Eclipse of the Gods

It took considerable audacity for one to pass a Lord of Chaos so brazenly. A more choleric Champion of the Dark Gods might have taken offence at such a perceived insult; certainly a servant of the Prince of Excess would have flayed this man alive for daring to upstage them in this manner, and doubtless one of Khorne’s rabid dogs would have separated the psyker’s head from his shoulders before he’d even taken two steps.

Ahriman’s humours were phlegmatic, however, and so he let the matter slide. It simply would not do to cast aside the one potential ally available at the moment by destroying him in a fit of pique, certainly not for so petty and likely unintentional a slight.

“Perhaps we shall,” he replied, making his way onto the lift. “And perhaps they will be courteous enough to provide us with an explanation… preferably one more coherent than these maudlin ramblings.”

Though his last words carried a hint of scorn, the sorcerer had to admit that, inane and hyperbolic though this “Joker’s” broadcast was, it nevertheless contained kernels of valuable information to be found if one had the patience to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Tedious though it was to endure such inane gossip on the topic of romance, eventually the unseen harlequin shifted to more pertinent matters; and while couched in the form of a tirade at a personal slight, what it revealed proved most interesting.

So, some unnamed entity with godlike power was responsible for gathering them all together in this place. Such a revelation was not at all surprising to the Chaos Lord; it would have taken no less a being to have spirited him away in such a manner. What its reasons were for doing so remained unknown, but Ahriman suspected he knew the answer; and at the very least, he knew that this being was offering its prisoners ‘wishes’ as an incentive to obey its commands. More to the point, the other members of this group were not united in purpose if they were squabbling with one another.

Power thrummed beneath the armoured soles of his feet as the lift came online, bearing Ahriman and his companion skyward. Unperturbed, Ahriman directed his gaze toward the roof, where the round opening to the upper floor grew steadily closer.

“So,” he mused, “it is to be a Black Crusade then…”

That was a tough question for Desco. With things as they are, everyone here was supposed to be friends. Mr. Tatu said that he wanted everyone to work together. But he had also asked if Desco knew who to trust when she first got here. But the Master had been nice to Desco and didn't blame her. This situation was too complex for the little final boss. "Desco thinks that he needs to be nicer in the future if he wants to be Desco's friend. Even though we might not be friends, Mr. Tatu wants us to work together!"

"Yes, that's the hazard of any workplace," Joker said to Desco, "being forced to work with palookas you utterly despise yet have to out of necessity *cough*Sau*cough cough*ron*cough* excuse me folks, no idea where that came from!" he apologized. "Despite that, won't be stopping me from having my men shoot Master on sight during the downtime. Nonfatally with rubber bullets, of course. Still, those things hurt like a bitch. Just ask the large welt on my kidney I've had for about a month. HA HA!!

"However, there are those among our coworkers whom I actually do like," the clown continued. "Not just you Desco, but also are resident representative of the Catholic faith, Kirei! Yes folks, this converted cold-blood killer - I mean, he has to be considering he's among US freaks - prove himself to be just as kind and generous as a true man of God when he stepped up to sacrifice one of his own wishes to give me mine after the stunt Master and that wheel chair loser attempted to do. Though ultimately in vain since our gracious employer is able to smell bullshit when he sees it, the kindness Kirei has shown me is nothing short of inspiring and makes me just wanna hug something! OOOOOOOO!" He proceeded to do just that, hugging Desco in an adorable manner. "So come on over Kirei to pick up your badge if you haven't received one yet, cuz you're automatically a member of the Joker Fan Club!

"Another man who earned automatic membership is a being known only as Tesseract," Joker continued. "This mysterious mathematical mercenary came to the rescue of some of the few mooks that I actually give a damn about, fending off against minions of a former employee that wants to start something. So come on over Tesseract and lets chew some fat metaphorically while watching my hyenas do so literally!" He turned to Desco. "You excited to meet some of the newer Overlords as well, Desco honey?" he asked her.

edited 9th Jul '14 6:50:54 PM by UdtheImp

   "A good choice, Tesseract. Your wish will be granted. Do know, however, that not even the combined strength of these soldiers will be powerful enough to go up against you. Take that piece of advice as you will- and your soldiers will be waiting at your room."    The Nomad said, snapping his fingers.    "And so is your glass of water."   

   "As for you, Yuyuko,"    Tatu continued, turning to the other Overlord.    "I shall grant you your wish, but your friends will find that a few modifications have been done to them. Uncalculable speeds will be calculable, absurd sharpness will be understandable... and you will also find your friend's music will not be extremely effective on other Overlords. They are waiting at your room."   

