Intro Log
Silence. Everywhere, silence. To the furthest extremities of his hearing; silence. Only the beat of his own heart, the rush of his own blood, the ragged rasp of his own breath from bruised and battered lungs. After the clamor of battle, it was like a weight that pressed inward on his eardrums. The pressure made him dizzy, as if he had fallen into crushing depths of the ocean.
Full fathom five, Slade thought, and took stock of his injuries. Cracked ribs already mending; abrasions and burns and long, shallow cuts that slowly knit themselves closed; bruises that ached as they worked their way to the surface and faded away. Though he was possessed of a rapid 'healing factor', the pain was never any less; knowing he would always come back took the fear out of pain, but the cost of life was agony. He paid it willingly, and often.
It was not shocking to him, that he had been transported to some unknown city. Given the nature of his last battle, with all the possible Universes vying for supremacy, displacement was to be expected.
And... he could use the break; to get his head together. After everything that had happened, he wasn't fit for that world. No one was.
Movement behind him--- and he was back in a crouch, his bo-staff at the ready, before it had fully registered; a white tiger, just watching him. Slade met it's stare, it's yellow eyes on his single remaining blue... and it blinked at him slowly. His wrist beeped, and an automated voice said: 'Gestalt, attack form.' Interesting...
Slade stood, his gaze still centered on the tiger, and set the end of his staff on the ground; he knew the power cell was depleted from the battle, just as his body armor was in useless tatters. He grinned at the animal.
"Lucky thing you seem friendly," he said, and the tiger canted it's head and yawned. Beside it, there was a black duffle bag, so incongruous it was funny. Slade walked over, confident in his ability to wrestle the tiger if need be, and squatted down to look in the bag. Clothes, and a small metal cube that he never had far off. He collapsed the staff and stuck it in the bag, before gently ruffling the Tiger's ears. "Good boy," he murmured, and stripped off his damaged armor; best to play the civilian, until he knew what he'd been dropped in the middle of.
Full fathom five, Slade thought, and took stock of his injuries. Cracked ribs already mending; abrasions and burns and long, shallow cuts that slowly knit themselves closed; bruises that ached as they worked their way to the surface and faded away. Though he was possessed of a rapid 'healing factor', the pain was never any less; knowing he would always come back took the fear out of pain, but the cost of life was agony. He paid it willingly, and often.
It was not shocking to him, that he had been transported to some unknown city. Given the nature of his last battle, with all the possible Universes vying for supremacy, displacement was to be expected.
And... he could use the break; to get his head together. After everything that had happened, he wasn't fit for that world. No one was.
Movement behind him--- and he was back in a crouch, his bo-staff at the ready, before it had fully registered; a white tiger, just watching him. Slade met it's stare, it's yellow eyes on his single remaining blue... and it blinked at him slowly. His wrist beeped, and an automated voice said: 'Gestalt, attack form.' Interesting...
Slade stood, his gaze still centered on the tiger, and set the end of his staff on the ground; he knew the power cell was depleted from the battle, just as his body armor was in useless tatters. He grinned at the animal.
"Lucky thing you seem friendly," he said, and the tiger canted it's head and yawned. Beside it, there was a black duffle bag, so incongruous it was funny. Slade walked over, confident in his ability to wrestle the tiger if need be, and squatted down to look in the bag. Clothes, and a small metal cube that he never had far off. He collapsed the staff and stuck it in the bag, before gently ruffling the Tiger's ears. "Good boy," he murmured, and stripped off his damaged armor; best to play the civilian, until he knew what he'd been dropped in the middle of.