Rusty Ruin - Infinite Potential

[Val]

It was here, it had to be. Though moss and vines saturated the ruins like an infection that had long ago consumed this place and left only a seemingly hollow husk left, his employer was certain this was the place.

The Dark Legion. Finn had no idea why his client wanted this place raided and frankly he didn’t care. He had been doing this for years now and still it felt unfulfilling. He felt…trapped, like nothing he ever tried could measure up. He deserved better than just mercenary work.
Clenching his teeth the Jackal reached back and drew his sword, a bright ruby red blade, and aimed it towards the ruins as the rain began to lightly fall against his jet black fur. There were bound to be defences, resistance, and he looked forward to tearing through them all. It was the closest he felt to being truly alive.

“Jackal Squad, move in!” He cried, “Comb every inch of this place, destroy the ruins if you have to! We do not leave until we get what we came for!” From behind him Finn heard the cheering yells of his team as they rushed forward. Leading the charge he dove down and landed beside a blackened nozzle sticking from the wall, presumably part of the defences. His squad swarmed the temples like rats to check down every corridor, behind every pillar for any entrance.
Finn ran on ahead, alone and ducked inside a hallway. He didn’t need the rest of them for this. He was swallowed by the darkness as the already cloud covered sun was left outside the temple, his echoing footfalls being the only indication he was even there.

[Jammerlee]

Somewhere deep underground an alarm began to sound off. Sitting at a table was a black and white figure covered in scales. He gave his powerful tail a flick, raising his head up from the microscope he'd been peering down. Turning toward a nearby console, he pressed a few buttons, bringing up security footage of the area. The oddly species-specific group of mercenaries flared across the screen.

He gave a gruff sigh. He liked these ruins. They had a nice atmosphere. None the less he decided it best to monitor them for a while before taking action.

[Val]

A jet of flames erupted from the walls, illuminating the darkened corridor. Finn skidded to a halt infront of it, his mismatched eyes taking in the interior. Crumbled stone, greenery crawling out from every possible nook in the walls. The smell of damp earth made him sneer. His ears twitched as he focused. He could hear the slow, gentle patter of the rain outside but up ahead was something rhythmic, something heavy.

Taking a breath and holding it, he tensed to be ready and the moment the gout of fire ceased he rushed on through. Reaching a corner that was visible thanks to some light spilling in through a hole in the wall the Jackal found the source of the sound; a spiked ball at least three feet across, swinging on a chain in an attempt to block his path.
He let out a scoff. His eyes followed the ball, memorising its timing until he lunged like a predator making its move. Raising his sword, he jammed it down against the pole the chain connected to. It stuck fast, resisting as Finn strained to hold onto it as the sound of grinding metal and stone assaulted his ears and carried down the hallways. Eventually though he got what he wanted and the pole slowed to a halt, the spiked ball falling and rolling to lean against the wall, motionless.

[Jammerlee]

Finitevus watched on as each member of the jackal squad made similar attempts to navigate the aged ruins, some having more success than others. He chuckled as one unlucky fellow was doused in flames, rings spewing from around his body to contain the burns. Another set foot onto a spinning platform, getting spun around until he was slammed into a wall. Many of them appeared to be running in circles. He sneered and shook his head. Nitwits. What were they even doing here? They didn't look to be run of the mill Ring Gatherers. It was unusual to find a group off Ring Gatherers that size anyway. They hadn't possibly come in in the hopes of finding his base, had they?

"Hrm..."

That one with the sword and heterochromic eyes. Now he appeared to have some sense of what he was doing. He was definitely in search of... something. The doctor's eyes narrowed. He stood up, materializing a small golden ring in his hand. Idly he began to flip it in the air a few times as he turned and exited his lab. With one last flip it vanished with a small fwish.

The same golden ring materialized beside Finn's foot.

[Val]

The second the ring flashed into existence Finn jumped back, sword at the ready. Was this another trap? It didn’t look like just another ring. He thought about slashing it and just destroying it to be safe but this was something he didn’t know. Glancing around quickly he pounced up to the vine covered remnants of a crumbled stone pillar and hid in the shadows, watching to see how this played out. His knuckles were white, clutching his blade, ready to dive down and attack the moment he needed to.

[Jammerlee]

But the ring just sat there doing absolutely nothing.

Fini, meanwhile, continued on walking.

[Val]

After several long moments of sitting there in a tense battle state the Jackal picked up a small chunk of rubble and tossed it at the ring, hoping to hit it and do…something.

[Jammerlee]

The ring made a musical little ting! and seemed to sparkle a little bit. But otherwise, it merely continued to sit there.

Finitevus began to hum a little tune to himself.