   The same goes for you, Medusa.    Tatu spoke to the Overlord through her mind, smiling as he snapped his fingers.    That which is immortal may now die, although, much like another Overlord, that death may be quite difficult to achieve. I do wonder about that black blood, though... they are awaiting for you at your room.   

Tatu nodded at Vaas words, tapping his finger against his chin before snapping his fingers.    "Although your dictionary is rudimentary, I understand what you mean. Your men will lack magical might, but, in human terms, they will be much stronger. You will find them waiting for you at your room."    He snapped his finger once more, turning to Aku.    "And your Ultra-Robots are waiting for you at your room."   

   "I can improve your reaction time, Nui, that is no difficult task. The world wil lnow move slower for you, as your feet will find speed never before seen in them, however, do remember the tale of the man who went too fast."    Tatu snapped his fingers, grinning, as speed was imbued into Nui's body. For the first few seconds, trying to just put one foot in front of the other would send her running forward.    "He never came back."   

Tatu could barely contain his glee at Davros' wish.    "You call a machine that can produce objects that the common human mind cannot comprehend something simple? Oh, my sweet General. Do not be deceived, I will grant you this factory. But do not attempt to create everything your mind desires, for this factory's power will not match your boundless imagination. And finally, I will make two extra modifications to your wish. It will ignore any attempts at hacking or reality-bending that do not come from me, and before the factory moves onto completing a request, it will have to be accepted by me. Those are, ah, my conditions."   

As Tatu stood in the entrance of the All-Lair, off to the side, Amon rested his head against a wall, taking deep breaths. This, this image of a panicked man was the aftermath of the aftermath of his wish. At the first moment, the man almost fell to his knees at the pain of having the knowledge of all the universes he had ever been to suddenly injected into his mind. It was equal to losing a limb, but the feeling of fullfillment... ah, it was legendary.

It was also very temporary, because not soon after, Amon realized just how unimportant he was to the history of his world. How small of a drop he was in such a gigantic sea. Every move, every attempt, every mission he had participated, it was nothing next to the titan that was history. How could he call himself the leader of such a momentary revolution, especially when compared to what came before. All of history, every kind of knowledge, every word ever written in his world... it was a blessing to be able to quote the studies of every scholar as easy as counting to ten, but at the same time, to compare his small studies to that... it was so... useless.

So as Dio and Ahriman got into the main lobby, their first sight wouldn't be just Tatu, standing proudly in front of the lift, waiting for them. It would also be Amon, clutching his own chest, as he contemplated what to do next. Would it matter? Would anyone ever even read about him? Not even taking his own life would change what he was feeling- he would just be one of many, many bodies in a bottomless hole... the word meaningless filled Amon's mind as he contemplated his own existence.. and then... in a brief second... he accepted it.

The man that was not seconds later holding back the urge to let his tears out suddenly adopted his usual hands behind his back posture and calm behavior. He took a deep breath, and walked closer to the two newcomers, eyeing them curiously. He had not forgotten what he had just learned. Yes, he was still one drop in the middle of a sea. But... he knew of that. Everyone, every single person that came before him, every leader, every King, every Fire Lord, every Avatar, they thought, they thought that they were forces of nature, when they were drops in the sea, some of them smaller than Amon. He knew who he was. He knew his place. He had a power that none of them had: endless, bountiful knowledge. And he would not be satiated until he put it to use... until he became the sea.

   "Welcome."    Tatu said to the two newcomers, clasping his hands. The Joker's voice echoed through the halls again, and the Nomad's face wrinkled up in an angry frown.    "Let me take care of that."    He snapped his fingers, and the sound of Joker's voice disappeared in the area they were in.    "Ah... a much better environment for what is about to follow. Welcome... Dio... and Ahriman. I suppose you already have ideas about where you are and why you are here. That is good. That is why I chose you. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Tatu. I am eternal. I am never-ending. And I will soon lead an army as big as the universe itself. Such a big army requires more than one leader, no matter how powerful that leader is. Such an army... requires Generals. And that is why you are here. To become the Generals of my army."   

   "You may have heard a bit of that coming from the clown's mouth. You will be my Generals, but before you can call yourselves that, you must evolve past your current states. That is why I will send you into missions with your other fellow Overlords, your teammates might I add, so that you may advance your minds and bodies. And once you return from those missions, I will reward your hard work by making your wishes come true- of course, assuming you successfully complete the mission... it's a very simple concept, is it not? And I do hope you accept this job. It will be your only job for the rest of your life, after all."   

edited 9th Jul '14 9:20:09 PM by Stratofarius

Tesseract raised an eyebrow at what Tatu had said. Was he saying that his new soldiers were weak?
Or perhaps he was saying the opposite. Perhaps Tatu was complimenting Tesseract's combat ability. Either way, Tesseract's next statement applied.
"Anyone can kill anybody, given the correct situation. The trick is not being more powerful than your opponent, it is altering the situation to best benefit yourself."

