#nykon

         It was unimaginably traumatic, growing up as a member of Nykon’s brood; They were forced to constantly fight each for food, survival of the fittest, with the weakest left to die and even become nourishment for the others. Pain was regularly dealt, supposedly to forge the children into stronger dragons; But clearly, it was just their parents blowing off steam. Why even have children? Maybe as targets to hold socially-acceptable authority over.

         In any case, Nykon somehow clawed her way to survival and emerged alive for it, yet scarred. As someone who received abuse, she could’ve chosen to end the cycle and replace it with kindness… But instead, Nykon opted to perpetuate it, the same way people justify oppressive systems they suffer from, in the hopes that one day they’ll be the ones at the top, thereby justifying what they went through.

         So when Nykon flew from the nest and joined mainstream society, she enlisted as an enforcer and thug for various dragon guilds; Sometimes raiding a village for treasure, strong-arming weekly payments from groups indebted to the dragon hoards, that sort of thing. Nykon took particular delight when it came to torturing thieves, as dragons were very possessive and proud, which translated into a severe vindictiveness towards anyone who threatened their property.

         Paranoia over thieves meant drastic measures to send a message, including excessive torture, sometimes even in broad daylight, in front of those indebted to the hoards! And Nykon was always eager to deliver and enforce on that aspect… Even amongst her peers, she was seen as extreme.

         So why humans? Aside from the fact that they’re an easy, socially-acceptable target… Dragons are a part of the Monster Realm and must co-exist with its other species, inevitably. But humans are generally outside that purview, meaning the occasional venture into the Shining Void for loot meant dragons and other ‘explorers’ could get away with anything, before disappearing back to their home realm.

         And as someone who participated in some of these raids, Nykon found a taste for human misery. They were foreign outsiders, making humans even more easy to dehumanize (for lack of a better term), and powerless compared to most species in the Monster Realm. They were even more pathetic in Nykon’s eyes, and thus even less deserving of life, in the eyes of someone who suffered so much for the privilege of survival.

         Bitterness is the reason; Bitterness that she suffered, and yet others could live so idyllically and have nothing expected of them. Bitterness upon entering regular society in the Monster Realm, only to find it not as welcoming, not as nurturing, to Nykon as she needed it to be; Even away from the nest, Nykon couldn’t truly allow herself to be vulnerable, and it drove her mad. There was a positive association to cruelty for her, rewarded by others or simply the high of feeling bigger over someone smaller.

         Humans were a favorite target of Nykon’s, but not an often one; That was, until a small group of dragons attempted to defy their masters. They failed and were sent on the run, and Nykon was tasked to hunt them down, and drag these traitors back to the Monster Realm to be properly made an example of. It was an assignment for losers; To track down losers, to be given to a loser to handle.

         After all, Nykon was seen as a bit extreme by her peers, which led to distancing and only contributed to her lack of social skills, as did her upbringing. Combined with the fact that she basically appeared out of nowhere, with seemingly nothing to her name, no possessions on her back, and Nykon was derided in whispers as a nobody.

         To be given this assignment was to be declared almost as much of a loser as these dissenters; But it also offered a chance to be taken seriously, hopefully, in Nykon’s eyes. So despite the minor humiliation of the task, Nykon accepted it and tracked down her targets into the Shining Void, the realm of humanity. In her search, she terrorized human settlements, using force even when it wasn’t necessary.

         Villages burned down, and Nykon often slaughtered the occasional group of travelers as a way to blow off steam and kill time, whenever stuck on some dead end. Tales spread of a dragon who reveled in the massacre and didn’t even care for riches, another reason for why Nykon was an outcast amongst her peers.

         Nykon simultaneously enjoyed and depised humans for their hatred, feeling indignation towards them fighting back; On the human end of things, dragons were treated as foreign beasts, and thus in Nykon’s eyes weren’t given the proper respect they deserved. Granted, murdering everyone as a first impression won’t make humans so inclined to recognize and welcome dragons as fellow people, either… Still, there’s nothing a bully hates more than a victim who fights back, and ruins their fun time for them, ends it even, and wounds them.

