MW: So, here is the long awaited Astra chapter. If you're wondering what the point of these side chapters is, it's to fill in what happens during the timeskip. The next chapter is a side chapter about Valkyrie and Leif. Anyhow, some questions you may have about this chapter will be answered at the end. Hopefully. And if you're wondering why sometimes the scenes change and don't make sense, they take place over the course of months, days, weeks, years, etc., and they're not meant to make sense, they're meant to be there so you can infer. Anyhow, enjoy! More support and I'll...do something.
6 - Side Chapter: Cyrus and Astra
The fourth day.
She writhed and flailed, screamed and cried even though she knew it was futile. Her arms and legs had been chained to the walls and floor of the tight room, and she lingered in solitude for what felt like months. She was hungry. She could not think. Saliva dripped from the edge of her mouth as it hung open, and her once vibrant hazel eyes were lifeless. If you think the eyes of a woman suffering from depression are dead, then Astra's eyes reflected that lifelessness, that hellishness but then multiplied it by twenty. Her stomach protested with every move she made, and the headache that gripped her skull was something of nightmare. She had lost weight, and her ribs were visible through her skin. She was bare and the cold air emanating from the metal walls and floor chilled her flesh. The once creamy skin was no more, just pale and dry. Although she had lost weight, she was nourished every now and then, only to be deprived once more. She just prayed she'd be able to return to her original state.
Astra was dying.
The only thing that kept her alive was the pieces of obsidian shrapnel swirling around her body before solidifying on various areas on her limbs; a constant pattern that did not break. Endlessness was a drone, a frequency that never seemed to end, like the cycle of life and death. Astra learned enough in her time in the small room. She couldn't move any part of her body, in fact, but she knew what it looked like from glimpses that she'd caught prior to now. Astra learned many things while she was inside that room, screaming and wailing only to be answered with silence. She had learned enough. She had learned hate. She had learned true pain. Astra remembered when he had entered the room in what felt like moments before, and left the memory burning in her mind, terrifying her.
Fallon had stumbled into the room to "give her a check up", but the greasy smile on his face had told her enough. She had screamed, cried, sobbed, soaked her face in tears, but her lip until she drew blood, and thrashed in her bonds as he advanced, his tongue sliding across his lips in anticipation, something which terrified Astra, even more than when his pants hit the ground, the clink of his belt buckle returning her to her senses.
Fight back. She had to fight back.
Astra had bit until he had scars all over his face, but he did not cease. He slapped her several times, whispering her name, voice ominous and sinister, his hand gripping her throat tightly, squeezing the life out of her; spittle flying from his mouth to hit her face, his teeth gritted tightly, and then she felt him inside of her.
Nonononononono.
She felt him shift around in attempt to get comfortable, give up and felt his hips shoot upwards and brush against her thighs. Then there was pain and she screamed in anguish. His clawed, demonic-hands gripped her waist and he pulled her down onto him as best he could as he thrust upwards and she continued to scream; the tears wouldn't stop and there was blood, but he didn't stop and Astra was afraid. Fallon moved his hands, roughly kneading her breasts, breaking skin and drawing blood, leaving bite marks, bruises and cuts along her neck, collarbone and around her nipples. Astra couldn't speak for a time, and her mouth just hung agape, frozen in an agonised scream. He knotted his fingers into her hair, pulled as he thrust faster, gave a powerful grunt, and then Astra felt the fluids blast into her. She could move again. She screamed, and began to flail wildly within her binds. He slipped out of her, pulling up his pants, not even bothering to clean the mess of blood, tears, sweat and semen from the floor, turned on his heel and left. He left for his own good. He left because he thought she couldn't afford to kill him. Fallon left because he believed that Astra wouldn't have a fateful meeting with hatred.
Maybe even days later, Astra looked up as she heard the footsteps echo from the hallway, and her eyes began to burn with hatred, the veins in her eyes more visible than ever, bloodshot eyes moving frantically in a frenzied search for the owner of the noise. A humanoid-looking dog-man with a monocle over his right eye strode in, clad in an ivory lab coat, and a royal blue suit beneath it, a yellow tie adorning his neck. The Marleybonian was followed by Fallon, the greasy man smoothing his hair with his palm and brushing off his coat. Astra's face twisted into an expression of rage, and Arturo Vale shook his head in disapproval.
