[Author note : Look for Cathbel on the Patréon website (replace é by e) to read 10+ chapters of my stories.
KoSP : 8 chapters
Iron Lad squib : 7 chapters
Enjoy !]
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Now back to his base of operation/safe-house, Simon muttered to himself :
« Genocidal… What a dumb name ! It's like if they called me Energy Manipulator or something… »
Faced with Penelope's revelations, the two bond-mates faced a series of ups and downs in their emotions. First, they were happy to find out they weren't alone and that Penelope was of Crys' species. She would have answers for them… Notably, where Crys came from and how the bond worked. More importantly, why were the two bonded when hundreds of people had manipulated it before the crystal was installed into the Starfighter ?
But then, she told them that they weren't the first of their kinds she'd encountered. This guy, the Genocidal was also bonded. And he turned into a psychopath ! His crystal mate's power had turned him into some kind of symbiote for the man, acting as mineral armor and weapon at the same time. Meanwhile, he had developed the ability to manipulate life : create it, shape it, distort it, improve it… He could do it all ! That's what he did to his body, turning himself into a specimen at the physical and mental peak of his species…
However, that wasn't enough for him ! He wanted to be… perfect. God-like. His power had warped his mind. Or perhaps, he was always like that… Neither Penelope or Simon knew. And frankly speaking, the woman didn't seem all too keen on discussing the state of mind of the guy, nor what they should do with him if they were to encounter him. For her, there was only one thing he deserved : death.
Crys and Simon noticed how she never mentioned her own bond-mate, nor had they seen him or her. Taking it and the animosity she held for the person into account, they assumed her bond-mate had died. Killed most likely, by the 'Genocidal'…
And the stories she shared about they thought he was doing. The horrifying experiments he was conducting on Arcanists, Transmutated and their own kind if and when he got ahold of them was… Well, it was chilling ! By the way, she also explained in passing, when the two question the unknown term what the hell a Transmutated was.
Arcanists were mages, wizards etc… Practitioners of magic who studied and learned to harness it and unleash in spells and rituals. Even though most of them chose to focus on one area of study, also referred to as Schools of magic, they could use it in various ways.
Transmutated, on the other hand, had been artificially altered by magic, whether accidentally or not. As Simon understood it, they were basically this world's mutants and metahumans. Their 'transmutation' could be something like a change in their body (a literal mutation), an addition or improvement of their physical abilities, or something else, like a freak power or a unique spell they could use instinctively. As an example, she gave the name of a speedster champion, who was slowing down time around him to move faster.
Simon found it rather fascinating, even if he wasn't exactly the academic type. It was so similar to the fictions he grew up with !
On a completely different note, Simon was disillusioned when he learned that the 'Justice League' wasn't about justice at all… It was a bereaved group of vigilante who found each other, and made a pact to track down and kill the person who hurt them. It was all, it was about ! Well, except for Toru and Zrynn. And the Blood Mage and Penelope knew each other for even before the Genocidal was born…
And when he asked why the hell they were even in Celia when they first met, she told him that, although they weren't fighting for Justice, because of their ties to a number of organizations, they dealt with problematic cases like Simon and Crys' from time to time. That, and their leader had seen a vision of them.
Now, according to her, Simon and maybe even Crys, were in the man's crosshairs. Considering how careful and meticulous he was, perhaps he wouldn't attack them for a while. However, he would continue to observe them, waiting… Waiting for the time, they let their guard down. Planning for a sure-fire way of capturing them. The man was immortal so… All he had was time.
Considering his involvement in Celia's change of leadership and the fact that he didn't hesitate to end his puppet's life, Simon could see it. The Genocidal was callous and patient. They didn't know what was more frightening, really… His seemingly endless patience and cautiousness, or his complete disregard for sentient life.
« I guess that's what make psychopaths so scary… » Simon muttered once more, then shuddered. If Crys' personality had been based on his own when they bonded, he was afraid of what ideas this particular pair might cook up. Psychopaths are simply unable to emphasize and, oppositely, the bond forced empathy between the two bonded. This was bound to make some crazy, volatile emotional cocktail…
The Terran shook his head as Crys' drone deposited him inside his forcefield on the work table. Suddenly, he heard his friend's thoughts :
« We'll need to discuss contingency and plans of action to fight off these… monsters ! » The crystal remarked.
« Yes… But how ? Your speciality is tech, mine is the absorption and manipulation of energy… As for them, a symbiotic life-form and a psychopath who can control life ! What monsters can he not create ? More importantly, he could use anything to serve as his eyes and ears : dogs, cats, rats, even flies or ants ! And before you interject, yes… I know they don't exist here, but you understand what I mean ! For all we know, he can even spy on us using microbes and stuff like that. Might be even doing right now ! » Simon finished his argument by tapping his index on the table next to his friends with emphasis.
« I… do not think so. I doubt he expected for his men to fail their abduction and even if he did, microbial lifeforms don't possess the same sensory organs as most sentients do. No ears or eyes for him to use… On the other hand, your other point remains valid : we'll need to implement a no-living beings policy near and around our next base. »
« Next ? » Simon tilted his head in incomprehension.
« The enemy has been observing you train for a while now, considering the number of traps present inside this forest. It stands to reason that he obtained the knowledge of this base. We need to move ! »
Simon sighed, kept a moment of silence before his gaze turned serious and he nodded :
« It's a bummer, but I'd rather move than for this nut-bag to try and catch us. As always, I'll follow your lead on this ! »