         Nykon came into conflict with her targets; But that brought her into conflict with a Wayvren, who needed help regarding a sacred task, and saw the dragon outcasts as perfect for the job. He needed them, but so did Nykon; Likewise, Nykon was a legitimate threat to innocents. Thus, Wayvren teamed up with Nykon’s targets, and together they defeated the cruel dragon.

         Nykon was incensed, forced to escape with her tail between her legs; She’d never felt humiliation like this before, save for when she was younger… That made her even more mad. And to be beaten by a human, no less?! Back home, she was already becoming a subject of ridicule for failing to bring back the traitors. She felt like she was losing respect both amongst peers and her victims, and Nykon became desperate to restore things to their natural order with her on top.

         Somehow, she came into contact with the Terrorbrai, who lent her one of their legendary Typhonus Armors; The Typhonus Crescere. The Crescere was unusual amongst its fellow armors; It wasn’t indestructible, save for its core. But what it lacked in quality, it made up for quantity… The Crescere could absorb metal, incorporating it into a growing armor that would build layer after layer on top of itself to become stronger. If damaged, the Crescere could always replace lost metal with new pieces.

         The Terrorbrai lent Nykon the Typhonus Crescere, for no other reason than to cause chaos, and they’d heard plenty regarding Nykon. Nykon returned for a rematch, making sure to feed the Crescere to bolster its strength, cover herself in layers and make herself even bigger… And still lost. Incensed, Nykon flew back to the Terrorbrai, and demanded they give her something else to become stronger.

         Hisinava, the Terrorbrai in charge of these dealings, didn’t appreciate this dragon’s tone (especially as someone who had a Terrorbrai dragon for a friend who was much more agreeable); However, he agreed given Maelstrom’s goal to cause chaos.

         Nykon was still a living being, and that came with weaknesses, which she despised in her victims. The limits of food, water, and other needs was such a hassle, and any Terrorbrai reborn via Maelstrom was always glad to be rid of them; As was Hisinava’s aforementioned dragon comrade, whom he had no doubt could destroy Nykon in a fight. But seeing as how Nykon clearly wasn’t compatible with the ideology of Maelstrom…

         Well, there was another way Nykon could transcend moral limits; The Phantom Alliance, sworn enemies of the Terrorbrai, had dabbled in bonding souls to objects, often suits of armor in the shape of the body their subject once had. Nykon may have had armor, but she was still a soft and squishy fleshling underneath it all… But AS the armor, Nykon would always have an indestructible core to fall back on, and remain immortal with.

         At this point, Nykon was desperate; She felt humiliated, self-conscious and already castigated in all but official word by her peers. She’d devoted years to this assignment, and the thought of being vulnerable and at the mercy of others all over again, simply not strong enough… The idea of her victims outgrowing Nykon, becoming superior? Those pathetic, lowly losers who should be beneath her…

         Nykon agreed, having nothing to lose in her eyes. She needed to restore the natural order, at any cost; Nykon accepted the loss of her body and even fire breath if it meant an immortal body that could never tire, never die. With Nykon’s consent (a strange thing to ask for, given the Terrorbrai track record), Hisinava advised her to enjoy some last few days with the pleasures of the living body. Nykon refused, but Hisinava made her do it anyway, disappearing.

         When her time was up, Nykon was approached by Hisinava once more, who led her to a mountain peak with a group of fellow Terrorbrai. Overheard, thunder rumbled as the clouds turned dark… The Terrorbrai laid out the Typhonus Crescere, and prepared an implement of soul stone. With Nykon saying goodbye to her old body, she welcomed a death to achieve rebirth, and her soul was reaped, contained within the soul stone.

         Through an amateur foray into magic and some genuine luck, the Terrorbrai managed to bond Nykon’s soul to the armor… But speaking of luck! At the exact moment her soul was being bonded, lightning struck the mountain peak they stood atop.