"Oh, well, this is not right." He glanced downwards, shaking his head again upon seeing the mess on the floor. "Oh, my...well, we can't have my favourite girl hanging over all this mess before testing day!" Vale waved his hand behind him. "Take care of this mess, Fallon," he murmured, and the substitute doctor moved in to clean it, muttering something about his masterpiece not being able to take fruition, not before stealing a glance at Astra, only to be rewarded with a glob of spit.
Fallon wiped the bile from his face, the contempt showing through his calm facade, but Astra didn't care. He couldn't hurt her anymore. As long as Vale was watching, Fallon was harmless and vulnerable.
Or so she thought.
Fallon reared back, and gutted her mirthlessly, his fist buried in her stomach. She tried to bend over his fist, an attempt to stave off the pain, but she was chained and couldn't move her arms or legs. She opened her mouth, trying to yell in pain, but coughed violently instead. Fallon drew his clenched fist away slowly, and Astra hung limp, unable to fight back.
"Alright," Arturo Vale's voice rang out in the metal box-like room. "We'll leave her here for now. This is the tenth day she has been without food and water. The prototype is working well. She has her strength still, but your punch seems to have taken the last of it...alright. I'll nourish her personally this time, since you seem to have problems controlling yourself. We'll give her two more days, and if she performs exceptionally, we can restore her to her original health and...thickness and then proceed with the mind wipe."
Fallon coughed slightly. "Can I...touch her..?" He asked, his voice hoarse. He licked his lips, maybe a sign of nervousness, but yet to be confirmed.
Vale sighed. "You always ask that, even when I'm performing experiments. I don't care how malnourished she is, or even how distraught she is-you will not touch her! She is my masterpiece; my prized possession...and she is mine." Vale stared at his subordinate carefully, studying the muscles in Fallon's face as they twitched to form the slightest of frowns. Vale's eyes narrowed. "Did you-" Vale began threateningly, and Fallon hung his head, knowing what was to come next. "You-!" Vale began, but shook his head and sighed. "No more."
The doctor turned back to Astra, giving his assistant a dismissive wave, and closing the door behind him as the younger, human man left. Vale padlocked the door for closure, and opened a small black cabinet, reaching his hand into the cabinet, the shelves of which were cooled which exceptional ice magic, and withdrew his hand, a plate of food in hand. Of course, the food contained some new prototype of Vale's, some new invention that he was about to test out. The smell of steak caused Astra's stomach to growl loudly, an involuntary response as she had been deprived of food and water for over a week now. She opened her eyes, vision swimming.
"Food?" She croaked miserably.
"For you, my dear girl," Vale murmured, and held the plate up to her mouth. He lifted a piece of the neatly cut meat to her mouth. "Open wide," he coaxed, and Astra opened her mouth. The dog-man grinned.
She hadn't felt this relieved before.
And as she chewed the meat, she felt an underlying sense of dread creep up her spine. Little did she know that her precious memories would vanish in due time.
The last word she would utter would be the name of her best crimes, the boy she loved, the adolescent she would give her life for.
"Talon," Astra whispered as she chewed on another piece of meat, feeling the memories slip away from her as she swallowed the food. But she couldn't get enough. She needed more. She was hungry. But she had to stop. The food was doing something. Killing her? No, couldn't be.
It was erasing her memories.
Ultimately...she would obey.
Cyrus Drake stepped off the train onto the busy streets of Marleybone, welcoming a once temporary home by inhaling the air, digesting the stench and huffing in annoyance. He rubbed his trimmed beard almost thoughtfully, but furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes.
He hated this place.
All the smoke, all the filth in the sky, all the rebels who chose to defy the way of life on other worlds-chose to defy magic itself-turned instead to a crude form of life. Science. Science was disgusting. Science tarnished the Spiral...and science made Cyrus cringe. Science was repulsive.
He shook his head and began at a brisk pace towards the station. He had to call someone. He pushed open the doors of the agency with some reluctance, observing for a few seconds, eyes flitting about the room as the humanoid canines and felines hefted stacks of papers and tested their skills with a baton on a metal post. Cyrus scoffed and surged forwards into the room. He cleared his throat, and immediately, life ceased to exist.
"I'm looking for the captain," he spoke, his voice powerful and commanding. "We need a word."
