Death of Idealism

Heroes have been a constant in life for a decade now. Heroes such as Titan, Monarch, Peace-Maker, The Knight, Shogun and countless others with immense powers have protected the world and kept balance for ten strong years. The Hero's safeguarded the world from those with powers seeking to rule and destroy the world.

Many with powers had also gone into various industries and with proper government regulation made the world a better place wherever they touched. There was no great persecution of Supers in any major nation. Of course, there was some minor issues but governments had long barred Supers from the Military in agreement and fear of the damage Supers could do.

Heroes had also prevented themselves from holding office due to influences like Titan and due to the darker work of "Purge" whose darker acts and deeds have helped stabilize the world. The Inventions of Super-Geniuses have cured countless diseases and combated multiple economic crises creating even more comfort while the most curious and eager Heros have helped root out corruption in the highest Echelons of the rule.

Of course, there was a few minor issues here and there between nations and a few dramas but overall the world had become a far better place since the appearance of Superpowers. . .Until today. The Day that changed the world and brought forth fear and despair in a world used to hope and dreams becoming reality.

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Decay stood his shadowed clothes blowing in the winds as he smiled softly as Miss Ringer, "You know the teams always got a spot open for new-comers you know. There's not much crime in the city but I'm sure we can find you a job for public events or concerts, maybe even pay for music classes."

She chuckles softly at that waving at the civilian who takes a picture of the pair walking down the street. "There are legitimately hundreds of Heros with "Miss" in their name. It sounds nice but I wanna cast my own shadow not live under Miss Ukranian's."

Decay chuckles at the nickname, shaking his head as he gives a simple glance keeping alert of any crime alerts on his phone. His robes dragging against the ground untouched by the dirt and grime of the street. His face hidden in a completely black fabric hiding every last inch of his skin. His mask was sitting above the fabric which hid even his eyes. The rest of the costume seemed expensive and unique while the mask was made of cheap plastic.

"You know she would slap you for that nickname right," Decay says clearly amused by the younger Hero. Miss Ring stood with a pair of head-Phones around her neck and a pair of ear-plugs hanging from her neck. Her jacket was a bright blue and the shades on her face helped hide her identity. The black shirt underneath going well with the outfit.

Glaring at him she would lean over and whisper, "Please don't tell her I said that. She'd put me in a headlock and make me work with her in the lab." Decay tries to hold back his laughter as they keep walking. His shoulder shakes slightly as he bites his lip.

"Ring please stop I have an image to save," Ring simply smiles and keeps facing forward her mind alight with possibilities. She had been pondering moving to brazil and working with activist groups to save the rain-forest but Terra and Life-Form had been doing a great job at that already. In truth, she had pondered africa but she was unsure about getting involved in a war-torn region famous for being the one place on Earth even supers feared to tread.

Her musing stops as Decay's phone rings loudly. He unzips a hidden pocket before pulling it out and unlocking it, "Is it Clown Town? The Sinister Trio? I kinda hope its Mad Nurse. She always makes the kids happy with the "fights" she puts on." Decay stands deathly still, his body unmoving and his back going straight.

A small bubble of dread rises in Ring. Maybe some accident had happened? Those always made her sick. The sheer horrid sights she'd come across helping folks out of rubble. In truth, her power wasn't designed for rescue or recovery. Stealth, fighting and music was what she was designed for which kinda sucked considering how few concerts there were in town.

"Stay here, begin evacuating people and use your power to alert as many restaurants and people to begin leaving," She pauses as she alters the radius of her words. Increasing the range of her power at the cost of weakening the strength of the sound she'd make.

Within a mile in every single house, store, and restaurant countless people heard a women's voice speak, "Please evacuate! There is a threat to this region and its neighborhoods. Stay calm and please wait for further word." Decay begins running forward his speed slightly picking up with each passing second.

Ring, despite being in decent shape begins struggling to keep up as she shuts off the message and begins following. Decay takes no notice of her as he turns the corner and vanishes from Ring's sight. She looks up into the sky spotting no signs of smoke or blasts. She wasn't sure what had her friend in such a rush but there was a deep feeling of dread building in her chest.

She can see Citizens crowding around a corner and peeking. The greatest sign of a super battle was the various citizens who'd gather around and take pictures or videos. A part of her had always loved the attention and love she got.

