Alright let's do this. These next few chapters will feature more character development but also move to forward the plot. As well as dealing with their motivations and backstory a bit. Most of the villains will get their time to shine others will share a chapter or two with other characters. Queue the theme song!
The sun rises in scattered reds and purples a single Guardian Jet breaches the dense fluffy cloud cover. Archer sits in the cockpit soon arriving at his destination.
An unfamiliar Island drifts upon the sea of white. Overgrown with thick forestation and rampant wildlife encroaching into the brittle ruins.
Archer lands his aircraft on a chiseled plain of rock on top of a high rising tower. As he makes his way into the ancient tower a fist made of granite crashes through the floor, sending Archer back towards his ship. With a series of backwards handsprings he regains his balance and takes a fighting stance.
"Come out here and fight me!" Archer shouts. He spots a flash to his left then a blazing flame ignites from the shadows.
"Fuck, not what I meant." Archer blast an arrow from his bow that releases a gush of water dispersing the raging flame into a puddle on the stone engraved flooring of the great temple.
Finally directly confronting Archer a strangely familiar cloaked figure races toward him. Trading fast blows a left, then a right elbow, this continues for awhile longer. Though Archer blocks many of the attacks, but too many connect brutally striking his body. He can't keep up no matter how skilled he may be. His opponent's fighting style is too quick, too methodical, too powerful. All of a sudden the cloaked figure dashes back and with a flash of quick hand signs a streak of lightning screeches straight for Archer. There's no doubt about it that strike is intent on killing him; piercing his heart with racing lightning.
Archer takes a deep breath then exhales and with a push he is able to absorb the electric current into his body then redirects the lightning into the sky. A sharp pain clenches his heart with the unbearable stress on his body he collapses onto his knees exhausted. The mysterious figure unmask revealing it to be Elementor.
"Oh so it's you, huh." Elementor states with a grin. Disdain for Ethan soon appears while a scowl crosses his face.
"Yup it's me, just having a mild heart attack nothing major. My name's Ethan they call me Archer; I don't think we exchanged names while you were kicking my ass. Twice." Archer squeeks out while clutching his heart. Elementor reaches out to lift up Archer.
"Sorry about that the name's Tanner, DJ calls me the Elementor. Apparently he sent you here to master your lightning abilities.
The two start down a rigid corridor, filled with the sensation of an astonished history, a bizarre crisp chill that makes the hair on the back of your neck raise to attention, dozens of previous generations of history, the joy of the children, the brutal tolls of many wars and times of bloodshed. A upfront stench of incense penetrate your nose as you fumble down the bowels of the catacombs rampant with the stench of mildew. The essence of an unimaginable number of souls overstuff the isolated temple. The hallway obviously empty except for our two estranged heroes; although there is a lingering feeling like a pair of a million eyes staring down upon you watching your each and every move.
Archer uneasily replies to question posed. "Yeah I've recently discovered them it kinda popped out of nowhere. DJ thinks it's something called a secondary mutation, a dormant mutated gene from the infinium a few of us have started experiencing them, on the other hand he doesn't know whether it was from the Infinium bomb, or the stuff he initially infused us with." Ethan starts up.
Flashback: Telepath stands at a holographic computer in one examination rooms on the Island. Sitting on the examination bed is Stick, who has recently returned from the incident involving Shrink.
"Amazing! Stick your body has manifested several abilities since I've first examined you. First I thought you were restricted to amphibious traits, but now you've bursted out of that restriction. There are no known amphibious creatures who possess bioluminescence on your level or energy you Ethan" Telepath gestures to the doorway where Archer is listening in. "Now Stick, I'll run some test and see if I can make sense of all of this."
End Flashback
"He actually completed that little experiment, amazing! He went on for years about the damned thing. Anyway back to your powers, can you tell me how they manifested." Tanner asks. The pair turn down a dark corridor with charred streaks across the walls, several scattered pools of stagnant water plague the course ground, though some are a few shades darker. "Blood." Archer thought to himself. So caught up in his own mind he almost forgets to answer Elementor's question. "This is where they mustve rushed off to that day huh." He thinks.
"We were on a mission, it was just me Assassin and Tech, it was an infiltration based mission gathering intel on a small clan of Gors, that managed to escape. We were surrounded, the leftover Gors got caught up in the Infinum Bomb they were more powerful than we expected. This was a bit before we had all of our new recruits.
Flashack
Assassin is slung over Tech's shoulder unconscious, and blood seeping out of her helmet.
"Come on find us away out of this Tech!" Archer shouts, his voice shrouded in anxiety, while his mind is overcome with sense of panic. They both begin to rapidly pace around the small space, pupils dilated, and their hands shaking uncontrollably. His quiver now empty he used his final arrow to seal the three of them away from the mutated Gors. That was ten minutes ago and the situation has only become more dangerous, the rusted metal bars visible weakening with every passing moment.