A female police officer-a cat-went numb and the stack of papers fell from her hands, hitting the floor and blowing apart with ease. Her frightened, wide eyes were fixed on Cyrus, and she didn't dare to pick up the papers.
"In the back!" The captain yelled from behind a pair of closed doors. Cyrus gave a nod as if he expected the captain to be able to see him and strode on to the back room, knocking on the office doors.
There was no response for a while, and Cyrus turned his head to glance around as people began to move again. He noticed a rough-looking young man, with platinum blonde hair, vibrant blue eyes, and dark brown skin, an odd complexion for someone with blonde hair and blue eyes to carry. The boy was carrying a large stack of papers, and seemed to struggle with them. Cyrus attempted to keep a blank face, but caved quickly at the boy's plight and directed the stack into the air with a flick of his wrist. The boy glanced at him fearfully, then back at the papers before a large grin spread across his face and he pointed to a nearby desk. Cyrus gently lowered the papers onto the desk and watched carefully as the boy waved with a smile and ran off, presumably to collect more papers. Cyrus huffed and turned away, trying to feel annoyed, but couldn't help but feel somewhat smug.
The captain of the station finally opened the door, his face brooding. He stepped aside to allow the Conjuror inside and closed the door behind his guest. "Why are you here, Cyrus?" The captain asked, his drooping pug-face a strange thing to look at.
Cyrus stared at the grey, peeling walls instead. "I am here because I have a call I need to make and a question for you."
"Call away. You know how to use the phone box, Cyrus." The captain answered. "What's your question?"
"There are posters-flyers, papers-out for a girl. A child, it looks like. What's going on, Martin?" Cyrus questioned, his voice demanding, yet curious.
Martin sighed. "There's been an increased crime rate recently. People say it's because of this redhead girl."
"What do you mean by recently?"
"...For the past month."
"And you can only sit here and mope? You should be active, Martin! I would declare you a fool, but even that does not seem like enough." Cyrus exclaimed incredulously, unable to hear the words spilling from the captain's maw.
"There is nothing I can do, Cyrus!" Martin exploded. "She is enhanced, enchanted, augmented! She has been changed beyond the point of no return and my officers can do nothing, as we can barely even see her when she breaks into our stores, when she runs out and the rare occasions where she decides to stay and fight. It's been a miracle that you're here because-"
"No." Cyrus firmly declined, but Martin was far from finished.
"-we think you can stop her. Freeze her. Capture her. Melt her mind if you have to, Cyrus! We need your help. Please. We think she might be related to Snaketongue."
Cyrus froze, eyes widening slowly. Snaketongue was a name hadn't heard in years. And it didn't fall on deaf ears. "Robert Snaketongue? That Snaketongue? The old friend I used to drink with? But..." He trailed off, his thoughts derailed.
"I know," Martin responded carefully. "We thought you could help. I would've called you, but you showed without notice."
"Robert Snaketongue..." Cyrus murmured. "Fine." He stated after a drawn out pause. "I will assist you with these...trivial matters."
With that, the Conjuror turned on his heel and left the room.
Astra sat in a metal chair in a large room, which remained empty in the minutes of silence that passed. She sat there, motionless, mouth slightly ajar, eyelids closed but fluttering weakly. She was bare except for the obsidian metal plates lining her vertebrae and swirling around her body, almost like a protective ribbon that could change both size and weight instantaneously. Her hazel eyes were fixated on the ground. She wasn't hungry anymore. Felt thicker, actually.
She couldn't remember anything.
Well, almost nothing.
One memory rang out true in her mind-the memory of a boy, a boy with hair darker than black and eyes the floor of blood, staring at her as she walked past. His mouth was slightly ajar, and his eyes were wide, following her as she strode by. Although his childlike gaze was only curious, Astra couldn't help but feel the underlying hint of...something else in his eyes. It was as if a darker presence swirled within him; within those endless pools of red... And then a shriek drew her attention away from him. A soft whistle sounded as a wizard on a broom sped towards her, and she could do nothing but watch, frozen in anticipatory shock. Without warning, the red-eyed boy pushed her to the ground, and the tip of the broom slammed into his side, throwing him roughly seven feet backwards where he rolled over and lay limp. She darted over to the boy, who was unconscious, and traced his cheek softly. For a five year old, he had an oddly chiseled jaw and a long scar running from his ear to his chin. He looked at peace unconscious, but Astra knew unconscious was bad. She slammed her fist into his gut and his eyes flew open immediately, and he doubled over, giving an agonised yell before falling limp again.