She turns the corner glancing around before pausing at the strange chill which ran over her body. Striding forward she reduces the range of her power and lets it send off more alerts before coming to a dead-stop at what she spots. She goes utterly stiff at the sight before her.

She had finally come across the street some people still flooding out of restaurants and stores on both sides of the street as Decay stood his cape starting to shift and move as if it had a life of its own. All around him the ground turned blurry as small rocks were slowly turned into some strange ash that faded away.

But, it was not her friend who had garnered her attention. It was the creature standing before him. The horrid thing that stood before her drawing fear. The lower half of its massive body was hidden in a pitch-black fog that danced lazily in the air. Its body hunched over yet still towering over any human.

Its long hands reached out the massive claws digging into the buildings around it. Massive black arms connected to a skinny chest with skin so tight that the ribs were pressing against the skin which each move the thing made. Its head made of bleach-white bone was shaped to resemble a deer with a few stark differences. Beneath the main eye holes was a pair of holes where black ichor dripped forward into the smoke beneath it.

Along with its jaws, faint spikes jutted forward without rhyme or reason. Ring feels dread well up in her chest as the creature pulls its hands out of the buildings around it revealing blood soaked fingertips as the muscles of the creature tense.

Then without a word the creature moved faster than Ring could register before stopping dead still five feet away from Decay. Its body going still and the cloud moving as if it were alive hiding the monster's true body. The creature would stand there silent as a single hand reached down and began to near Decay.

Then, the tip of the finger simply vanished into nothingness once it got within three feet of decay. The creature pulls its finger back inspecting the damage carefully before looking up towards Ring. Decay would take a few steps forward causing the creature to look back down at him.

Its mouth would slowly begin to open a faint white light gathering in the back of its throat. Decay stops tensing up as a bolt of white light blasts forward from the creature's mouth. A ball the size of a human head launches forward. Decay swiftly moves to the side as the creature holds its mouth. Within the same second, that ball of energy sizzles into nothingness before it could hit the ground.

The creature begins to stand taller as more white light begins to gather in its throat. Despite the fear which sat in her stomach she would focus her power into a tight thin line aimed directly into the creature's throat. As the white light gathered in the back of its throat a strange beam would slam forward.

A strange tube-like thing that made no noise as it moved through the air. Rings' ability was strange when put into perspective. She could either make very widespread noises or she could concentrate it into a thin tube about the size of a quarter and let it travel forward as it wished. The creature's head slams back its jaw closing.

It held utterly still for a brief second as Ring sent forward dozens more like it, her throat quickly starting to burn as the sound-based attacks slam into the creature's body causing it to move backwards just a bit. Decay pauses glancing over his shoulder his emotions hidden from her before he looked forward and ran.

The smoke and fog died as he got closer the creature back-peddling more to keep him away before the ground cracked and from underneath Decay a black spike launched up. The black spike cutting into Decay and causing him to go utterly still. The strange thing was withdrawn from Decay's body as it falls down. Some of the torn and ripped apart meat falling into the hole the spike came from while his blood poured into it.

Ring goes utterly still in shock as the Civilian at her side begin to scream in panic finally realizing this was no normal show of cops and robbers. That the fear in the back of their heads had finally been justified as they began to scatter pushing at each other as they ran. Ring feels tears build up at the corner of her eye as she opens her mouth and simply screams.

The original blast breaks all the windows on the street the scream radiating in all directions causing many civilians behind her to scream out in pain before she begins to refine the blast. The omnidirectional attack slowly shrinking into a simple and nearly silent tube that slammed into the creature.

The ground beneath her feet broke as she was pushed back. She could feel the muscles in her legs starting to tear as she fell to a knee in pain. Yet, the creature stood there unmoving for a few seconds judging her before it darted forward, its body a blur before it was still standing before her. Its hands reaching down one of its long needle-like fingers spearing into the girl's throat causing her to go silent and shiver.

She's lifted into the air ever so slowly as the creature opens its mouth sticking her inside before closing its mouth around its finger. Pulling its finger backward the horrid digit drips with fresh blood as the creature swallows and goes still for a few seconds. It crawls forward head carefully observing its surrounding as it moves forward.

Turning its head it spots people fleeing into buildings or down the street. It opens its mouth and simply screams a massive wave of sound blasting down the street destroying windows and causing people to fall to the ground clutching their ears.