And the glass of water. It seemed Tatu's reach extended into the minds of his Generals. It was an unfelt, unopposed reach, something not even the most powerful of psychics could achieve in Tesseract's world.

Tesseract stayed outside his room for now, letting his new soldiers wait. Getting to know his fellow Generals would be more prudent at this time.

Once the lift came to a halt and the being responsible began its introduction, Ahriman listened without comment. So, his assumption that this was to be a Black Crusade had been correct, as had his rough assessment of the sort of power their hitherto-unseen host must surely wield to arrange such a thing. He studied this ‘Tatu’ as it went on, appraising the entity with a critical eye.

From a purely physical standpoint, Tatu was not especially impressive. Oh, there was no doubt that his ebony physique, muscular and inscribed with pulsating geometric lines as it was, would prove intimidating to the common man… but when one has lived in the depths of the Eye of Terror for longer than the lifetimes of most civilizations, a realm where causality, anatomy, and the very laws of physics themselves held no sway, one bears witness to all the grotesque and impossible shapes into which the human form can be twisted by the Warp. Such were the gifts of the Dark Gods, rampant and unnatural mutations bestowed as tokens of their esteem upon those worthy enough to merit their notice; and compared to these, a man whose flesh was black as coal and whose skin glowed with a ruddy inner light was almost… ordinary.

Metaphysically, it was another matter entirely. To Ahriman’s sight, power radiated from Tatu like a greasy cloud of noxious light, a toxic corona given off by a poisoned, dying star. A lesser mind would have been overwhelmed at the sight of such naked potency, and even the Chaos Lord felt a degree of wariness; this being was clearly akin to a Greater Daemon or a Daemon Prince in terms of might, and a measure of caution would be necessary in dealing with him.

Oh yes, Ahriman respected that sort of power. But he did not fear it, and he would not allow himself to be cowed by veiled, implicit threats either.

“You have strange criteria for selecting your generals, Tatu,” he said when the being had fallen silent. “If your army is to be as vast as you say, your ambitions as vast as you imply, why would you give the responsibility of commanding even a portion of it to what, if I am not mistaken, is clearly a child? For I am certain I heard a child’s naïve musings on that broadcast just now; no matter what sort of being she is, unless that girl proves to be a prodigy in the areas of strategy and tactics, I cannot imagine her accomplishing much.”

He glanced towards the hooded man at Tatu’s side as he spoke, raising an eyebrow. The mask he wore brought to mind ancient texts he had once read on the traditions of ancient Nihon, a lifetime ago, though what significance it might have had eluded the sorcerer at present. He carried himself with a calm and composed bearing, suggestive of a man in full control of his emotions; but Ahriman saw the lie for what it was. No amount of stoicism could conceal the despair which clung to him like a toxic haze of chlorine gas, or the resolution which suffused the core of his being.

This was a man who had—very recently, it seemed—been confronted with something that had shaken him to the marrow. And now he was stubbornly soldiering on, in spite of whatever it had been.

Ahriman narrowed his eyes. Nurgle’s presence was strong in this one.

The lift took us through the ceiling and into the true lobby of the tower, upon which our purpose became apparent twice in out-of-sync stereo. First from the shrill lips of the Joker, and then from our host, silencing the broadcast as he made his appearance.

It follows thus:

There is a being named Tatu, a god of sorts. Thus far, I have found no clues as to his nature, nor his true identity - within his tower, such answers likely cannot be found. I call him 'he' only because there is a certain air of masculinity around him, his way of speaking, his bearings, the way he dispenses his power unto the world. From his tower, he hopes to raise an army of incalculable scale, beyond even his own power to control.

It was he who summoned us here, all of us. I, Dio, am to become a general. My reading of the Tower was a misinterpretation - it should have been inverted, for while he demands we toil in his service to achieve this goal, he will bestow great gifts in kind. In both instances the phrasing has been 'wish', limitless in implication, bound only by imagination in application.

That I might be summoned here, is this the concept of 'gravity' at work? That alone amongst the denizens of my reality, it was I, Dio, who was chosen for such an offering, is this the pull of fate? Perhaps. Perhaps not. This servitude shall be eternal, that much was clear, the single speck of imperfection on an offer simply too good to exist unmarred. Though the power is intoxicating, I have no desire to while away my beautiful eternity beneath another man's thumb. It matters little. His conquests cannot last forever, and if he has need of generals, he is not as limitless as first appears. Given patience, circumstances shall shift and an opening will be presented, be it through force or simple charisma. Time will tell.

