Claiming:Broken Covenant/Daniel Albatross - Approved

Name: Daniel "Strike" Albatross

Age: 18

History: ?

What’s my story? Pull up a chair and I, son of Eos, will recount the details of my previous life, but I’ll warn you, it’s not a happy tale.

I never knew my mother (for reasons that must be clear to you now) and my father dodged any and all questions regarding her. I have always known I was superior to my acquaintances. My “peers” were not my peers, so to speak. It wasn’t until I was around 8 years old that I began to discover just how beyond them I was though. It was at that age I learned to dim the light of day and brighten the darkness of night. I learned to brighten the night first, I think. As any young boy does, I feared the complete blackness of the latest hours and unintentionally triggered my powers. Over time, I learned a few other odd abilities. I learned to hide in the twilight and to create brief flashes of light. I even learned to travel through the darkness.

My peers did not understand my abilities. They were impressed by them, but assumed they were a hoax, a clever trick. My father claimed the same thing, but I could tell he wasn’t being entirely honest with me. His face would become exceedingly foolish in appearance whenever we discussed the topic, but I was clever. I recognized this expression as the same one he had when dodging questions about my mother. I decided the key to discovering the truth was to investigate my heritage. I located and surreptitious read my father’s journal.

My father was an avid hunter. He often rose before dawn to hunt deer. His journal was full of descriptions of beautiful sunrises and the other wonderful aspects of dawn. It’s no wonder he eventually met Eos, the goddess of dawn. If you know much about Eos, you may know she was cursed by Aphrodite with overly frequent infatuation, all due to another petty squabble of the moronic gods. She easily fell for my foolish father and he easily fell for her. She even told him who she was. Eventually, I came into being, a far superior individual to either of them.

Had I been older I might have been skeptical, but my 8 year old mind was easily molded back in those days. So I set out on my first journey, taking with me my father’s hunting knife. At the time I wasn’t sure what I was searching for, and my journey was short lived. I returned after only a few days, tired and hungry, but also spiteful of the fact I couldn’t survive on my own at that point. I continued my boring life surrounded with mortals for 3 years, but during that time I studied. I researched mythology and survival skills. At the age of 11 I left home again. This time I took, in addition to the knife, all of the money I could find in the house, a first aid kit, and various other tools for survival. I used the money sparingly, intending to teach myself how to survive without the reliance on the mortals I had long ago labeled as inferior. I am pleased to say that I lasted a whole 2 years by myself. Any mortal would have been made miserable by the conditions, but I gained satisfaction in the thought that I did not need them to survive. During this time I learned many things about my powers and used my abilities to become a superior hunter.

At the age of 13 I met my first true peer as well as my first monster. I was walking alone through the forest at dawn, hidden by my powers of concealment and searching for pray when I heard a roar unlike any I had heard before from a distance away. I quickly scaled a tree and began picking my way through the tree tops towards the roar, still concealed in the twilight.

Soon enough I saw a girl running through the forest. I generally pay no heed to mortals; their lives are insignificant and pointless. However, I could immediately tell this girl was different somehow and, perceiving she was in danger, I watched her closely. No one before that time had ever detected me when I was hidden in twilight, so I was astonished when she turned to face me.

“It’s coming! Are you going to help or what?” She called to me.

“What’s coming?”

“The lion!”

I sighed deeply, another foolish mortal. “There are no lions in these woods.”

“There is one now!”

“Listen, I’ve lived in these woods for 2 years and I can personally guarantee that no lions live here.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh yeah? Well that’s the biggest stray cat I’ve ever seen!” She pointed back the way she came, and through the trees bounded the most alarming sight that has graced my eyes. It was, sure enough, a massive cat with a golden coat and flowing mane. It let out a bellow so mighty I staggered back fell from my perch. I quickly scrambled to my feet as my twilight cloak faded. The lion was eying us both, looking for a weakness. The girl no longer seemed as afraid of it now, and held her ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why don’t you run?” I yelled.

