoshi repeated, unfamiliar with the name.
"Aye, this laddie never heard of with us!" The Scottish terrier accused.
"That is an atrocity, man!" The bull bellowed loudly. "Who here don't know who we are."
"Guys, guys, it don't matter if he knows or not . . ." The Doberman said, his grin darkened at the hawk. "All that matters is that he'll learn after we're done with him . . ."
"YOSHI!"
the five looked to where the voice came from and to Yoshi's horror, Nene and Noh were there along with Mass, soaked from the rain as he was as they saw their brother in his predicament.
"Well, who would these three be?" The Doberman asked.
"No, Nene, Noh, Mass, get out of here!" Yoshi shouted screamed, hopeless struggling to free himself from the two thugs.
"So you know those three. I take it you're related to them."
The Doberman, with the Scottie following, approached the three.
"I'm not, now leave them alone!"
"I'll that as a yes." The Doberman quipped, taking more steps toward the three siblings, Nene and Noh stepping in front of Mass for protection.
"Let our brother go!" Nene barked. "He did nothing to you!"
"He was trespassing on our turf . . . come to think about it, so are you . . ."
"Excuse me, I don't see your names written anywhere!" Nene defended.
"Who asked you, lass?!" The terrier bark, back-handing her to the ground.
"NOH!" Nene and Yoshi screamed, but the eldest was unable to help when she found the leader's hand.
"Let go of me!"
"Not happening, you know, it's been far too long since we had . . ." The Doberman chuckled darkly. ". . . And since things at work had been slow, we hadn't any money to buy us some . . . but you two will suffice."
"NO! NO! I WON'T DO-" Nene rejected, only to be met by a slap by the canine, who then took out a Desert Eagle handgun.
"I'm not giving you a choice, girl, you and your sister better play nicely . . . or . . . I might have to put a bullet through your pretty little head."
"NO, LET THEM GO!" Yoshi screamed.
"Quiet, maggot!" The hippo yelled as the bull socked the avian in the gut.
"Okay boys, here's the plan: me and Terry get the girls, while you two kick the punk's ass." The Doberman stated as the Scottish terrier held up Noh. "Alright, on the count of 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ."
"NO, LET MY SISTER GO, YOU BULLY!" Mass shouted and tackled the canine, only to be struck away by his gun.
"MASS!" Nene Screamed in disrepair.
"Back against the wall, kid, we'll get to you in a bit." The Doberman ordered as the hawk fearfully obeyed, then smirked darkly as he reverted his attention back to the older hawk. "As I was saying . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . and GO!"
Soon, the alleyways were filled with cries and screams of anguish . . .
End Flashback
Present day, the scene changes to that of a bar located in Downtown Empire City, in the dead of night; the bar itself seemed a bit rustic, a lot older in comparison to all the drinking establishments around. The name of the bar, written in faded red, neon letters was Phoenix Roost. The bar itself didn't seem like all that much . . . but it did serve as a home to a few people . . . one of which was sitting atop the roof, looking at the city. The person was a red-tailed hawk in his mid-twenties with a slender yet muscular body that was cover with feathers of a greyish-brown (with the exception of his chest, which was white), three feathers along the back of his neck, bronze beak with a black tip and gnarled crack on the left side, long black hair with white highlights that was tied back into a ponytail, and a crimson-red eye (the other of which was covered by a black eye patch). His attire was modest as he wore a plain red long-sleeved shirt, an unzipped black vest over the shirt, white gloves with red on the palms, black jeans and black boots. His name was Masamune Avia, or Mass for short, a guy who was like any other from first glance; just having a cold one before the night was out, plain and simple . . . but there was more to this avian than meets the eye . . .
All he was doing on the roof was taking some sips from his flask, hanging his legs off the edge, then let out a very deep sigh of deep thought. Tonight was . . . a rather hard night for him . . . for it was an anniversary . . . but not of a good kind . . . tonight served as a reminder of a time he was powerless to do anything . . . and that time of being powerless had cost him the lives of the only three he had left to call family . . . his brother Hideyoshi Avia and sisters, Nene and Noh. It had been fourteen long years since that horrible rainy night that changed his life forever . . . first for the worse . . . then surprisingly, for the better . . . but now, as the moon rose through the dark sky above, Mass did nothing but took a swig from his flask . . .
"If only you guys were here . . . if only . . ." His lamenting, however, was interrupted when the distant sounds of a gunfire caught his attention.