"We would be out of here already if you didn't shut us in here!" Tech violently retorts.
"We were surrounded out there, and Assassin is still out we wouldn't make with the little energy we have left." Archer gestures to the metal grate now overflowing with distorted, Gors of every disfigurement and size. Some foaming at the mouth rabid with rage, others simply yearn for a taste of something other than oversized grotesque sewer rats and cockroaches.
Their pointed grimy teeth savagely slowly but surely saw through the rusting steel. Their saliva oozing down the gaping mouths. Their black and yellow nails imbedded into the grey lengthy fingers, desperately clawing their way into the room securing the Guardians.
Archer reaches into a pouch on the left side of his belt, and pulls twin kunai knives out into a backhand grip. He prepares to take them all on head first, his heart still pulsing with adrenaline, his pupils dilated palms sweaty.
"How many do you think are out there?" Archer ask the cyborg.
"I analyzed them earlier there's at least 50." Tech blankly replies.
"Welp, it was fun while it lasted." The metal grate burst open and a flood of Gors fill the tight room. Archer's hands all of a sudden sparks with an electrifying blue-white light, that extends and infuses into his dual kunai. Ignoring his body's response to the overwhelming number of claws and blood red eyes,Archer leaps into the grotesque heap of Gors with a raging shout of fear.
One wild slash after another, in a primitive uncontrolled wave of emotion Archer continuously mows down Gor after Gor. He then notices sparks of light shooting of his kunai, in the split second he's distracted both kunai are stripped away from his palms and receives multiple slashes on his forearms along with his hands.
"Ethan get back!" Tech desperately shouts.
This doesn't stop Archer his arms and suit now tattered, bloodied continues his onslaught relentlessly with sparks of lighting striking the Gors. A light bulb goes off in his head.
"Tech I have an idea!" He takes a long pause. "It's stupid, kinda dangerous, probably will kill us both, and has very little chance of it working out, you in?"
"Huh, sounds like one of your plans what the hell lets do it."
"Get your plasma cannon ready!" Archer shouts, on his partner's order Tech transforms his left arm with a clank of metal his plasma cannons ready.
Archer lets out a smirk with a push off the pile of corpses and growling enemies he performs a flying backflip as the horde races towards the Guardians, Archer lands behind Tech with his electrified hand resting on Tech's shoulder. The two let out a furious desperate shout, Archer uses his new found ability to charge up the cyborg. Now fully charged and the horde inches away from mauling their organs out Tech releases a single blue flamed plasma ball the horde suddenly becomes motionless.
End Flashback
"That was dramatic." Elementor plainly remarks, our two heroes enter a large chamber within the catacombs of the great temple. The scent of burning wax infest the dim lit room, several rows of candles line the edge of the dome shaped chamber, providing the space with its only light source. In the center rest a circular carving on to the cave flooring.
"My people call this the meditation room, we use this for the younger Benders to learn how to control their energy. I noticed outside when you redirected my lightning style you immediately collapsed, pitiful. From what I was told by DJ you have amazing endurance imagine how confused I was when you barely managed to pull of a simple redirection." Archer simply scows in response to the rudeness of the elite bender, Elementor takes special notice.
"Anyway simply sit in the circle and concentrate your energy into your hands; you can manage that can't you."
"He's worst than Magnus how'd DJ and Chris ever put up with them." Archer rants to himself. "Yeah sounds easy enough." They both sit crossed legged in front of each other, Archer with a face of discontent and Elementor with an unimpressed eye roll.
Archer closes his eyes and slows his breathing concentrating his hardest on the task at hand.
"Just feel it. Just feel it and then release it from your hands."
"Really hard to concentrate with you rambling."
"Hmm, an elite bender should be able to do this easy, in a moments notice."
Their equally hot headed tempers flare up. A spark of white blue lightning takes shape in Archers palms; while in response a warm bright flame forms in Elementor's. The two stare down one another neither dare even to blink,not wanting the other to get the upper hand. Elementor lets out a sly nonchalant smirk. "He wouldn't." Tanner reassures himself.
"Now I want you to shrink the size of that by half!" Elementor demands, Archer simply follows along and ponders his next move. But instead of only shrinking it Archer accidentally disperse the ball of condensed electricity.
"Fuck!"
"Pitiful even a child could do that. You do realize what you just did contradicts your entire mutation right."
"What are you a professional asshole or something. Alright get off my back let me try again." A large spark slowly diminishes into a smaller portion of the lightning first produced. "Look at that what do you know."
"Finally now increase its size by three times." Elementor's fireball increases exactly three times its current size. "Like this."
"Could you stop with the insults dude I got this thing down." Archer's condensed ball of lightning suddenly jumps to a ginormous scale.
"Wrong again. You're putting too much energy into it, more than you need. I'm trying to teach you how to control and preserve your energy."