What was his name?
Astra searched her mind for his name and when she found it, it seemed to explode in her mind, standing out, a beam of light cutting through the haze that was her memories. Her eyes burned with sudden tears and she felt a pain in her stomach, but it didn't matter because she knew his name. And she knew he was important to her. Maybe he was evil and she had to kill him. Maybe he was her secret lover. Maybe he was just a kid she'd met earlier and remembered just...well, just cause.
Talon. Even the name sounded important. It made her feel like she had to protect this boy.
"Talon," she whispered softly. "Talon..." Her eyes opened further, and a spark of life flickered in both eyes.
Talon. Talon. Talon.
"Talon!" She croaked, louder this time. "Talon!"
Talontalontalontalontalontalontalon
"TALON!" She roared this time, life springing back into her eyes. The metal chair snapped in half and she rose to her feet, glaring at the metal door to the room. "Talon..." She murmured softly, the ghost of a smile on her face. "I'm coming, Talon...don't be afraid..." She muttered as she stumbled out of the room.
An alarm sounded the moment her feet touched the ground outside of the metal room and Astra seemed to snap out of her daze, eyes flicking about frantically. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down the darkened corridor, and she broke out into a full sprint, the cybernetic enhancements adding to her speed. She was a blur as she roared past doors and skidded to a halt at the end of the corridor.
The sound of footsteps filled the corridor. Astra whipped her head left, where the source was coming from. She heard a shout and Vale stumbled down the hallway, darting towards her as quickly as he could (Which, quite frankly, was slow.). "Dear girl!" He yelled in somewhat of a panic. Astra stared blankly at him.
"Talon?" She questioned dumbly, not recognizing the man in the obvious dim light of the corridor. "Wait, that can't be, I'm in here with-"
"Girl! Are you alright? Did the memory suppressant work? I came as soon as I heard the alarm! I wouldn't let Fallon in as soon as he volunteered, who knows what he's do to you..." Vale's ears perked up as he felt Astra's body, searching for wounds. Time to check to see that the memory-erasing food-one of his many prototypes-had worked. On the side, he had given the erasing device the ability to implant false memories in those who consumed it, a little...treat Vale had added to assert himself as the test subject's owner. The dog-man inhaled deeply, then exhaled, preparing himself for some sort of epic confrontation in case things got out of control or in case Astra fainted suddenly (A side effect of the prototype) or in case she suddenly began experiencing liminality of some sort. "Alright then...who are you?"
Astra seemed to freeze immediately and her eyes glazed over. She spoke in a manner similar to an animated construct, but not so controlled and scripted as to sound inhuman. "I am Astra Snaketongue, daughter of Arturo Vale."
Vale smiled, a sweet smile that held an entire level of ominousness, masked by his false, honey-like flashing of the teeth, and sparkling eyes that feigned joy. "Good.." He murmured before continuing. "Where are you?"
"In Father's private residence, which doubles as his lab for his experiments."
"Good girl," Vale exclaimed, patting Astra's head. She remained still, blank and in a vegetative state. "What is your purpose?"
"To do Father's dirty work...stealing for him like I did yesterday, and-" She paused, clearly confused. "And-"
"And?" Vale inquired, wishing for her to go on.
"And-and-Talon." Astra concluded finally.
"Who?" Vale asked, confused, but indignation building within him.
"Talon." Astra whispered coming to her senses. She turned away from Vale, beginning a brisk stride away from him. "I have to find Talon. I have to-"
Suddenly, the doctor grabbed her from behind, a bicep pressing against her throat. She snarled rudely, and writhed against his grip, but ceased once he whacked a nearby metal tray against her skull. A dull crack resonated throughout the halls, and Vale dropped Astra to the ground with a sigh.
"Unfortunately, your 'Talon' doesn't exist. He is a memory long forgotten, and you needn't remember him. While you're out, I think I'll just...improve you. Make you better. Don't fret now, girl. It'll all be okay."
