sword of promised halp
Monster Metropolis
He stood, dull-eyed. Then the fires of hell flowed through his veins and his skin recoiled. He gasped, like his lungs had burst.
Brimstone and tar and pitch, burning blue and black. The shrieks of a million tortured souls. And his own soul dwindling, falling, fighting, into the blackness, into the endless wrath of God Himself.
He fell to his knees, screaming inside.
Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee.
"My love."
Kirei's lips parted in faint surprise. He turned and her arms were around him, her fingers swan-feathers on his hard dusty neck.
"Claudia," he said, but the memory was too far away. Nothing came.
His wife laughed, a hacking peal of delight. She was hanging light off him, her white slip billowing. She nuzzled his cheek and her eye-bandage brushed his brow.
"Oh, Kirei, my love. We're going to have a baby."
"Caren," he said in his cut-cable voice. "Her name is Caren and she will never know her mother." But his voice vanished across time's silent reaches.
Claudia beamed and dropped to the ground. Even now her bones dug into him, disease-worn. Like fraying toothpicks. Just one brush -
No, no. If he could love anything it would be a dying girl.
"No words, my love? I knew it. You're just as delighted as me, aren't you?"
Their marriage was a ravine. She was the shining village maiden, smoothing the sheer drops with nothing but her beloved's likeness.
"Yes."
This lie was real. He had said it back then.
"You love me, don't you?"
"Yes."
She cupped his cheeks in her quivering hands, ran them over his melancholy edges.
"You're a good man, Kirei. God will save you."
And she had kissed him, pouring her desperate self into his empty aching soul.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
"My love! What are you doing to Caren? No, stop!"
The scream stopped him. He looked, dazed, at the wailing baby under his arm. Down at the kitchen table, at the scattered knives. At the hilt just brushing his fingers.
"I... she was crying..."
She stormed up, snatched the bundle, and with all the strength she could muster slapped him in the face. Any harder and her hand would have shattered. As it was her bones nearly bent.
"You... I...." breathed Claudia, lips white.
He touched his unmarred cheek. Her gasps gave way to helpless wails. He took a step forwards, arms wavering useless at his waist.
"Claudia, I don't know what happened. Forgive me."
"Don't worry," choked Claudia. "It doesn't matter. You're a good man, Kirei. I know it."
His hands fell. Mother and child huddled until only one was crying.
Jesus.
He gave her the last rites and stood back.
"My love."
Her voice shone pale at the edges, like bright patches of skull. She lay in their bed like a corpse. The sickness had nibbled and gnawed and finally torn at her, invisible teeth taking more flesh with every passing day.
"Come here, my love."
The room loomed silent. He touched her cheek, feeling the bone beneath.
"I'm leaving now. We'll meet in heaven, my love. Take good care of Caren. I know you can. You will."
She wandered, breathless, then seemed to remember. A clatter of pills. She opened the bottle, wrestling, and sighed as it popped open.
He watched as she emptied it, slow and intent. He did not stop her, though his hands were shaking. Capsules spilled on her dress and lodged in her teeth. She swallowed and choked and coughed and choked again. Then she composed herself. Saliva ran down her neck, bubbling peaceably.
"Oh, no. You shouldn't cry for me," she breathed. But she was smiling, like it was all she'd hoped for.
It was the last thing she said before the convulsions.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
And there was the truth. The truth that drove all hope of salvation from his eyes.
He should have loved her. He wanted to love her. He had married her to love her. But her love sparked nothing. He was the abyss, with only one desire. She had thrown her all into him, believing, and smiling she had broken to pieces in his depths.
He had not cried because Claudia was dying. The tears had sprung unbidden from his soul.
She was leaving by her own hand. He would never get to kill her himself.
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
The vision faded. He uncurled, blinking stupidly. Stood. Then his hand burnt white-hot and he doubled over grimacing. Blood spurted into his teeth.
The Keyhilts clattered to the ground, one by one, like red-hot brands.
"What..."
He stood, head ringing. His tongue sealed over. He felt his long hair, hanging jagged to his collar. His limbs throbbed lithe with supple strength.
"What have I..."
He picked up a shard of glass and looked into his own eyes, and then he knew.
Sulfur yellow, bruised violet. The eyes of a devil.
"Hey, Master? Hate to pry, but you're not looking too..."
Kirei fell to his knees, sinking into glass and concrete. His hands felt for the hissing hilts like so many coins, even as he snarled in agony.
"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
He plunged. The Keys bit deep into his shoulder. He shuddered once and pulled them out. Black blood ran down his vestments.
"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
He plunged into his side. This time he let the Keys linger. He groaned once, deep, in palpable agony. Twisted, withdrew. Black pooled beneath him like mud.
Nothing. Nothing. Not a sinner, a devil. The absence of the Divine smothered his soul. Sweat broke across his brow. In a fit of despair he placed the blades at his throat.
"Lord, have mercy on me! Have mercy, Lord!"
He plunged and black spurted across his vision. He plunged into darkness, screaming.
Lancer stood above his fallen Master and looked nonchalant. There was a furrow on his brow where the skin had gone. Already it was healing.
The burgundy nubs lay scattered on the ground. Gae Bolg's butt dripped black.
"Sorry about that. Still kinda need you to stay in the world."
The Servant hefted Kirei over his shoulder like a light bunch of kindling. He turned, raising an eyebrow at the assembled monsters.
"And what do you want, beasties? Got my hands full here."
edited 3rd Jul '15 3:33:36 AM by troydenite
'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023
Did you know this section has a character limit?
Tesseract - Attilan
Cameras in the mortar. Motion sensors along the walls. Difficult, but doable.
Surprisingly enough, the cameras would be the difficult part. For the motion sensors, he could just cut the alarm. They'd pick up their motion, but a system like this wouldn't be set to record it. Only set off the alarm when it detected motion.
The cameras were a different story. In a place like this, they wouldn't just be recording devices: they'd be a monitored system. Human beings were a perceptive bunch, they'd notice the cameras going down. If he had gotten time for recon, he could acquire or jury-rig a device to record a few minutes of footage and play it in a loop. But he didn't have that information, and he didn't have that device.
He pulled his knife and started cutting into the mortar on the bricks around the ones that contained a motion sensor. At the very least, he could cut the alarms from the motion sensors.
He thought for moment, before glancing at one of the cameras. Being in a sewer they were probably waterproof, but he checked to see if they weren't.
Sy Duir - Space Base
Sy stared at Tatu for a moment, thinking about it.
"Tesseract is one of the best fighters in the world. World's best assassin. Smart guy. But half the population of this planet seems to able to lift cars. Now we, us soldiers, we use guns and swords and laser eyes... we can take people out before they get to the point where super strength is useful."
