row-men
Roman I
Nine Years Later
THE SKY WAS A MYRIAD of stark blacks and dull grey’s. A new moon blackened the night, and next to no stars littered the sky. Ice fell from the heavens like water, and cold wind whipped ferociously in the air; Still, the citizens of Silvercoast, Arcane would not be silenced.
Roman stood at the top of the old, abandoned Envies Headquarters building, flanked beside his best friend, Rhys. Clad in a skin-tight black shirt and loose black pants, Roman frowned down at a city that would soon be set in ruin. A sardonic smile curved along his face. To Roman, these people were called Jejunas. Human. Civilian. Dull, uninteresting and naive. It fit them perfectly.
Roman looked at the sight before him. Jejunas’ were crowding, in hordes, around the very building he stood on top of. They cheered, they smiled, they chanted and laughed. They held signs depicting his face in a mask with X’s marked through them, signs of Rhys, and others alike. He almost laughed when he saw a child set the toy version of himself on fire.
“Do you see that, Rhys? I look good, right?” Roman smirked to the boy beside him. “But wait, why is my nose so big…”
“Looks pretty accurate to me.”
Roman frowned, his thick black eyebrows bending down. “What? You’re lying.” He talked into the microphone hanging from his shirt, “Vex, he’s lying right?”
A voice sounded through the speaker at the end of the mic. “Nope. Not at all.”
“I hate you guys.”
“Roman, will you shut up? I’m trying to focus.” A new voice said from the mic, sounding passive and annoyed. Amara. Roman was tempted to say something in reply, just to spite her, but decided against it. The sensitivity of The Yren Mission called for full concentration.
The Yren Mission was the one thing that could make or break Envy. After the O.S. rose to power all those years ago, Envy had been fighting to get it’s status back. To fix everything. This mission was one step in the plan. The TTE’s had been telling team Xeronus for weeks that the entirety of the Envy organization depended on Yren. Roman hadn’t really been paying attention then, but he was paying attention now.
Roman watched as a stout old man in a yellow suit walked onto the stairs that led into the old building. He used it as a pedestal, and he had a wireless microphone in his hand. The man waited for the crowds to calm down before he spoke.
“WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO CELEBRATE.” He said, and the crowds went wild, “TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DARK ONES-- THE ENVIES.”
“WOO!” The crowds screamed in unison.
“The Envies took everything from me 10 years ago. My wife, my daughter, and I--” The man laughed bitterly, “I’m so happy that they’re all dead. THEIR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!”
The crowd cheered again, and went back to chanting their praises. Roman smiled. They were all wrong-- so wrong, and they would pay for the scene they’d made that day.
“You remember the plan?”
Upon hearing his voice, Roman looked up into the ice-cold stare of his comrade. Rhys’ voice had been muffled by the mask he wore on his face. It started at the bridge of his nose and ended just up under his chin. The wind had left his curly black hair in a frenzied mess, and his brown-brown skin shone in the harsh artificial night-light like cinnamon. He’d taken his earbuds out, and they hung around his neck as if they were a makeshift necklace.
“Nope, not at all.” Roman said, sarcastically, “Of course I remember the plan!”
Rhys sent him a pointed look. “What is it?”
Roman ran his fingers through his wavy hair. His olive skin-- not quite as dark as Rhys’-- contrasted starkly to his black locks. “Sooo we wait for Mar’s ok, then we terrorize this town. No survivors.”
“And?” Rhys questioned.
“And we take yellow suit guy hostage.” Roman responded, almost robotically.
“Correct.” Rhys’ face was blank, his jaw set, and Roman wasn’t surprised to see his eyes void of emotion. “And who is yellow suit guy?”
“His name is Henry Daliv. Mathias didn’t say why we needed to get him, but it probably has something to do with the O.S.” Roman said.
Rhys nodded his head curtly in approval. “Alright. You’re good.”
Roman made his voice high, and he brought his hand against his cheek. He let a light smile grace his face in mock delight. “Awww thank you, Rhys! It means so much to me to be good to you! You’re my knight in shining armor, my savior!”
“Idiot.” Rhys wiped his brow.
“I’m your idiot, silly!”
Rhys gave him a downright murderous look, and Roman grinned. He lived for this.
“So if you’re my knight in shining armor, does that make me your damsel in distress?”
“You will be a damsel in distress if you don’t shut up.”
