Realistic or Modern Rise of the New Guardians

[DapperCharmer2.0]

Last month the planet was invaded by a threat, the likes of with, it had never seen before. A powerful warlord, hailing from a void between time and space, wished to conquer Earth for herself. She might have succeeded too, had it not been for the gruelling effort of the Guardians of Justice. Through the use of all their might, they fought off the invasion. But it didn't not come without a price; they all gave their life's to defeat The Void Queen. And now Richard stood in front of hundreds of heroes, each looking to become the new Guardians of Justice.

"All right everyone," Richard commanded, wearing his full Night-watch outfit. "You are all here because you wish to serve this planet in the same way the original Guardians, my fellow Guardians, did for so many years. Of course we will only excepting some of you, the best of you. To find that best, you will all be split up into pairs. Each pair will fight and I will monitor the results. Theses results will be based off skill. That means that the winner of the fight may not be guaranteed a spot. It also means the loser isn't necessarily eliminated from the running. You are expected to give this your all."

"Now, your pairs are as follows;
PatriasLover and ave goin insane
noil and Scribe_6
II-CinderRadcliff-II and Gaius Danius Griinia

Richard then called everyone elses pairs and sent them to their fight rooms, before moving to the observation room. He looked to Alistair ( Orichalcum Tiger ). "So this is what we have to work with, let's just hope they have what it takes," Richard said calmly.

 

[Orichalcum Tiger]

Alistair stood at the back of the observation room, his arms crossed across his chest whilst Richard did his thing. There was something circling in his mind. Anticipation, or anxiety? A finger drummed on his metal bracer. This knot in his stomach made him feel like smoking, but that had to wait until after all of the formalities were done. After all, can't set a bad example for the new heroes. Returning to the Guardians seemed like the best idea. It gave him a chance to clear his mind whilst he thought about rebuilding the order, and tracking his former friend turned nemesis.

Once Richard entered the room he pulled away from the wall and walked to his side. His hands clasped natural behind his back. His eyes darted around, trying to take in as many of the new arrivals as possible. "A bunch of children and two old-fogey's." A grin crossed his lips as he turned to look at his friend. "Oh yeah, humanity has this next one in the bag."

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Amongst the crowd stood XENO, alongside the CEO of SynCorp Nathan Jacobs as he finished double-checking the sentient AI's systems and giving it clearance to engage in defensive and limited aggressive combat - as having too much caution around a sentient AI is never unwarranted. As the faceless screen turned to observe the other participants a few of them caught its attention, though hearing its name get called out prioritized the purpose it was here to begin with. To become a member of the Guardians of Justice. As XENO quietly departed from Nathan it gave a wave of its hand, followed by a thumbs up to try and encourage its creator of its intent to succeed. As the doors closed behind the AI the CEO was no longer within view, leaving XENO with their opponent for the trial to come.

As XENO came face to face with his opponent, it connected itself to the wi-fi and began searching for any info related to the man. Although it took a few hundred attempts within the few seconds it had spent attempting, its memory banks quickly absorbed all of the info publicly available within the search parameters installed onto it. White Knight, a hero name ill fitted based on the negative connotations associated with the phrase, though with a little rephrasing the AI found the words required to try and avoid the touchy connotation.
"Knight of White, I am XENO - an Artificial Intelligence created and owned by SynCorp, iteration 102,509,287." XENO introduced itself as its Quantum Jet Propulsion System quietly prepared itself for flight, its tools currently equipped at the ends of its arms swapping out for a rotating saw blade and a high-pressure nail gun - its arms having unfolded and rearranged themselves like an origami paper before returning to normal. The screen normally backlit with gold lights turned black as it prepared for the fight, its lasers on standby alongside the nano-bots in anticipation.​

 

[Scribe_6]

Oh goodie... it seems things aren't as different here as they are back home, after all. Van thought to himself as he wandered back through memories now distant to a point in his life when he was seeking to join the Knights... Dull echoes of a Sarkian boxer's knuckles cracking against his temple and jaw and ribs in quick succession rang through his head and he recalled the taste of blood in his mouth and the cloying feel of it dripping down his brow.