Immediately, he pulled himself up to his feet and, in what seemed to be a flash, he disappeared from his spot on the roof and reappeared atop the antenna that happened to be built atop the tavern. Spreading out his arms to keep his balance, he moved his eye-patch from his left eye to his right, revealing that the left was colored silver rather than red as it began to glow in the dim light. With a glow, it seemed the entire city had become visible to him and he could sense everything that was happening in his surroundings . . . focusing on the sound, Mass was able to pinpoint his vision towards the origin of the gunfire, taking him up a couple of miles ahead from his location . . . revealing that it was a simple mini-market . . . being stormed by a small group of thugs, all of which had either bald or nearly shaven heads, wearing black jackets with red skulls. Mass snapped out of his "vision" and his expression became full of malice and rage.
"Oh, out of all night, you skull-headed fucker chose the wrong one to piss me off . . ." Mass snarled venomously.
With that said, the hawk dove off the antenna fell spiraling towards the pavement below, but as he did so, his silver eye began to glow brighter and brighter and his body was shrouded in a black aura as his clothes began to shift and change. His vest became more leathery and zipped up, his shirt became a darker shade of red, a black trench coat materialized over his shirt and under his vest, the flaps fluttering in the wind. Hives gloves shifted into silver, metallic talons, his jeans changed into cargo pants and his boots now had silver rims. Soon, the aura began to cover most of Mass's head and turned into a pointed mask, leaving only his silver eye and beak exposed. Soon after that, red lines began to burn on the front and back of his coat, the one front becoming a dragon and the one in back becoming a Phoenix. Finally, on his right arm was a black armband that had an odd symbol that appeared to be some sort of eye. Though it appeared the transformation took a while, it took only a few seconds when the hawk had finally reached the ground . . . but before that could happen, he vanished in a wisp of black smoke. The hawk reappeared on another roof that was across from the Roost as he began running towards the thugs' location, using his unique ability to 'flashstep' ahead every few seconds.
As he approached his destination, he brought his arms in as more dark smoke began to wrap around them and with a flick of both his wrists, the smoke materialized into two forms of weaponry. In on hand was a sawed-off shotgun, nothing unusual about it (except it had glowing red cracks along the barrel) and what appeared to be a black metallic crossbow with a golden limb. But the arched limb (which was sharpened into a crescent-shaped blade) shot out with a wire attached, but the hawk immediately flicked a switch that was placed on the side of the bow and above the trigger, leading the blade to retract back in. Masamune gave a smirk as he approached the last roof on a building next to the grocery store and with one flashstep, leapt off the building the tail of his trench coat spreading wide as he descended upon the thugs with a loud battle cry.
"I think a proper introduction is in order here. I am Masamune Avia or Mass for short, the youngest child of the Avia family. Never heard of me? Good. It's for the best that I keep our conversation brief. I had a modest beginning, like most children do . . . you know, a house, all the trimmings . . ."
The scene shows a picture of a family of hawks, two adults (one make and the other female), two younger females that were about the same height, and two younger males, one of which was the smaller out of all; they all seemed happy.
"Yeah, a picture's worth a thousand words, right? Well, it was . . . you see, my father was Nobunaga Avia, the president of the Avia-Phoenix Corps, a company well-known for the development of many powerful weapons, weapons used today by the Japanese and United States military and other branches. A lot of countries made good use of them and for that, they revered my father as the greatest man in Japan."
Images of his father, who looked a lot like his son, feathers and all, wearing a black suit as he smiled the sight if what appeared to be Osaka.
"However . . . happiness never lasts . . . one day, our family was relocated to an uncharted group of islands off the coast of Hawaii. They wanted our father to oversee the testing of a missile or something as part of this joined project the company had with another one I didn't know about. At first, it seemed like a minor change in our lives and the islands weren't that bad . . ."
Images showed Mass and his family overlooking mentioned project, though Mass was the only one paying attention with his father as scientists readied the missile for testing. Nobunaga seemed pleased that his youngest had taken interest.
"But then . . . one day, all Hell broke loose. A disease broke out among the populace, driving people mad to the point that they began tearing each other apart. It spread like wildfire and soon, they were at our front door, hungry for blood. Were were forced to flee for our lives, . . . . unfortunately . . . in our attempt to get away . . . our parents . . . didn't make it . . ."
Images show islanders of various shapes and sizes killing each other in many violent and gory fashions, tearing at each others throats till one died . . .then to Mass and his siblings running through the ravaged streets; flickering to their parents falling to the ground . . . lifeless.