"Tesseract's pretty good at the guns and swords too, but he's a hand-to-hand guy. So, there's a bunch of people here he can't even touch, while they can turn him into a red splodge on the wall."
Sy glanced at the Overlords who were present in the Space Base, the craziest bunch of psychopaths you'd meet outside of a maximum security prison.
"And we'd kinda prefer to remain in his employ." They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
Dipper fan
Blackfire—Space Base
"If you invite me out, You can have all the secrets you want," Blackfire replied to Chase while hiding the USB, with the virus, on her clothes.
While she didn't know that Luthor had betrayed them as her thoughts were lost on someone else. When she figured it out, what she did to the martian,burning him alive, would be a mercy in comparison.
edited 26th May '15 11:32:53 AM by RPGLegend
Forgiveness is beyond justice, faith is superior than hope, redemption is better than perfection and love is greater than them all.
Menardi - Space Base
Menardi opened her mouth to give an angry answer, but stopped herself just in time.
"Yeah, okay. If the conquest can wait for cake."
To have her impatience stalled by tea and sweets would maybe have surprised those that didn't know Menardi well. But she had questions that perhaps the space-god would be willing to discuss over tea.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
Vampire Hunter
Schala
"...They're coming soon, aren't they?" Schala asked Tatu nervously unsure if she was out of line with her question as she flew over to Menardi, suspecting something was off when he was being reluctant to send Tesseract and Menardi on missions. "Not the heroes on the planet, but the ones Loki had warned about... the heroes of other worlds."
edited 27th May '15 12:03:30 AM by GameGuruGG
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Ahriman—Realm of Man-Eating Shadows
Beneath his helmet, Ahriman smiled.
+Good. And for acknowledging your place, I shall grant you a reward…+
With those words the Chaos Lord unfolded his arms and held his hands parallel, one over the other. Flickering motes of blue and gold light began to gather in the air between his open palms, drawing upon his will to enact one final spell for the time being. That light solidified, condensed, took shape, its true form revealed in a matter of seconds.
It was a small thing, scarcely the length of a grown man’s hand and much thinner besides. It writhed in the air, hissing softly, its form colour and translucent, resembling nothing so much as one of the polychaete worms that swam through the ocean depths of a dozen worlds. Bristly appendages sprouted from every segment of its body, brushing against each other with a persistent scratching sound as it coiled and twisted, and its head was little more than a cone, topped with a round orifice full of rasping teeth—the jaws of the legendary lamprey, said to have swam through Terra’s seas in the distant past.
+This creature is an aether worm,+ he explained, +A psychic symbiont.+
His spell completed, the Chaos Lord lowered one arm. The worm hovered above his open palm, levitating an inch above the surface of his astral body, squealing softly in what could have been distress. But as Ahriman held his hand out towards the crucified form of Doctor Strange, the worm quieted, its bristles quivering even as the rest of its body went completely still.
Then it sprang into motion, launching itself at the Sorcerer Supreme like a bolt of blue-gold lightning. In the span of a thought it had latched itself onto the side of his head, and with a distinct rasping noise, it began worrying its way into his skull!
+Do not struggle, Stephen; let the aether worm do its work.+ Even as Ahriman said this, Strange would realize that there was no pain, psychic or otherwise. +Let it burrow deep into the meat of your mind. Once it has entrenched itself, the aether worm will strengthen your mystic powers and shield your mind from hostile intrusion, psychic, sorcerous or otherwise.+
Left unsaid, of course, was what else it could do. The aether worm was not a symbiont, but a parasite; the sorcerer-technocrats of Q’Sal, the makers of this spell, had devised it as a means of spying on one another. It was true that the worm would protect its host from all forms of telepathic assault, and that it would enhance his sorcerous abilities ever so slightly; but to the sorcerer who conjured the aether worm, the parasite provided nigh-unfettered access to the victim’s mind. More than that, the worm was loyal to its conjurer and would prevent its host from acting against him. In the event that Stephen Strange’s allegiance was feigned, or that others managed to free him from Ahriman’s influence, the aether worm would provide an effect failsafe—a means of shutting him down quickly, should the need arise.
By this point, the worm had finished burrowing its way into Strange’s head. The rasping entry wound on his astral body quickly closed, healing over as if he had never been touched; and on his physical body in distant Salem, there would of course be no wound to speak of.
+The aether worm will live for only nine days, Stephen,+ he cautioned. +When it dies, the benefits it has granted you will die with it. You must return to me when that time comes, so that I may renew your protection.+ Ahriman then nodded at his daemonic servant. +You may release him, Zarathos.+
Once that was done, Ahriman took up his Black Staff once more. +Remember my orders, Stephen Strange, and return whence you came. Do not fail me.+ Here he turned to face Zarathos. +When the time is right, I shall summon you forth into the corporeal world, and our enemies shall tremble in fear of your might. But until that day comes, you must be patient and bide your time.+
The Chaos Lord’s cape began to billow, caught in the grip of an intangible wind. His astral form began to change, shrinking down, his armoured frame becoming slimmer and more in proportion with baseline humanity.
“Now then,” said Doctor Doom, “back to Latveria.”
With those words, the Chaos Lord’s astral form discorporated—
And his physical body sucked in a deep breath as he reawakened.
Hoarfrost covered the inner surface of his steel cocoon in a greasy patina, psychic phenomena born of protracted use of the Warp. Some of it coated his armour as well, though it was already thawing, dripping onto his armrests and the floor at his feet.
Taking a moment to familiarize himself with his corporeal senses, and to make sure that his image inducer and mass displacement field were working properly, Victor von Doom returned the Black Staff of Ahriman to its hidden compartment in the throne’s base, then pressed the concealed button that would make his protective shell retract back into its housing.
He would be lying if he said that he did not feel some satisfaction in the outcome of this latest altercation. Not only had he kept Strange from exposing his identity, but he’d gained two powerful new servants in the bargain. But on the other hand, he was angry. Strange had come sniffing around, all but expecting to find an imposter in Doom’s chair. It could only mean that the others, his fellow Overlords, had done something to arouse suspicion, something to give away their objectives.
Eyes narrowed, Doom rose from his throne and strode over to the computers lining one wall. It took only seconds to bring up news reports video recordings and live streams from dozens of different news outlets.
What he saw did not please him at all.
Highly conspicuous brawls in Central City and Madripoor… Atomic detonations in the Himalazias… The destruction of the city of Troy… And now this travesty unfolding in Washington. Doom watched, silent, stone-faced, as an assemblage of twenty-six of this world’s most powerful heroes—the Justice League and the Avengers—went on stage to tell the whole world that they knew about the invasion, that they knew the Overlords had been killing and taking the identities of various supervillains.