“Oh, Rhys, you wound me so. I thought you loved me?”
“Please somebody kill me.”
Roman chuckled, but put his hands up in surrender, “Have you had your muffin today, Rhys?”
Surprisingly, Rhys chuckled at the inside joke. Not even Vex knew about that one. “I did, actually. Thanks.”
“Alright, I’m done, I’m done. I’m just ready to get started. God, what is taking them so long?”
Rhys said “It’s your sister.”
“Adoptive sister. And your sister is over there, too.”
Roman’s parents died during Secontita. He barely knew them. Sad case. Unfortunately not-so unfortunately, Roman lost a lot of things in that war. Everyone did. It ruined everything. It was the entire reason why Envy was fighting at all.
Rhys’ eyebrows furrowed. “Tomato, tomatoe. You grew up together. What’s the difference?”
Roman scoffed, “Basically everything. She’s annoying, I’m not. She’s lame, I’m cool. She’s hideous, and I’m impossibly dashing.”
“All of those are opinions. Still your sister.”
“Adoptive sister.”
Rhys didn’t reply this time, choosing now to put both of his earbuds back into his ears. He looked vacantly off into space, and, not for the first time, Roman wondered what was going on in his head. Or what he was listening to. Roman had been best friends with the dude for the last 8 years, and he still didn’t know much about his taste in music.
Roman looked again at the scene laid out before him. Rows and rows of people were scattered along the grounds of Silvercoast. The only people not at the celebration were Roman, Rhys, and the two other members of his team.
Roman was ready to destroy it all.
If not for the fun of it, then for the rewards that came with it (an entire day off training, the chance of being an FTE --Full-Time Envy--, and the ladies)/ Plus, then he’d finally get his annoying sister off of his back. He’d get more time to go to the sim room, more time to play video games, and more time to relax. Roman hadn’t had any time to himself in a while, not since the O.S. started getting stronger, and he was starting to get withdrawal.
After a moment of silence, Roman tucked his chin into his shoulder. He put his lips to the small microphone attached to his shirt and said, “Amara, when are we starting?”
He looked across the night sky over to the building he knew his sister and Vex would be resting at. Although he couldn’t see them, he could picture Amara in his mind, with her long strawberry-blonde hair tied up into a tight knot, face screwed up into a scowl, and grass-green eyes lowered into slits. He could picture Vex, too. Ethereal, stunning Vex. She’d be standing beside Amara, and her curly, dark hair would be down and wild and free. Her tawny skin would be glinting in the air like her brother’s, and her amber eyes would be wide and alert, an expression he’d known all too well. Both of them would have a look of fierceness and fury stained onto their faces, both of them embodying the visual concept of power.
“In a moment, Roman.” Amara responded, not turning from her position a few paces away, “I’m still figuring this out.”
“Standing up here is wasting time.” Roman replied.
“Better time wasted than completely lost.” Amara responded absently.
“You sound dumb.” Roman deadpanned.
“Look, Roman, just be patient. I’m almost done.” Amara said.
“But-”
“The more you ask the longer it’s going to take.” Interjected Vex. Roman tried not to swoon at the sound of her voice, “Just let her work.”
“Whatever,” Roman crossed his arms over his chest, and then walked up to the edge of the building. He looked over at Rhys, said “I’m going in. See you, sucker.” And then he spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, and let himself fall off over the edge.
Roman allowed his body to slope downward, descending further and further down until he was close enough for his toes to graze the ground. Then, he pulled his body upward, until he was flying above the tallest building in Silvercoast.
He hummed a song in his head.
What does the fox say? Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding…
“God dammit, Roman.” He heard his sister curse through the microphone, “Get back up here. Now.”
“Did you say something, sis?” Roman snarked, “I can’t hear you over the sound of me not caring.”
“When mom and dad find out about this-”
Roman pulled the microphone off of his shirt and threw it absently to the ground. Then, he landed on the step directly beside the speaker-man. The man took one look at him and opened his mouth to scream, but Roman wrapped his hand around the man’s wrist before any sound could come out. The man dropped to the ground with a loud thud and everything on his body became still (save for the rapid blinking of his eyes). His face was paused in an expression of raw terror, and it made Roman smile.
Roman kicked the man to the side, and stood in his place. He took the microphone out of his hand, and then turned to the public.
“Surprise.” He said. A shit-eating grin split his face in two just before all hell broke loose.
