It was hard to ignore the cries from the street.
He knew that somewhere out there, something bad was happening, and no one was doing anything to stop it. He knew this because they never did. They lowered their heads and hurried on past as if they didn't see, or drew their curtains and dimmed the lights, forever praying that they wouldn't be next. Icarus resented his own people for their cowardice. He knew it was unfair of him. The soldiers who occupied their city were fearsome and disciplined, and they rarely traveled alone. No one stood up to them because no one could.
It's alright to let these terrible things go on, he thought bitterly,
as long as it's happening to them and not you. Isn't that right?
But someday... someday, you will become them - the ones in trouble, the ones who are suffering - and no one will step forward to help you, either.The silence that followed was agonizing. The young inventor eased himself onto his couch and sat quietly, staring at the untouched cup of coffee on the table in front of him. He felt too sick to drink it - partially because of the ruckus below, and partially because he'd had the absolute shit beaten out of him earlier that day. And he really had no one to blame but himself.
Three soldiers had been harassing an elderly merchant who lived near his university. It wasn't often that Icarus lost his temper (even though anger had become a constant part of his life), but that had driven him over the edge. The old man hadn't really been harmed, but he was terrified, and his poor wife had been watching from the doorway of their small shop, sobbing. Icarus had never been so angry.
There probably would have been more diplomatic ways of handling the situation than walking up and shoving the nearest one. Brandishing his forge hammer at them probably hadn't been that smart either, in retrospect.
No one else said a word. No one else stepped forward. And when the soldiers left him bleeding and barely-conscious in the street, no one dared to come outside and see if he was alright. It had been an agonizing 45 minutes before Icarus had been able to pick himself up off the ground, as other people hurried past, averting their eyes. The walk home and been long and slow and humbling.
He felt as if the gods were laughing at him now, because he'd been the last to understand the way the world worked. Everyone else had gotten it, soldiers and civilians alike - why had it taken
him so long? The strong preyed upon the weak, and the only way to survive was to look out for yourself, and everyone else be damned. And Icarus, foolish Icarus, had been the last one to know. He had tried, again and again, to stand up for what he believed was right and fair, as friends scorned him and strangers called him a fool. And he
had been foolish... he knew that now.
Tired brown eyes drifted to the nearby table, its surface laden with leather and metal and gears. Pinned to the wall above it was the schematic for his magnum opus: a self-sustained flight machine, built for one. It had been his master thesis before the university had lost its teachers, and before he and his fellow students had been 'recruited' to develop and build war-machines. Now he forged the pieces he needed day by day, when no one was looking, and smuggled them home whenever he worked until dusk.
Someday... someday, he would leave this wretched city and its wretched people behind. And thanks to the events of this day, he would never look back.
--Sun-based fire elemental powers. Can burst into flames or radiate intense heat when desired - when doing this, his fur/hair appear to smolder. His power is always strongest on sunny days.
His preferred weapon is a warhammer, though he frequently uses an oversized wrench as an improvised weapon, as he carries it with him more often.
--Rainy weather or being drenched in water will make him very tired and sluggish, especially if he gets too cold. Being wet makes it nearly impossible for him to ignite, and turns his fur/hair from its usual reddish-orange to a dingy reddish-gray with white accents, like dying coals (pale gray in the most extreme cases, only when near death). His defense is very poor, and using his powers too much burns all his energy and makes him ravenously hungry. He is a bottomless pit.
Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds to Mars
Icarus - Hopesfall
Hero - Nickelback
Custom Steamwork Jollin
Cass