Then a twenty-seventh—Anthony “Tony” Stark, codenamed “Iron Man,” a man that Victor von Doom had fought many times if his stolen memories were any indication—arrived on the scene, and pandemonium ensued. Doom’s armoured fingers gripped the console so hard that they left crimp marks in the metal, a low growl building in his throat as the security detail of SHIELD agents seemingly went berserk and started to fire on the speakers, with one of them—clearly being used as a psychic puppet—taking up a handheld augmitter in order to rant and rave about how it would exterminate the human race. As if that weren’t bad enough, several of the reporters present had managed to capture footage of Iron Man and his fellow Avenger, the Vision, doing battle with each other in the sky; one of them was clearly an imposter, and it did not take a genius to figure out which. The timing of this insanity was entirely too fortuitous for it to have been anyone other than Stark.
What the hell was that fool doing?! Did he want to validate everything Captain America had just said and galvanize the rest of the world’s heroes against the Overlords?
“Incompetence,” he said through tightly-clenched teeth. “Such galling incompetence…”
The Danse Macabre Codex
huzzaaaaaaaah
Attilan
Surprisingly, they weren't waterproof. They shared with the tunnel's 'retro' aesthetic, and Tesseract could see that they seemed more at home in the 80s than in the current decade.
As if reading his mind, Amon pulled up a ball of water and let it hover next to Tesseract's head...
Doomstadt
"Father?"
Kristoff's voice came from the door, as the boy made his way in, giving his father the usual respectful bow. "Sorry for interrupting you, Father. I know I am supposed to ask you for your permission, but... I received a rather distressful image. Have you been watching the events happening in Washington DC?" He reached into his robes, pulling out two letters.
"You have been summoned by a Security Council of the United Nations. Due to your expertise on the subject of threats both from and out of this world... and considering your participation in several world-threatening events— their words, not mine, Father—" Kristoff cleaned his throat. "The Security Council requires your services in the protection of Planet Earth."
"The second one is from him... Norman Osborn." He revealed the second letter, containing an encrypted address in the internet. "He said it's a Code 616." Also known, as Doom's memories could tell Ahriman, as the code all of Earth's most wanted used to visit a private internet chat room and talk amongst themselves when the Earth was threatened by outside forces. Doom had used it several times... if only to work out ways to do what the heroes could not do and truly save the Earth. Each of the villains had a personal password, and Doom's was the most important day of his life...
China
Underneath the factory floor, Yuyuko would find the nuclear warheads Ultron had mentioned, all of them neatly arranged on launching stations, spread across a long, seemingly endless underground section- which through rough calculations Yuyuko could see extended all the way to the lake. The nukes continued to count down not to launch, but to self-destruction...
Kahndaq
Although the lightning had done enough to actually enhance a bit of Adam's strength, nothing had given him more reason to fight than seeing Dio fall into one of his city's religious locations and knowing that he would probably the end the life of many more, punishing innocent believers for following what they believe. By now, Adam's teeth had been gritted for so long, they were ready to crack and splinter into a thousand pieces, his controlled breathing replaced by animalistic panting.
"They have told me enough." Adam spoke, his voice echoing through the mosque as he stood eerily still, ears perked up and capturing every sound Dio and his Stand produced. "That you are a devil, a hufash. Vampire, in the English tongue. They warned me that you would try and devour my citizens for their flesh and blood, for although you pride yourself in being superior, the truth is that you are not worth more than the sand that flies through the night skies of Kahndaq. Sand..." The sound of his fists clenching rang through the mosque. "That is what you will become by the end of this skirmish."
"I care not for the future of others. As long as my citizens are safe, as long as my gods smile upon me, I shall be happy. How about I provide a bit of clairvoyance for you as well, hufash? I can see, through the wisdom of Zehuti, that your body and your head are two separate things. I do not know how you joined them, though I do not doubt the answer involves foul, revolting magic. It does not matter. For your insolence, I shall rip your head from your neck. I will keep you alive... stored in a glass case. And I shall parade you in front of those you wanted to consume. Humanity will laugh at you, and as long as Black Adam exists, you will suffer, hufash."
"So says Black Adam, and Black Adam's word is the law in Kahndaq."
Monster Metropolis
A dapper looking zombie wearing dirty rags with missing spots- that had apparently been used to patch up his own skin- stepped forward, his only working eye looking down at where Shiklah's body last rested. "What of us? Who will lead us?" He asked, coarsely. "He killed Queen Shiklah. He is King of the Monsters now, no?"
Space Base
Wilhelmina winced, her eyes dazing around as if she was drunk. "A man in green... with horns... told us how to avoid being tricked by you. He wanted us to win... lied to us... told us you could be killed with acid... liar man, lied to us..." She mumbled, her head leaning back and forth, bobbing to an unseen beat.
One of the Housekeepers- the silver faceless robots Tatu had summoned to take care of the Space Base whilst the Overlords were away- approached Chase with clasped hands. "You are looking for nuclear weapons in China, yes?" It asked, pointing to one of the screens. "We have detected signs of nuclear warheads being activated on a location in China, currently being visited by the Overlord Yuyuko. "
"If you think so, Sy, let Tesseract go after him. But know this," Tatu raised his finger. "A storm is on the horizon. And a storm waits for no one. Not even someone like him. It's a double-edged sword, you see."
Tatu and Menardi appeared in a now empty Space Base- well, empty except for them, a table, and various types of cupcakes and delicious baked goods. The Housekeepers stood by the table, carrying trays of tea, as Tatu adjusted the sleeves of his robe, raising his tea cup for one of the Housekeepers to fill it. "Menardi, my dear. Something seems to trouble you. How about you share it with me?"
Washington DC
Teridax's mental attack on the Vision forced him to stop and concentrate, activating all sorts of firewalls and backups he had for exactly that kind of occasion. No. You are wrong. Vision's voice echoed right back at Teridax, straining at first, but slowly building up confidence. Many have tried to convince me their way was the right way. I have been fooled by some before... never again. He opened his eyes, their gaze piercing right through Teridax's 'psionic blast' with human-like fury. Though you are welcome to try again, know... that you will fail.
He put special emphasis on that fail part as Teridax bumped into something. Not something, someone. Red cape swooshing in the wind. A slight curl on the forehead. Flying in mid-air with superhuman ease. A 'S' proudly displayed on a shirt... Supergirl looked down at Teridax, fists clenched, as the jets started to circulate the area the two were in. "You're not Tony." She snarled, effortlessly reaching for Teridax's neck and clamping down with Kryptonian strength. "And you killed my friend." She growled through gritted teeth, the clamp growing strong enough so as to threaten to bend the metal Teridax coated his body with. "Justice will be had today. Your crimes end here." Supergirl stated, defiant.
Teridax
It was settled, Tony Stark was a genius. The amount of work that had been poured into the creation of Jarvis...splendid work. Indeed, vision had just survived a head on collision with Teridax's psychic power. This one needed time to crack- all those fire walls and the sheer will powering them was not going to be overcome on a whim. sadly, Teridax realized that he was out of time.
