Heroic

by H D Forth

  He's insane, I thought. Certifiably mad, talking to himself and shit.

  He shrugged out of his jacket. It was a more involved process for him than it would be for me. He looked to be straining just to remove the garment, without ripping it.

  I knew that this was the logical moment to strike, but I wasn't feeling very logical. I wanted to beat him down in front of his own crew.

  While we had been talking, his gang, organization, had started coming out of the woodworks. I could see faces looking down at us from buildings and from alleyways. I doubted any of them would actually attack me.

  This was our fight, if he couldn't handle me, then he shouldn't lead. He lived in a harsh world, he either won or he would be killed, either by his gang or me.

  I smirk touched my lips as I danced back and forth on my feet. I would be glad to introduce Leric to the Hyenas.

  Finally, he left his jacket behind. He threw it to some underling that had crept out to take it once he was ready. He tilted his head left and right, cracking his enormous neck as he smiled at me.

  “You ready?” HE asked. He started slowly closing the distance, bringing his hands up in front of him.

  We slowly closed, my hands held at about shoulder height, while he was protecting his head. That would be a viable strategy if he weren't fighting me.

  An average person probably wouldn't be able to do much against his core muscles, I didn't think. He was less washboard and more washing machine. As we started circling each other and my perspective changed slightly.

  He was thick with muscles. It seemed like he could probably float from the drag his lats would make if he were to fall off a building.

  He suddenly let out a few quick jabs, though they weren't fast enough and I easily ducked out of range. He squinted slightly as he watched. Then came with a few more,m following me as I withdrew.

  His onslaught forced me to take a punch on the arm. I grunted at the strength behind the blow. He was definitely inhumanly strong, but it really wasn't that bad at all.

  I caught a flash of something green on his forearm, even if the limb itself was as thick as most peoples legs. His flesh looked even more sickly and had a distinct greenish tint to it on his forearm.

  In his t-shirt, I could see a distinct pustule on his forearm that glowed softly with green power. From it spread a network of reflective metallic-looking green vines from his arms.

  I scurried further away, finally getting some distance. Once more Leric went for my face, this time I didn't back down. Instead, I ducked under his first blow and delivered a jackhammer of strength and power right into his guts. The strike would've taken an ordinary man of his feet and five meters backward.

  He only staggered, backing off, though I could hear the breath wheezing out of him. I had landed my hit well. I was now full on grinning under my mask. He would never believe the kind of hurt I would lay down upon him.

  I closed with him, following closely, not wanting to let him get too comfortable. When he realized that I was just going to beat his insides to paste if he didn't protect them, he lowered his guards slightly. The simple movement allowed him what little extra time he needed, and he managed to catch a lot of my strikes on his stone-like forearms.

  Then he suddenly burst into motion, a lightning-quick jab caught me in the jaw, sending me reeling as my neck was strained to the side. Then he delivered his first real punch. It was an uppercut. He decked me square in the jaw. The blow lifted me off my feet and sent me sailing into the air.

  I landed on the ground and rolled a few meters before stopping. It only took me a few moments to get to my feet. I was a robot I didn't get stunned easily, at least not with conventional blows. Leric had completely deformed my jaw though. He had been holding back on me before, I knew now.

  The first hit I had parried, he could have bend it entirely out of shape.

  I looked at him as he slowly approached. He was examining the knuckles of his fist when I had gotten to my feet, he blinked as he saw the scratches on them. “Up already?” he asked, noticing that I was on my feet.

  He sounded amused. “What are you even made of?” He continued like they weren't even fighting. “That actually hurt, it hurt to hit you. Though it would appear not as bad as it hurt to get hit.” He smirked at me. Then he lowered himself into a combat crouch again, slowly approaching me.

  He had quite a ways to go, though. His punch had sent me the better part of ten meters away from him. First the sailing through the air, then the rolling limply on the ground. He had also deformed my jaw almost entirely. I couldn't operate it at all, and I was pretty sure that light was reflecting off the bared steel.

  I glanced around myself, looking for an exit. This was more than I could handle, even in my emotionally unstable mind I realized that. Especially in my unstable condition. I could feel the panic rise up in me. The Tenners had come out and were now encircling us. Though that didn't really matter, I could just bowl right through them, right?

  "I'm sorry." Leric said, "I can't let you get away now. You've openly opposed me. I'll have to either put you down or make an example of you so terrifying that no one will try what you did again."

  I scowled at him, I didn't know how he guessed what I was thinking, but I wasn't going to let it show on my face.

  I drew heavily on my power and rushed him. He barely had time to react as I blew across the distance between us. He only managed to shift his feet slightly, then I was upon him. He took my first blow on the forearm, the one that looked mostly normal, meaning sans green pustule and accompanying vines.