Most importantly, is this how I shall attain heaven?

No.

Heaven is to be my own pursuit, shared only between myself and my 'trustworthy friend'. On this matter, 'gravity' pulls in a different direction, and it is this force I shall follow. It is my vision, and while I may share it with those worthy of trust, it will always belong to me - I must be the highest power in its fulfilment. It was always intended to be this way.

Nevertheless, I accepted, though his other choices still seem strange to me. Either this Tatu is more foolish than he appears, or he sees some potential which I do not - I refer to the child, of course, though in truth her suitability is of no significance. In death I have no doubt she can be replaced, and in survival her youth may find some use against the sentimental. Perhaps she will live up to her acronym.

What happened next was telling, in many ways. Despite his earlier caution, Ahriman was more vocal, whispering its objections after only a second's thought. The significance of this still amuses me, suitable as it is to the namesake, that which encompasses only destruction and disruption, the greed inherent in such one-upmanship. In our Faustian pact, it seems, there are two devils. The soft certainty in that voice only enhanced my curiosity - in the universe it called home, it became clear to me that Ahriman was a figure of some standing, to speak with such familiarity and authority in a situation this bizarre.

But most crucially, the name provided a link between our realities, at least a single instance of shared mythology. This development I deemed worthy of investigation, but at a later date.

This is not all. Standing beside Tatu there was a man, dressed in expertly tailored robes and a mask not unlike those used in kabuki, though the patterning was different. Upon our arrival he had been under clear distress, hyperventilating and forced to support himself against a nearby wall, but by that point in the proceedings he had recovered almost entirely. My curiosity flared once more at that, and as he approached, it was to this man I stuck my gaze.

Excusing myself from my new employer with a simple nod, and knowing I would go unchallenged in the face of Ahriman's clear slight, I moved forward to greet him. Though regulated, his breathing had not yet returned to normality, and the ragged edge of each inhalation belied the graceful calmness of his posture. We were close, then, and I crossed my arms in a gesture of relaxation.

"You seem to be distressed, friend." I said, eyeing the stoic contours of his mask. There was almost a full head of height between us. "What's the matter?"

edited 14th Jul '14 6:04:53 AM by TheMalignancy

Desco's face turned slightly red as she was suddenedly hugged, but she didn't mind at all and just smiled.Desco raised her arms up into the air. "Desco is always excited to have new friends! She wants to know what species of Demon they will be."

Deep within the confines of a secluded military complex, Dr. Ivo Robotnik-more commonly known nowadays as Dr. Eggman-sat, finalizing his newest plans for world domination. It had been a while since that whole mess on the Lost Hex, and his latest humiliating defeat at the hands of his arch-nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog. Thankfully, his mustache had grown back just fine.

Before him was the blueprints for his next-and greatest-super weapon-the Death Egg Mark III! The Mark III, this triumph of engineering, would be even more powerful than his first two Death Eggs and the Space Colony ARK. A super super weapon, for sure! Sure, it was going to take considerable time and resources to actually construct, but it was all going to be worth it in the end, when he finally ruled the world.

"This is it, boys!" Dr. Eggman said, turning to his two assistant bots-Orbot and Cubot. "This new Death Egg is pure genius. With all of the improvements I've made over the previous designs, The Death Egg Mark III will be totally unstoppable!"

"Sure boss. Just like your previous super weapons have been "unstoppable", right?" Orbot stated, with his usual level of sass.

"Ay, that they were. At least they were 'til that scallywag Sonic stopped 'em," chimed in Cubot, his voice chip broken again.

"Oh, shut it you two! With the might of this new and improved Death Egg, not even that accursed Hedgehog and his annoying friends will be able to stop me! And the world will finally bow to my brilliance! This time, I will win!"

It was then that things went black, and Dr. Eggman knew no more.

—

Dr. Eggman came to in the dark. "Buh...what? What in blue blazes is going on?" Fumbling in the dark, he found a handle. Forcing the pod door open, Eggman emerged, and took note of surroundings.

"This is not my base."

Dr. Eggman was not pleased with the situation at hand. He was in some sort of long dead forest, surrounded by broken egg-shaped pods (not of his design, unfortunately). "Where the heck am I!" Eggman yelled, his anger rising. One moment he'd been in his base, scheming, and now he was in some godforsaken wasteland. "Oh, this is just great!" he said to himself.

It was then that an image flashed in his mind, an image of a tower. "Hmm?" Utilizing his goggles to get a better look around, Eggman noticed that same tower off in the distance. "Curious. Well, at least it looks like I know where I'm heading, then." As strange as the vision had been, there might be some sort of technology at that tower that would allow him to contact his forces and get out of here.

