User:Nextoy/Slider/3

“Wh-what happened..?” Slider opened his eyes, the room around him all white. His head throbbed and a groan of pain to forced its way out of him. He got up and looked around a bit before a voice called out from behind him.

“You are a very foolish child, Mr. Hartley.” The voice echoed, in a deep and almost regal tone. “However, I am the God of Second Chances. Despite infiltrating the base of my beloved warriors I’m allowing you one chance to redeem yourself.”

Slider was entranced by the voice as he turned around and stared up at the figure that towered over him. “Wh-who are you?” He asked, curiosity filling his eyes as he rubbed his finger along the bottom of his nose.

“I am Omnicious, and you will remember these events. Let them be the reason for you to abandon your quest and leave my men alone for eternity!” The figure boomed. Darkness erupted from under his priestly robes, swallowing the white room whole with but a single, red light waving side-to-side and a sword glimmering on nothing.

“But should you ever return, I shall send only my best to make sure you do not get this chance again!” It boomed, with Slider disappearing from the room.

Slider awoke in the bunker, Vizer standing over him. “Good, you’re awake. We have to go.” He ordered, looking over and shooting off a light blue sphere from his wooden pistol. “Now!”

Slider got up out of the bed as fast as he could before he looked around. “Wh-where?” He asked, visually nervous as he scratched his nose.

Vizer pointed to a portal in another part of the bunker, with the inside just looking like an empty room with icy walls. “I’ll follow you there, just get in!” Slider nodded, the ice on his boots formed smooth at the bottom as he slid down the bunker as fast as he could. Turning towards the portal a stray gunshot grazed the back of his thigh, causing him to fall into the portal. Vizer rushed over and pulled the rest of him in before it closed behind them.

“I don’t know what the hell you did, but it nearly cost us our lives!” Vizer shouted as he grabbed Slider with one hand, energy swirling at the tip of his pistol.

“Put down your caster, Vizer!” Marco ordered, though he had not been in the room before then. “And Slider, pick yourself up.” Both acted obediently the the commands, though one more reluctant than the other.

“Slider, you’re naivety and arrogance nearly cost us not just your life, but the lives of the hostages and your partner.” Marco explained, turning to Vizer before he could interject. “And you! Your abandonment of your pupil neglected him the proper training to deal a situation that you created.” Vizer lowered his head and growled, with Slider rubbing his knuckle on the side of his nose.

“So, uh… what’re you suggesting, Mark?” Slider asked. “I mean hey, I totally had that guy on his toes.” He pointed out with a boasting smirk.

“And unscathed.” Vizer corrected.

“Both of you stop it! Anyways… training is what we need. You two need to learn to work together, stop talking out your collective ass, and quit that arrogance spree you two have.” Marco explained as he pointed back and forth between them.

“Yes sir.”

“Sure thing.” Vizer and Slider responded in unison.

“Good. Now follow me.” He ordered, leading both of them into the courtyard. However this time it wasn’t filled with the obstacles like before. “First, I want to see what you two can do.” Vizer drew his caster and aimed it at Slider. “Together.” Marco corrected.

“How’re we to do that?” Vizer asked, being answered with ice forming up from the ground in the shape of people. Rifles made of ice formed into their hands, each one checking the gun as if they had actual weapons, before they all pointed their weapons at the two.

“Now Vizer, you’ll be taking the high road.” Marco specified, with ice shooting up from beneath the gunner to create a walkway spanning around the courtyard in a crossed out box pattern. “First, I want to know what slider can do on his own, though.” Marco openly realized. “Vizer, when I give the signal you join in. Otherwise, begin.”

Slider moved away from the ice soldiers at first as they fired their guns, ice bolts shooting into Marco that caused him to shatter into shards of ice. Said shards flew up onto the catwalk before they reformed as the robed man, who cracked his neck once pieced back together. Even after the shots had missed the ice people still fired ice bolts towards Slider.