"We managed to escape by stowing aboard a fishing boat that was untouched by whatever was plaguing the islands. The piece of junk looked like it could wreck at any moment and it stank like fish shit, but we were alive. However . . . we were all orphans by then . . . our parents were gone . . . and with it . . . so was Avia-Phoenix, which was blamed for the disaster, sued for all it had, then shut down . . . permanently . . . The moment we set foot in Empire City, Washington . . . we were broke."
Images show the four avian children watching from the boat as the island began to burn, then to newspapers and news reports about Avia=Phoenix being blamed for the incident, eventually ending with the company being shut down.
"For the next couple of months that followed, we were forced to live on the streets, our lives not meaning two shits to anyone for anything. It was God-aweful, something no child in any way should live through . . . all I had were my brother and sisters, which suited me just fine . . . but it didn't stop the emptiness from seizing us inside out."
The scenery changes to the four siblings, living on the streets, doing activities such as dumpster diving (mostly by Yoshi) and building a make-shift cover for them to sleep in. It then showed the four cuddling up to each other for warmth, hoping the next day would be better . . . but then that image burned away, like paper in flames.
"But on night . . . one rainy, fucking night . . .it all came to a breaking point. Four men, belonging to a gang I will forever hate . . . the Skullz . . . approached and started attacking our brother. My sisters tried to save him and so did I . . . but . . . they were too strong for us . . . they surrounded us and . . ."
Images show of Yoshi, Nene, and Noh being grabbed by the thugs as Mass was forced to back against a wall at gunpoint. Soon he was covered in shadows until everything went black and the sounds of screaming and gunshots were heard . . . . three in total.
"Two of those bastards raped my sister, while one of them used my brother as a living punching bag. Either way, they were all busted up pretty bad, so bad that I barely recognized them. And to make matters worse, after all they pain those pieces of trash put them through, they . . . they . . . they killed them . . . in cold blood, they killed all three of the. They took away the only things I had left and they were gunning for me next . . .that is, if someone hadn't intervened."
Mass began to back away from the thugs, when he was grabbed by two of them, allowing the hippo to come at him with a rust crowbar. The gang member swung and struck the young avian across the left side of his beak, cracking it a bit and sent him sprawling to the ground in tears and blood. The hippo raised the crowbar above his head and was about to continue his attack on the hawk . . . but the crowbar ended up on the ground when something grazed the side of the hippo's arm. The hippo gripped where he was grazed, then along with his comrades, looked to where the projectile came from . . . and saw that there was a new face in the alley with them. It was a golden eagle with short grey hair and deep golden eyes that was glaring at them, wearing a black trench coat over a grey muscle shirt, black slacks with five or six belts around the waist, black boots and black hat atop his head. In his hand was a sawed-off shotgun, the barrel fresh with smoke from a recent bullet being shot. The five looked at the avian as he unloaded the bullets, threw the gun to the ground, then went into some sort of fighting stance; gesturing to the four to make the first move. It didn't take too long as the gang members were infuriated that their work was interfered with, then attempt to attack the man, but the eagle was able to put three of the four in their place single-handedly. First punching the Doberman's lights out with a single punch, flipping the terrier overhead when the Scottie attempt to take a swing at the avian; leaving the bull left.
He went on the attack by kicking the bovine in the groin, followed by a punch to the gut, finishing him off by pulling the bull's head into a knee to the face. Since the eagle literally pulled the bull by the horns, both were easily broken off the bovine's head. Suddenly, another scream caught the eagle's attention and saw that the hippo threatening Mass with a knife, threatening to gut him. The eagle, flared with immense anger, quickly threw both horns at the gang member, the first grazing the opposite arm, allowing Mass to escape. The other horn found its way into the hippo's should, causing him to scream in pain . . . but that wasn't the end to the pain as the eagle was soon upon the hippo. Yanking the horn out of the hippo's shoulder, the eagle punched the hippo in the gut, struck to the jaw with an uppercut, flipped the gang member face first to the ground, then finish him off by smashing a fist into the back of the neck.
"This man . . . this man saved my life . . . his name . . . was Cross Rowe . . ."
The eagle let out a loud exhale as he spat on the unconscious hippo . . . then saw Mass, who was clutching the crowbar the hippo had, crying into his dead sister's feathers. Immediately saddened by such a sight, he walked over and knelt in front of the boy, who was afraid at first . . . but after the eagle reached out a helping hand . . . though the boy didn't accept at first, both arms still clutching the crowbar . . . but slowly, albeit hesitantly, accepted the hand as everything faded to black.