Given the considerable distance between where the Doctor was and the Tower, there was no way a genius of his caliber was going to just walk there. Thankfully, there seemed to be bits of metal and machinery strewn about the area. Thanks to his considerable genius, in almost no time at all he had a working Extreme gear hover board ready and rearing to go. "It's no Egg Mobile, but it'll do in a pinch," Eggman said, proud of his genius.

As Dr. Eggman rode his way to the tower, he thought about his current predicament. Seeing how he had woken up in a pod, it was more than obvious that someone had brought him here. Whoever had brought him here had also most likely implanted that vision of the tower in his head. Through magic, perhaps? But why? For what purpose? Something was going on here, and Dr. Eggman planned on getting to the bottom of it.

At last, he reached the massive tower, and the smaller buildings around it. He wished he was more armed, but seeing as whoever owned this tower a. apparently had the power to transport him here from his own base without him being aware of it and b. had had ample time to attack him in some way or form during his trek here, this concern was probably unnecessary. Hopping off his extreme gear and entering the tower, he noticed two things; the lift, and the desecrated remains of a Robot. "Oh, I do hate to see good machinery wasted," Eggman said, examining the intricately and sadly ruined robot. "What a pity."

Finally walking on to the lift, Eggman turned it on. Riding the lift, Eggman heard a shrill voiced man called the Joker and the voice of a child named Desco talking about overlords, demons, and gods, though he had arrived to late to overhear anything about what Tatu wanted and the wishes. Given all of his prior experience messing about with gods and monsters, Eggman didn't have a hard time believing what he was hearing. Still, it was best to see things for himself . "Time to finally get to the bottom of this. Or top. Whichever" he muttered, hands behind his back, as the lift carried him up to the main room.

edited 12th Jul '14 1:15:12 AM by Dezmo

"Most likely the human kind, but you nenver really know," Joker said.

"Well, that's all the time we have!" he continued. "Before I go, a big, big shout out to mah main dragon Alduin, for distracting that other big ole dragon and giving our team a fighting chance! More than what Master did, anyway. So tune in next time after our next adventure-slash-slaughterfest! And remember: Look for the Arkham symbol on the front. Its my door, and its always open! Except you Master. Goodbye everyone! Say goodbye Desco."

After Desco says goodbye, the familiar ending chime rings out.

Zeal watched as Davros made his wish to Tatu for an Omnifactory, and Tatu granted the wish... with caveats, namely caveats which granted Tatu ultimate control over the factory. To Zeal, this meant that Tatu is not going to grant wishes that could potentially lead to him losing control of his generals. That was actually smart, but it did mean that any rebellion against Tatu was nigh-impossible. Given Davros' wish for an omnifactory as well as Koschei's wish for infinite minerals and Amon's wish for expanded knowledge, an alliance between those three could be unstoppable so it would be best to have.

"I must say that that was an interesting wish and one that will certainly be useful for our alliance," Zeal said in respect to Davros and opened the door to leave, spotting Greed heading over here. "I do have affairs to take care of and a wish to get granted."

Zeal soon left the room that she had been in with Koschei and Davros to notice that that court jester's commentary was silenced in the hall. Zeal looked around to spot two figures looking at Amon somewhat concerned. Amon looked to have been overwhelmed by the extent of his wish, but Amon soon attempted to regain his composure. The first looked to be a mere blond muscle man. The second was unnaturally huge and definitely looked imposing in his armor. There was a third leaving the lift on the other end of the hall, a tall fat bald man wearing a red and black outfit and with the most impressive red mustache she had ever seen.

"He is... recovering from his wish," Zeal said to the two men in a contemplative tone, having overheard what they were talking about. "As for little Desco... I assume Lord Tatu has his reasons for choosing her."

edited 12th Jul '14 8:00:25 PM by GameGuruGG

"Goodbye everyone!" Desco swiveled around in her chair. "That was fun! But Desco wants to go see if she can find other new Overlords." Desco said her goodbyes to Joker and on the Radio show and made her way back out into the tower to find these new Overlords. She got lost in the complex labyrinth inside the tower. Although her excitement destroyed her sense of direction, she eventually found someone she hadn't seen before. Was big and tall. Desco stood in awe at the appearance of the shadowy figure with fire for eyebrows. Desco's tail slithered out from under her dress and she pushed back, balancing herself on the tail with hands above her head and legs pointed out showing her excitement. "You look awesome! I'm Desco! Who are you?"

edited 13th Jul '14 3:29:11 PM by StephanReiken

The Master turns towards Davros with a smirk on his face. No objections here. Time to see him reveal itself. And soon after...the Time War will end tonight. One way or another.