         In hindsight, maybe Hisinava should’ve remembered this as a hazard, or chosen anywhere other than the highest point of elevation to perform this ritual. But maybe, secretly, he knew the unpredictable dangers, and welcomed them due to his nature as a Terrorbrai. If so, the gamble certainly paid off, as it resulted in something truly unexpected and strange…

         Lightning fused with the armor and Nykon’s soul, mixing together; And what emerged was a fusion of pure electricity, wreathed in the Typhonus Crescere’s metal. It crackled, raged, and burned, flashing and vaporizing nearby objects. The Terrorbrai were forced to fall back and maintain a safe distance, but as they watched, the shambling mess of lightning and metal began to take shape and form…

         Finally, it took the appearance of Nykon herself; Now made of lightning and Typhonus Armor! The Terrorbrai applauded Nykon on her miracle, and after adjusting to both the figurative and literal shock of her new body and the unexpected twist… Nykon felt reinvigorated. She’d lost physical feeling, but fate had chosen to bestow Nykon an unexpected power to replace her fire, and why?

         Because it was destiny, no doubt; The natural order of things that Nykon be stronger, be on top. And nature itself supported her with a surprise gift nobody saw coming.

         Emboldened, Nykon immediately set off, deserting Hisinava and the others without even a thank you; Rude, but they didn’t mind it too much and went back to their regular schedule, which was basically anything. Nykon made a beeline for her enemies, those dragon traitors, as well as their human ally Wayvren…

         And while Nykon’s enemies were initially surprised and overwhelmed by her new form, in the end, Wayvren and his allies triumphed. He’d faced insurmountable odds, strange and unstoppable enemies, time and time again; This was hardly new, in a sense. Nykon was humiliated, incensed, practically maddened by disbelief over her inevitable loss, even as Wayvren decided he needed a more permanent solution.

         Nykon’s transformation was both a blessing and a curse; It made her stronger, but it also made Nykon that particularly unique type of threat that qualified her for the Tower of Tears. Wayvren had no interest in sending Nykon back to her employers in the Monster Realm to continue wreaking havoc, but despite her atrocities, he couldn’t bring himself to kill a defeated opponent, either. He was idealistic, hoping that maybe enough time could help Nykon calm down and be less… intense.

         Well, it didn’t; Wayvren didn’t know about the nightmares that the Tears’ prisoners underwent. It was what you’d expect for Nykon; Flashbacks to her helpless childhood, constant reminders of her failure. Rage and bitterness at the people who ruined her fun, at those bullies who rose up and overturned everything Nykon believed in. A desire for vengeance, especially against the humans who ruined it all for her, burned in Nykon’s heart; She couldn’t get away with hating and terrorizing dragon society, but humans? That was an acceptable outlet to project her frustrations with her species onto.

         Eventually, the Tower of Tears was destroyed; Its precious prisoners fled into the night. Nykon regrouped with a few Escapees who were under the command of Azayle, and while initiall reluctant and defiant to Azayle’s authority, learned to eventually bow to her. Any rage Nykon felt at being someone’s lackey, she once again directed towards humans and other victims.

         As it stands, Nykon is once more a loner even amongst her own peers, who themselves are all outcasts and freaks. Of course, this time Nykon has nobody to blame but herself; Her fellow Escapees would be more than welcoming of her, but a need to feel superior, especially to these lesser beings (many of whom were once human rejects themselves!) made Nykon hostile, preferring to keep things at a distance and professional.

         She’s not like the rest of these losers, she tries to reassure herself; Except Nykon totally is. Rejected by her family, her species, her own world AND this one… She’s been displaced through time and has nothing now. Unlike humans, dragons age for a long while; So most of Nykon’s peers were still alive in the modern day. Of course, Nykon couldn’t bring herself to face them after everything, after all of the transformation and loss, just to fail anyway.

