Here we are, chapter 3! And Elijah's finally reached his destination.
Final heads-up, if anyone wanted to guess his element. I'll be revealing it in chapter 4.
Elijah walked through the streets of Seattle, one hand in his pocket and the other wrapped around a bag from Olaf's that he'd gotten with the swindling supply of cash he had on him; he'd probably have to find some work soon to make up the difference. Though, he'd likely have to hide his Conduit-ness, considering how many employers still weren't big fans of such powerhouses on the workforce.
Some types of work, such as physical labor jobs, didn't mind as much, but still. And while Seattle was much more Conduit-friendly than some of the other places in the country (Texas was a nightmare in that regard) it didn't mean that they'd hire any and every Conduit off the streets.
It was also an unfortunate truth that, while certain areas were Conduit hotspots, it oftentimes attracted others to the area - those who were massively against Conduits, who in the best case scenario, would just stand on the street corners preaching about non-Conduit superiority or something. Worst-case scenario, they start going on anti-Conduit witch hunts, attempting to round up Conduits and "sympathizers". Some parts of the country are still in an uproar over such battles.
Still, from everything Elijah had seen and heard, Seattle would likely be free from such terrible influences; those who wanted to do Conduits harm would first have to deal with the city's three "Guardian Angels".
That title was one he'd heard a few people mention already, and that - alongside what seemed to be a lot of graffiti art in the alleyways of the three with wings and halos - seemed to be what the city viewed them as. Guardian angels, ready to swoop in and help out where needed.
"Heh... fuckin' superheroes." Elijah scoffed with a smile as he found a park bench to sit on, plopping himself down to let his feet rest while he opened the bag and prepared to eat.
He'd just finished his meal when his attention was drawn by shouts - a quick look revealed several guys ganging up on some poor guy, kicking him while he lay on the ground and yelling at him. Elijah watched, impassive, even as he considered whether or not he should intervene. Then, deciding it was too much trouble, stood up, tossed out his trash, and walked away, leaving the man to their beating.
It was a decision born of both apathy and realism - if he attacked them, it was likely that the public wouldn't see him in a very good light, especially given the damage his powers could do. There was also the fact he had no idea who the guy was; for all he knew, he was some drug dealer getting the shit kicked out of him by his suppliers over some mistake or something. Best he not get involved, lest he want a gang war or something...
The sound of wingbeats made him pause, and a moment later a shadow passed overhead. Spinning around, he caught a glimpse of a blue, winged figure grabbing the victim and beginning to soar off with him, while another swooped down, wielding a sword, and slashed at the three attackers. They all went flying backwards with screams as they were hit, but given the damage, those swords were definitely blunted - more of a club than a cutting weapon, but still swung with enough force to do serious damage.
It didn't take long to subdue the attackers, and seconds later, the angel had soared off in pursuit of the one carrying the victim.
"When I thought of them as 'guardian angels' I didn't think they'd take it that literally..." Elijah mumbled to himself, watching the two angels gaining distance before finally diving back down to the street in another part of the city; the Lantern District, it seemed.
Hmm... His original plan was to come here and see what good he could do, without using his powers. But... well, while he'd had a lot of practice, he couldn't help but imagine being able to make constructs like that. Flaming figures to fight for him - little to no risk of accidentally draining someone, even if the risk of burns went up. Still... people were much more likely to survive burns than total incineration.
As he walked towards the Lantern District, he also considered another avenue of thought - this could be a good way to give him some good PR. If he teamed up with Rowe and his posse - or at least, the two who were still known to be in Seattle - it could be a great way to help him restrain himself. If he started to get too out of hand, they could probably haul him back, potentially even knock him out if he went too far off the rails.
...This was probably a terrible idea, but damnit if he wasn't going to give it a try.