The Master soon follows Zeal out of the room and looks at the new arrivals. He notices Dio firstly. OK there's something about him that seems...off even for this lovely gang. I'll speak to him later. He then notices Eggman. OK he seems more fitting for the clown. But then again there's been a few lovely surprises Tatu has shown. Tatu must have had a reason. Speak to soon.

He then notices Ahriman. Even without trying to examine him, the residual Warp energy suddenly causes him to recoil back. Now that's interesting! Wonder what that would do to those born psychic without my current wishes protecting my mind. May need to talk to this warrior soon. See what that recoil was.

Tatu nodded, holding his chin and giving Ahriman a warm smile- or the closest equivalent of a warm smile that a Nomad could give.    "As the wise man once said, never judge a book by its cover."    There was a puff of red, deep smoke behind Ahriman, as a copy of Tatu only visible to him appeared behind the imposing Overlord.    "For example, right behind you, marches out someone who looks more like a giant ball of fat who suddenly sprouted legs and decided that it had a brain when it couldn't even be considered a living being. But would you believe it if I said that it contains one of the most dangerous minds in this building? Yet, it disguises itself as a bumbling fool... perhaps it would be wise to coax it out of its proverbial shell?"   

The copy disappeared as the main Tatu focused on Eggman, raising his finger to silence any questions.    "Ah, Doctor Eggman. Glad you could join us. And so helpful that you listened to the last few minutes."    He snapped his fingers, adding the explanation he had delivered to Ahriman and Dio about who he was and what they were going to do to the good doctor's memories, something he would remember in no time.    "It saves us so much time, does it not?"   

Amon's eyes did not move, and he remained focused on the spot Dio once stood. "You cannot see the sweat rolling down my forehead, or the trembling grip of my hands," His grip strengthened once he mentioned this. "Yet you correctly assume that I am in a state of distress. That is a formidable skill, and I presume that it is not the only one you possess. Before I return your respectful approach with an equally respectful response, may I inquire who you are so as to see if you truly deserve it?" At this, Amon finally moved his head to lock eyes with Dio, and true to the man's words, there was a drop of sweat calmly rolling down his eyebrows, clearly visible from Dio's position.

Aku was pleased that he once again had his Ultra-Robots under his control. Aku had great intentions for the machines before the Samurai destroyed them. But before Aku could begin planning how he'd use his newly acquired robots, Desco interrupted his train of thought with praise. Not one to ignore a compliment, Aku looked down upon Desco and bellowed "Of course I am awesome! I am Aku, The Master of Masters, The Deliverer of Darkness and The Shogun of Sorrow!" Once he'd finished introducing himself, Aku gave Desco a once over before saying "Hmmm... You seem like you would make a powerful minio- I mean ally. What exactly are you?"

Ahriman’s only reaction as clouds of red smoke wafted around him from behind and the voice of Tatu began to whisper in his ear was to narrow his eyes faintly. If such tawdry parlor tricks were meant to impress him, the daemon would be sorely disappointed; trickery and misdirection were the proverbial bread and butter of the adherents of Tzeentch, and to one of Ahriman’s stature this display was almost crude.

Nevertheless he turned, laying eyes upon the being who had ridden the lift up from below. It was a man, he saw, overweight, out of shape, and save for a bristling mustache without a hair to be seen on his ovular dome of a head. The goggles he wore spoke of a mechanistic persuasion, and with the red hue of his peculiar jumpsuit they suggested a neophyte of the Mechanicum… save, of course, for the distinctive skull-and-cog emblem that was the tech-priesthood’s insignia. Also lacking were any obvious augmetics; were this man truly a member of the Martian Priesthood with any standing, he surely would have had a servo-harness with mechadendrites attached to his back at the very least.

But then, Ahriman reminded himself, this man was likely not from his own reality. The Chaos Lord could not necessarily take the truths he’d once considered universal for granted, in this scenario.

As he listened to Tatu greet this newcomer—a Doctor Eggmann, it transpired—and explain the situation, a cold smile spread across the sorcerer’s lips. So, that was the fiend’s game.

+I must compliment you on your silver tongue, Tatu.+ The words were not spoken aloud, instead echoing within the uppermost layers of the creature’s mind. +From such a courteous introduction, one would never think you held your ‘generals’ in such contempt. I see your allusion to that old saying about books and covers was quite apt. Be that as it may,+ he went on, +I will play your little game for now.+

With those silent, unspoken words he turned and unhurriedly strode in the direction his golden-haired companion had gone. The psyker—Dio, if he had heard his name correctly—stood some distance away, conversing with the masked man they’d seen upon their arrival.