Even as Teridax's mind was expelled from Vision, the android would catch a glimpse into Teridax's mind. There lay all his schemes, hanging like cobwebs off the mental knives with which he had just attacked. Should the Vision take this opportunity to look into Teridax's mind he would see an imagined scenario: the heroes scattered and confused, looking for the murderers of the super villains. Meanwhile, Teridax would come, bearing a nuclear warhead that had the power to lay low Manhattan. Teridax descended into the antarctic- where 70% of earth's water lay frozen. He meant to detonate it there and cause a flood of biblical proportions.
Even now, the timer ticked.
Then Teridax's mind shut like a trap and Vision would not seen much more.
Next moment, Supergirl had her hand clamped around his neck. The strength this being could exert was sizable and not to be taken lightly. Which meant superman was going to be even more of a hassle to deal with. Luckily, the Master had an endless laboratory. They would survive.
"I never tried to convince you my way was right Vision."
He could feel the anger around him- so it was batman. Good. Uniting the heroes was one thing but without batman they would lose a chess master and be that much more clumsy for it. But that was not the only anger Teridax could feel. In the space base, Teridax could practically taste the animosity and the frustration of the other overlords. They were judging him for his actions: he told them to hold back and be cautious while leaving a reckless trail of fumbles behind him.
Well, that was the plan.
Super-girl's hand suddenly began to grow cold and fatigue began a sudden march across her body. Teridax was draining energy from her to power himself!
"But I guess you are right in one thing..."
Teridax's body began to emit a fierce red right.
"Since I have no intention of having you capture me...my crimes do end here."
Super-girl would feel her hand growing uncomfortably hot even as the surrounding environment grew brighter and brighter. Teridax twisted his head as best as he could to look at Super girl. The next words were ground out of his mouth with finality.
"But then, so does your world."
The air pressure sky rocketed.
...
Teridax exploded. In a sudden burst of black light, Teridax unleashed the pent up shadow blast inside of him and it tore through the fault lines in his body like a hot knife through melting butter.
Pieces went flying for hundreds of meters, no doubt a complement to the grand explosion. A shock wave ripped through the air in response and in the end, if super girl hadn't let go, all that was left in super girl's hands was a charred husk of burnt and blackened metal.
space base
Teridax's orb lit up one last time.
Well, it would seem that I miscalculated. No doubt you will have to take over this planet without me. I would suggest that you hold back and wait for a while- my mistakes have united the heroes and while they are lacking one of their core members, their wrath will be that much greater.
There was a pause.
good luck.
Then the orb dropped; and when it hit the floor it shattered till all that was left were dust like fragments which even now were being mopped up by the helper bots.
However, just before the orb hit the ground, Chase would find himself privy to a personal transmission.
The others wish me dead and they got what they wanted to see. If only it were that easy to kill me. Meet me in Saranac Lake Village five hours from now with Luthor's USB drive. I feel that it might be put to good use.
-the fall-
Pieces of Teridax's Ironman armor crashed down all over the city- smoking husks of their previous user. However, each of the limbs had somehow managed to land within a hundred meters of each other. From these oozed a black liquid that quickly flowed down the nearest drain; leaving the metals of earth to be picked up by the heroes when they got there.
Indeed, Teridax's orb in the space station served not one purpose but two. The first was to act as a transmitter for Teridax to the other overlords. However, the second was the more important: Teridax wanted to see if his essence, when separated from the rest, could survive and even retain consciousness when stored in a suitable container.
The experiment had been a success. Teridax could now truly be in two places at once.
The black metal quickly disappeared beneath the fetid waters of the sewers. Here, Teridax would take a moment to enjoy retirement. After all, his plan was still in motion.
Ra's Al Ghul
An inhuman urge to find the nearest human settlement overcame the century old war lord. It urged him to get into contact with the others. It was a code 616 if he ever knew one. Hopefully, the others had started already.
edited 27th May '15 8:46:21 PM by biomechtraveler
Dipper fan
Blackfire—Killing boredom
When Blackfire arrived at the base while the other overlords seemed to be relaxing for the time being. The alien princess was sitting on a chair as she yawned got bored of not doing anything at the record time of ... five minutes.
Luckily for her Teridax had said that he wanted Luthor's USB. "Don't worry I can handle it'" she told to Chase as he had said that he wanted to go to China and rest from using clones.
Using her powers to become invisible, and to avoid being followed, Blackfire flew to the location Teridax had said.
" I've got it," she thought to Teridax with her mind powers. " But you might want to wait until we're sure it isn't a trap or something," she warned him about Chase's suspicion.
edited 27th May '15 10:46:11 PM by RPGLegend
Forgiveness is beyond justice, faith is superior than hope, redemption is better than perfection and love is greater than them all.
China
"Ah, would this be the funerary pyre? But we haven't had the wake yet..." said Yuyuko, gazing over the gathered nukes. "No, this won't do. Tradition is important in such matters."
Colour returned to her as she once more became corporeal, along with all the good things that followed, like body temperature and the ability to eat. Hooking her fingers around Ultron's relatively intact head, she unfolded a fan with her other hand. With a flourish, she disappeared completely, returning back to where she had come from.
Far, far above the Earth... just before the warheads all simultaneously detonated too, so it was most fortuitous.
Space Base
Stepping off the teleporter pad, Yuyuko turned to regard the rest of her little entourage. The Prismriver's looked no worse for wear, while Youmu seemed a little cold. Did she neglect to mention that about high altitudes? She might have. She held up Ultron's head.
"We shall now hold a funeral for our incomprehensible friend, who sadly perished before buying dinner for us."
Conception is sin Birth is pain Life is toil Death is inevitable
Doomdstadt—Throne Room
Doom bit back a scathing remark and composed himself, releasing the console from his crushing grip. He straightened up, folding his arms across his chest, and indicated the screens with a gesture of his chin. “See for yourself, Kristoff.”
At that moment an explosion lit up several of the screens, and a number of the feeds dissolved into static. The tyrant’s frown deepened. He had seen the one called Supergirl abandon the melee unfolding on the ground to go after Stark and the Vision, shortly before the blast took place. Had the imposter been killed, then?
No, he thought, not likely. He knew, from Doom’s pilfered memories and experience, that Stark’s armour was not that volatile; even if its power source were breached, it could not have generated an explosion of that magnitude. More than that, even though the blast had only been visible for a fraction of a second, Ahriman was quite sure it had been black—not black smoke, but a most unnatural black light…
Unless things had changed drastically in the interim, there was only one Overlord he knew of with abilities like that.