THE SKY WAS A MYRIAD of stark blacks and dull grey’s. A new moon blackened the night, and next to no stars littered the sky. Ice fell from the heavens like water, and cold wind whipped ferociously in the air; Still, the citizens of Silvercoast, Arcane would not be silenced.
Roman stood at the top of the old, abandoned Envies Headquarters building, flanked beside his best friend, Rhys. Clad in a skin-tight black shirt and loose black pants, Roman frowned down at a city that would soon be set in ruin. A sardonic smile curved along his face. To Roman, these people were called Jejunas. Human. Civilian. Dull, uninteresting and naive. It fit them perfectly.
Roman looked at the sight before him. Jejunas’ were crowding, in hordes, around the very building he stood on top of. They cheered, they smiled, they chanted and laughed. They held signs depicting his face in a mask with X’s marked through them, signs of Rhys, and others alike. He almost laughed when he saw a child set the toy version of himself on fire.
“Do you see that, Rhys? I look good, right?” Roman smirked to the boy beside him. “But wait, why is my nose so big…”
“Looks pretty accurate to me.”
Roman frowned, his thick black eyebrows bending down. “What? You’re lying.” He talked into the microphone hanging from his shirt, “Vex, he’s lying right?”
A voice sounded through the speaker at the end of the mic. “Nope. Not at all.”
“I hate you guys.”
“Roman, will you shut up? I’m trying to focus.” A new voice said from the mic, sounding passive and annoyed. Amara. Roman was tempted to say something in reply, just to spite her, but decided against it. The sensitivity of The Yren Mission called for full concentration.
The Yren Mission was the one thing that could make or break Envy. After the O.S. rose to power all those years ago, Envy had been fighting to get it’s status back. To fix everything. This mission was one step in the plan. The TTE’s had been telling team Xeronus for weeks that the entirety of the Envy organization depended on Yren. Roman hadn’t really been paying attention then, but he was paying attention now.
Roman watched as a stout old man in a yellow suit walked onto the stairs that led into the old building. He used it as a pedestal, and he had a wireless microphone in his hand. The man waited for the crowds to calm down before he spoke.
“WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO CELEBRATE.” He said, and the crowds went wild, “TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THE END OF THE DARK ONES-- THE ENVIES.”
“WOO!” The crowds screamed in unison.
“The Envies took everything from me 10 years ago. My wife, my daughter, and I--” The man laughed bitterly, “I’m so happy that they’re all dead. THEIR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!”
The crowd cheered again, and went back to chanting their praises. Roman smiled. They were all wrong-- so wrong, and they would pay for the scene they’d made that day.
“You remember the plan?”
Upon hearing his voice, Roman looked up into the ice-cold stare of his comrade. Rhys’ voice had been muffled by the mask he wore on his face. It started at the bridge of his nose and ended just up under his chin. The wind had left his curly black hair in a frenzied mess, and his brown-brown skin shone in the harsh artificial night-light like cinnamon. He’d taken his earbuds out, and they hung around his neck as if they were a makeshift necklace.
“Nope, not at all.” Roman said, sarcastically, “Of course I remember the plan!”
Rhys sent him a pointed look. “What is it?”
Roman ran his fingers through his wavy hair. His olive skin-- not quite as dark as Rhys’-- contrasted starkly to his black locks. “Sooo we wait for Mar’s ok, then we terrorize this town. No survivors.”
“And?” Rhys questioned.
“And we take yellow suit guy hostage.” Roman responded, almost robotically.
“Correct.” Rhys’ face was blank, his jaw set, and Roman wasn’t surprised to see his eyes void of emotion. “And who is yellow suit guy?”
“His name is Henry Daliv. Mathias didn’t say why we needed to get him, but it probably has something to do with the O.S.” Roman said.
Rhys nodded his head curtly in approval. “Alright. You’re good.”
Roman made his voice high, and he brought his hand against his cheek. He let a light smile grace his face in mock delight. “Awww thank you, Rhys! It means so much to me to be good to you! You’re my knight in shining armor, my savior!”
“Idiot.” Rhys wiped his brow.
“I’m your idiot, silly!”
Rhys gave him a downright murderous look, and Roman grinned. He lived for this.
“So if you’re my knight in shining armor, does that make me your damsel in distress?”
“You will be a damsel in distress if you don’t shut up.”