“I shall acquaint myself with this place,” he announced once he was close enough. “I would know this place, and the beings who dwell within it, if they are to be our headquarters and comrades-in-arms. It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ser Dio.”

He turned away then, and began to walk away; but as he did so, the Chaos Lord impressed a thought into Dio’s mind. +A word of warning; take nothing Tatu says at face value.+

Desco righted her body as Aku spoke, only to bounce back on her tail again. "Cool~, you sound like you might be a Final Boss just like Desco and Zeal!" Then the dark mage asked about Desco. "You want to know about Desco? Okay! Um, Desco is an Artifical Demon created by Humans." Desco summoned Yogsothoth, the many tentacled creature appearing suddenly behind Desco, and Desco herself rising into the air slightly with Yog's inherent properties. "Desco didn't see you in the challenge, Aku. Are you a new Overlord? Would you like to be friends with Desco?"

edited 14th Jul '14 6:00:29 PM by StephanReiken

You couldn't do half of the things you claim to do. Greed growled back, a slight falter in his voice being hidden by newfound roughness. But fine. I have too many things to handle. A truce is acceptable.

Without a word of warning, Zeal would feel Greed's hand twisting around her waist, bringing her closer as he contemplated the new arrivals- and Amon's bizarre state- with the same smarmy grin. "Fresh meat?" He asked. "Good. I'm Greed. This is Zeal." He took one look at Dio's body, and then chuckled, trying to take Zeal away from that scene. "Come on. We have much more important things to deal with." He took her chin, bringing her closer. " Why... I think it's about time you left your human body behind, is it not? "

Zeal smiled a bit and simply nodded to Greed as he grabbed her waist and carried her off.

"I suppose I should be off then," Zeal waved bye to Dio, Ahriman, and Eggman, as she put her arms around Greed's neck in more of an embrace. She was absolutely giddy with anticipation now... Immortality was close enough that she could taste it on her lips. Becoming an immortal queen was once more within her grasp... the dream that she had achieved once was about to be achieved again.

edited 14th Jul '14 7:30:15 PM by GameGuruGG

" Although, it will hurt. A lot. And if you don't get through this successfully... " Greed looked off the side, frowning for an instant. " You'll die. No ifs, ands or butts. Are you ready to do this? " He asked as he opened the door to his own room. " If you wince or falter for just a moment, it's all over. I'm going to need your full strength for this. "

"Do it now, before I change my mind," Queen Zeal knew that if she was given time to think, her fear of death would be enough to overwealm her desire to become immortal. She could not allow herself to be given that option. Even when deciding to draw power from Lavos, she had to do it lest she and her entire kingdom perish as the previous source of power for the Kingdom of Zeal, the Sun Stone, had finally been drained of the last of its power. She was ready for immortality... She was always ready for immortality. In any case, she readied herself for the fight of her life for it very well may be.

Greed smiled at Zeal's response, closing the door behind her. "Of course." He caressed his cheek, his thumb turning into a small knife which slashed at her skin, opening up a small wound. "Accept it... and you will become more than human."

He reached towards his forehead, an eye opening up on it, its purple iris staring down at Zeal as it squeezed out a small drop of red liquid which rested on the middle of Greed's hands. "You will become Lust." The homunculus muttered as he took the drop towards the wound on her cheek and slowly dropped it inside, watching as the liquid entered her wound, closing it up immediately.

Greed's hands quickly travelled to hold Zeal down, as the stone would start to react with her bloodstream and the transformation would begin. Just like he had said before, it would be extremely painful. And Zeal had one choice: either accept Lust or die. He didn't know what would come out on the other side- if it would still be Zeal or if it would be someone else- but... he was quite excited for the result, even as red energy crackled around Zeal's body, her inner organs being rewritten to grant her the immortality of the homunculi.

Zeal screamed out in utter pain... writhing in mind-numbing pain in Greed's hold as her internal organs began rewriting themselves to become more akin to Greed... to become the homunculus Lust. However, unlike what Ling had experienced, the desire deep in Zeal's heart was to become immortal no matter the cost. So it was because of that desire... that lust for immortality... that the screams of Queen Zeal became psychotic laughter as she accepted her new role. Her very skin and body began to burn and rewrite itself... herself, her light blue hair darkening and her eyes changing into the color of mauve. Her body continued burning with desire, burning with Lust... Queen Zeal was becoming younger and much more shapely and attractive... It looked like her body was trying to turn into the Lust he knew as if having Lust's hot and sexy body was part and parcel of being Lust... The skin above her breasts which was hidden behind the front piece of metal which connected her shoulder pads began to look like it was burning... as if it were branding her with an unseen mark... the Ouroboros mark which identified her as a homunculus.