“I can’t get in with this.” He thought, not able to see anything to slide off of. But then it hit him. Slider jumped up and tightened his body, causing him to spin in the air, as the ice around his boots covering one shin. The ice bolts’ spray followed him up as he kicked the nearest ice guard away. The bolts reflected off his icy shin during the motion, but a few landed in his chest and knocked him backwards, though Slider hand sprung onto his feet before sliding back further and leaving a wet trail in front of him.

Slider rolled to the side to dodge more of the ice bolts, getting back up and sliding around them. He tried the same ice trick, but found the butt of one a rifle in his stomach, a bayonet of ice forming at the tip of the gun to try and slice him.

As Vizer readied his caster Marco held a hand out. “Not yet.”

As the bayonet came down Slider kicked the iceman away with spikes forming out of his boots, landing hard on the ground. He rolled to the side as he heard ice bolts whiz past his head and onto the floor below, spinning around into a whirlwind kick; ice covered his shins again to deflect ice bolts. However when he looked around all he could see was the guards surrounding him.

"Now," Marco ordered, allowing Vizer to fire off shots into the crowd. When one of the icemen fell some of the others looked up towards the catwalk, firing off ice bolts into the air. Slider used the moment to dash in and slide into one of the icemen, slipping behind it and kicking the frozen guard into another. The others still looking towards him fired their ice rifles at Slider, forcing him to move around in evasive formations again.

"He's not able to do anything." Vizer pointed out, firing off more shots.

"Indeed. I wasn't expecting as much." Marco thought aloud. He snapped his fingers and the ice soldiers melted rapidly.

"What was that for? I totally had 'em!" Slider shouted, turning around as the momentum slowly carried him backwards.

“I’m simply trying to keep things interesting.” Marco informed, waving his hand across the courtyard and bringing several buildings out of the ground. The area now looked similar to the military base, and new guards appeared in different parts of the area. “Now start over.”

As his back hit a wall Slider looked around the buildings around him, a grin forming on his face, before turning around and climbing onto the roof. He ran from building to building, looking between them at the streets below. Every so often he would drop down on one of the guards, landing on them so that the ice would shatter on the ground. If another guard got alerted he’d be back on top of the building before he could be spotted.

When he spotted a guard on the roof he would slip behind them, jumping up to knee them off the building, before darting away. However when he didn’t see one, the alarm rose in the makeshift, frozen base. But in an enclosed space Slider had a great advantage to him.

Once guards poured onto the roof he immediately dropped onto the ground below, knowing that the rooftops were too open for him to fight properly. He landed on another guard, jumping off of him and into kicking another. Once the rooftop guards started firing down from above Slider slipped between the buildings, dodging the gunner’s line of sight.

Vizer couldn’t keep up with what Slider was doing, only able to aim at the guards. Marco stopped him before he could take a shot, however, and let Slider go in on his own. As he dashed between buildings, confusing the few guards he couldn’t outright confront, Slider hit an open spot in the mock base.

“Let him sort it out.” Marco ordered, watching as Slider ran up one of the buildings. He jumped off and landed on one of the guards, only to be shot by another one. The ice on his boots forced him to slide back from it, falling down into a roll as the other guards surrounded him.

Marco snapped his fingers and a revolver appeared on the ground next to Slider. He grabbed it and shot at one of the guards, the recoil carrying him backwards. He sprung onto his feet and dashed back into the more enclosed spaces, slipping behind a guard to knock him into another before darting off.

As he turned a corner, a larger guard appeared

before him. Slider fired another shot from the pistol, the recoil sending him back against a wall. The bullet went into the frosted-over hip of the guard, doing little more than hindering his movements as he walked towards Slider; an icy assault rifle firing straight at him. Bullet hit, wounds freeze over, and soon the world grew cold and dark for the hero.

“Why didn’t you let me take the shot?” Vizer asked, looking over to Marco as the ice buildings sunk back into the ground.

“I wanted to test the limits of his capabilities.” He replied, with the gunner beside him sighing. “He needs more training. Get him prepared for the next outing, and make sure our team can keep him on this side.” “Yes Sir.”