Eugene groaned and rubbed his eyes; this was the fourth beating today he'd had to intervene in. Surrounding him were dozens of screens, each focused on different areas of Seattle; some in the Lantern District, some in the Downtown areas, and so on. They'd set it all up using the remaining cameras left over from the DUP's reign of terror, not to mention setting up screens all over the place to give him something to spawn his angels through - he'd gotten much better at that since Augustine got knocked off her concrete throne. His Angels were good, but they couldn't be everywhere at once... though he still had some out and about, just to be sure.
Still... this was definitely an upswing in anti-conduit activity, and that was never a good sign. Fetch had also reported more and more incidents like this, more thuggish types trying to prey on people in her area. Delsin had been out of Seattle for a while now, and while he was due for another visit soon (even if it was only to ask Olaf's to cater to the next Longhouse like he'd suggested time and time again) it would be nice if the crime rates stayed low while he was here.
A flicker of light in the corner of his vision caught his eye, drawing his gaze to the cameras once more; from one camera to the next, a flickering light could be seen; bright enough to drown out the close cameras, and too far away on others to show anything other than a light moving from rooftop to rooftop.
Eugene's eyes flew across the screens, tracking this anomaly as he watched it go from the Market District through several other areas, slowly heading for Rainier - his current home base. He tracked it all the way to one of the rooftops nearby, at which point the intense light faded, revealing a humanoid figure standing on there, surveying the city. The video Conduit narrowed his eyes; another Conduit? And why reveal himself like this, was this a challenge? Or was he looking for something?
Several Conduits had, unfortunately, been causing nuisance since the liberation of Seattle, though oftentimes they settled down or left after being caught once or twice. They were tough, but it could be difficult to anticipate their goals without first meeting with them...
He focused his powers, pixelated particles streaming from his arm into the screen showing the dark-haired and dark-skinned man.
Elijah surveyed the city from the rooftops; he'd caused some shocked yells and screams as he'd rushed up and over and around the buildings, sometimes leaving footprint-shaped scorch marks in the stone as he rushed through the city.
The sudden sound of flapping wings drew his attention to a screen hanging from a building nearby, the image on it becoming a static mess before streams of pixels emerged and coalesced into an Angel - one that immediately flew up to hang in the air before him.
"You, interloper... why have you come to this place?" The angel boomed, its voice much louder than expected and causing Elijah to flinch for a moment.
"Well... I came looking for your "master," really. I followed one of his angels here a second ago... I'm hoping we can come to a partnership of some kind."
"...And what is the purpose of this 'deal'?"
"...I'm looking for help in restraining myself." Elijah stated after a moment, sighing. "My powers... they're strong, but I... when I use them, I feel this rush, this sense of invincibility. Thing is... the more I use them, the more I find myself starting to slide down the slope, essentially. I can draw power from a lot of things... even people, no matter how much I hate that fact. Thing is, if I do suck power out of people... it kills them. And if I lose myself to my own powers, I'm... I'm worried I'll end up going on a spree or something." He glanced back up at the Angel, its helmeted face giving nothing away. "I want to make sure I don't lose myself to that rush, and that I don't hurt anyone else."
Even as he spoke, Elijah's mind drifted, back to the moment of his powers awakening, the fire that destroyed his home... The thought of his mother and sister, turning to ash and dust beneath his grasp no matter how hard he tried to stop the rush, no matter how hard he tried to undo what was happening...
He flinched again as the Angel spoke once more after a moment, his train of thought broken.
"You have come to ask for help, to help prevent undue suffering and death... we find this deal agreeable. Descend to the street below, and you shall find your salvation." It's message delivered, the Angel dispersed into a cloud of flickering pixels before vanishing.
Elijah blinked at the message before leaning over the edge of the building, glancing down at the street to see a young man - early 20s, wearing a hoodie and glasses, staring up at him with a smile.
"Well... nothing ventured... nothing gained." Elijah repeated to himself with a smile, before stepping off the roof and dropping several stories to the ground.
Not the happiest with how the chapter came out, but I think it's good enough for now. I can come back and edit a few things later on, once everything has gotten rolling. For now, hope you enjoyed!
And remember - last chance to guess Elijah's Conduit element!