"I will never forget what Cross had done for me . . . he helped mold me into the man I am to this very day . . . he literally brought me out of my despair . . . and taught me many things. After a few months of grieving . . . we begun my training. You see, Cross was no ordinary man . . . he was the leader of a group of mercenaries known as the Supreme Phoenix . . . a group dedicated to combating corruption. Sure, they weren't superheroes . . . but the things they did . . . it was damned close enough. They took me in . . . gave me a home . . . treated me like family . . ."
Images show a symbol of a phoenix with a cross in the middle as young Mass and Cross were walking towards an old warehouse. Though Mass seemed uncertain, Cross ushered him inside, giving him a reassuring smirk . . .
"The next couple of years . . . well, they were certainty eventful . . . Cross taught me everything there was to know about combat . . . and he even taught me how to use a gun . . ."
The scenery changes and shows a slightly older and gangly Mass wearing a muscle shirt and grey sweatpants as he and Cross (without his trench coat) were sparring. Cross, of course, was victorious by knocking the younger avian to the ground, but helped him up, then resumed their sparring. Mass was then seen holding a pistol as he tries to fire at a can . . . but miss to his disappointment . . . Cross simply reloads the gun and encourages Mass to fire once more . . .
"And after six or seven years of hard work, bleeding beaks and broken arms . . . it wasn't long when I became a force to be reckon with . . ."
Images show Mass again, only as a well-built grown man, showing many signs of improvement. He and Cross sparred once again, only this time, Mass was the one to knock down Cross, much to the eagle's amusement, then to Mass wielding duel pistols as he began firing at targets around him; swinging his arms around and striking different poses as he hits them all and finishes with his arms spread out wide, pistols smoking . . .
"I also"
Watching the hawk practicing his sharp-shooting was Cross, a tall gorilla donning military-esque armor, and a rabbit wearing a full colorful jumpsuit; all three were impressed.
"It was also within those years that I met two guys who would become my good friends and even greater allies . . . Casey (who happened to be Cross's nephew) and Ulysses, who had a very long lifespan; both of which would be recognized today as Goalie and Lone Fang."
Alongside them were younger and lankier Casey and Ulysses, who appeared the same as he was in the present, watching Mass go to work.
". . . Unfortunately, even that wasn't meant to last . . . there was yet another day that would change my life forever . . . for better and for worse . . . it all started one night, when some yahoos tried to rob a museum . . ."
The scenery changes to two guys walking into an exhibit hall as they began to take things off their exhibits and stuff them into large bags . . . but just as they were about to make a break for it . . . found a cocky Mass standing in their path.
"I was ready to take those two on my own . . . but they overpowered me and in one lapse of judgement . . . well, this happened."
The three were in the middle of a brawl, but Mass was outnumbered and ended up being beaten around trying to even the odds with them. The three exchanged blows, blocks and parries, but as Mass charged at one of the robbers . . . his arm was caught and the avian was thrown into a nearby case . . .
"And what happened next . . . well, I can't even explain it myself . . ."
Mass crashed into one of the exhibits, the left side of his smashed against what appeared to be a silver orb . . . and suddenly, a bright wave of silver light exploded from contact, causing everything made of glass to shatter, only for the shards to suspend in midair. The two thugs watched in confusion as Mass felt something the silver orb merge with his left eye, causing crack-like veins to appear around it and a few white streaks split through his hair . . . and Mass started to see flickering images of a hawk like himself, only all white. Eventually it all stops as Mass falls limp against the pedestal and all the shards of glass fell to the floor.
"The moment I made contact with that orb . . . I felt something change inside me, like I was reborn . . . and what happened afterwards . . . was nothing short of amazing."
Images show Mass clutching the sore side of his face, dazed from the surge of energy and pain that was forming afterwards. Unbeknownst to him, one of the robbers had grabbed a small statue and was about to strike him with it . . . but Mass's eye flicked with a vision of what the thug was about to do and his hand caught the thug, much to both their shock. The other one quickly pulled out a pistol, but just as he was about to shoot the panicking Mass, the avian suddenly warped to another side; the bullets barely missing the robber's comrade. Mass looked at himself in shock, then to the display where the orb was and saw the name . . . 'Devil's Eye'.
"The Devil's Eye . . . odd name . . . very creepy . . . but it gave me power beyond belief . . . and at the time . . . I was willing to use it."
Mass's face turned serious as he cracked his neck and though he was rusty with his new powers, he was able to beat the thugs into submission with his warp and 'hawkeye' abilities to weave and parry each of their attacks; countering with a vicious uppercut to both of their jaws.