Pieces of Stark’s armour were raining down on several of the feeds, seemingly confirming the imposter’s demise. But Ahriman wasn’t so sure. Teridax was that rarest and most unnatural of things, a machine with a soul and psychic abilities; who was to say that the destruction of his physical shell implied the dissolution of his spirit, his essence, or whatever passed for such things in a being like him?
At any rate, it did not matter. The damage was done.
Doom turned to face Kristoff. “Under different circumstances, I might have rebuked the council for demanding my presence. Remember this, Kristoff. One does not make demands of Doctor Doom; one requests, or one begs.” The tyrant’s tone was controlled, his delivery educational almost, like a teacher delivering a lesson to his favourite student. “Still, Doom is not blind. The situation is dire, and so I shall grace the United Nations with my presence and wisdom… albeit indirectly.”
With these words he sent out a silent summons for one of his few remaining Doombots, issuing orders for it to go to the United Nations and speak on his behalf. Such a move would not be out of character for Doctor Doom, and if its mechanical nature were discovered, there would be no reason to suspect anything of him… any more than there already was, at any rate. He synced the robot’s telemetry and sensory feeds with his armour’s own, allowing him to see, hear, and—if necessary—speak through this mechanical proxy.
With this done, Doom took the second letter from Kristoff, scrutinizing the code. This too he recognized, and the significance of it did not escape him. So the criminal element and supervillains of this world were reaching out to each other now… clearly it was not just the superhero community that had been galvanized by Teridax’s little shadowplay in Washington.
“Thank you, Kristoff,” he said with a nod. “You may leave. You may also inform the staff that Stephen Strange is no longer an issue; Doom saw him off.”
Once he was gone, Doom sat down before his computers and called up the address. Upon reaching the login screen he paused for a moment, thinking to himself. He knew that the password corresponded to the most important day in Victor von Doom’s life, but what could it be? There were several moments that could be considered life-changing in his memories: the day of the accident; the day he first assembled his armour and took the title Doctor; the day he stole the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer; the day he usurped the Marquis of Death (though the details on that memory were strangely hazy and unclear); the day he first humiliated that accursed Richards… There was no shortage of possibilities, though some seemed more likely than others. Certainly, the day he and Doctor Strange joined forces to free his mother’s spirit from the clutches of the daemon lord Mephisto seemed the most likely contender…
Then it hit him suddenly, and a smile spread across his lips as he typed in the date.
October 24th, 2003.
The day he returned to Latveria, after being dethroned by a revolution. The day he witnessed the oppressive reign of his usurper, Zorba. The day that he overthrew Zorba. The day that he reclaimed his rightful place on the Latverian throne.
But most importantly, the day that he first met a young Kristoff Vernard. And the day that he took that young boy in, after his mother was cut down in front of him by Zorba’s pitiless mechanical enforcers.
For Victor von Doom, for all his power, for all his genius, for all that he comported himself as a god among men, was still a father. And what father, deep down, did not love his son?
The Danse Macabre Codex
Menardi - Space Base Tea Party
By now, these sudden changes in scenery had stopped surprising Menardi. Still, it was impressive.
"I want to talk to you about the conquest of the planet."
Menardi waited for one of robots to pour tea for her before continuing.
"That and the rest of the Multiverse. Because I've been reading up on that theory, which I assume is true since, well, since I'm here."
She sipped her tea, and took a moment to appreciate the aroma of the wonderful black tea. Truly, these luxuries were tempting her.
"And when I read about these near-infinite worlds, these thousands of globes and billions of people, I think to myself...that's a lot of ground to cover. Because I'm not a philosopher or a mathematician. I'm a warrior and an Alchemist. And when I think of conquering the Multiverse, well, I'm starting to think about the logistics. And...it doesn't add up."
Menardi took a delicious-looking biscuit. For a brief moment, she wondered if Tatu himself had decided on the cute pattern, or if he had gotten the idea from some strange yet familiar world.
"I mean, first there's the conquering. And the subjugation. And then follows the reconstruction, pacification, exploitation and finally government."
She took a bite of the biscuit. Heavenly. There was some sort of fruit jelly inside that melted on the tongue.
"We don't have the personnel for that. Even if each of us had ten thousand soldiers, we wouldn't be able to unify that under your rule. Even if our ten thousand soldiers had ten thousand soldiers, we couldn't we rule planets that were worlds apart in a way that could even resemble some sort of practical government. So I don't think you want political or military control. There's something...else you want from sending us to this strange world."
Idly, she transmuted the biscuit into chocolate and gave it a tentative bite. Terrible.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I am very grateful for giving me the opportunity to get this Philosopher's Stone." Menardi smiled. "Never in a hundred years would I be able to grasp such power in my past life."
"And while training with this stone, I started wondering...is this why we're here? Not the world...but power? You have given us free reign to grasp immeasurable power. And I've observed the others. Power, followers...everything we wish. We're like vessels, molded by our past lives, and you are filling us up...to create what? Generals? Warlords? Or...gods?"
Menardi paused for a while, and indicated for a robot to cut a slice of a delicious-looking tart with southern fruits. She did like exotic fruits.
"Because you, Lord Tatu...what does a world really matter to you? To a being that could rip someone like me from my world, from death's door, does even a world filled with superheroes pose any threat to you? I might be getting ahead of myself, but I don't think it does. On the scale of war...I don't think you care about that world. Not just because you joke and play, smiling as you send us to gain powers that we find useful. Not just because you seem content watching the world from above, sharing your extensive knowledge with us without giving us a grand plan to work towards."
"But because you're playing a different game of conquest. If we were playing chess, the world below us would not be a board to you. It would be a tile. It might even only be a fraction of a single tile."
The slice of tart was set nicely on Menardi's plate.
"So, what's troubling me...I suppose I'm curious. What are you playing? No, I'm sorry, that's rude. What is your true aim? Do you truly want us to subjugate worlds? Or is that just a carrot you dangle in front of us? Are you training us for grander battles, on a scale that only gods truly know?"
What Schala had asked just before Menardi was separated from the others hadn't stopped echoing in the back of Menardi's head. But she could ask about that later. This took priority. She stopped and waited for Tatu to respond. He had been very gracious to let her ramble on, so she started eating her fruit tart to let him explain as much as he wanted to.
It too was delicious.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
Annoyed Mode: ON
Chase Young - Insert Witty Title Here
Loki's theft of Lex's kryptonite alone was suspicious as it was, but with Wilhelmina's confession it became clear what he truly was. Not an enemy defector, but a saboteur. He wasn't turning against his own group, he was leveling the field in their favor for when the two forces met. He knew they would go for the kryptonite, Ra's Al Ghul, the Hellfire Club, and had made it all the more difficult for them on purpose, to aid his own comrades.
And that was unnacceptable.
"I don't know about you," Chase began, looking at Zeal, "But I do not like this feeling of being constantly sabotaged. Something should be done about it, don't you agree?"
