Spirals of Fate is a serialized work of fiction centering on the intellectual property of City of Heroes and City of Villains. Chapter One centered on two villains, Vincent and Mara, and their breakout from the Zigg, a prison used to house those with super powers. They met another villain named Mosaic and the three headed for Arachnos flyers and freedom. Chapter 2 explored the perspective of the young heroes called to defend their city from the rising tide of crime. In Chapter 3 Part 1, Mosaic, Vincent and Mara arrive at an Arachnos-held area only to encounter violence from other prisoners. In Chapter 3 Part 2, Mara, pushed to the edge from a different direction while Vincent was defending her, found power within her that was unleashed with devastating consequences.

Spirals of Fate: Chapter Three (Harsh Environments) - Part Three
By Michael Lafferty and Matthew Eberle

Mosaic was still standing on the parapet, staring down at the scene. This latest development was stunning, to say the least. He watched with fascination as Vincent calmly talked to Mara, the inky darkness of Vincent’s shield dissipating even as the glow faded from Mara’s hands.

One part of him was as confused and maybe even a touch as fearful as the crowd that seemed to shrink back from the duo, while another part was dancing with joy. They were strong, they were powerful and they would be his. Yes, with these two, he could gain back his powerbase quickly. Now, there needs to be a way to control them both. Vincent may not be the key, but maybe a Fortunata Seer could delve into that darkness and see if the large man could be controlled. If not, there was always the girl. After all, it was obvious that Vincent was very protective of her.

A new thought found him. The girl was the key, but rather than try to control her through fear, maybe it would be easier to control her through temptation. He looked at her carefully, as her shoulders heaved with sobs, only to disappear beneath Vincent’s embrace. She was a street urchin – that seemed obvious. She didn’t seem to have much. Maybe, just maybe, she could be tempted with a few of the finer things in life, to give her a taste of what was possible if she used her powers in the ‘right’ way.

Mosaic allowed himself a smile, which twisted at his mouth in an almost maniacal way. His mind was racing ahead. He needed to get those two away from this rabble, and then treat Mara while having a seer take a closer look at Vincent.

There was little doubt that if this worked out, not only would his bosses be pleased, but Mosaic himself would be moving in a stronger circle.  He glanced over at the seer beside him.  “I’m surprised you’re letting this continue,” he said softly.

The seer answered without looking away from the spreading melee, “Lord Arachnos wanted to see which could serve him best. Survival of the fittest.”

“I see,” Mosaic said softly. “Well, those two seem fit enough.”

“Yes,” the Seer said harshly. “Perhaps a bit too much. They are damaging too many of our new recruits.”  The villain attempted to scrutinize her featureless facemask but found no enlightenment there.

- - -

The melee in the courtyard had ground to an uneasy halt. Vincent felt Mara’s breath and occasional sobs against his chest even as he looked around. Few of the villains were still unharmed. Many sported various wounds. Burns, bruises, and broken bones seemed common. As his gaze swung across the wreckage left behind the vicious brawl the few still standing flinched away. Everything around him seemed to have a luminescent darkness to it. Shadows covered everything, but he could still see clearly. He felt Mara tremble, and heard her ask, in a very small voice, “what have I become?” It was a question that he had often asked himself in the early days of his own power. But right now, in this time and place, it didn’t seem to matter. He felt at peace with the strange darkness that was within him, that was the source of his power base. The defensive shield, drawn from the source of his energy, was as comfortable as his own skin. The rage at his heart was diminished. It seemed as if …

- - -

Mosaic watched as the Seer casually strode off the balcony they had been standing on. She floated above the courtyard and gestured with one hand. The remaining villains flinched away from that gesture, all except for Vincent and Mara. Vincent’s head shot back as a scream of primal agony was torn from his body. His dark aura convulsed like a living being in pain. Mara was released as Vincent collapsed onto the ground and writhed in pain.

“That is enough,” the Seer announced calmly. “Now that you have gotten the mindless violence out of your systems it is time to give you your first tasks for Aracnhos.”