He was standing there in the middle of the crowd in his armor, sans helmet, and wished for a moment he'd gone in with the helm on. After all; he was not looking forward to starting his day beat up before he'd even done any proper hero-work, and as such it took a bit of effort for him not to frown. Somehow he managed; instead simply turning to size up the individual he was supposed to be fighting.

She looked young comparative to all the others gathered there; a kid, maybe late teens, and bearing flashes of red accentuation along her face and hair. He had the advantage in size, and in armor from what he could tell, but she would probably be quicker and more ready to spring into action. He'd need to be ready prior to the fight actually starting. Raising his arms into the air he grabbed his own wrist and did a quick standing assisted side-bend, then swapped sides and mirrored the act, trying to loosen up and ready himself for whatever this sparring partner would throw at him.

"Ahead of this I'd just like to say hi, I'm Van, nice to meet you. Sorry if I really hurt you during this, and more-so if you really hurt me during this, but let's give it our all regardless." As he spoke he focused for a moment on his face, currently unguarded, and the remainder of his armor began to appear; purple and gray hexes tessellating into place and solidifying into the protective visor and helm of his former team.

 

[noil]

Raisa^{- - - Scribe_6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -}

Raisa was bouncing on the balls of her feet as the renowned Night Watch addressed the assembled group of wanna-be Guardians. She was practically buzzing with excitement to be included in the rebuilding of the decimated hero team. Never in her life had she been surrounded by so many other extra-normal people, and the adrenaline of the situation that ticked through her body was evident in dark leathery look to her skin that had slowly begun to creep up from her fingertips, and in the slightly too large and much too sharp shape of her teeth that showed as she entered the fight room with a wide grin toward her assigned opponent.

The man appeared at first glance to be a well-put-together straight laced human, but knowing the kind of people that had been gathered for the common address she'd have to assume looks weren't everything. She found him performing some light stretches as she entered after him. His getup was intriguing, some kind of fancy color-coordinated gear set that she wouldn't be surprised to find hid some surprises of its own. Even if not, there was something to be said for appearances. He certainly had the look of a Guardian down, now to see if he had the skills to go with it.

"Love the outfit, purple man," she said, shaking the jitters out of her arms with a slight hopping motion to go along with it. It wasn't that the changes her alien DNA forced upon her were uncomfortable, but it was an odd sensation she'd probably never be quite used to. "Don't even worry about it. You seem like a nice person, please do not haunt me when I kill you." Raisa rolled her shoulders, tilting her head to crack her neck.

"The name's Raisa, it's a pleasure to beat you." She offered the man a wink, sinking into a ready crouch. Normally she'd throw herself right into a fight, but she was really curious as to what her opponent could do and would hate to take the guy's head off before she could find out.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Ryker had honestly questioned if joining such a team was the right way to go. Even if he had chosen to undertake a crusade against crime. He also doubted whether or not he was as motivated as all of the heroes standing around him. Even if God was watching over him. Ryker felt shame in constantly leaning on the Heavenly Father for his own weakness. When Night Watch announced that they would be competing for places on this team. A sense of unease came over Ryker. Part of him wondered why they needed to fight one another simply to band together against those who would harm the weak. Another part understood that Night Watch merely desired to test not only their skills and problem solving abilities. He also needed to see how seriously they were taking the prospect of becoming a Guardian. Ryker stood to face the robotic hero before him with as much resolve as he could feasibly muster. It was time for him to prove himself to not only Night-Watch, but also himself.

"I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength" uttered Ryker as he clasped his gloved hands together. Such was the strength of his faith in the Lord. Even if the one before him was a metal man. This robot was still one of Gods creatures. While it was born through means of science. Its existence was undeniable. Ryker would do his utmost to honor this robot's desire to become a Guardian. Although his face was obscured by the cowl of his uniform. The White Knight smiled upon the robot who identified itself as XENO. "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken" prayed Ryker as a massive heater shield made out of a glowing golden light appeared in front of him. Kneeling in prayer and continuing to give thanks under his breath. The shield seemed to grow in intensity...