         She had no idea where the traitors were; And Wayvren… She’d love to kill him, she found Midas’ group appealing for this. But in the end, Azayle’s own ambition and charisma lured Nykon in, much as she was loath to admit it. So as much as Nykon despises it, her fellow Escapees are all she has left… And maybe she’ll learn to appreciate them, realize they actually kind of understand how she feels, and finally open up. Finally find people she can be vulnerable around, and be rewarded for it…

         As it currently is however, Nykon insists on being hostile and abrasive, making her everyone’s least favorite teammate, even after the Mask of Menace who is mostly just obnoxious. Nykon’s teammates are hardly saints either and definitely sadistic to varying degrees, but as always, she manages to cross a line even they’re perturbed by. Her cruelty reminds some far too much of the bullies they’d suffered from, when they were younger and ‘innocent’…

         Nykon is a massive hypocrite, deriding humans and others for flaws she herself is totally guilty of; For not caring about others, for leaving them behind to save their own skin. And she’ll take the chance to mock outcasts for being rejected even amongst the weak, which rubs some Escapees the wrong way, naturally. In particular, her recent massacre of a freakshow, for no other reason than she could, incenses a few from Midas’ group…

         It was a distraction from Nykon’s actual mission of capturing Lloyd, but she simply had to revel in reminding these human rejects that despite their efforts, they’d still end their lives miserably, brutally murdered for their existence. This has of course earned Nykon the grudge of the few survivors, who vow to destroy Nykon for her evil…

         They’re favorites of Nykon’s to torment, remind of how their friends died as she lies about them begging for their lives. But they’re also a thorn in her side that continue to survive, continue to thrive; And that insults Nykon and infuriates her, deep down, as does seeing them continue to be kind and make new friends.

         Meanwhile, whichever partner was assigned to Nykon on a mission can’t help but be aghast. They thought they were awful, but this…! Don’t you think it’s a bit much, and impractical? Detrimental even, the unnecessary lengths your cruelty has gone, the time and energy it’s wasted, and especially the enemies it’s made? Jeez…

         In regards to her powers and abilities, as I said; Nykon is made of a mixture of lightning and metal, through and through. She’s a powerful, overwhelming, radiant being, constantly casting a blinding light. The ground burns at Nykon’s step, and the air always smells of ozone. Her body is unliving, so Nykon doesn’t need to eat or sleep, can’t tire, etc.

         Being lightning and metal, Nykon doesn’t take a lot of physical damage; But if you hit her just hard enough, the affected area will burst and fall apart in an array of sparks, bolts, and shrapnel before reforming, restoring Nykon’s shape. Nykon is still subject to the laws of entropy as a partially-electric being, so the energy lost when her form is disrupted, and used up to restore that shape… It can drain and wear her down, gradually, bit by bit. It IS possible to defeat Nykon, as much of a goliath as she may be.

         As it is, her metal components are a less hazardous target, not prone to electrocuting anyone who makes physical contact with them. They’re the only ‘safe’ parts of Nykon to touch. To restore lost energy or damaged metal, Nykon can absorb outside sources into her mass, draining power plants or crunching up a junkyard, burning away any impurities to leave only pure metal to convert into the Typhonus Crescere.

         Nykon has some limited shape-shifting capabilities, her body’s nature fluid; This allows Nykon to extend a limb, form a tendril armed with blades, that sort of thing. She can still fly, and generate bolts from any part of her body; But it’s most powerful when Nykon charges a lightning blast from her mouth, blue streaks of energy lighting up across her body before she fires, eyes similarly ablaze with that color.

         Nykon seems like an impossible opponent; She’s made of lightning and metal, so touching most of her can result in a shock. She doesn’t even need to shoot bolts from her mouth or body, just touching you can be enough! Not to mention her weight and strength, her metallic bits. But as I said, the Typhonus Crescere is mostly vulnerable, and her form can be disrupted, wasting energy. Nykon might have potent regenerative capabilities, but with enough effort and the right assets, you can reduce her down to a puny, electrified shard of metal, the indestructible core of her Typhonus Armor; Small enough to hold in a human’s palm.

