An Arrows Apprentice - RP

The Paragon of Powers hands snugly sat inside of his leather jeans as he strode through the dark streets of New York City, having previously lost his ring which subsequently disallowed for the Paragon to stabilize his powers the Emerald Knight had been left all but powerless since undergoing a form of meditation to hold his inherent mutation back, stopping himself from simply exploding upon the most faint whisper of anger. Sadly, this had led to the heartfelt moment knowing he'd be left without any abilities other than his own intellect (which was questionable) and his wit. Yet, his heroic traits were something which could never be eradicated.

The dark moonlit streets had an ominous feel tonight as though a pivotal moment would envelop the Paragon changing his life forever, during his idle walk through the city an alarming noise was heard coming from an alleyway, a woman screaming. His eyes widened his ears desperately trying to hear from where this screaming was coming from as the Paragon of Perseverance ran into the alleyway clearly seeing a woman being mugged by three dark men clad in bandannas.

Pointing to the three clenching his fist going to power up yet forgetting he was weak right now "Oh sh!t" Clenching both fists he ran forwards trying to use the training he had been given, punching one man in the face, grabbing another smashing him into a wall before the third man pulled out a gun, kicked Pyrogram to the cold wet ground and smiled "Lights out motherf*cker* The Paragon widened his eyes in terror hoping for a miracle to shoot in and save him, yet knowing that only happened in stories.

And sometimes stories, were very real.

The primary mugger, wielding the gun carelessly in his meaty hand, allowed the fallen Paragon a dirty grin before his hairy finger pulled back on the trigger and a bullet tore through the minute space of air between both figures with an astoundingly tremendous -

BANG!

A lone crimson arrow, appearing from a seemingly impossible vertical angle, snatched the projectile clean out of the air, the sheer magnitude of the precision and timing required for such a feat nigh miraculous. The would be murderer cast a glance at his pistol and then at the glowing scarlet object embedded within the gravel. Bewilderment clung to his features and before he could react to the instantaneous alternation in his surroundings an additional arrow pierced his forehead with a vicious shunk, putting an immediate end to his treacherous life. One of the remaining muggers, completely terrified at the unfolding events before his eyes, turned upon his heel and made a desperate dash of retreat. Things had elevated far too quickly for his tast-

THWIK!

His trench coat clad figure was thrown at the ground by the sudden deactivation of his cognitive functions, his momentum carrying him forwards a few feet before he came to a lifeless halt. The last thug made no attempt at escape, opting to instead find solace by the disorientated woman he had intended on mugging not two minutes ago. She pushed him away in disgust, howling in fear and fleeing the alley as fast as her heels would allow. She was not met with any crimson projectiles, her life saved by the unseen assailant.

"Need some help there, hero?"

A being wrapped in scarlet spandex dropped from the rooftop above them, landing with the grace and agility of a cat, the massive distance separating it's ledge and the ground inflicting absolutely no damage to the crimson-clad crusader's frame. Without bothering to look at the fallen Paragon of Power, Assault grabbed the lone mugger by his throat and without further ado, tore his larynx out. The brutal action required a complete absence in effort from the schizophrenic saviour and he cast the foul corpse aside with nary a care in the world. Immediately detecting the would be hero's horrified stares, Assault lowered himself to his haunches and slung his red bow across his back, chuckling darkly.

"Want to take sick fcks like that out? You do it properly."

The Paragons emerald eyed looked on in disbelief yet an undertone of happiness towards of his scarlet savior as the man tore the criminals throat out viciously spraying down the concrete ground with crimson paint of blood. The Hero stared on slightly agitated unsure if he would allow himself to be seen with such barbarism yet knowing without his own powers he was worthless. The hero backed up on the ground before slowly elevating to a standing position, scratching his head anxiously speaking fast "Uhm.." His eyes darted to the bloodied ground back towards the mans own red attire thinking if he'd done that on purpose for a bloody effect "Would you be willing to.." Pyro knew the deal, he'd be getting beat up all day without knowing how to fight or use a weapon "..Teach me?" Nervously clenching his fists the Paragon feebly smiled.