The faceless housekeeper's news regarding the location of the nuclear warheads and Yuyuko's location were quite pleasing, and a nice change of pace. The news of the nukes' activation... not so much. So when Yuyuko returned to the base, he decided to simply nod to Blackfire in regards to the meeting with Teridax, and walked towards the Prismriver with a quick pace.
"What happened down there?" the heylin warrior inquired. "I need to know everything."
edited 28th May '15 4:00:33 PM by Katarsus
Did you know this section has a character limit?
Tesseract - Water, Water, everywhere...
"No. Raise the water level to that of the highest camera. It will appear to be a surge. This is a sewer."
Tesseract prepared himself for the water to flow. He could hold his breath for quite a while.
Sy - The Final Frontier
"The best place to be in a storm is the center."
He turned back to the rest, looking them over.
"This is recon-only. Swords and, rifles and ammo in dufflebags. I'm taking my ninjas, snipers and marksmen. That's a team of twelve."
The assigned soldiers stripped their vests off, leaving their magically-armoured clothes. They picked up their weapon-laden bags, and made their way onto the teleporters.
They set one for a location close to Tombstones, and then, taking Blackfire's lead, tossed a half-dozen more for populated locations across the planet. They could take heat, but most of it would be drawn away from them. They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
Vampire Hunter
Zeal
"Yes, but therein lies the problem..." Zeal crossed her arms and frowned to the others. "No matter what we do, Loki will know because he's been through this before."
"To explain simply, if this were one of your competitions, Loki would be cheating and getting away with it," Zeal stated, referring to the Xiaolin Showdown. "He knows what we will do because, to him, we have already done it."
"If we go after him directly, he will be prepared to counter anything we may think to throw at him," Zeal explained to Chase. "Imagine trying to fight a foe who knew what you were going to do before you even knew it."
"No, we need to fight him indirectly," Zeal continued. "We can't let him know that we know he is a saboteur, but because we know he is a saboteur, we can now be ready for his tricks."
"Only when his ability to predict the future fails him can we hope to defeat him," Zeal concluded to Chase, hoping he understood it, but then noticed the monitor. "Oh look, Teridax is dead."
"Serves him right," Zeal scoffed at Teridax's death, but she knew... She knew he's faking, since he went down far too easy. Please, she saw Crono get blasted into atoms by Lavos firsthand, but he was there ready to fight her on the Black Omen. However, what matters is if Loki thinks he's dead which could make him a spanner in the works if Teridax's plan is successful. Zeal also knew that the USB Flash Drive was a trap since Dalton had told her about the USB Flash Drive they used to seize control of STAR Labs. If one person could make one with little time then certainly someone forewarned with all the time in the world could make one as well. Zeal looked over at Greed as he was the more experienced Homunculus.
"Is she correct in that acid could kill us?" Zeal frowned, but finally looked at Wilhelmina, stroking her chin a bit. "You have been a good little girl... What else can you do to help me? What do you lust for?"
edited 30th May '15 1:24:14 AM by GameGuruGG
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Dropping the Juggernaut's severed arms at his sides, Bowser was perplexed by the pool of red that flowed from the Juggernaut's dying body. From his experience, whenever people outright died, they either simply collapsed, exploded and left nothing behind, sank into whatever substance they were in, or threw their arms up in the air while leaping who-knows-where, depending on the cause of death. Still, he was fine with how it was all proceeding so far. Ripping the Juggernaut's arms off was torturous enough for him (as evidenced by the howls of pain) and quick enough for a Worthy Opponent like Cain Marko (and certainly less torturous than burning alive for hours on end). With the Juggernaut's arms now gone, leaving him less able to attack, Bowser was ready to tear that helmet of his off and then decapitate him.
Before the Koopa King could proceed, however, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak began to glow in search of a new host, and Bowser was mesmerized by its blood-red light. He extended his right arm toward the light . . .
edited 29th May '15 7:25:03 AM by TrashJack
Teridax- beneath the sewers
He had allowed himself to recuperate beneath the sewer waters. They would looking for him soon- he doubted that his 'death sequence' would be believed by all but the dumbest muscle the heroes had access to.
With a sigh he reassembled himself
◊. It was a matter of personal preference. Teridax would rather resemble a whole organism rather than a puddle. Slowly, a thick web of shadows wove itself over his body- it would hide him from any sensors they sent after him not to mention hiding him from any visual search.
Sinking down into a sitting position, teridax reviewed the current status.
The heroes were united - a frown clouds his visage- and grieving no doubt for their dead friend Bruce Wayne. Superman was going to be coming back rather soon after this...
The heroes will rally after this. However, how will they track down their space station? Mr Fantastic could already track their teleporters so it would be only be a matter of time before he tried to triangulate their exact position. When it happened, the heroes will probably declare open war.
Of course, the heroes won't be the only ones galvanized into action by his actions. there were still plenty of villains in this world that had not yet died and seeing that they were the primary targets, Teridax was not at all surprised when he learned about the 616 convention. Ra's Al Ghul had been in it deep after all.
Doom was supposed to attend. Interesting.
However in the midst of all this was thrust a single figure. Loki, God of Lies. He claimed to be from the future and to Teridax's frustration had proven his word. Loki had indeed anticipated their steps to the 'T'. He was a saboteur- stealing Kryptonite? Informing the heads of major criminal organizations? Doubtless this code 616 was his doing.
still, there was just one hypothesis that was viable against this thorn in his side. Loki may have come from the future but by returning to the past he was creating a new time line. In theory, anything they do that is in direct response to his meddling would be actions that cannot be anticipated.
Teridax doubted that he would have encountered the same response had he gone to Hydra, knowing Ra's Al Ghul had been set up.
The major problem here was they had yet to find a way to track Loki. Oh well, he would leave that up to the others. He had washed his hands of them long ago.
Teridax closed his eyes and mapped out his priorities.
What he needed most right now was someone who would fight with the heroes against the overlords. Then at least he had strings to pull. If he could that, then perhaps he could learn the whereabouts of the heroes' base of operations. That would open up quite a lot of possibilities to have some fun. Chase and Blackfire after all seemed content enough to work with him (Saranac Lake village was not chosen on a whim- he had left something important there- encased in a block of metal).
After running it through his mind, Teridax decided Ra's would be useful in this business of working with the heroes. However, Ra's would be more inclined to work with his former comrades in this case...still, now that he was useless, would the other villains abandon Ra's? Teridax would need to test that out.
Ra's would attend the meeting of code 616. There he would reveal how he tracked the overlord's teleporters.
Meanwhile, what Teridax also needed was man power. He needed someone that can stalk the shadows without having to abuse his mental powers. What he needed was a human body- one that he could use as his own. Teridax already had in mind on how he could stall the Fantastic four in their quest for vengeance: a virus that could corrupt and destroy any computer system it came in contact with. To get the tools for something this big he would need a few break ins to happen around the tech stores around town.