"After taking care of those bozos, I decided to rush back home to tell everyone what had happened . . . but nothing could prepare me for what I saw."
Mass was running home with an occasional excited flash step to test it out, but as he rounded the corner . . . the hawk's face changed from excited to horror. The warehouse where the Supreme Phoenix resided . . . was in complete ruins, decimated and with smokes from fresh flames all over . . .
"The base . . . the very one I had called home for so many years . . . was no more . . . destroyed beyond repair. And it only got worse when I went in to find Cross and the others . . ."
The avian made his way through the decimated warehouse, only to gasp even more at the damage . . . blood was smeared everywhere he looked and bullets were scattered all over the ground; on the ground were bodies of dead soldiers. Some of them were foot soldiers that worked under Cross's command . . . but there were soldiers that donned armor Mass didn't recognize.
"The place looked as though a tornado blown right through it, only to be set on fire by lightning afterwards and there were no survivors . . . not even Kerchak and Osbolt stood a chance . . ."
Frantically, Mass searched through every room of the ruined warehouse, moving cautiously in case of any falling debris, but was met by even more deaths than the last. The scenery cuts to Mass finding Kerchak's body with bullet holes lacing his front, than to Osbolt's body crush underneath fallen debris; a cracked lens disturbing Mass even more than he was.
"But . . . there was one that was still alive . . . barely . . . not that it even mattered or changed anything . . ."
Images show Mass making his way to the command center, where the group received their missions, only to find it completely destroyed . . . and in the middle of the devastation . . . was Cross. Laying on the ground, the hawk saw he was deeply and fatally wounded in the abdomen. Upon seeing his mentor still alive, Mass inadvertently flashstepped towards him and held him upright as the eagle let out a bloodied cough. Cross looked up at his disciple . . . then let out a weak smile . . .
"Cross was in bad shape . . . so bad that I could hardly move him without making his pain worse, I was broken up when I realized he was going to die . . . and for the second time in my life, I was powerless to do anything about it . . . I wanted to cry . . . but I couldn't . . . Cross wouldn't let me."
Mass's face was laced with agony as he saw Cross in pain and was moments from crying . . . when Cross clutched an arm tightly and gave him a serious glare . . . when he started to say something.
"With his last words . . . he told me that I had to find whoever was responsible for this and make them pay . . . and then . . ."
Cross's face softened as he put a hand on Mass's shoulder, giving him a sad smile.
"He told me that he loved me . . . like the son he wished he had . . . and with those words . . . he passed away . . ."
After Cross finished his speech . . . his eyes became foggy, his head fell limp to the side and when it no pulse was felt, Mass began to sob heavily for a few minuets into the deceased eagle's chest.
"And just like that . . . I had lost everyone I loved once again . . . but this moment, this exact moment . . . with my mentor lying in my arms, dead , , , I felt nothing but emptiness . . . then anger . . . anger towards every single asshole that wronged me, whether they be the Skullz or some random nutcase . . . I took what Cross said to heart . . . there was no way I was going to be powerless again . . . I was going to make them pay . . . not just the Skullz, not just those bastards who murdered the Supreme Phoenix . . . all of them . . . I was going to make them ALL pay!"
As Mass knelt with Cross' body in his arms, he stopped sobbing . . . then let out a loud roar-like scream. He then looked towards the viewers, his eyes now locked in a vicious glare and his Devil's Eye became slit; glowing brighter than ever.
"So . . . I began to make myself stronger . . . I started mastering my powers within a year . . . and then I started working on myself . . ."
The scenery changes to Mass running along rooftops using his Flashstep withe extreme precision . . . then cuts to Mass medatating, using his eye to sense everything around him. Then, Mass is seen working out: doing pull-ups, punching a sandbag, and other forms of exercise.
"Then I went to work on weapons . . . since the warehouse was cleared out by the cops, I tried to scavenge as much as I could . . . all I got was a sawed-off shotgun, two pistols, a boatload of ammunition . . . and then I found what was left of an old crossbow . . ."
Images show Mass walking into the decimated warehouse, carrying on as much as he could, then cuts to him looking at all he had . . . but then he looked at the broken crossbow . . . and looking at all the materials that was in the warehouse with him, including a welding tool, he got an idea.
"Figuring I needed a more versatile weapon than pistols and a shotgun, I took that broken crossbow and made it into a piece of art that would make Michelangelo and Leonardo DeVinci jealous . . . the Bladed Phoenix."
Mass is seen wearing a welder's mask and using the welding tool, soon enough, Mass held up the weapon; a crossbow with a golden blade for an arch, giving it a satisfied smirk.