Scoping out the scene whilst the nameless man who's life he had rescued in those previously precarious moments took hold of his bearing once more, Assault listened carefully, piling up the dead bodies against one of the alleyway's less prominent dumpsters. The crimson-clad crusader didn't have a permanent means to transportation due to his extreme distaste for money or wealth of any form, and operated mostly by hitching rides on private jets or trains; whichever was more available to him. He would either stow away, rather skilled at concealing himself, or threaten the owners of the vehicle. He would never take an innocent life, but they didn't know that.

"Oh fck, oh fck, just stop right there man."

He threw his arms up dramatically, making a mock show of discomfort at the Paragon's uncertain approach.

"First off, I don't swing that way."

He cast a glance at the figure opposite him, struggling to maintain a straight face.

"Second, you don't even know my name."

The young schizophrenic reached over his shoulder and tapped a tiny button upon his technologically peerless bow's hull, setting off a command that immediately vaporised all of the arrows he had fired off during the altercation by absorbing their energy back into it's minuscule arc reactor, a miniaturized version of the device that had sustained Jacob Stark's life for many months before Andres Knightfall had enhanced his genetic capabilities and left it useless to Assault. He turned away from the Paragon of Power, striding away from him with a nonchalant bounce in his step.

"I wouldn't suggest hanging around. The authorities don't take well to mutilated corps-"

A scarlet laced arrow tore through the air towards Pyrogram, instantaneously nocked by the Apex Assailant and fired off at the ear of the unsuspecting man with speed rivalling the strike of a lone lightning bolt. It was a test, if the man possessed the reflexes to evade, or even catch the projectile before it tore half of his auditory system off, Assault would humour him with consideration.

The testing arrow tore through the air at speeds beyond cognitive comprehension aiming directly towards of the side of the heroes face. Without warning the innards of his pupils shone a blinding emerald light gushing out from within a bolt of eclipsing green connecting with the arrow imparting energy within the arrow causing it to explode, the Paragon buckled backwards in fear for his life unaware of what had just happened, closing his eyes in fear assuming the arrow had not been stopped his panting grew for around 30 seconds before the Paragon removed his arms from over his head.

Anxiously looking around highly confused without realizing his subconsciousness had fired off an energy displacement from within his eyes as if he was still wearing the ring, after-all the ring merely stabilized his powers not granting him anything he could not already do. In time, the Paragon of Power would learn to harness these abilities...but for now, he was less than a street level combatant.

His eyes glowing a subtle green with a greenish mist floating into the air like his pupils had just smoked a cigar, he coughed then shouted towards of the aggressor jumping up and running over "What the f*ck just happened dude!" His eyes still steaming green smoke before he realized, watching the green trail float into the sky parting the smoke with his hands before rubbing his eyes, the smoke vanished "...Did I...did I stop the arrow?" becoming aware of what had just happened, yet knowing the consequences if it had gone wrong - cataclysmic consequences.

"You idiot! - If I lost control I could have tore this city apart with this stupid.." Smashing his chest like an ape "...energy inside of me. But - without my powers I am simply a man without cause, a man without a destiny" He folded his arms staring into the mans eyes longing for an agreement "Train me" A simple question.

Assault threw his hands up, making a half-assed attempt at placating the man he heard nearly decapitated, but he wasn't serious. Finally the flood gates broke and he packed up laughing, holding on to the dumpster beside him for support. His psychotic tendencies shone through more often than not, and there was no greater flaw in his aggressive personality than his impulsiveness. Perhaps this would attribute to good fortune for the Paragon.

"Chill out man, if you had lost control that'd have been fine. Death's an old friend of mine."

The young schizophrenic straightened up, folding his finely sculpted arms across his chest and leaning back against the dumpster with one foot over the other. His crimson locks fell about his face as he tilted his head, considering the surprisingly interesting figure before him. Assault was probably younger than him, but age had never bothered the psychotic protector.

"Train you? What the fck?"

He barked a harsh, vicious laugh, throwing his head back theatrically.

"I don't even know you. Do you do this often? Drift around the city until a cape pulls up and then you ask them to teach you?"