He reached down and grabbed Astra's arms, walking backwards, dragging her down the hallway. He reached a door and pushed it open, lifting the limp body of Astra onto an examiner's table. He strapped her down, and yelled for Fallon. As Arturo Vale waited for his trusted assistant Fallon to arrive, he snatched a syringe labeled "DO NOT USE" and stabbed it into Astra's arm, pushing the fluid inside all the way into her veins. Fallon burst into the room, panting.
"Sir?" The greasy man asked, and Vale turned towards him, a fire burning stronger than the ones that burned in Earthborn hell in his eyes. Fallon raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Vale nodded. "Mark her wrist. P00617. That should do. Cut off her feet and replace them with cybernetics. Oh, and the dragon-after we're done with her, give her the dragon. She'll need it, considering what I have in mind."
Fallon nodded, opened a small drawer and produced a collapsible saw, unfolding it carefully. He stared at Vale, waiting for his superior to give the ready signal.
"Let's begin." Vale hissed in an almost snake like voice, as he turned towards Astra and licked his lips, something he always did to quell his excitement.
She would obey.
"Blast!" Vale yelled as the eyepiece broke right as he was attempting to slide it into her now blue eye. The pieces of silver seemed to fly outwards in all directions and Vale hastily raised an arm to shield his face. He heard a soft, sort of squishing noise and Astra screamed, clutching at her left eye, which was now bleeding profusely.
Vale removed his arms from his face and snatched a sedative from the nearest table, grabbing her arm and attempting to inject her with the chemicals. The moment his paws brushed Astra's arm, her scream rose in intensity, and she threw her arm outwards, throwing Vale into his own supplies and sending him crumpling to the floor. He had forgotten to keep her strapped down.
Vale grinned. Although his head was spinning and his brain shook violently, he knew he had accomplished enough. For the time being, at least.
It worked. The improved...prototype...that metal he had put inside her...it worked.
She now had the strength of ten men.
And looked it, too. The cybernetics coupled with the massive feast he'd held for her every day for the past month has thickened her and she was now more...full, looking a sharp sixteen, despite being only fourteen.
Astra's eye continued to bleed, and she placed her hands to cover it immediately, her breath gradually becoming a pant. She swiveled her head to stare at Vale and then turned to stare at Fallon. Her eyes returned to their normal, blank stare, and she seemed to sigh. She reached towards Vale. Fallon hurried out of the room.
"Help," Astra croaked. The look on her face however was not of fear. Her face was devoid of all emotion, and she looked older than she was. It was almost terrifying. Vale thought he noticed a spark of defiance in her eyes, but he pushed it aside. She would obey.
Vale scrambled to his feet, snatching a towel from the nearby sink, and wiping the blood away hastily. He removed her hand from her face, glancing at her eye...which looked fine. Instead of a dark, almost monochromatic blue, it was now a vibrant blue, pieces of silver swirling in an abstract pattern around the pupil.
"My dear...you're...how miraculous!" Vale exclaimed suddenly. "This is beautiful! A work of art! My first two successful prototypes decide to work..! Now, rise, girl. Rise and think of clothes. What do you want to wear?"
Astra touched at her eye dazedly before murmuring, "I want a dress. I want to be beautiful. Isn't that what you want...father..?" Her eyes deemed to narrow as she called the scientist her father, and she turned away, almost feeling disgusted.
Father.
The second memory wipe worked.
Arturo Vale grinned. "Yes, my dear girl. This is what I want." His grin faded and his eyes became quizzical. "Who is Talon?"
Vale had failed to estimate the side effects of the memory erasing/memory replacing device and the now sharp-tongued Astra gave him an eardrum-exploding reply. Moments before she seemed dazed. But what...what was this sudden attitude?
"What do you care?"
Vale froze, a small, dangerous chuckle manifesting in his throat. "Excuse me?"
"I asked why you cared...father. I doubt he exists, and even if he does, he doesn't affect the way I work." Astra paused, waiting for a response which she never received. "But even if he did affect me in the slightest, I would get rid of him. It's only right, after all."
Vale snarled angrily, opening his mouth to speak, but failed to do so as Fallon burst into the room. "Doctor," he panted. "There's rumor of a Conjuror in the area. Powerful, too. Should we send the girl?"
"I'm right here, you realise," Astra exclaimed in a snarky tone, but glanced down when Vale started at her.