"After I got the tools I needed, I knew that if I was going to be a savior that this city deserved . . . I was going to need new threads . . . and fortunately, there was a gal I could go to . . ."
The scenery changes to someone knocking on a door as the familiar mouse that was Nora Wells answers it, surprised to see none other than Mass standing there with an envelope in hand. A few days later, it shows Nora showing Mass the trench coat and talon gloves, then nods in approval.
"Wasn't long till I bumped into some guy who also had it in for the Skullz, Bruce Stormchild, he calls himself something else . . . but I keep forgetting what it was. We didn't exactly see eye to eye from our first few encounters, but eventually we warmed up to each other. Apparently his wife and daughter were murdered and he 'came back from the dead', looks better than a corpse really. We both have a mutual trust and understanding, we don't kill, not even the Skulls . . . especially them. No . . . death would be too good for them. Instead, we make them suffer, just as they made us . . ."
Images of Mass engaging in combat with a figure that was obscured by shadows, but eventually both sit down and converse with images of Bruce and his family being attacked by Skullz.
"Then . . . surprisingly, I found Ulysses and Casey again . . . correction, they found me."
Another door was knocked on at the warehouse as Mass, slightly paranoid by now, took out a pistol and slowly approached the door. Letting out a deep breath, he opened the door and held the gun up . . . only to gap in shock to see Ulysses and Casey. Both of which were drenched by the downpour that was going on; almost immediately, Mass allowed them inside and took them both in a hug, happy to see they were alive.
"After catching them up on what happened (apparently, they were off on a mission), we decided to stick together and join the superheroing business together. And thus "The Phoenix Boys" was born . . . that's what Casey called us at least. With it, their alter-egos Goalie and Lone Fang were born as well. Fortunately, they took it faster than I did. All we needed then and there was a hideout . . . fortunately, Uly knew just the place."
An old and battered down tavern was shown as Mass, Casey and Ulysses look at it weirdly; the name on the tavern was nearly torn completely off. Mass let out a loud sigh as he lead the group into the tavern . . .
"The place was originally bought by Cross a few years earlier, but he never used it . . . and seeing how run-down it was, I could see why. But, utilizing all our resources, we managed to get the place fixed up. After sprucing it up and to serve as homage to our fallen brethren we called the place the Phoenix's Roost."
Images showed Mass, Uly and Casey fixing the place up, from hammering boards, cutting wood, and running wires . . . with Casey comically screwing up at each step in a montage. Finally, it shows Casey painting the headline "Phoenix's Roost", giving it a satisfied smirk. Soon, the place was fixed up and the three celebrated by clinging beers that came with the tavern.
"And soon, after we got settled in . . . we got to work."
The scenery shifted to Mass standing atop the Phoenix's Roost, now donning his new outfit (excluding the mask), his coat flapping in the wind with Casey and Ulysses standing behind him; both in their Goalie and Lone Fang persona's. Mass took a deep breath as he put on his mask and without any words, the three leapt off the building . . .
"And so . . . seven years had passed since that fateful night, I had become something more than mortal . . . seven years I had spent fighting injustice whenever it reared its ugly head . . . cheesy, isn't it . . . seven years that I donned the name now feared by everyone . . . what is that name, you ask?"
A Skullz member is seen knocked against a wall unconscious, with a red-hot brand of a phoenix on his chest at the mini-market as the thugs that were robbing the store were now on the ground, unconscious and bloodied with brands on their chests as well. There was only one Skullz (a dog) left standing as he was thrown to the ground, both legs injured and his muzzle was bloodied. He tries to get up, but gets pinned down by a boot, the owner of which was none other than Mass as he looked down in pity.
"Well, it's rather simple; imagine you are faced with Satan, then imagine Satan with a gun that would cause major devastation. I'm the "Trigger" of that gun. Get my drift? No?"
The dog whimpered as Mass's face turned from pity to sheer hatred as he opened his right talon glove, glowing red-hot with the form of a phoenix.
"Well then . . . just consider this: when all the bastards of the world open the gates of Hell . . . they best be prepared to face their demons . . . because I will be your worst nightmare . . . for I am . . ."
The final scene shows in the eyes of the Skullz member as Mass gives one last smirk before punching the screen, turning it to black.
"The Devil's Trigger . . ."
Standing a good distance away from the mini-market, stood a lone figure that was obscured by shadows and was unnoticed by anyone around as they looked to where the Skullz members laid unconscious. After witnessing what DT had done to the thugs, both figures shared a glance at one another, then exchange a nod as Trigger smirked and made a gunshot gesture. The sounds of police sirens caught their attention, leading DT to flashstep out of sight.