         …That’s Nykon! She sucks, man. She runs on pure spite and also raw lightning. She’s terrible in a weirdly fascinating way that you love to see her suffer from; But there’s a human method to Nykon’s evil, which is a comparison she’d hate to hear. She’s enormous, gigantic and imposing, hurts people to even touch; But at her core is something puny, and Nykon still needs to make others feel small in order to feel big, despite her size.

         She’s absolutely pathetic, a sad and bitter mess who resents everyone else and is deep down envious of their happiness, their sense of peace and self. She’s an edgelord who hates everyone for flaws she herself is guilty of, because I think Nykon is deeply disillusioned, disappointed and let down by the world. She’s a brute, and her arrogance and single-minded desire to hurt others has made Nykon commit some very dumb mistakes; Letting herself be distracted despite knowing it’s a ruse, because she thinks she’s clever enough to pursue a target AND accomplish her actual mission at the same time… She’s not.

         You shouldn’t underestimate her… But at the same time, Nykon really is a classic example of the Bigger they are, the Harder they fall. She might be the most physically imposing Escapee, but there’s a clumsiness to her weight made even more apparent when Nykon is flustered by unexpected adversity; Inexperienced when people are too small and fast, so maybe Nykon should stick to picking on people her own size. She’s emotionally stunted, understandable given her abuse, but you can’t excuse that which she perpetuates.

         Nykon is the classic tale of the big, blustering bully who torments the small and meek; Only to be caught off-guard in her arrogance, unequipped to defend when those people fight back, and are suddenly hard to hit when they’re not just taking it. The lumbering Goliath to many people’s David. And when Nykon fails despite everything being in her favor, having taken her power for granted unlike those smaller who fight to survive and make use of all they have?

         Boy is she salty, seething on the inside and pushing away anyone who might be willing to extend a hand. Earning the disapproval of her superiors, be it the dragon hoards or Azayle, as Nykon struggles to earn their respect and prove she isn’t incompetent, all while sweating nervously as they breathe down her neck in judgment.

         She’s become even more of a freak than the traitors she was originally sent to round up. So as far as she’s concerned, there is plenty of reason NOT to go, which Nykon may as well dress up under the apparently confident, blasé framework of “There is no reason to go at all.” At which point…

         I can totally see Azayle deciding to fuck with Nykon and suggest a group trip to the Monster Realm, to the dragon vaults and whatnot. Nykon is livid and actually does try to protest, but it’s Azayle so ultimately, Nykon has to bow her head and follow. Magmint is excited, Monarch Man has never been to such a fantastical place he’d have only ever read about in his comics, and there are reactions from other members of the group I have yet to introduce.

         It’s painfully awkward, but Azayle does give Nykon some space to catch up with her peers on her own, while she and the others get caught up in the touristy side of things. I like to imagine Nykon had a colleague named Linde, a cave-dwelling dragon with an apprehension towards light that she used as a resource on information, possibly a librarian.

         Linde is bothered by the bright light Nykon exudes, since normally the only source is a humble lantern. They’re surprised to recognize Nykon and see how much she’s changed, especially since everyone assumed she was either dead or in self-exile. Being a dragon, Linde does not react as much as one may expect, because to be fair they live in the Monster Realm, a very strange and outlandish place in and of itself.

         A closed-off Nykon grumbles a thing or two as an answer. Linde complains that Nykon is too bright and should dim herself, leading Nykon to complain over how she can do that, she IS the light! She’s made of lightning itself! Unimpressed, Linde suggests throwing a tarp over herself. Nykon does note to herself that she can compress herself into one of her smaller forms, but Linde is pissing her off so she won’t. She contemplates saying something offensive, like if Linde hates light so much why don’t they just gouge their eyes out?! What a touching reunion.

         Anyhow, this trip back home all culminates with Nykon visiting one of her old superiors; She doesn't know why, maybe deep down she just wants to get it over with and satisfy the burning curiosity. The superior responds appropriately by arranging a lunch meeting, more or less rubbing it in Nykon's face that she can't eat anymore, as a result of her failures. If he's feeling particularly ceremonious, the superior offers some scrap metal.