"Astra, my dear, would you be so kind as to greet our little wizard?" He paused and then, "After all, we only do these things to prove that science triumphs over magic. That is why father has you do all these things. I think you can win. I know you can win." He gave a sinister smile, which immediately fell as Astra spoke.
Astra scoffed. "Dead flowers don't grow on trees," she answered simply and followed Fallon out of the lab.
Cyrus paused before the door of the aged Snaketongue residence. He hadn't seen Robert since the other man had gotten married, and nostalgia threatened to overwhelm him. But the Conjuror remained calm, breathing in deeply and preparing himself both emotionally and mentally.
He raised his hand, rapping on the maple wood surface of the door lightly.
No answer.
Cyrus knocked more firmly this time, furrowing a brow.
No answer.
Then there was a loud creak on the front porch by the decorations which had presumably not been taking down anytime recently, considering the fair amount of dust they had gathered. Cyrus frowned in confusion. What was going on?
Instinctively, he put up a shield and with a wave of his hand, the front door shattered as it was hit by a soft golden light. Cyrus kept his shield up, moving slowly through the house.
He heard the sound of metal scraping on wood, and whirled right towards the source. He saw the glimpse of a bright blue eye and could've sworn he saw a metal boot even, but the man hardly had any time to react as the floor in front of him exploded and he was pushed backwards a good ten feet.
A dust cloud had risen, obscuring Cyrus' view, and the splintered willow stuck up from the floor, the wood placed perfectly like a chick had forcefully broken from its shell.
His shield had absorbed most of the impact, but thankfully had just cracked. What force...what was he up against? Who was his new adversary?
A feminine hand sliced through the dust, and Cyrus was once again greeted with a flash of blue before the attacker threw their fist into his shield, shattering the invisible bubble. Cyrus Drake's opponent had struck with insane accuracy, having placed the knuckle on her middle finger directly in the center of the spider web crack. Cyrus took the chance and fixed his eyes on the girl.
Red ombré hair, one blue eye, one hazel, a stare that displayed almost no emotion yet gave the slightest hint of annoyance.
Astra Snaketongue.
What? How? Whe-
Cyrus didn't even have time to think as Astra darted towards him for another strike. He cursed mentally and quickly cast his spell, the Name slipping off of his tongue. A glowing, golden sword materialized before him and pressed itself against his chest, the glow brightening before seemingly disappearing into his body. The Mythblade was ready. Now to shake things up so he could at least have time to process this.
As Astra readied herself for a combo attack, Cyrus rushed forwards, pushing her off balance, and drew his miniature war hammer from his belt. With his empty hand, he waved his hand, and upon a name appearing in the air, struck it with his hammer. A gong-like sound reverberated throughout the house and the name shattered, from it burst a one-eyed giant, thought to only exist in the dreams of children and in stories of myth. The armored skirt the cyclops wore was nothing in comparison to its skin which even looked as if it were harder than enchanted steel. The war hammer in its hands looked destructive even, and nothing had happened as of yet. The creature's single eye swept around the room before it settled on Astra, who had halted her advance upon the cyclops' arrival.
Astra looked unimpressed. "You wizards and your tricks," she hissed.
The cyclops gave a snort in response and raised the weapon it held. It took a glance at Cyrus, who gave a begrudging nod. The cyclops swung the hammer in an arc that took the entire roof of the house with it, directing all of its strength towards Astra. The hammer and the roof hit the floor of the house and it exploded, demolished; devastated by the extreme force exerted by such a basic creature.
The silence that followed was painful. It pained Cyrus, too. He had just killed his greatest friend's daughter-in his own house nonetheless-and expected to be forgiven? But what had Astra become? Her eyes weren't always blue. Well, at least, one wasn't. She didn't always have pieces of obsidian metal swirling around her. Her feet weren't always robotic.
Silence. Why was it so quiet?
Was the girl still alive?
Without warning, Cyrus' summon gave a roar of anguish and exploded into small dust particles. Astra burst through the cyclops, whirling mid air to deliver a kick to Cyrus' side. He managed to block it with his forearm, but barely. She pushed off his arm and flipped again, her other heel sailing towards his face. Cyrus bent backwards, narrowly dodging her attack.
He thrust his hand forwards and a blast of golden energy flew from his palm, striking Astra in the chest. Unfortunately, she did not falter. How was she able to absorb a Heroic Hit? Was she some sort of machine?