  The next he managed to duck, letting it pass over his shoulder. Then he latched on to my arm, turning as he did. I felt his hip connect with mine before he ripped me from my feet and slammed me onto the ground hard enough to shake it. I felt and heard multiple strains of metal as he did. Pain flared along my spine, though I could still move.

  I saw his foot rise, up before it descended in a metal crunching stomp on my shoulder joint. He grunted when as he lifted his foot, "You're made of sturdy stuff ain't you?" He smiled a wicked smile at me, before raising his foot again, this time cracking down even harder. I heard myself let out an involuntary scream of pain.

  "Damn," He mumbled, wrenching my arm back and forth. He pulled hard a few times. "Whoever made you knew their stuff, this is some excellent Metal Craft." I didn't even notice his foot this time, just the pain. I felt more than I heard as he wrenched my arm out of its socket.

  I saw him bend down and pat me on my cheek, “There we go,” He said, before straightening. Then my own shoulder crunched down onto my ribcage, sending metallic parts every which way and breaking at least one of my ribs. I was only able to let out vague hoarse cries of pain.

  Warning! Pain threshold reached, deactivating.

  The world around me dulled, but the pain finally let go. I could see the blue light of the Power Core that he exposed with his single blow, from my own arm. I started shivering and shaking. He nodded to himself as if expecting this. Then he knelt down on top of me and started giving me slow and deliberate punches. It seemed like he had a goal.

  I noticed every punch, but felt no pain, but never did I receive any other parts start to malfunction. Never did I get a notice of broken material other than my frame.

  This wasn't a murder, nor was it an execution. It was a show, both to his gang and to his enemies. Leric was telling them that if they left him alone, he wouldn't hurt them. But also telling the heroes that he would do if they opposed him.

  I could see it in his eyes. He was mad, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't kill a hero, not even an unacknowledged one, but he could send a message. And he did with my body, the message was one of pain. He was picking parts that could be relatively easily interchanged and replaced, but it would be painful nonetheless.

  I don't know when it ended, I just suddenly heard a new voice, telling him to stop.

  "That's enough, any more and you will damage the soul within, thereby ruining the purpose of the
exercise." It was a foul voice. It was raw and rough, it sounded like some had swallowed a box full of nails. And it was rich with power, I could feel it thrumming against me.

  "Yes, milady," Leric said.

  "See that?" The voice said. I saw Leric reaching into me, he had mostly left my head alone, so my eyes still worked fine. Whenever I could focus enough on them to get a response.

  He held up a little part of. It was little more than a circuit board, with a green blinking button. “Activate it and clear out.”

  He pressed something, surprisingly delicately and the light changed from red to green. I tried to reach out, detect what it was, but I was simply in too much pain to extend my senses that far.

  Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

  The man stepped out from the alley, the light reflecting off his near shiny bald head.

  His dark, almost pallid skin reflected the bright light of the street lamps easily. He was almost as wide as he was big. Shoulders that you could use as rock climbing grips, straining against his jacket, and his huge pectoral muscles flexed visibly as he walked, even through his jacket.

  “So you’re the one that’s been causing me trouble.” His deep bass voice, crossed the distance between them and almost shook my steel frame. My immediate thought was that he was just another tough that needed to be put down. He had quite clearly gained control over the Tenners, by virtue of being the biggest and baddest motherfucker around. Too bad for him, that he had to run into me after I had gained my steel frame.

  Granted there might be some amount of actual super power buried in him somewhere.

  “Causing you trouble?” I called across the distance, unconsciously deepening my own voice a little. “I am deeply sorry sir, I never meant to cause you any trouble. It’s just you see, there’s this gang of villainous scum running around, and its been such fun beating them down.”

  Leric, as he’d called himself, chuckled. “You’re not taking this too seriously I see.” He didn't speak like the other thugs, it would seem he hadn't grown up around here. He’d probably just joined after he found out that he wouldn't be able to bully his way through life in the inner towers. “I like that in a man.” His voice seemed light hearted and friendly, while he pronounced his words very clearly.

  “Actually,” He continued to say. “I’ve recently had some upheaval in the infrastructure of my… gang did you call it? My organization would be a better term, I think.”

  Oooh he thinks.

  “I am currently scouting out potential lieutenants, for some of the newly opened ranks in said organization.” He said, idly strolling around me in a circle. “I think you could be a great fit in my structure. You’ve obviously got the capacity to demand loyalty and respect from my men.”

  “Naah.” I replied, idly waving away his offer with one hand. “I prefer it when everybody leaves happy. When was the last time you left an interaction with someone and you both were quite happy.”

  Leric stopped at this and frowned. “That is a fair point, I guess you are a bit of a stickler for the rules, but I’ll give you the credit.” Then he let out a heavy sigh, the entirety of his massive body moving as he did. “So its a fight then?”

  “It would appear so.”