The entire situation was uncharacteristic for Assault. The police would arrive soon and he had bigger fish to fry. New York was rife with crime, and he hadn't dropped by the Big Apple to play tutor to some crazy guy with green smoke coming out of his ears. Then again, the City was pretty quiet tonight and he had never made an attempt at training someone. It seemed appealing, and he had seen the Karate Kid numerous times as a kid.

"What's the deal, why are you so desperate for tutelage?"

The weakened hero was too tired and worn to get angered or frustrated at this mans lunacy, knowing nobody else in this city would have even bothered to save him from the vindictive criminals. Even though his words spoke of anger, craziness and schizophrenic tenancies his actions spoke of a heroic nature possibly gone insane, the Paragon was no stranger to people like his having been an international hero for over five years knowing all types. Leaning upon a brick wall his head rested while speaking to the man ready to elaborate everything "My name is Pyro..." lowering his eyes a little gazing at the cold wet floor his emerald gaze then shifted back up looking towards of the man "...I was part of the hero team...the Paragons, I was the Paragon of Power".

The worlds sounded ironic since his developmental leaving him less than a mere street leveler "I had a ring which granted me the powers to control what you just saw, that energy? I could create - anything - but then, the ring was taken from me and now...Now I'm nothing other than some broken ass bum with no powers, no nothing" kicking the floor he sighed, wishing for his old life back "And then you came along defeating those criminals like they were nothing other than an ant, to you they WERE ants - I will continue being a hero and helping people...and one day, I know it will take my life...that's why I need training" A quick description of events which followed the simple reason why he had asked for training "I'd understand if you don't want to...Not everybody is capable of teaching" The man seemed like he had an ego, appealing to the ego or confronting the ego would probably be the best route.

"Paragons? That explains a lot, man."

Once more the antagonistic Assault performed a verbal jab at the figure opposite him, unable to keep himself from giggling at his misfortune.

"That was your first mistake. Your second one was thinking you could take on New York's scum by your lonesome, without any special abilities. I saw that punch you threw, it was solid and there weren't any flaws in the movement but I could see immediately that you weren't used to relying on your natural capabilities. Unfortunately, so could they."

Gesticulation towards the fallen criminals served as a precursor to the crimson-clad crusader's next response.

"Now I know you didn't just try to use reverse psychology on a psychopath, right? Hahaha! You know what, I think I like you, jelly legs."

Assault himself had only been at the hero game for under a year, but his natural take to conflict had enhanced his ability at being a vigilante. Coupled with the use of nothing but a bow and some pimped out genetics, he had learned much faster than someone who relied on powers had. Doubtless, he could detect skill within the Paragon of Power, and decided right then that he would take him under his finely sculpted wing.

"Right, Pyro. My name's Assault, I'm sure you've guessed why, and I'll agree to your little preposition. 'Sides, who doesn't want to learn how to shoot sticks into someone's face?"

Nearby, sirens began to blare and the screech of tires on gravel resounded throughout the streets, a precursor to the arrival of the NYPD. The schizophrenic saviour fired off a quick, manic grin at the dishevelled man before him and winked, spinning around and using the dumpster's lip as a platform off which to propel himself. His feet kissed the wall and before gravity could wrap it's clutches around him he was launched through the air again, hitting the opposite wall with his legs again and repeating the action all the way up unto the rooftop he had originated from, the entire feat lasting less than three seconds. His head peered over the ledge and he called out towards Pyro with a humour laced voice.

"First exercise. Evading the popo."

Without bothering to await a reply, Assault turned and fled, lengthening the gap between him and the incoming police with every passing second. The city was his playground and he treated it as such, whooping with joy as he performed nigh impossible acrobatic feats above the crowns of New York City. He came to a stop three blocks away from the scene, slipping into an abandoned junkyard site and making himself at home upon a heap of scrap. Smirking to himself, he removed his bow and nocked an arrow comprised of glowing scarlet energy, aiming it at the sky above him and releasing it, confident in the knowledge that Pyro would witness it from wherever he was and locate his new mentor.

Assuming he escaped the cops.