Well, that could happen tonight. He had seen a few stragglers lying around the alleyways and their weak minds could always be overwritten to be of use.
Nevertheless, whatever happened from now, Teridax would make sure he was never seen out in the open again. The trip to Saranac lake village was still 5 hours away. He had time.
edited 3rd Jun '15 4:49:16 AM by Chabal2
Desco walked up to Yuyuko. The ghost lady was out but Desco hadn't seen her on the T Vs as she was busy watching Bowser fight Juggernaut. "Hiii, what did you do on Earth?"
sword of promised halp
Lancer and Kirei (?); Chatting It Up
"King?" barked Lancer. "Oh, that's rich."
His eyes gleamed hound-red.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but our friend here isn't exactly the monster-loving type. Sure you don't want to just line up and gut yourselves? It'd be a whole lot easier."
On his shoulder Kirei swayed, a black-bleeding sandbag. Lancer gave him a little pat.
"Don't know about quicker, though. This guy's fast, but people tend to savor the things they enjoy."
edited 31st May '15 6:20:44 AM by troydenite
'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023
Mancunian Candidate
Dio Brando: Kiss Me, Son of God
Fury steeled by righteous lightning, Black Adam spoke. Though reflex took my face, smirking for the benefit of noone, I could not stop the chill boiling up my spine. It was not his tone, nor was it his bearings, nor even the threats - I've faced powerful men before, righteous men, and although Adam was magnified to the point of caricature, my mind was already decided. No, this was another underestimation.
He knew. Though the knowledge was of no practical use to him, though through the clarity of hindsight of course he did, the balance of power was slipping away from me. There is no secret to the scar around my neck, but something so personal, so mercilessly specific - his gods spoke to him, and there was the proof. Somehow, I had not understood the full ramifications. In the haste that drove me, in the clumsy wording of his dossier, I had assumed they communicated in the vagueries of classical prophecy, but clearly they spoke at length. The world of Stands is one in which discretion and victory are synonymous, and mine had been shattered by a single oversight. Farcical. It seems farcical, doesn't it? Does it not seem truly farcical? It truly does.
But I rallied. The fear was instinctive, and as with all instinctive fears, quickly banished by a forthright mind. Drawing comfort from the unexpected versatility of the power I would soon possess, I put my mind at peace. No counter had been made to the World's stunted time-stop, the jets of my eyes had caught him unexpected, and for a man forewarned his attempts to halt my feeding had been distinctly lacking. Maybes and the grim horror of implication could be ignored. Adam knew the history, that much was certain, but that was all he knew.
That said, I had no equal reply to hand. That, I knew even without hindsight. A great orator, Adam had touched far closer than I could manage - his history was a matter of public knowledge, insofar as I could tell, and his discretion was not so invaluable. The conversation was not one I could win, but my frustration pressed me on regardless.
"'Enough', Teth-Adam? A king should know better than to mistake a morsel for a banquette. 『T H E _ W O R L D!』"
With that, my Stand exploded from the shadows. Its attacks came with neither warning nor hesitation - a barrage of flicker jabs, a 'chopping' right, and a knee for the chin once his guard was raised. Those were formalities, unimportant. The moment he turned to defend himself, to stand regally defiant or trade blows, I came running to his unguarded back.
The Qur'an was heavy in my hands. It smelt of must and authority.
I swung with the full momentum of my body, angling a gilded corner into the fault line where that chiselled jawline hinged into his skull. So beautiful, the anatomy of man. So wondrous, the intricate physics of pressure. So sublime, the sea-spray of catharsis.
I cannot recall the sound he made. I wish I could.
edited 31st May '15 12:35:18 PM by OG-Sama
Space Base
"Oh, so much," said Yuyuko, waving her hands in what constituted a blend of whimsy and theatrics. "Eating."
"Sightseeing," Lyrica remarked, smiling at Desco.
"Performing," Merlin added, who seemed to only barely be able to restrain herself from doing... something.
"Flying," Lunasa concluded, seemingly unamused by all the antics surrounding her.
Youmu looked rather befuddled at all this. She was about to ask for clarification, ultimately deciding against it.
"Did we fly? I've forgotten. What did we eat again?"
"Rice crackers," Youmu said, finding some relief in finally being able to reply to something.
"Ah, yes. I have one more, look!" Yuyuko replied, pulling out yet another rice cracker, munching on it without further ado.
edited 31st May '15 12:43:37 PM by joergenjetsam
Conception is sin Birth is pain Life is toil Death is inevitable
Gotham City
Medusa simply looked to Catwoman with a casual smile on her face, even in the face of the thief's implications about her. She chuckled lightly and gestured to her clothes. "Is it the black?" she jokingly asked. Seems like a lot of people in this city had a fondness for the color anyways. At the mention of Ivy, her gaze shifted over to the hotel for a moment before looking back at Catwoman again. "I didn't realize that eco-terrorists could be considered poor." the witch remarked sarcastically. She did not answer her question though, choosing instead to see how much the thief actually cared about her presence in the city.
Crona ducked and dodged what vines they could, gathering some nicks and bruises from the more difficult to avoid ones. The teen's pace came to a screeching halt as a hand came out of no where and grabbed their forehead. A look of completely and absolute confusion washed over the teen's face as they found that they actually did not want to hurt this person. This was a completely alien feeling to Crona. The teen completely let go of their sword as they stared wide-eyed at the woman.
When it looked like Ivy had her attacker successfully pacified, she would catch some movement coming from behind Crona before a large hand suddenly shot forward and grabbed her arm. This had was attached to a buff black arm as black liquid erupted from the back of the teen and started to take shape. The black liquid formed the ripped upper body of a man with pitch black skin. Aside from some white straps on the shoulders, he was topless. On top of this torso formed a perfectly smooth and spherical head. This head had two more straps running diagonally around it, forming an X in the center of the face. It lacked any other distinct facial features aside from two white eyes bugging out of the surface of the face.
"But I would~" came a sing-song voice from the figure as it pulled its other arm back and swung a fist right into Poison Ivy's face, hitting with a fist as hard as steel. After the punch he used his grip on Ivy's hand to swing her over its shoulder and throw her across the room. "The kid might be dim, but don't think we're gonna be that easy!" He taunted. Eruka watched from a doorway to the side of the room. She slowly raised her hands up in front of her and started focusing, chanting to herself under her breath.
huzzaaaaaaaah
Attilan
Making sure that the vial was safely in his pocket, Amon concentrated, swishing his arms back and forth, simulating the movement of a wave. The shallow water of the sewers waded back and forth, before there was a sudden high pressure noise and a powerful wave came flooding into the sewer. "Take my hand." He muttered to Tesseract as the giant wave threatened to submerge the entire sewers. It washed over them...