<p class="MsoNormal">“There are two of us now. We can take it.” She said confidently.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Are you serious? How can two people kill that?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh, please. I can tell you’re not a normal person, and neither am I.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“What… What do you mean?” I yelled in response as the lion crouched low.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re a half-blood like me. Don’t try to hide it.” At that moment the lion leaped toward her. She raised her hand and a glowing field of energy sprang into existence around her. The lion smashed into the shield and slide over the top and rolled head over heels across the ground. The shield faded as she pointed at the lion. A ball of flame shot from her hand striking the beast, but doing no real damage. “I am Kate Fay, daughter of Hecate, and you are?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Uh, Daniel Albatross, son–” The lion righted itself and lunged at me. I tried to dive out of the way, but its claw grazed my shirt, slamming me against the ground. The lion turned its head towards me and prepared to masticate me, but instinctively I threw out my hand and a flare of blinding light flashed for an instant. The lion leapt back, blinking blindly and growling. The light had been too much for its sensitive eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Son of Eos!” I called out as a gained my footing and rushed forward. I thought I would wound it while its guard was down, but the Fates had other ideas. I drew my knife and slashed at the monster’s muzzle, but my blade bounced uselessly off the beast’s snout. “What? But how?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s impossible to injure with that kind of attack. The Nemean Lion’s hide is impregnable.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“And you honestly think we can defeat that? We should run!” I called back, alarmed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“We’re half-bloods. We don’t run from problems we outnumber!” She yelled defiantly, “I’ll distract it, you wait for a chance to stab at its eyes!” As she spoke, she removed a rubber band from her wrist and began to stretch it. As it stretched it morphed into a crossbow.

<p class="MsoNormal">“This is crazy.” I muttered.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey you!” She called to the lion, firing a bolt which bounced harmlessly off the creature’s head, but must have inflicted a bruise nonetheless. The lion turned toward her, growling. What followed was a fantastic battle between the lion and Kate. Kate repeatedly struck the lion with balls of fire and crossbow bolts. The lion continually pounced at Kate, but every time Kate either dove out of the way or conjured a shield. Before long, they were both panting. The lion was evidently not used to fights that lasted this long; it had slowed considerably. However, so had Kate. I realized it was time to strike. Once again shrouded in twilight, I crept forward. Just as I reached the lion, it leapt at Kate again, moving out of my reach. I cursed and crept forward again. Before I got close, the lion pounced again, getting even farther away. The third time it leapt it caught Kate in a fashion similar to how it caught me and pinned her to the ground.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Any time now!” She yelled, surprisingly unafraid. This was my last chance to strike. If I waited longer, she would perish, but I was too far to hit it with my knife. There was only one option left. I leapt into the shadow of a thick tree and focused on immersing myself in it, and traveling through. I launched out of the shadows again, but not the same ones. This time I lunged from a the lion’s own shadow, turned, and drove my knife into its eye. The lion howled, knocked me down and ran deeper into the forest, embedding the likeness of its visage into more than one tree along the way.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Took you long enough.” Kate said, smiling as she stood and dusted herself off.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re rather calm for someone who almost died.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh, I never doubted you, Strike. Demigods don’t let demigods die!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“‘Strike?’”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh yes, that’s your new nickname. You like it? All my friends get a one syllable name, ‘Daniel’ is two.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Uh, what about Dan?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Now where’s the creativity in that? Come on strike; tell me your story.” She started walking.

<p class="MsoNormal">So I told Kate I had run away from home on a quest to live independently from mortals, and she told me she was doing largely the same thing. The difference was, she had been orphaned and had found an enchanted crossbow along the way (the crossbow could morph into a rubber band in addition to automatically retrieving and reloading the same bolt). It was relieving to talk to someone who was an actual equal, and so we began working together to survive. This was most likely the happiest time of my life. I had always felt lonely, but it since I had never been close to anyone I had no idea that was what I was feeling.

<p class="MsoNormal">Everything went well for four years. When I got injured, she used her magic to heal me and I could easily hunt for two. We encounter monsters, but easily defeated them with her magic and bow, and my stealth and forest knowledge. She even found a way to enchant my knife to be effective against monsters who I could otherwise only wound in the eyes or other extreme weak spots.

<p class="MsoNormal">However, all good things come to an end. One day, when I was off hunting I heard a scream. Kate almost never screamed, not unless she was on the brink of death. I rushed back to where we had set up camp, on the edge of a 10 meter tall cliff, and found Kate lying on the ground, grievously wounded in the stomach. I hurried over.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Kate! What’s going on? What did this to you?” I exclaimed, panicked. Her stomach had deep claw marks in it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“B–behind you!” She gasped. I turned quickly, ready to strike, but saw nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Wh–” I started to speak, but something struck me from behind, knocking me off the cliff. I rolled down the steep incline and then some, finally coming to rest a short distance away. From atop the cliff, where I had be previously, I heard a familiar roar. The Nemean lion stuck its head out over the edge of the cliff and leered down at me. Fury built up in my stomach. The lion had hurt Kate badly. Nothing either of us knew about medicine would likely be able to save her. I was going to tear that monster into pieces.

<p class="MsoNormal">The lion pounced from above, but I was in the shadow of a boulder. I melted into the darkness and came out from behind a tree to the right of the beast. I let loose the most powerful punch I had ever flung and it was stronger than any punch that I have thrown since. The lion’s head was wrenched painfully by the blow and something fell from its teeth: a rubber band. I recognized it. It was Kate’s crossbow. I drew my knife and stabbed for the lion’s eye (it appeared to have healed to a certain degree), but the lion was wise to me. He snapped and knocked the knife from my hand. Then he swiped at me. I barely evaded by staggering backwards, but fell on my back.