  He tilted his head. His eyes half lidded, though I noticed an almost animal like perking of his ears. He seemed to be listening to something. “You did, indeed. You have a much better read on these hero fellows than I have. Though I guess you might have had a bit more of an interaction with them than me.” A small smile slid across his face and shivered in obviously pleasure. “Of course milady.”

  He’s insane, I thought. Certifiably insane, talking to himself and shit.

  He shrugged out of his jacket. It was a more involved process for him than it would be for me. He looked to be straining just to remove the garment, without ripping it. I knew that this was the logical moment to strike, but I wasn't feeling very logical. I wanted to beat him down in front of his own crew.

  While we had been talking, his gang, organization, had started coming out of the wood works. I could see faces looking down at us from buildings and from alleyways. I doubted any of them would actually attack me. This was our fight, if he couldn't handle me then he shouldn't lead. He lived in a tough world, he either won or he would be killed, either by me or his gang.

  I smirk touched my lips as I danced back and forth on my feet. I would be glad to introduce him to the Hyenas.

  Finally he left his jacket behind. He threw it to some underling that had crept out to take it once he was ready. He tilted his head left and right, cracking his enormous neck as he smiled at me.

  “You ready?” HE asked. He started slowly closing the distance, bringing his hands up in front of him.

  We slowly closed, my hands held at about shoulder height, while his was protecting his head. That would be a viable strategy, if he wasn’t fighting me. A normal person probably wouldn't be able to do much against his core muscles, I didn't think. He was less washboard and more washing machine. As we started circling each other and my perspective changed slightly.

  He was thick with muscles. It seemed like he could probably float from the drag his lats would make, if he were to fall off a building.

  He suddenly let out a few quick jabs, though they weren't fast enough and I easily ducked out of range. He squinted slightly as he watched. Then came with a few more,m following me as I withdrew. His onslaught forced me to take a punch on the arm. I grunted at the strength behind the blow. He was definitely inhumanly strong, but it really wasn't that bad at all.

  I caught a flash of something green on his forearm, even if the limb itself was as thick as most peoples legs. His flesh looked even more sickly and had a distinct greenish tint to it on his forearm. In his t-shirt, I could see a distinct pustule on his forearm that glowed softly with green power. From it spread a network of reflective metallic-looking green vines from his arms.

  I scurried further away, finally getting some distance. Once more he came for my face, this time I didn't back down. Instead I ducked under his first blow, and delivered a jackhammer of strength and power right into his guts. The blow would’ve taken and ordinary man of his feet and 5 meters backwards.

  He only staggered, backing off. I could hear the breath wheezing out of him. I had landed my hit well. I was now full on grinning under my mask. He would never believe the kind of hurt I would lay down upon him.

  I closed with him, following closely, not wanting to let him get too comfortable. When he realized that I was just going to beat his insides to paste if he didn't protect them, he lowered his guards slightly. The simple movement allowed him what little extra time he needed and he managed to catch a lot of my strikes on his stone like forearms.

  Then he suddenly burst into motion, a lightning fast jab caught me in the jaw, sending me reeling as my neck was strained to the side. Then he delivered his first real punch. It was an uppercut. He decked me square in the jaw. The blow lifted me off my feet and sent me sailing into the air.

  I landed on the ground and rolled a few meters before stopping. It only took me a few moments to to get to my feet. I was a robot I didn't get stunned easily, at least not with conventional blows. He had completely deformed my jaw though. He had been holding back on me before, I knew now.

  The first hit I had parried, he could bend it completely out of shape.

  I looked at him as he slowly approached. He was examining the knuckles of his fist when I had gotten to my feet, he blinked as he saw the scratches on them. “Up already?” he asked, noticing that I was on my feet. He sounded amused. “What are you even made of?” He continued like they weren't even fighting. “That actually hurt, it hurt to hit you. Though it would appear not as bad as it hurt to get hit.” He smirked at me. Then he lowered himself into a combat crouch again, slowly approaching me.

  He had quite aways to go though. His punch had sent me the better part of ten meters away from him. First the sailing through the air, then the rolling limply on
the ground. He had also deformed my jaw almost entirely. I couldn't operate it at all, and I was pretty sure that light was reflecting off the bared steel.

  I glanced around myself, looking for an exit. This was more than I could handle, even in my emotionally unstable mind I realized that. Especially in my unstable condition. I could feel panic rise up in me. They Tenners had come out and were now encircling us. Though that didn't really matter, I could just bowl right through them right?

  “I’m sorry.” Leric said, “I cant let you get away now. You've openly opposed me. I’ll have to either put you down or make an example of you so terrifying that no one will try what you did again.”

  I scowled at him. I pulled heavily on my power and rushed him. He barely had time to react as I blew across the distance between us. He only managed to shift his feet slightly, then I was upon him. He took my first blow on the forearm, the one that looked the most normal, meaning sans green pustule and and accompanying vines.