Prescill Marilayra

Description

Prescill got dealt a bad hand in life. Her parents had one day seemingly vanished, leaving behind her and her baby sister, eventually ending up in an orphanage. For several years, Prescill was bullied and made fun of for her irritated and anti-social behaviour. On her 16^th, she took her 7-year-old sister Alina and ran out, deciding to live on the streets. After a year of managing to get by, Prescill had to turn to crime to survive, quickly getting into street level theft. She always managed to sneak around any law enforcement, even superheroes. Eventually, Prescill gets picked up by a mysterious figure, who trains her to fight and makes him work for her. Her boss then demands Prescill to have Alina train under them too. 

Prescill tries to pull Alina with her, but Alina, at only nine years old, doesn’t want to go. As she cries loudly, a stranger speaks up, protecting Alina from Prescill. Prescill, offered a place to live with the stranger doesn’t trust him, and tries to fight him, but he blocks any hit she tries to make. The stranger tells her that he is named ‘Craid’, and that she could find him if she is ready to join Alina. Prescill instead gets even more upset, going back to her boss, and training harder, wanting to fight Craid and take her sister back. Her boss teaches her how to assassinate, and slowly but surely becomes the top rank hireling, often hired by criminals to help them in their operations. She takes on the secret alias of ‘Minerva the Silent’, and is a well known villain for most heroes, known by how she sets up elaborate plans to outplay superpowers, even though she herself has none.

Prescill feels empty inside, damaged by everything she had to deal with in the past, while also having realized that she is now stuck inside a criminal system. She tends not to show it however, as she holds up a snarky, know-it-all persona to most heroes. She loves to mock others whenever she can and tries to act as aloof as she can. She only tends to lower her mental standards whenever Craid shows up, or any story she could relate to. Later on, it becomes clear to her enemies that Minerva, even if she enjoys setting up the plans, does not enjoy setting back heroes as much as they would expect. Being a villain is a job for her. She would rather stay out of conflict entirely, but that does not bring her a paycheck. Minerva does work with a code. She does not kill innocents and only does what is asked of her, nothing more.

Prescill likes to go out and meet people in her free time, but more and more, she becomes too anxious to get out, worried she is found out, or killed. When she eventually gets arrested and prosecuted, she is relieved. It is, however, only after her boss meets the same fate, and her true story comes out that she can start to recover from her history. Prescill gets an offer to work on the heroes’ side, and after some discussion, takes it.

Prescill, under her hero alias ‘Promise’, is still recovering, and needs help from other heroes to make sure she doesn’t break any ‘heroic’ conventions. Her eagerness to learn and repay her sins is clear, and her ability to set up plans is more than appreciated. She really likes to teach others as well and is glad to finally be able to communicate with people that want her to be around.  She is healing.

Likes:

• Her apartment
• Silence
• Cats
• Wine
• Sushi

Dislikes:

• Her Dependence on the Criminal System
• Loudmouths
• Seeing Other Be Happy
• Rain Ticking Against Windows
• Spaghetti
• 
  

Abilities

Prescill had extensive fighting and assassination training, specialized in stealth and disguise. Her senses have been primed to interpret danger and opportunities to attack. She is extremely agile and acrobatic.

Prescill is known for making elaborate plans and is praised for her ability to deal with superpowered enemies, while she herself is powerless. Prescill has an extensive arsenal with different gadgets but is most known for her retractable blades.

Notable Comic Arcs:

• The Marilayra Conflict (Chaotic Rhyss! #24-#25): The first time Minerva shows up. Rhyss fights Minerva, who almost loses until Craid shows up and defeats her. Craid explains the situation to Rhyss. Craid thought the conflict was over, but Minerva points out that she has returned to Fargone for revenge. She will be a recurring random villain for many different heroes from this point on.
• Far(from)Gone (Chaotic Rhyss! #113-134): A plotline where the hinted criminal activities in the industry sector of Fargone start back up. Factories are being used for smuggling and several traders have set up a plan together to hijack the entire city. Prescill is hired to make sure the transport sector keeps being in control of the criminals, when Katie shows up however, she is completely pulled off-guard by the punk’s endurance.
• Call to War (Securis #90-#99, Chaotic Rhyss! #460-#500): Prescill has a lot of jobs to do during this period, getting called in to stop several heroes, but failing terribly with all of them. She was already having a hard time mentally, but she’s deteriorating fast. Eventually, she suddenly finds solace in leading Carte Blanches troupe, only to suddenly disassociate and flee back home, where she cries herself to sleep.
• End of Minerva/Owl of Minerva: Alina gets assigned to a murder case where Prescill is the culprit. Together with Abby, Alina is able to pin the murder on her, getting her a prison sentence, which Prescill is genuinely relieved about, being freed from her assassin life. Prescill finally has time to talk with Alina, and even Craid, but there is still something holding her back. A year later, Alina and Abby find out the mastermind behind Prescill’s assassin group and get them declared guilty in court. Knowing that she is not in danger anymore since her boss is in prison, Prescill takes a deal with the Last Call to work as ‘Promise’, assisting heroes with fighting villains.
• Oblivaeon/Schism (Securis #121): Promise is commanded to help Securis during the Schism conflict. Together they set up defensive plans for the multiple threats happening on earth, meeting with a bunch of heroes who might have previously fought her as a villain. Eventually, she ends up fighting back-to-back with Craid. The two share some words together, until Craid spots an energy beam coming straight for Promise. He pushes her aside, sacrificing himself for her. Craid disappears as he only leaves behind a small crater. Promise takes one of the bandages he leaves behind, and, while sobbing, declares she will make sure Craid is never forgotten.

Comic Notes (Can be expanded or retconned on whenever):

• Starts out as a minor villain called Minerva the Silent, an assassin for hire who’s great at her job since she creates entire plans around her assassinations. Probably gets hired by bigger villains. She is against killing innocents.
• Has a personal vendetta against Securis (Craid) for taking away Alina out of her life. She gives him his X-marked scar.
• Becomes good friends with Kapak slowly but surely. When Kapak becomes corrupted by his relics, she is the one that can still get through to him.
• Her Call to War conflict mostly consists out of avoiding her anxious feelings about having a worthless life by taking on as many superhero fighting jobs as possible.
• It becomes clear Prescill is very conflicted after Call to War, since she wants to do good, however her upbringing has caused her to become evil. Eventually gets the chance to save people and takes it with both hands, getting hired by the Last Call just before Oblivaeon, turning her into Promise.
• This chance comes in the form of an extended storyline in the annual series of ‘Alina and Abby: Finding Lies, Seeking Justice – End of Minerva’ which is an entire court case, resulting in Prescill being guilty and getting a life sentence
• A year later however, the same annual series comes out with ‘Owl of Minerva’, having another court case where we find out Prescill worked for a man named Thorne Clover (Lucas Rose). After this case, Prescill gets an opportunity to work for the Last Call whenever needed
• Promise eventually becomes good friends with Hecate, and ‘teaches’ Mana that she can refine her ninja skills to use for good
• Promise eventually fights next to Securis as he dissolves into nothingness by an incoming energy beam that would’ve hit her if it weren’t for Securis jumping in her stead.