"At it again, he, Mass?" The figure quipped darkly, then vanished after a police unit drove by.
To Be Continued: Beauty and the Devil Pt. 2: Past
There be the first segment of the third episode and no one needs to worry, there'll be plenty more come the end of the holiday season. Also, good news, I may be getting a new job that pays more these coming weeks. I'd like to thank Shen's General for all the help he's given for this one chap, I owe you man. I hope it was enough to satisfy till I return. For everyone who reads this, Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kickin Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Hope everyone likes stop-motion, cause Boxtrolls looks like something interesting, as does the CGI movie based on Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the Book of Life. Till the next update, this is the King of 2211, signing off.
P.S.
As if the virus wasn't enough, not my laptop needs the sound repair, I tell you right now; computers can be so frustrating, but who i this lifetime can survive without internet connection? Hopefully it'll be fixed by Friday, I apologize.
Bio, fresh from the oven:
Name: Devil's Trigger
Real Name: Masamune Avia
Alias: Mass, DT, Trigger, Delsin Redgrave, Massy (hates it), Masamune Ayanokoji (Royal Name), Satan's Bullet
Nationality: Japanese with American heritage
Species: Red-Tailed Hawk
Age: 25
Date of Birth: January 24, 1980
Gender: Male
Occupation: Test Pilot and Factory Worker (By Day); Mercenary (By Night)
Status: Single; Alive
Residence: The Phoenix Roost in Empire City, Washington
Description:
Six feet tall with a slender yet muscular body that has grayish-brown feathers, long flowing ebony-black hair with white highlights, short golden beak with a black rip and crack on the left side, heterochromia eyes (one is red and the other is silver, the silver of which is covered in civilian status by an eye-patch), white spotted chest and underside, a tattoo that reads "Valkyrie" on his neck, and three feathers in a row running down his neck.
Personality:
Cocky, sadistic, cold, playful (in a sinister way), intelligent, calculative, fierce, little respect for authority, and questionable sense of right and wrong.
Friends and Family:
Nobunaga Avia (Father; Deceased)
Oichi Avia (Mother; Deceased)
Nene Avia (Older Sister; Deceased)
Noh Avia (Older Sister; Deceased)
Hideyoshi "Yoshi" Avia (Older Brother; Deceased)
Cross Rowe (Master/Foster Father; Deceased)
Raine Freeya (Crush [Soon-To-Be Girlfriend . . . eventually])
Casey Joseph "Casey Joe" Rooney/Goalie (Friend/Partner)
Ulysses "Nagahide" Roarke/Lone Fang (Friend/Partner)
Gary Shen (Best Friend/Employer)
Walton McBride (Friend/Fellow Employee)
Wallace Taotie (Fellow Employer)
Bruce Stormchild (Secret Partner [Occasionally])
Supreme Phoenix (Friends/Team; Deceased)
Lucilevan (Spirit within the Devil's Eye)
Hobbies:
Hunting, test piloting, sex, drinking, branding his victims, and urban exploration.
Likes:
Women, Raine, respect, his family, his friends/partners, alcoholic drinks, his job and the agony of his victims (especially if they're Skullz).
Dislikes:
Cowards, those who disrespect him or his family and friends, being bossed around, those who question his abilities, "high and mighty" people who think they could get away with anything, being cheated, and the gangs of Empire City (especially the Skullz).