<p class="MsoNormal">The lion towered over me, placed a paw on my chest and snarled. It was clear I was moments from dying. If I did not act soon, it would be the end of me. I would never be able to do anything else. I would never hunt again. I would never see the dawn again. That’s not what bothered me though. What bothered me was this: I would never be able to help Kate. She would die. I couldn’t die, because I couldn’t let her die, and that was final.

<p class="MsoNormal">I reached out my hand into the shadow of the lion as it pinned me to the ground. I looked over to the shadow of the boulder, where Kate’s crossbow lay, still in rubber band form. My hand reached through the shadows and grasped the rubber band. I pulled it through the darkness and, even as the lion’s jaw descended, I pulled the band out, stretched it into crossbow form, and fired a bolt into the beast’s gaping maw as it came down to end my life.

<p class="MsoNormal">The lion burst into dust, leaving me under a heavy pelt. I threw the pelt off and ran for the cliff. I dug the edge of the crossbow into the cliff, using it as a climbing tool and struggled my way to the top. I ran to where Kate had been, but she was inexplicably gone. I franticly searched all around the camp, calling for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. After that I don’t remember anything for a long while. I think I must have run several miles through the woods, until I became too tired to maintain consciousness.

<p class="MsoNormal">I woke up in an area of the woods far from anywhere I had explored. I felt a distinct purposelessness. What had happened? Kate was gone. I was back to where I was 4 years ago, wandering through the woods alone, surviving. I might as well go back to that again. So I did, but now I was acutely aware of loneliness. I had been OK before I had tasted friendship. Now it was gone, and life meant nothing without it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Who’s fault was it I was now alone? Not mine, I did the best I could. There was nothing I could have done differently. I didn’t deserve to lose her and she didn’t deserve to die. Shouldn’t someone have stopped it? The gods have that power, but they did nothing. It became clear to me then just how useless the gods were.

<p class="MsoNormal">So I set out to find more of my kind. I set out to find those who would help me avenge myself. I set out, to put the world to right, and somehow I ended up here.

<p class="MsoNormal">Personality: Among his fellow demigods, Strike is easygoing and respectful. However, he quickly becomes angry when his respect is not returned. Strike despises beings that are limited. Humans are weak and foolish. Gods are vain and also limited in their actions. He has no quarrel with nymphs or automatons, but only truly respects his brethren, the demigods. However, he considers those who protect humans to be traitors to evolution, aiding an inferior species to continue its miserable existence. He thinks little of eliminating humans and their allies, but often sees interfering with humans as below him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Weapons: Hunting Crossbow equipped with celestial bronze bolts and certain enchantments (mentioned in history), and a hunting knife.

<p class="MsoNormal">Appearance: Gray eyes, dark gray hair, black denim coat with large pockets, gray cargo pants and heavy duty boots.

<p class="MsoNormal">God parent: Eos, Goddess of dawn. There is no cabin for Eos, so I will make some powers.

<p class="MsoNormal">Offensive

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1level1lfo2">1. ? ? ? ? ? ? Strike can create a bright flash for an instant that can blind his foes, but this drains him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Defensive

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l3level1lfo4">1. ? ? ? ? ? ? In twilight environments he can make himself partially disappear, becoming almost undetectable.

<p class="MsoNormal">Passive

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2level1lfo1">1. ? ? ? ? ? ? He can see well with very little light, but he cannot see in absolute darkness.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2level1lfo1">2. ? ? ? ? ? ? His eyes adjust quickly.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2level1lfo1">3. ? ? ? ? ? ? All his powers are augmented in twilit environments. If, however, he is the one creating the environment, the drain cancels out the power boost.

<p class="MsoNormal">Supplementary

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0level1lfo3">1. ? ? ? ? ? ? He can equalize light and darkness to create twilight. For instance, he can bring a faint glow to a dark room or somewhat darken a light room.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0level1lfo3">2. ? ? ? ? ? ? He can Shadow Travel, but only over distances of 10 or so meters.

<p class="MsoNormal">Faction: Opus Superum

<p class="MsoNormal">Reason: Why do I belong in Opus Superum? It’s simple, really. I believe humans to be helpless beings, incapable of solving any real problems. Gods have more power, but are too foolish to use it properly. They argue amongst themselves, creating pointless chaos and achieving nothing. Demigods, however, have the power of the gods, without their immortality induced corruption and insanity. Power and reason are all it takes to rule the world, and I say it’s time we stepped up to the task. Eliminate the inferior humans and subjugate the vain, petty gods. That is my ultimate goal.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maelstromis (talk) 12:55, November 25, 2012 (UTC)