“Oh, Rhys, you wound me so. I thought you loved me?”
“Please somebody kill me.”
Roman chuckled, but put his hands up in surrender, “Have you had your muffin today, Rhys?”
Surprisingly, Rhys chuckled at the inside joke. Not even Vex knew about that one. “I did, actually. Thanks.”
“Alright, I’m done, I’m done. I’m just ready to get started. God, what is taking them so long?”
Rhys said “It’s your sister.”
“Adoptive sister. And your sister is over there, too.”
Roman’s parents died during Secontita. He barely knew them. Sad case. Unfortunately not-so unfortunately, Roman lost a lot of things in that war. Everyone did. It ruined everything. It was the entire reason why Envy was fighting at all.
Rhys’ eyebrows furrowed. “Tomato, tomatoe. You grew up together. What’s the difference?”
Roman scoffed, “Basically everything. She’s annoying, I’m not. She’s lame, I’m cool. She’s hideous, and I’m impossibly dashing.”
“All of those are opinions. Still your sister.”
“Adoptive sister.”
Rhys didn’t reply this time, choosing now to put both of his earbuds back into his ears. He looked vacantly off into space, and, not for the first time, Roman wondered what was going on in his head. Or what he was listening to. Roman had been best friends with the dude for the last 8 years, and he still didn’t know much about his taste in music.
Roman looked again at the scene laid out before him. Rows and rows of people were scattered along the grounds of Silvercoast. The only people not at the celebration were Roman, Rhys, and the two other members of his team.
Roman was ready to destroy it all.
If not for the fun of it, then for the rewards that came with it (an entire day off training, the chance of being an FTE --Full-Time Envy--, and the ladies)/ Plus, then he’d finally get his annoying sister off of his back. He’d get more time to go to the sim room, more time to play video games, and more time to relax. Roman hadn’t had any time to himself in a while, not since the O.S. started getting stronger, and he was starting to get withdrawal.
After a moment of silence, Roman tucked his chin into his shoulder. He put his lips to the small microphone attached to his shirt and said, “Amara, when are we starting?”
He looked across the night sky over to the building he knew his sister and Vex would be resting at. Although he couldn’t see them, he could picture Amara in his mind, with her long strawberry-blonde hair tied up into a tight knot, face screwed up into a scowl, and grass-green eyes lowered into slits. He could picture Vex, too. Ethereal, stunning Vex. She’d be standing beside Amara, and her curly, dark hair would be down and wild and free. Her tawny skin would be glinting in the air like her brother’s, and her amber eyes would be wide and alert, an expression he’d known all too well. Both of them would have a look of fierceness and fury stained onto their faces, both of them embodying the visual concept of power.
“In a moment, Roman.” Amara responded, not turning from her position a few paces away, “I’m still figuring this out.”
“Standing up here is wasting time.” Roman replied.
“Better time wasted than completely lost.” Amara responded absently.
“You sound dumb.” Roman deadpanned.
“Look, Roman, just be patient. I’m almost done.” Amara said.
“But-”
“The more you ask the longer it’s going to take.” Interjected Vex. Roman tried not to swoon at the sound of her voice, “Just let her work.”
“Whatever,” Roman crossed his arms over his chest, and then walked up to the edge of the building. He looked over at Rhys, said “I’m going in. See you, sucker.” And then he spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, and let himself fall off over the edge.
Roman allowed his body to slope downward, descending further and further down until he was close enough for his toes to graze the ground. Then, he pulled his body upward, until he was flying above the tallest building in Silvercoast.
He hummed a song in his head.
What does the fox say? Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding…
“God dammit, Roman.” He heard his sister curse through the microphone, “Get back up here. Now.”
“Did you say something, sis?” Roman snarked, “I can’t hear you over the sound of me not caring.”
“When mom and dad find out about this-”
Roman pulled the microphone off of his shirt and threw it absently to the ground. Then, he landed on the step directly beside the speaker-man. The man took one look at him and opened his mouth to scream, but Roman wrapped his hand around the man’s wrist before any sound could come out. The man dropped to the ground with a loud thud and everything on his body became still (save for the rapid blinking of his eyes). His face was paused in an expression of raw terror, and it made Roman smile.
Roman kicked the man to the side, and stood in his place. He took the microphone out of his hand, and then turned to the public.
“Surprise.” He said. A shit-eating grin split his face in two just before all hell broke loose.