"Astra!" He yelled, teeth gritted as he swerved around her flying feet and sailing fists, parrying the occasional attack with his mini-war hammer. "What's happened to you?" He inquired amidst the chaos. "You were always defiant and a bit of a rebel, sure, but never this! What happened to your father, Robert? Your mother..." Cyrus trailed off, waiting, hoping for a response. Nothing. "...What happened to Marlene?" He yelled, and Astra ceased her attacks almost immediately, eyes widening.
She retreated a few steps, opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, her head erupted and she let out an agonizing scream.
The memories were returning.
MW: So! Time to answer questions.
Q: Why is Cyrus so easily beaten?
A: First of all, Cyrus is NOT easily beaten. He is an incredibly powerful Conjuror, and that's saying something in the DASR universe, considering the fact that I make all the spells seem so awesome-ahem. Anyways, Cyrus is only overwhelmed because of Astra's augments. She is faster, stronger and can resist magic to an extent. Remember, she is the first human Vale has experimented on, and she is being used by Vale to justify his statement that science trumps magic. Obviously, he would give her some form of magic resist.
Q: Who is Arturo Vale?
A: Good question. Remember that dog guy in Ravenwood who says he's a Balance professor but doesn't even know half the Balance spells? Hah! Phony, am I right? Anyways, I think I mentioned that Vale was his estranged brother. I may not have, but that's what I intended. I didn't really care for that dog-man's last name, so I made it Vale. And since his first name was Arthur, I altered it and created Arturo Vale. The whole thing with the two is that Arthur, the Balance professor is infatuated with magic and left his family to pursue a career in magic. But it angered Arturo because when they were younger they both had an interest in science and vowed to become the greatest scientists in the Spiral, and due to his brother's departure from Marleybone, Arturo slowly drove himself mad. His infatuation with science became an obsession, which began to twist his morals and his mind. Haven't really finished it yet because Vale is kinda unimportant.
Q: Why is Astra a bitch after Vale improves on her?
A: She's been in a coma for a while, ever since he knocked her in the head with that tray (That didn't put her in a coma, of course). Of course, she doesn't remember that she's been in a coma, but her bitchy attitude is how she's always been. I mean, I didn't really show it because the only pieces we've seen of Astra until now have been her as a crazy cyborg who tries to kill Talon, or a loving girl (She only expresses her affection for Talon because she's most comfortable around him). In fact, that's not true. Astra is tough, independent, sarcastic, rude and disrespectful. The only few people she does respect are Talon, Hunter, Ambrose, Cyrus and the few other friends she's made.
To put it simply, Vale did put false memories inside of her, but instead of expecting a few side effects like her retaining her original personality, he thought it would make her into a mindless slave. The memory eraser/changer did alter her memories and remove her original ones, but Astra still remains how she's always been, because she was never able to forget that. She sounds disgusted or annoyed because she feels as if something is wrong when she calls Vale "father", but she cannot pinpoint the source of the odd feeling or articulate/elaborate/explain it.
Q: Is Thalomir a villain?
A: No. Thalomir is not a villain or a hero. In fact, he is just a misguided creation. He does mention this to Talon, but we haven't seen or heard of that yet. Thalomir can seem villainous because he isn't against killing, but he is not. He believes that people shouldn't be controlled or used as tools and that they have the right to control their own destiny (His reasoning behind willing Talon to kill Lucas, and merging with Talon).
Q: Why can't Hunter hear Thalomir's voice in his head?
A: The Inheritance (The merging) can only be done with one person, and Thalomir's soul passes onto the firstborn, who-in this case-is Talon. Hunter doesn't really understand or realize that Thalomir is a part of Talon or his ancestor until near the end of the story.
Q: When will the other characters be revealed? You call them important, but it only seems like you've focused on Talon, Astra, Hunter, and Valkyrie.
A: The other characters will come when it is time. Haha. Just kidding. Every submission I've received is a main character. The characters don't seem important right now and they may not then because I put so much detail into one person's backstory and I've fleshed out current characters, but they are important. The only two characters who will not be as fleshed out are James and Vincent, partially because James is a stoic amnesiac and Vincent doesn't really talk.
Q: Who is Eron?
A: Eron is actually the main character in the spinoff of DASR, To Survive in the Wild, and is a minor character in DASR. He was in BuBu Winter's Unbreakable one-shot.