Soon the changes were complete as her body settled for looking like a fusion of Zeal and Lust. She was hotter and sexier with a young, attractive, shapely body and had the Ouroboros mark, mauve eyes and darker hair of Lust, but the dark hair color was blue in color akin to Zeal's own hair color and she was still wearing Zeal's now ill-fitting outfit. Her psychotic laughter soon died down and she moaned, wanting to heal from the utter pain and torment her mind and body had just experienced firsthand.

"I am Lust... but I am also Zeal," Zeallust whispered to Greed as she panted, trying to ensure him that she was still herself. "That was delightful, Greed."

edited 15th Jul '14 1:09:59 AM by GameGuruGG

Medusa stood by and watched as Tatu started granting the wishes of some of the others. He was apparently sending the wished for servants to their rooms, something she wasn't aware they had before this point. Then when it came for her turn, for some reason he spoke into her mind instead of out loud like with the others. Why? What purpose did doing so serve. He did not seem to mention anything deserving the privacy that she could imagine. Was it to unnerve her? Having someone prod around your mind was something that she wasn't comfortable with to be sure. This Tatu was not as simple to understand as she was used to dealing with.

He mentioned an immortal becoming mortal, meaning Free was not as useful of a meat shield as he was before. Probably still useful though. What did catch her attention though was his comment on the black blood. That took quite a bit of research and experimentation to complete. If something had tempered with all of that work, it would be infuriating to say the least. Medusa kept her pleasant outward demeanor through all of this and waited for the last wish to be granted. Once Nui got her wish, Medusa gave a slight bowing of her head in thanks and requested "Now that our wishes have been granted, May I be excused to fill in my team on what is going on?"

Teridax

When Greed answered, the presence in his mind got up and left. He could feel it: there was neither the sensation of psychic probing nor the unhealthy feeling of being watched- his thoughts were now undisturbed and his shadows unmolested. Teridax stuck to his side of the bargain it would seem.

He would be a fool if he thought that.

Teridax knew it was only a matter of time before this upstart tried to challenge his dominion. The inevitable battle of shadows and the contest of wills; Teridax smirked- he relished that encounter. He wanted to see this meat ball scream in agony as he has his shadows torn away from him, he wanted to see the thing kneel and beg for mercy. All in good time. For now, he had need of other pursuits. His intrigued mind now wholly focused, noticed a meeting of two overlords in a sealed room not too far away. That may be of interest later, unfortunately Tatu was there and meddling would be unwise.

More importantly, the source of his intrigue had finally revealed itself- two new additions no doubt to Tatu's little gathering. There was a flamboyantly dressed human male accompanied by a truly imposing suit of armor; while the golden haired man's swagger was worth investigating, it was the suit of armor- or more importantly- what was inside the suit of armor that took Teridax' attention. It could be no ordinary being; never has Teridax encountered someone so...unique. The Mask of Shadows grew hot as it resonated with the darkness inside.

But it wasn't just darkness. It was a glorious conglomeration of chaos. As he looked upon Ahriman, an imaged appeared in Teridax' mind of a vast desert, its boundaries ever broadening and its shifting sands ever changing. Along with that mental image, Teridax felt an impressive weight on his mind: the sign of a powerful Psychic. As one with great power in the mind and will, Teridax felt Ahriman's presence keen like a rock in his side.

Almost as keenly as he would another Makuta.

But he knew this was no Makuta. This was some paltry being snatched from his home at the trivial whims of an idiot god. A pang of intense jealousy shivered its way through Teridax as he realised that this pawn was every bit the symbol of fear as he had been back in his own little world. Oh how small his goals had been- overthrowing Mata nui? The conquest of a single measly little universe? Disgusting. And Tiny. A petty dream for a little fool trying to spin his own little cobwebs. He thought his grand plans were glorious- all those miserable Toa slaving away towards his goal without the slightest inkling what their actions were truly doing; but now, now he realised that he was but one tiny little spider.

There were larger spiders than him here and one was standing before him.

As apprehensive as he was of talking overmuch, today Teridax let himself give in to curiosity. More information needed to be known about this monster. A gesture and a few words would suffice in being the bait.

Ahriman would feel also a presence in his mind- a roving psyker as he would categorize it but one who's presence stank with an emptiness that could never be filled. A darkness like a gaping pit would be his first impression, and then a single word- low yet not grating- echoing in the shallow confines of the surface in his mind .

   Welcome   

edited 15th Jul '14 1:40:30 AM by biomechtraveler