Biography:
Masamune was a member of the royal Avia family (Ayanokoji to some), who owned a weapon-manufacturing business in Japan, though they relocated to an uncharted group of islands off the coast of Hawaii. However; war and disease broke out among the inhabitants, thus Masamune's parents were killed during the onslaught, while he and his siblings were able to escape to Empire City, Washington and were forced to live on the streets. At the age of 11, he and his siblings were ambushed by four members of the Skullz gang, who proceed to rape his sisters, beat his brother to an inch of his life, the kill all three right in front of the young avian's eyes. He would have been killed as well, when a golden Eagle by the name of Cross Rowe intervened and rescued him. Masamune became very depressed that he had lost all his family and he was alone, but Cross, who felt sympathy for the young hawk, took Masamune under his wing. The boy was soon enlisted in Cross's mercenary team dubbed the Supreme Phoenix and under the watchful and wise gaze of the eagle who brought him in. Seven years later, Masamune became a powerful mercenary trained and killed in hand-to-hand combat such as Eagle Claw Kung Fu and in many uses of guns. In that time, he met a beautiful vixen known as Raine, a dancer/performer and shared a brief but passionate relationship with her, but had to end it as Mass left and never saw her again in order to protector her. As time went by, Masamune also befriended two more interesting characters: a semi-immortal snake from the Old West named Ulysses and a very goofy Canadian Rooster named Casey, who was also the nephew of Cross. Also in that time, while walking home from running an errand, he saved a young craned named Calvin Kwan from members of the Skullz, who were the very same members that had killed his siblings. He finally wrought vengeance upon them and was about to beat the last one when the gang member, only for him to reveal that he and his friends were hired to kill him [Mass] and his family. When the name of the person was demanded, the Skullz member fearfully replied that the person went by the name of "Apex Predator", but was sniped by an arrow from an unknown assailant along with his friends before anything could be said. Masamune and Calvin became friends there after, to a point where they could be considered brothers . . . but when Calvin met Mei Ling and became a couple, as well as becoming students to Hung Gar Kuen master; Jack Shifu, Mass refused to hold him back and left him alone without explaining his actions. One night, he arrived to stop a heist at the Empire City Museum of Natural History . . . but the fight between him and the robbers (who outnumbered him two to one) heated up so quickly that his face collided with a pedestal, which held an ancient rare artifact known as the "Devil's Eye". His eye became infused with it, turning his eye permanently silver and gifted him with two special powers. After making sure the robbers were out of commission, he made his way home, only to find that the Supreme Phoenix base in ruins and everyone was killed, especially soldiers in strange armor that he didn't recognize. Cross, on the other hand, was still alive, but was fatally wounded. Cross made him swear to avenge them and with his dying breath, he told the younger avian that he loved Masamune like the son he wished he had. Over the next six years, he trained nonstop to hone his combat skills and newly obtained powers and after getting new threads from a certain mouse and his daughter who were friends with Cross, he created a new alter ego known as the "Devil's Trigger". He also designed a multipurpose crossbow "The Bladed Phoenix". It was no later that he reunited with Ulysses and Casey (both of which were absent around the time of the attack) and found a new home and sanctuary within an old tavern Cross bought; after a bit of spitshine, renovated it into a bar known as "The Phoenix Roost". To serve as cover for his dual identities, he landed a job as a test pilot to test jets created by Winchester Flight Airlines where Mass found he had a knack for flying. He would land another job at Forever Fireworks, a fireworks-manufacturing company that secretly manufactured weapons, by both CEO Gary Shen and his head of security Walton McBride, both of whom became his friends. It wouldn't be long when Mass decided to trust both his employers of FF with his identity of Devil's Trigger along with Ulysses and Casey. Though usually he never shows any respect to any other heroes that dwell withing Empire City, besides the ones who earn it like Dragon, especially the current user of the Eternal Ember; Po, after the panda saved his life. He does work well with others . . . how well is to be left decided. He is considered to be one of Empire City's strongest and most feared individuals (be they good or evil) . . . but not even he knows the origins of his powers, but would soon meet a spirit known as Lucilevan . . .
Costume Description:
He wears a black mask that's similar to Hawkeye's with a black one-way lens over the right eye, black vest over a black trench coat with a red dragon design on the chest, red phoenix design on the back, armband on the right arm that has an odd symbol of an eye on it, talon-like gloves, black cargo pants, and black combat boots. He can transform in and out of his outfit anytime he pleases.
Powers and Abilities:
Hawkeye - His silver eye gives him the ability to see everything around him and to anticipate his opponent's every move. When in higher altitude, he can sense his surroundings a couple of blocks around him and pinpoint people of interests that he has in mind (like from a snapshot or photographic memory).
Flashstep - A power that comes from the Devil's eye, he is able to warp short distances in quick succession, making him difficult to predict or hit.
Weapons and Equipment:
The Bladed Phoenix - A specially designed crossbow that is actually a three in one weapon: it's arch is tipped with a very sharp crescent blade, allowing it to serve as a sickle or Kama, and it's bridge/handle can extend into a bladed whip . . . and, of course, it serves as a crossbow as well.
Vehicles:
The Hellbender - a low riding motorcycle that can take flight with the power of the Devil's eye.
Skills:
Sharpshooting, excelled piloting skills, skilled, negotiator/torturer, agility, tech savvy, excelled deduction (like Sherlock Holmes), and skilled in close and long-ranged combat (most prominent in Eagle Claw Kung Fu).
Affiliation: Good (Anti-Hero)
Voiced By: Reuben Langdon