II-CinderRadcliff-II

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

SynCorp Drone #102509287 - XENO

XENO slowly rose into the air as the nano-bot hubs opened up in both arms, a haze of a faint gray spreading into the air itself. The backlit screen turned from black to red before a hexagonal grid of lasers shot out through the screen at the shield the White Knight summoned, the nano-bots in the air starting to disassemble parts of the floor and walls like cotton-candy dissolving in water. As the nano-bots quickly made work of their surroundings the laser grid seemed to be cutting through the shield with a bit of difficulty, prompting XENO to switch to the two lasers built into its arms - blasting much more intense beams that effortlessly pierced through the shield to either side of White Knight. The beams then shifted as the AI piloted machine swiftly cut the shield into pieces from a distance, before several dozen spears began to materialize within the nano-bot cloud within the air. One by one they were propelled by manufactured rockets at their target, with the first few missing and imbedding themselves halfway into the wall.
"Knight of White, I ask that you don't hold back, as I intend to provide the same courtesy to you as well." XENO stated briefly as the barrage of incoming attacks continued. Between the cloud of nano-bots creating and disassembling the spears, the lasers being fired from its face and arms, and the attempts of using the spinning sawblade and nail gun; all the while it could easily fly around at a distance and render close-ranged attacks pointless. The longer the battle dragged on however the more time it gave XENO to analyze the moves and tricks the White Knight was using, giving it ample data required to come up with various counters for the moves he used and keeping its foe from focusing on his prayers.

Gaius Danius Griinia​

 

[Scribe_6]

"Thanks. I'd introduce you to my tailor, but they were a computer that got blown up.." He looked on thoughtfully as his opponent, Raisa, readied herself; her movements were sharp and simple, her attitude held no innate hostility, but radiated a sense of intrigue. She wanted to see what he was going to do.

"Alright, Raisa; we'll see what you can do." So-saying Van grabbed one of the metallic rings from his back and hoisted it above his head, gripping the handle of the apparatus that held it tightly and letting his posture sink a bit lower, bending slightly at the knees and hips and focusing his intent upon his weapon. The metal ring began to spin, fast and then faster, it's plain shape beginning to spark and crackle with what looked at first like purple flames, but which began to move and shift more like water than fire. The energy caused the space within an inch or so around it to ripple ever so slightly as though it were under a heat-haze, or a part of a mirage, with the only thing unaffected by this odd rippling being the man himself.

Lowering his head Van flexed his legs, his ankles extending and his toes pushing off the ground, and gave the slightest of hops; and yet that was enough. The ring over his head suddenly quintupled in size; going from a large chakram-like weapon to a massive bladed wheel, the wheel then flipped down over his left side and fell upside-down with a gesture of his wrist and he landed on a small platform inside of it. The ring was now a one-wheel vehicle, which having already been revved up took off like a boost-start in a racing game. The speed and force of what essentially amounted to a bladed car came hurtling at her immediately.

 

[noil]

Raisa^{- - - Scribe_6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -}

A computer-tailor? Now that was interesting. Did he mean that the getup was designed on a computer, or that an actual literal computer created the look? Because if that was the case she was now incredibly jealous. She didn't even have an outfit for hero-ing. The lab nerds had dressed her in some kind of special bodysuit, but that was mostly for collecting biometrics so it hadn't been nearly as fancy. Plus she'd ditched that when she'd ditched the lab. Now she just wore anything she liked that would accommodate the changes her body would undergo. Well, anything black. Had to be black. Hid the bloodstains best.

Raisa's distracted train of thought snapped back to the present to something truly wild occurring in front of her. The man had produced some kind of circular weapon that was spinning above his head. As she watched, the thing suddenly expanded, and in a blink it was flying toward her, bladed edge crashing against the floor.

She only had a moment to react, but a moment was all she needed. Her heart was thudding in her chest now in anticipation of the fight, and from the thick alien skin that had now spread its way up to her upper arms wicked, pitch black claws had begun to extend from her fingertips. A flicker-quick dodge to the left at the last second, a pivot, and she was launching herself straight at the center of the wheel, face splitting open at the jaw to accommodate growing monstrous teeth as she lunged for the purple-dressed man.