[Val]

This was getting infuriating. Do something! What’s the point of you being here if you won’t do anything?
He wanted to jump down and break the ring, if for nothing more than wasting his time. He jumped down, landing firmly on the broken ground. All the while his eyes never wavered from their intense lock upon that ominously still ring.
Finn sniffed at the air, trying to pick up any scent of someone or something that didn’t belong.

[Jammerlee]

Beyond the scents of his fellow jackals, all Finn would pick up were the scents of the rain, moss, dirt and ancient stone. There was nothing out of the ordinary for him to sense. Only the infuriating presence of the strange little ring.

[Val]

Finn was through waiting. He’d been cautious and all it’d gained him was frustration. This odd little ring didn’t just appear randomly beside him on its own and if waiting wouldn’t yield any results then he’d force them himself. Twirling his sword Finn charged, slashing his blade at the golden circlet in hopes of finally causing something to happen.

[Jammerlee]

The ring sprang up, opening up as the sword lashed toward it, its blade sinking through the hole in its center and appearing to vanish instead of pass through the other side. Just as quickly as the sword began to enter, the ring began to close, threatening to take Finn's arm off with it.

[Val]

His blue and yellow eyes shot wide as the ring proceeded to swallow his sword. On impulse Finn let go of his weapon to yank his hands back out of range and skidded back. He was right, it was here for him. Someone or something made this. At least this meant he wasn’t wasting his time completely.

Not wanting to risk losing his limbs anymore, the Jackal spun on his heel and rushed off to continue his search. When he found whoever was here he would make them suffer for toying with him and stealing from him.

[Jammerlee]

As he began to dash off, a second ring, this one much larger than the previous one, opened up directly in front of him. As the jackal skidded through it, the world became awash with color...

... Before depositing him directly into a prison cell.

[Val]

It felt like slow motion as Finn dug his heels in, trying to halt his momentum towards the second ring. Clenching his teeth, he thought for a moment about calling for help but refused.
As he tumbled out into the cell he took a moment to reorientation himself before looking about. Jumping to his feet, he ran to what at first seemed like the way out only to have him slam his fists against the large thick glass holding him in. He’d been dumped in here like a zoo exhibit and his team were wandering the ruins like fools, with no way of knowing where he was.

He snarled, looking about for anything to let him get out. Of course he knew there wouldn’t be but he would not sit idle as a prisoner.

[Jammerlee]

A chuckle sounded from down a corridor.

Rounding the turn was a figure dressed in a black cloak lined with yellow trim, its hood up so that it obscured his face. He swung Fin's red and blue sword around in his hand until it came to rest on his shoulders. As the figure came to a stop in front of the glass, a grin could be seen playing from beneath the hood.

"You needn't worry about the rest of your little friends. I'll be sure to deposit them all elsewhere. Perhaps off a cliff or into a few spike pits should I be feeling generous."

[Val]

Finn showed off his fangs as he let out a low growl upon seeing the hooded figure, especially when his sword, his property, was now in the hands of the same person who had him caged up.

Hearing about his team member’s fate didn’t provoke much of a response, Finn was never accused of being sentimental. All he cared about at this moment was getting free and clawing this stranger’s face off.

“And what about me? Am I to be kept as a pet? Made an example of?” He began pacing back and forth along the length of the glass border. Being confined like this was already making him antsy.
“You should know we’re only here because we were hired. If we disappear other mercenaries will come soon enough.”

[Jammerlee]

"Ah, mercenaries, are you? Well, what I do with you all depends on you, doesn't it?" the figure's chest seemed to swell. He was in control and he knew it. "What if I were to offer you a counter pay. That you scurry on back to your employer and tell them a little tale that nothing of interest could be found here, merely ancient traps and crumbling stone."

The figure swung the sword off of his shoulder, placing it into both hands with a metallic tink, revealing both of his hands to be mechanical. "Of course, that would be the boring way to go about this, wouldn't it? And you seem a man who'd prefer things a little more interesting than that."

[Val]

It was probably a bluff but Finn didn’t like how quickly this man seemed to get a read on him. He entwined his arms into a fold, moving over to stand directly infront of his captor and glare at him through the glass.

“What do you consider interesting?”

[Jammerlee]

"Oh, I consider a lot of things interesting," Fini replied, raising the sword up he glanced down its side, inspecting its edge. "I'm no expert on swords, but this is quite nice looking. Custom made? Or an heirloom, perhaps? Or perhaps even," he glanced up at Finn, "A trophy, hmmmm? It's clearly a status symbol of some sort. Compared to the others you seemed the most competent as well. Caught my eye rather quickly. A good trait to have for a sword for hire."

His smile returned. "Before I answer your question, you tell me; What is it, exactly, that drove you to such work, hmm? What do you get from it. Because I have a suspicion it's more than merely the rings."

