After Earth Online: The Iron Warlock

Cyborg Cyrus Cade

Leo didn’t like being knocked out, but this was a virtual world so being knocked out isn’t really the same as being knocked out in the real world, even though there were startling similarities. He was in a comfortable darkness where he could pay attention to his skills, especially that of the [Technopath] as it seemed the skill itself had leveled up a bit too fast. He had only been in situations where he’s had to use the skill twice, but in both instances the passive skill had leveled up. There was something to be found out there, but he knew he was missing it.

He had a theory, but he wasn’t sure if it was the right one, so he would just try to experiment a bit before jumping to conclusions. Eventually his period of unconsciousness came to an end, and he found himself in a small room filled to the brim with computers and screens. There was no one else there but him, and a lanky but well-dressed tattooed man behind a desk looking at a bunch of screens. Leo tried moving forwards only to discover that his hands were bound behind him, the weird part was that he had no idea what was keeping him bound.

[Mission: You have been captured by a notorious local gang, no matter what, facilitate your escape by any means necessary. // Rewards: Fame/Infamy depending on action taken to escape, 200 credits]

“Don’t move too much, the pressure cuff you have on you are designed to get tighter the more movements you make, it’s a marvel of technology if I do s ay so myself, a patent of my own making.” The man who was speaking looked human at first, well as mostly human as he could be as Leo noticed he was on a wheel chair with a quilt covering his legs, and one side of his head had a metal plate imbedded in it.

[Analyze]

[Cyborg Cyrus Cade/ D- grade villain]

There was a whole lot more information now than before, but that should probably be because the skill had leveled up before. Leo shifted his attention to the man, and almost had his breath caught in his throat with how blue his eyes were. Leo was a straight as they came, but he couldn’t help but admit, this guy was beautiful, not handsome, but beautiful.

“I’m sorry for how my subordinates treated you, but when someone breaks into your house by bypassing a security system designed to give even the Hero league’s best a run for their money, or at the very least stall them long enough for me to escape. Of course you took longer than I expected, and young man, you have no sense of finesse or security at all as I noticed you the very moment an unauthorized and unrecognized local tripped my perimeter alarm.

You made too many mistakes to be deemed a professional, but even then the professionals can make themselves seem very harmless if they want to. You’re an enigma, and you say you want a job? How did you come about such stupid decision and thought that walking into my building filled to the brim with armed guards would do that for you? Oh! And I should introduce myself, my name’s Cyrus, but everyone here calls me Boss or Triple C.”

“Uh-my name is….”

“I don’t care what your name is kid, I just want to know what you’re doing here and how did you find me?” Leo swallowed hard, Triple C wasn’t using a loud voice, heck Leo wasn’t sure he was capable of using the deep baritone that was expected of most villains. His voice was silky and smooth, the kind the heroes who stands for justice and truth would have, but for some reason, hearing that voice from a bad guy gave him chills, and a lot of it.

“Last night I had a fight with a couple of thugs, I was short on cash so I robbed them. they didn’t have much on them, but I was able to get five grams of Leviathan. I had no idea what Leviathan was, but I can recognize a drug when I see one, so I asked him where he got it from and he directed me here. I was hoping to get employed as a supplier or a runner, if that’s a thing, basically I just need a job to keep me on my feet… I don’t really have anything else.” Just as Leo finished talking, a door behind him opened up and he heard a voice he recognized, it belonged to that tiny Squirrel alien.

“Hey Boss, we got the results of the background check you asked us to look into.”

“Is that so? Well tell me what you found out Bomber, I’m sure our guest would like to know what we’ve discovered about him. “Triple C said as the Squirrel jumped and landed on Leo’s shoulders with a couple of papers and glasses on his tiny face.

“Leonardo Freewind, earth native. But a Human and Techronman hybrid, 21 years old, dark skinned, six foot two, O positive. Has no skills or talents whatsoever, was homeschooled all his life, born to the Techronman delegate Krait Carta Mormon, and a now deceased human maid from central Pangea, Ngozi Eze. Registered abilities are the Techronman’s racial [Technopath], [Shock] and due to a magical inheritance from his witch mother, has warlock abilities [Black Bolt] and [Arcane Sight]. All in all, boss, this kid’s a nobody, he got kicked to the curb yesterday by his hot-shot pops, he’s nothing.”

“f**k You!!” Leo snapped at Squirrel, visibly angry as the small rodent fell of his shoulder in fright at his blatant outburst, Cyrus chuckled softly as Leo felt his wrists being painfully tightened. But he didn’t care, being called nothing and a nobody hit a little too close to home, because whether he would want to admit it or not, it was true.

“Well he’s not nothing Bomber, he did manage to get into our headquarters with absolutely no skills or finesse but his instincts alone. He’s a little impulsive and naïve, but he has talent and with time and little training and experience he would have skill and finesse to go with it. Very well kid, I can give you a job, if you can complete a test of mine. You can also think of it as a rite of passage into my Iron Eyes organization, do you think you’re up for it?” Triple C asked with a glowing smile, his blond hair hanging off one side of his face in soft wavy locks.

“I am!” Leo answered with an assured voice.

“Good! That’s the kind of spirit I like, to be prepared to do anything for your future. Well you see I have this traitor running around downtown Felton with valuable information about my… err…. activities in a wristband of his. He’s scheduled for an open challenge match today on the roof of the Golden Moses hotel. I don’t know how you want to do it, but I need you to either retrieved that wristband, or use you powers to destroy it. That’s the mission I have for you, complete and I won’t just let you join and give you a job, you will be a part of my inner circle and work directly under me. So what do you say?”

Leo looked up at him as the Pressure cuffs around his wrists fell off and he was free to moved his hands. He got up to his feet cradling his bruised wrists, and ignoring the system prompt that showed up. “I’ll get it done!”