"I know, I know, it's just tough I only ever really use two attacks. Basically just charging my arrow and a massive lightning blast."
"Alright next we are going to create multiple spheres of element each increasing in size by half from the one before it, got it."
"Yeah I think so." Archer creates a small lightning ball and gently places it on the ground, the next one comes out almost perfectly, he continues creating orbs of lightning each one coming out more disfigured and deformed than the last.
"Uh, this is embarrassing to watch. Here I think this may help, usually a bender wouldn't need this technique for such a simple task; but you really could use the help. So when we first fought on your island I used various hand signs. These hand signs are designed to help maintain the balance of energy you release and where you release it to. The higher tier of a bender you become the less you'll have to rely on this adolescent technique, alright since you can only use lightning style I'll only use lightning hand signs. Like this." Elementor pauses briefly to form a familiar starting hand sign.
"Lightning style; Lightning Dragon!" With blinding speed Elementor contorts and weaves the intricate hand symbols producing a mass Earth shaking dragon made up of screeching electricity, taking over the rooms previous dim low level yellow lighting now filled with a warm bright white blue source.
Completely still Archer stands there in awe of the powerful display of elemental prowess unable to even blink out of fear of missing a single moment of the murderous lightning dragon. As quickly as it emerged the light source speedily disperses into minuscule specks of illumination.
"Alright I'm going to leave you here for awhile when come I come back I hope you haven't blown yourself up or something." Elementor rudely exist the chamber to leaves Archer to his own devices.
"Wait! Where's the bathroom, this isn't joke I really gotta go!" He receives no answer. "Fine I'll just pee on this bald guys statue!"
"I swear on my almighty ancestors if you defile great grandfathers statue, I'll roast you alive!" Elementor shouts throughout the temple as the brittle hideout begins to violently shake.
"Oh jeez."
About six hours later Elementor returns only to find fourteen small rotating spheres of condensed lightning. His face begins to redden with frustration over the underwhelming display of power.
"You unteachable pitiful excuse for a bender, fourteen that's it, fourteen, it's been six hours! How the hell are you a Guardian! The pure stupidity it must have taken to create such a steaming pile of shit." Archer returns to his feet in a wild rage.
"Fuck of you arrogant you schmuck! I don't need this, I didn't even want to come here. I only need you to teach me how to control my powers not belittle me at every corner!" Archer heavily shoves Elementor to the side.
"Do it again this time make sure it's perfect!" Elementor shouts back with a thundering voice that echoes throughout the empty catacombs.
"Fuck this i'm out of here. You're literally the worst teacher ever. I came here for help not to be shouted at, I can get that shit back home."
"So that's it you're going to quit, and waste the extraordinary gift you've been given!"
"No i'm not going to waste it, but you won't be my teacher." Archer falls back into his nonchalant and sarcastic attitude. He readily prepares for his departure.
"You know that's funny, because I am the only living bender in the entire world that would be willing to teach an outsider! All the other islands are as rare as our own scattered and hidden throughout the world!" Archer sharply stops in his haste. "In fact my people are buried under this mountain. Right now your trampling over thousands of my ancestors…" He briefly pauses as he struggles to finish his sentence. "... my brothers and sisters."
"Well then I guess I will just have to waste it then." He concludes he pauses again as if to speak perhaps a halfcocked expression of pity, another snide remark; though ultimately he dares not utter a word and continues his path towards the exit.
"Yeah whatever make sure you get out traditionally the island is supposed to be closed to outsiders. If you stay too long you will be treated as a threat to this temple."
"Why did he even send me up to this goddamn place." Enraged he whispers to himself.
Meanwhile; Assassin creeps into the shadows of the late night F.D.A.T. compound. The slow hum of a copy machine flows into partially empty office spaces. The tired dreary atmosphere of overworked middle men surrounds the government office. Several after hours workers sluggishly complete the overflow of paperwork on hundreds of alphas.
With her footsteps silent not even the slightest sound peaks from the ground she walks on, Assassin is easily able to avoid any guards and their several advanced security systems.
The atmosphere sharply changes as a wild alarm sounds threw the compound. Several entrances become sealed off with metal plates savagely slam onto the hard tiles. An ominous red light blankets the entire building.
"Who set off the alarm? No one would know i'm here. Unless.. someone else is here." She concludes. Rapid footsteps are heard clanking down the corridor Assassin quickly dashes back into the shadows as four armed guards dart past her; she then continues throughout the base unnoticed while the base personnel frantically search for the other intruder.
"Everyone seems to be rushing to the west wing where the tripwire was. What idiot could have possible tripped it?"
End Chapter:
Author's Notes:
A Lot of things have changed, characters have become more developed, some plot points have been alternated to enhance the emotional attachments to characters and their relationship s to one another, such as developing the friendship of DJ and Chris enough to where DJ's depressive state is more justified. Also the overall feel and spectacle of the book has been adjusted for the better.