"Assault huh? Fancy that..." Smirking his face quickly turned around glancing over his shoulder at the oncoming NYPD, turning back around to speak his future teacher vanished from sight having performed acrobatic athleticism akin to an Olympic level athlete. The Paragon only saw the man for a brief second shouting down below asking him to simply escape and evade the police, nodding towards of his teacher his first lesson had just begun, rolling his shoulders forwards warming up he looked around of the alleyway trying to find his own way up. Not in a million years going to do that crap and jump everywhere like a fanatical ninja on crack.

Sighing to himself knowing it would only be a few short seconds before the cops arrived his eyes scanned the area trying to find a way up, thinking about a short route for an ascension. Emerald eyes analytically caught sight of a luckily placed ladder leading up to a fire hatch. Grabbing what look like to be a metal pole he aimed and threw trying to cause the collapsible ladder to fall to the ground from its position a little too high to reach, the police sirens growing ever closer the blue lights actually being visible now. The Paragon knew it was too late, performing a running wall jump his speeds faster than ever before he smashed into the wall running off trying to scale it before planting his hands down and pushing off of with all of his strength fingertips grasping the bottom of the ladder...he had made it.

Clinging onto the cold metallic ladder his fingers nearly lost grip, suddenly a police officer came rushing round the corner pointing his pistol towards of the troubled hero "Freeze!" Adrenaline rushed through the heroes system sending him to scurry up the ladder as the officer opened fire, a bullet tore past his left thigh causing a deep cut yet his adrenaline caused for the pain to be ignored for now, making his way up to the ladder reaching the fire escape he looked down at the officer, holding his own bleeding leg "Idiot!" his eyes looked into the distance a verdant green glow appeared, that was his target.

Climbing onto the metal ledge of the railings stopping people from falling to their death atop of this hatch he simply tried to jump from the building he was on to the building his savior had scaled, successfully landing and rolling away to dispel the energy from his landing to not injure himself he quickly made his way jumping across the top of the builds his leg leaving a bloody trail of crimson graffiti yet he ignored it.

Nearing the junkyard his head throbbing unsure if this was the thrill of the chase or his leg having lost a lot of blood. Regardless he jumped down performing a combat roll before his teacher limping over with a smirk "Mofo, you ditched me" Leaning beside he fell into the heap of trash beside the man looking into the sky, panting heavily "Man...my legs all shot...literally...."..the world faded into darkness as blood loss started to take hold...the Paragon fell in and out of conciseness for a few moments.

NYPD were a relentless bunch and Assault had harboured absolutely no doubt that upon his student's arrival they would both need to vacate the area. The junkyard, though undeniably obscure, would serve only as a pit stop, and only for a few minutes. It appeared as if fortune were smiling down upon them tonight, as the apex assailant had managed to more or less form shoddy bunkers in certain locations across the globe, depending on how crime-ridden the city was. Assault was horrifically broke, up to the point where he failed to possess a single coin to his name, and lived off of deception and abandoned areas, his vehicular methods previously stated.

When Pyro eventually rolled in, literally, Jacob Stark's alter ego was still sprawled across a heap of junk, one leg over the other and his hands behind his head. A portrait of cool.

"Ah geez man. You got shot? Ugh. You're probably going to die then. Toodles."

He hoisted himself off of his throne of trash and dropped to his haunches before the fallen figure of the Paragon, his waving palm the last thing Pyro saw before everything went dark.

"Wakey fckin' wakey man, we're here."

They were in the sewers, a particular section Assault had located a few months ago that had once been dedicated to other purposes but had suffered exclusion from the outside world via a thick perimeter of concrete walls. It was expansive, entirely confidential, and would suffice for an appropriate dojo of sorts until the Paragon's training had run it's course. Assault had slung the unconscious form of Pyro over his shoulder, his dead weight nigh non-existent to the genetically enhanced archer. A quick shot of adrenaline, stored within the confines of the makeshift cave along with other essentials, had been delivered to the comatose hero and a thorough bandaging had ultimately saved his life - making twice in one night.

"Welcome to my Bat-Cave, motherfcker!"