“Why should we do anything you say?” a harsh voice called out.

The Seer turned to face that section of the courtyard. “We gave you freedom. We gave you a way to arm yourselves again. And if that isn’t enough,” she flexed her hand. Vincent screamed again in abject pain. “Consider the price of defiance.”

Vincent’s eyes were mere slits as he fought back the pain that was coursing through his body. He could see Mara’s startled face, her concern for him, and then there was something else, something primeval. Her face became hard, and he could make out the barely visible glow around her hands. Her eyes darted up and then – she vanished.

Another seer floated into range and raised her hands. The inmates, who had been trying to move further away from Vincent and the first Seer, dropped to the ground, screaming in agony. The second seer floated in closer, looking for something, looking for … Mara.

The courtyard was shocked into silence. And then, echoing loudly came Mara’s disembodied voice, shrill, furious: “Missed me, scum!” Mara became visible as the second seer was smashed downward toward the ground, Mara’s flying form, coming from the direction of a ramp, following through with the two-handed hammer blow. Vincent tried to rise, to join her in the defiance, but a couple of floating forms seemed to rise up from the entries to the courtyard on the perimeter of the crowd – Mu Adepts. Balls of red-white lightning appeared over their heads and then unleashed, slamming into Mara. The woman seemed to almost snarl before dropping limply to the ground.

The first Seer considered the still form of the girl. Mosaic heard her voice clearly in his mind. ‘Yes, she will do nicely. Arachnos will be pleased with this one. As for the dark one, there is something else defying me. I cannot tell what it is, but it disturbs me. I shall have to do some research on this one. You have done well, Mosaic, in finding these two.’

- - -

Days has slipped past. How many? Vincent was not certain. It could be no more than two, maybe three at the most, though it had felt much longer. He had been held in a plain room; occasionally a seer would wander in and stare at him intently. Was it the same one? He could not be certain as they all looked alike. He could feel them though, intrusive, touching something within. There was a moment when he felt that familiar voice inside doing something akin to chuckling, followed by the seer leaving in a hurry. Was the seer trembling? Whatever the seer was attempting to touch within him seemed to be touching it back. Vincent felt a smug satisfaction inside.

A guard entered his room, asking him to kindly follow. There was a politeness there, or was it fear? A hallway, then another room, furnished for comfort.

Mara was there, but she looked much different. Her clothes were silk, deep black with mesh inserts. Her dark hair was washed out to reddish tones. Her face bright, looking happy. She rushed to him, the words tumbling out in a steady torrent.

“Oh Vincent, are you all right? Isn’t it nice here? A seer told me that their first meeting with us was a misunderstanding. I think it apologized. Now they are treating me very well. Do you like my hair? And my clothes? I saw Mosaic. He said this was just the beginning of so much. Luxury. Wealth. Of course we will have to earn it. But with our powers, yours and mine, we can do it, I just know it. I was worried at first, but now it seems nice. Have you been treated nice? …” Her words were greeted by a pained stare from Vincent. He was shocked at her transformation to a giddy young woman and her apparent willingness to block the pain inflicted in the courtyard. These people were dangerous, far more so than he has first thought.

He started to say something to her, to find out what had truly happened, but the door opened and Mosaic walked in, accompanied by a tall man, clad in silverish armor, emanating power, confidence and presence. Mosaic approached them, a big smile on his face. The tall man stayed near the door, watching intently.

“Ok,” Mosaic began, “we have a job to do for Arachnos, one that may seem like a mere bank job but there is more at stake. We pull this off successfully and we will be in the lap of luxury.” The last was said staring at Mara, who seemed to brighten even more than before.

… to be continued in Chapter 4, Shadows of the Future

This is a fictional story is based on the intellectual property of City of Heroes and City of Villains. That property was used as a backdrop for this story with the permission of both Ncsoft and Cryptic Studios. While this story uses that world as a backdrop, it is not meant to reflect either gameplay or storylines with the massively multiplayer online world. Some of the images used with Spirals of Fate have been taken from the game and modified to suit the illustrative purposes of this story. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only.

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