The Zen of Flight

[Living_Hellfire]

Thunder rolled over Paragon City and a streak of burnt orange flame tore a hole in the sky.

 

The clouds obscured his view of the metropolis below as The Angel on Fire soared dangerously to the very top of the tropopause, the point where the planet's atmosphere meets the ozone layer. He reached out a red hand and grazed the barrier between himself and the stratosphere leaving an angry rent. Reality roared in defiance and he grinned.

 

The vapor growled but rapidly gave way as he dove down and down through the mist. His tattered old cape snapping angrily in the wind behind him, a constant reminder of his bondage. His grin widened.

 

The view of his city exploded into view before him as he cast his arms out to catch the wind. None had called him this day. The cars rolled on throughout the city streets, folks went about their lives and not one alabaster card had been tossed into the fires for him to hear. He considered fishing or perhaps making himself available to youngsters who may be of need but even angels need a day off from time to time. He returned Miss Liberty's wave as he passed over Atlas Park and climbed once more into the ether, scorching the air behind him.

 

He soared above the hard blue barriers constructed to protect the city against the Rikti and rolled through the black smoke of Cap Au Diable. The usual shenanigans were occurring, but nothing out of the ordinary. The would forever devour each other and themselves. Heads swiveled upwards as he passed, fingers pointed and certain characters of interest scattered. He pretended not to notice as he pressed on, the trail of burnt orange Hellfire snarling angrily behind him.

 

The heavens over Monster Island North of Portal Corp ruptured and the air screamed in protest as he emerged from The Room of Many Doors to a dismal view of abandoned facilities overrun by flora. Enormous, raging creatures comprised of leaf and vine and fungi tore through what remained of civilization but all of them paused as he circled overhead. The wind raged in his ears as he gazed down at them and they slowed their mayhem. One horrific abomination grasped a nearby boulder and hurled it skywards but it was a wasted effort as The Angel on Fire was already gone.

 

Grandville was the worst of all and if there was any doubt at all, the welcome would put it paid. It would seem the guns were already primed, ready and aimed at reality's tear when he emerged. The air detonated around him as flack cannons poured on their own very special sort of attention. He rolled and pitched downwards towards the concourse, pouring on speed that barely outmatched the tracking software programmed no doubt by the spider himself. The sound of the sonic boom shattered the holographic emitters lining the grand promenade as a missile shaped like a man tore itself across the square. The cannons never ceased their bombardment, shattering windows and caring not at all for any sort of collateral damage as they tracked their quarry, climbing upwards into the night sky.

 

He waited there, above the world and folded his arms with all of creation below him. The cannons had stopped but he knew they were still trained. He eyed the tower at the end of the promenade before stretching his arms out and falling backwards into a terminal dive. The atmosphere screamed as it shredded behind him. The first sonic boom knocked over the antennae of the closest skyscrapers, pausing the flak cannons as they were forced into a failsoft backup, but they soon caught up. The second sonic boom went largely unnoticed as the spider's own guns tore apart his own city in pursuit of an illusive prey.

 

The burnt orange streak ripped open the sky as it streaked towards the tower and Lord Recluse had no choice but to watch as it approached. This was neither the first nor would it be the last time that he had faced this foe. Time seemed to stretch as the Spider Lord braced himself for the impact that never came. The Angel on Fire blazed a trail past the tower and seared a course upwards into the clouds once more.

 

Today was not about adversaries or enemies. Today was not about redressing sins or avenging evils. Today was about the wind and the sky. Today was about embracing the heavens and The Legendary Living Hellfire soared onwards.

[Saiyajinzoningen]

dang, that prologue was riveting cant wait for the next chapter

[Living_Hellfire]

1 hour ago, Saiyajinzoningen said:

dang, that prologue was riveting cant wait for the next chapter

 

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. I hope this doesn't disappoint you, but I generally don't do ongoing series of stories, they're all generally one-offs, but I have many written if you're interested. They're all here, in the RP page of the forum.

 

Cheers, friend.