He threw his head back and barked another maniac laugh, arms spread wide. He twirled around the room, gesticulating to areas around the underground headquarters that would be important to Pyro for the next few days, primarily their beds, pantry, and training area. He had found dirty mattresses in the middle of an alleyway and had ceased the opportunity, the same going for all of the food within the pantry. He barely ate as it was, his immune system requiring a minimum of intake each day. In the meantime, the Paragon would have to grow accustomed to the half-consumed cans of beans, the mouldy bread, and the insect infested fruit. The training area served as more than three quarters of the space, having been constructed by Assault in the past two hours of his student's slumber. A simple wooden bow was laid out across the floor before Pyro, a single arrow resting upon it. The apex assailant clapped his hands together excitedly and plastered a crazy grin across his handsome face, chuckling lightly.

"Prepare to wish you had never met me."

The Paragon swayed in and out of consciousnesses during the ordeal. Having been brought into the mans personal "bat-cave" which should have been called "The Quiver" was simply...sh!t. Nothing other than a rat infested pantry for the man to store some moldy food, sleep and have some much needed sleep after the strain of continuously being an outright bad-ass - ...Among other things like being taken hostage by the HFC and twice beaten by his older brother, Assault would be a good mentor to Pyro. Yet the Paragon, in his eyes saw the man at this moment in time as the craziest motherfucker he had ever had the good fortune of knowing. He'd wish in the short term he'd never met the man....long term, it would be the start of a great friendship....

The Paragon awoke to feel a rat nibbling at his shoe, the noise was unmistakable "Ew!" kicking off the rat which was flung into a wall quickly scuffling off into the distance the hero rubbed his eyes, forgetting he was injured the emerald archer tried to stand yet his thigh screamed out in disapproval his eyes welling up with tears due to the pain. Nearly crying out yet knowing it would do no use. Why the heck did his powers have to not work! WHY did he have to be born with unstable abilities. Rubbish.

His hands pressed onto the cold dirty ground quickly crawling towards a chair, grabbing onto the wooden sides getting to his feet the Paragon sat, sighing his head falling into his hands knowing he'd messed up losing his ring. Between his fingers he saw a bow laid out across of the floor, his eyes looked up towards of the apex assailant the wide excited grin was followed by a manic clap "My God..." shaking his head thinking what the hell he'd gotten himself into the Power Paragon shuffled along until he looked at the bow and single arrow.

Looking up his mesmeric verdantly glowing eyes shone for a mere second before his lips moved forming words "One arrow?" Looking down once more, he arched his back upon lifting the bow with his left hand plucking the arrow off of the ground with his right, arching back up straight his head tilted to the side sarcastically his face showing boredom "Now what?" placing the arrow onto the bow yet not pulling anything back, simply awaiting a response

Hanging upside down from a stray pipe, the likes of which had escaped the confinements of the dome's wall and now protruded like an angry thorn, with his arms folded across his chest, Assault smirked at his young counterpart, a mischievous look upon his face. He gesticulated towards an object situated across the space, which, upon much closer inspection, would be revealed to be the corpse of a rapist the apex assailant had tracked down the day before. It's figure was wrapped in an excess of bandages and nailed to the wall behind it with a massive pike, found lying about the scrapyard. The psychotic protector cackled at the expression on the horrified Pyro's face and clapped his hands excitedly again, swinging back and forth below the pipe.

"I drew a bunch of little targets on that dead body with some of your blood, let's see if you can hit any on your first try."

The distance separating the Paragon from his arrowhead's destination was about 15 feet. Assault chuckled manically and crossed his arms again, watching amiably.

His face scrunched up upon viewing the mutilated figure, knowing it was also his own blood which had been made to color the target was a strange feeling, yet putting his disgust aside the young hero could only grit his teeth and push on with the start of his training. A subtle turning of the head looking at his mentor with a nod, his head snapped back gazing towards of the mutilated target readying himself.

Raising the bow in unison with footwork to align itself in the proper position, attempting to at least make himself look like he knew what he was doing, having only used a bow and arrow a few times after creating one with his ring. His left palm tightly gripped the cheap bow lifting it up, an arrow previously resting upon the bow was strung, his fingers locked themselves on the string pulling back creating some tension as the end of the arrow was served as a sight.