[Val]

His gloved hand flinched. Seeing someone else holding –his- sword, treating it like a toy…He wanted to smash through the glass and take it back. How dare this person treat him this way?

He turned his back to the hooded figure and took in a breath, not wanting him to see he was bothered. “It –was- custom made. As you say, catching the eye of a potential client is vital in this line of work. That sword and I are well known, when people see us coming they know to fear us and when employers see it they know we’ll get the job done.”

He turned back, raising a hand to rake his claws across the glass slowly, just to see if it made any difference. “As to why I chose to become this…” He could lie. He could make up some story about it being just for the money or the infamy but…why bother? He’d been lying to everyone all this time and it’d gotten him nowhere. He gave a lazy shrug and looked back up, trying to meet Finitevus’s gaze from under the hood. “…it’s because I’m bored. Through the missions we go on there’s the chance for some challenge.” He let out a dark chuckle. “Even if they almost always disappoint.”

[Jammerlee]

Finitevus laughed, placing the sword back on his shoulders. "Ah. Oh, I knew I'd like you. Something about you just screamed it. I presume you're aware of what it was, exactly, you'd been sent out here to find, hmm?"

[Val]

Indeed he did. The Dark Legion had been mentioned more than once in the crowds Finn tended to be familiar with. Terrorist attacks, advanced technology. The only criminal organisation able to be a threat to GUN besides the Eggman Empire itself. Truth be told Finn had enjoyed watching the devastation they’d caused on the news. When his client had mentioned suspecting the Legion being here in the ruins he barely believed it but curiosity demanded he investigate to be sure.

Finn kept his stone expression as he answered in a dry tone, “You’re with the Dark Legion. We were hired to assault your base, if it truly was here, and recover as much of your technology as possible. People all over the black market would pay through the nose to get ahold of it.”

[Jammerlee]

"Yes, yes, I'm sure they do," the pangolin said boredly, examining his wrist. "Peasants always want what a king has. So anyway," he looked back at Finn. "You're a bored mercenary in search of thrills, and you're familiar with what my little organization does," the grin began returning. "Returning to the question of what a man like you may find interesting... perhaps you may consider hanging up your little title of mercenary... and don the robe of a Legionnaire. What say you..."

The sharp toothed grin was practically ear-to-ear now.

"... Finn?"

[Val]

Try as he might, the Jackal leader could not suppress his surprise at that. His reputation proceeding him was something he’d gotten used to, hell it was something he actively enjoyed most times as it proved word of his skills were spreading. However he did not anticipate the Dark Legion knowing him or even stranger, offering him a position with them.

He averted his eyes from the manic looking pangolin and flexed his hands over and over, fidgeting as he thought the offer through. There was no reason he could imagine as to why he should trust this man but…trust wasn’t what he was asking. He knew what the Dark Legion did, what they caused; chaos, destruction, anarchy. To be on the front lines of cataclysms was like something he’d never considered. It meant change, the status quo obliterated. Just thinking about it made his heart beat faster.
But that was the fantasy, the reality was entirely unknown to him.

Finn looked back up, meeting Finitevus’ grin with his own self-assured smirk, “What use would the Legion have for a mercenary? You’ll forgive me if I seem skeptical of such an offer but lacking in competent fighters doesn’t seem like a problem you suffer from.”

[Jammerlee]

Fini laughed. "Well, let me phrase this another way. I'm allowing you the opportunity to join. Either you accept my offer, or..." he waved his free hand about. "You become useful to me in far less desirable ways. Which may or may not include your life as part of the deal."

[Val]

And there it was. He’d expected to either become a hostage or be blackmailed and sure enough, blackmail it was. Either he hand over his life to the Dark Legion or he dies. It was a simple choice to make.

“Working for you, I’d be part of your attacks, yes? The destruction and chaos your organization brings about?” Stepping up to the glass again, Finn placed both hands against it, trying to sink his claws through as he stared intently back at Finitevus. “Let me out of here…I will gladly work with the Dark Legion.”

[Jammerlee]

"You have a taste for that sort of thing I see," the grin had never left the Fini's hooded face. If anything, it widened. "Very good. We'll get along very well then. So, then, tell me... what is your least favorite body part?"

[Val]

Well that was…unexpected. Least favourite body part? Did he mean a limb or just any part? Finn's eyes narrowed inquisitively as he considered each part of his being. Really though he knew the answer the moment Finitevus had asked it, there was only one aspect of his body he could say he “disliked.”

“My eye.” He answered, raising his hand to brush over his right, watery blue eye. A streak of white fur cutting through the usual black surrounding it. “The only permanent scar I ever suffered. A constant sign of weakness.” The words tasted vile. His claw clenched into a fist as he bared his teeth.

[Jammerlee]

Finitevus laughed. "You eye, hmmmm? Well, we can work with that, can't we~ Anything else?"