A growl echoed in the tunnel, low and primal, reverberating through the old stone and rusted steel. It was followed by a blur—a shadow faster than most eyes could track. But Magnus was not most.
He pivoted just as claws slashed through the air where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier.
[Chi Augmentation]
The second attacker came from behind, leaping down from the ceiling with a snarl. He spun mid-step, arm raised in a reinforced guard. The impact shook through his forearm, but he held firm, absorbing the blow and countering with a precise elbow aimed at her sternum. She twisted, cat-like, avoiding the brunt of it, landing nimbly with an animalistic hiss.
Two of them.
Sisters.
Magnus's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, locking on to the pair now circling him.
Feral and Thornn.
He recognized them immediately—not just by their appearance, but by reputation. The feline musculature, the retractable claws, the slitted pupils that glowed faintly in the dark. Both were known among the underground mutant circles—dangerous, feral, and brutally efficient.
Feral was crouched low, muscles tight, her frame twitching with violent intent. Thornn stood taller, more measured, but no less deadly—like a panther coiled in restraint. Their movements were perfectly mirrored, coordinated like a pack.
After all that was there Mutation.
"Outsider," Thornn hissed, her voice tinged with aggression and curiosity. "You walk into our den foolishly. But we will make sure you do not get out."
"You shouldn't be here," Feral growled. "Surface trash gets torn."
Magnus said nothing. His body shifted naturally into a loose stance—relaxed, but coiled. His Chi flowed silently under his skin, enhancing every nerve, muscle, and tendon. He didn't want to kill them. But he would not let them beat him either.
"You've made your point," he said, voice calm, like steel under silk. "But if this is your welcome party, I'll return the favor."
Feral lunged without warning, claws flashing in a blur. Magnus dipped low, pivoted under the strike, and countered with a palm strike to her shoulder joint— aimed to destabilize her. She twisted in midair, claws scraping sparks off the tunnel wall.
Thornn came next, leaping from behind with a dropkick. He absorbed the blow and redirected her momentum, flipping her over his back. She landed hard but rolled to her feet with a low growl.
While evading, Magnus locked eyes on both.
***
[Copy Active]
[DNA sample detected.]
[Target: Maria Callasantos (Feral) ]
[X-Gene Detected]
[Abilities Found: Feral Physiology, Intangibility, Regeneration]
[Conditions: Enhanced Body(fulfilled)]
[ETA: 3 Months]
[Target: Lucia Callasantos (Thornn) ]
[X-Gene Detected]
[Abilities Found: Feral Physiology, Regeneration]
[Conditions: Enhanced Body(fulfilled)]
[ETA: 3 Months]
***
It's a good thing that with increase in my strength the time it takes to copy stronger abilities get's reduced too. And already having similar powers related to Physique such as Peak Human Body and Chi Powers also helps in reducing the time to copy.
And the best of all he wouldn't gain the physical changes like the Morlocks. Though the power of these abilities will be reduced but it would not decrease much.
Feral charged again, rage in her narrowed eyes. She slashed furiously, a flurry of attacks fueled by instinct. Magnus parried with open palms, guiding the strikes away while measuring her breath, timing, and angle. He struck once—two fingers to the side of her neck.
[Chi Pressure Point Strike]
She stumbled, momentarily disoriented. Enough.
Thornn leapt at him—but stopped mid-air.
"Stop."
A commanding voice cut through the tunnel.
From the far end of the corridor emerged a woman with tangled black hair and a gaze that drilled into Magnus the moment she arrived.
Callisto.
"I told you two to observe, not to go for the kill," she snapped.
Feral wiped blood from her lip. "He wasn't just watching."
"He blocked us," Thornn said slowly. "And he's… strange. His presence feels like… too much. We felt too much danger from him."
Callisto's eye narrowed as she stepped forward. Magnus stood tall, relaxed. Letting her try to read him.
"I know who you are," she said quietly. "Or at least, I know what you are. You're a Mutant just like us."
Magnus tilted his head. "I prefer Meta-Human. But what now?"
Callisto ignored the smirk. Her eyes glowed faintly as her mutant gift pulsed—a sixth sense that perceived the X-Factor in others. And Magnus's? It was unlike anything she had ever seen.
"You have no baseline," she muttered. "Your X-Factor is… chaotic. Sometimes it is too weak but other times it is way beyond any other Mutant I have met."
Magnus didn't deny it.
"What do you want?"
"Simple," he replied. "You command a force of desperate survivors. You rule by strength. I respect that. But strength alone won't be enough when the world turns on your kind."
"And you're here to do what? Save us?"
"No," Magnus said. "I came to just take over from you. You have done plenty till now but from here I will take over cause you've lived in the dirt long enough. '"
Silence. Feral and Thornn exchanged glances. Several other Morlocks now watched from the shadows.
Callisto stepped forward, eyes locked with his.
"You want the leadership of Morlocks?" she asked. "Then Fight."
A door hissed open behind her, a crude metal gate revealing an arena lit by gas lamps and lined with twisted rail spikes.
"The Pit," she said. "Defeat us and if you win we will be happy to follow someone stronger."
Magnus stepped forward without hesitation.
"Finally."
He didn't need to say anything else. The Chi inside him surged.
****************************************
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