His left palm shook slightly before the Paragon held his breath closing one eye for optimum performance, the string was pulled back further as his right thumb rested upon his cheek ready to release tension on the string and fire. Aiming directly for the chest his fingers subtly released as the arrow departed the bow with a snapping sound. Trailing through the air landing directly lower than what had been anticipated, hitting the mutilated rapists stomach. The arrow embedding itself into the stomach caused a nasty gushing sound, gritting his teeth in disgust he turned back to his mentor with a displeased face "That's disgusting" shaking his head the emerald archer walked towards of the mutilated body, pressing his left palm upon the chest grasping the arrow shaft with his right pulling it out with a twist, blood trickled down the corpse's chest upon the arrows withdrawal.

Walking back quickly resting the bloodied arrow upon the bow once more he awaited instruction.

"Hey! Not bad not bad not bad, Paragon man."

The soles of Assault's weathered boots kissed the cement beneath Pyro's feet and he used his index finger and thumb to fire imaginary bullets at the emerald knight. He strode towards him nonchalantly and upon reaching the outskirts of his opposite's comfort zone, he placed his hands on his scarlet-spandex clad hips and gave his trainee a once over.

"Right handed, eh? It'll do for now."

Without another word, the apex assailant reached over and took the tainted arrow from his student, snapping it within his palm as if it were paper and littering it about the ground before his counterpart. A mischievous look ensued.

"You saw that? You didn't misjudge the distance. That - - " He gestured towards Pyro's bow arm," - - Isn't strong enough. How're you gonna handle a real bow with those pussy biceps man? Which brings me to our second, most exhilarating, exercise."

Assault swivelled round and sauntered over to a large bucket of water situated beside one of the shoddy beds. He inched it forwards with his foot and dropped to his haunches, slapping the water once with a flat hand. Another smirk, and he straightened up.

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back before nightfall, in order for you to reach the strength required for such a feat by then, you can't stop. No breaks."

Young Pyro's mentor had vacated the slum-like excuse for a base of operations before he'd even reached the bucket. It was going to be a long day.

The bow snapped easier than a giant stepping on a fragile twig, initially confused the Paragon folded his arms tilting his head nodding as he listened to his new mentor. His face turned upright into an overly excited smile to practice this strange water smacking technique, having once seen it in a film about Japanese people...or monks, or something.

As his mentor left the heroic archer was left gazing into the distance, contemplating how life had turned out and if this was really for better or worse? A month ago he'd been one of the most powerful beings alive. Now...

He looked around, the damp, decaying nasty area which was his "training" ring was an almost disgusting contrast to his previously lavish lifestyle. A rat scurried into the distance, the timely clanging sound of water dripping from rusty pipes was the only noises being emitted from this rotten location.

He bent over, created a flat palm and struck the water producing a ripple effect, for the next two hours the Paragon struck the water until his palms were red raw - he continued for another half an hour before realizing this was rather boring. His hands hurt and his shoulders ached.

Walking away the hero performed some stretches his joints crackling like a bomb fire, he'd never realized how unfit he was until losing his powers, the ring stabilized his body into peak condition giving him full athlete perfectionism granting a great amount of flexibility but now he felt rather human...and fragile. Time would overcome this burden, time and harsh training. He continued switching between stretching and smacking the water awaiting his mentors return.

"Let's get crackin' man."

The crimson clad crusader waltzed into the underground room as if he had just won the lotto, confidence draped across his broad shoulders and a cocky grin upon his spotless face. In actuality, the psychotically unhinged avenger had single handedly eliminated an entire branch of one of New York's most elusive gangs. The police would be appalled at the state of those corpses.

"Nice, nice. Good to see you've been at it. First time I tried that shit I blew it off after a few slaps. But you'll see why it was necessary. Here."

He reached over his shoulder, a flimsy bow and arrow nigh perfectly similar to the previous one clasped firmly within his hands. Assault launched it through the air at his student, folding his arms directly afterwards and casting a single nod towards the target once more. The corpse was sure to have started decomposing by now.