... but they did not move. A bubble surrounded them, a pocket of air. Calmly, Amon let go of Tesseract and continued to walk towards the Terrigen crystal, watching as the cameras shorted themselves out, floating along with the current. Within seconds, the light became too bright to ignore. Riding on the water flow and busting open the sewer grates, they fell onto the Terrigen chamber.
It was grandiose, but simple. Nothing but dark walls surrounding a circular pad on the floor. But the true reason this room existed, now floating above said pad, was too big to ignore: a crystal the size of four humans on top of one another, gently humming to itself as it shone a mysterious dark blue (or was it green?) light. "A piece the size of your hand contains enough power to convert one city of Khandaq." Amon told Tesseract, watching the crystal with some reverence.
Doomstadt
As his computer's camera was activated, five screens suddenly displayed five shadowy figures- although only one of them was barely recognizable: Lex Luthor himself, smoking a cigar, the Metropolis skyline behind him. "Took you long enough, Doom." He muttered, trying to light his cigar, as another figure was added. "And then there were seven. Since all of us are here and no one activated emergency features... turning off our security measures."
The figures were slowly revealed: Norman Osborn, broadcasting from New York. Namor, broadcasting from an unknown location. Maximus Boltagon, broadcasting from somewhere in Russia. Gorilla Grodd, broadcasting from the Savage Land. Black Manta, broadcasting from Atlantis. And the latest addition, Ra's Al Ghul, broadcasting from god knows where in Nanda Parbat.
"Gentlemen. The Cabal has been reunited. The subject of tonight's meeting: an invasion of Earth. Now, am I correct in assuming that none of us have anything to do with the attack that has just been carried out in Washington DC?" Lex asked, clasping his hands.
Silence.
"Hm. That is bad. Really bad."
"I despise variables." Osborn hissed. "But you must know something, Luthor. Otherwise, why call in this meeting?"
"Yes... two people came to visit us." Lex said, pulling up images of Blackfire and Chase Young. "I believe them to be underlings of the people behind this invasion. You will recognize the black-haired one."
"That is Blackfire, correct?" Maximus piped in, rubbing his chin. "She seems—"
"Young? Slightly more angular?" Lex interrupted. "This is the picture of Blackfire I have from my databases.
◊ Much more womanly, no? I had my suspicions, but now I think I know what we're dealing with. Gentlemen... these invaders come from the multiverse. Yes, hold your shock. Which means there are two people in this world we have to contact. Reed Richards... and our very own Doctor Doom."
" Depressing that we should settle for the second best... " Manta added under his breath.
Gotham City
"Ivy prefers to be called a lover of all things." Catwoman corrected Medusa, glancing at the hotel at the same time as her. "All things green and vegetable, that is. But leave Ivy aside for a moment." She stopped crawling, getting close enough to the Overlord to place her finger underneath Medusa's chin, trying to lift her face up a little. "What brings you to Gotham?"
Ivy's eyes followed the black liquid as it took the shape of... a man? A man sprouting out of this girl's (?) back? It was beautiful- humans taking on plant-like characteristics- yet grotesque and Ivy could not help but yell out "what in the world are you—" before the first punch hit her right in the face and broke her nose. The black liquid hurled her across the room, but her plants caught her, enveloping her in the soft texture of a giant, deformed rose. "A higher dosage is necessary, then..." She mumbled, as a beautiful, giant rose slowly opened up, spitting orange spores into the air, which softly began to rain upon Chrona... and if they touched the black liquid, it would spread all over them, trying to trap the girl (?) in an eternal green prison.
Kahndaq
"Now watch, hufash," Black Adam declared as he deflected the World's punches, a grin growing in his face even as it was pummeled by the Stand. "As I lay waste to your ghostly assistant, and use his own body to attack you- his punches will be mine, and his fingers will pierce the skin of your neck and split it apart as if they were nothing, nothing but the empty, vapid creature you are—"
Not expecting a dirty move from this supposedly honorable creature, the holy book hit Black Adam full on, producing a crack so audible that it reverberated through the mosque's interiors even as Kahndaq's protector hit a nearby wall, destroying a few shelves and tables along the way. Landing on the floor after leaving a crack on the wall, Black Adam wobbled back to his feet, reaching for his jaw. He reached for his jaw, as the blow had been so powerful it had been fully unhinged from his head, and snapped it into place with another crack that certainly caused a few humans in the area to wince subconsciously.
Massaging the wounded area so as to ease the pain, the man's eyes went white with energy. "Allow me to rephrase that." Black Adam offered, raising his left hand as electricity pooled around his eyes, snaked down his neck and circled around his wrist. "Die." He muttered, sending one lightning blast aimed at the vampire.
Monster Metropolis
The monsters murmured to themselves, before the zombie shushed them.
"But then... who will lead us? Queen Shiklah has kept us safe from the surface world. Without her, what are we to do?"
Madripoor
"NO!" The Juggernaut roared, despite his condition. "Cyttorak... why?! WHY?! I have served you for all of this years?! WHY DO YOU BETRAY ME?! WHYY?!" And even as the once great Juggernaut wiggled his stumps, producing the pitiful image of a warriors in times gone by, the gem of Cyttorak grew hotter and hotter as it approached Bowser. YOU ARE WORTHY echoed in Bowser's mind, as the gem grew hot enough to produce steam, piercing into Bowser's flesh, lodging itself onto his chest.
But the burning didn't hurt, no. It made him feel better. Bowser felt himself growing stronger, faster- just growing altogether. His shell was coated with red wax, incorporated into the Juggernaut armor clamping itself onto his skin, biting into it, protecting it. A new Juggernaut had been born, and as Cyttorak's anger filled Bowser's mind, the image of Cain Marko's last moments filled his eyes: bleeding out on the sidewalk, white shirt now soaked to the brim, eyes growing heavy with death.
"You there."
A sharp, womanly voice came from his back.
Hands behind her back, legs spread apart, Raven Darkholme (also known as Mystique)
◊ stared up at the new Crimson Champion of Cyttorak, two files of armored soldiers wearing the emblem of Madripoor behind her. "You think you're so clever, hm? Getting into my city all... sneaky." She said, her voice adopting and then just as quickly dropping a vaguely unidentifiable accent. "Cooking up all this trouble, eh? Shell monster, dragon fuck or whatever. I'll have you know one thing." She growled, leaning in to whisper into Bowser's ear as her skin rippled, changing, shape-shifting...
"I got you, motherfucker."
Mystique had leant in, but it was a man who pulled away. And from the mohawk, to the scar, to that manic spark in his eyes, it was a man Bowser recognised. However vaguely.
"The look on your fucking face, hermano, Jesus Christ." said Vaas, clapping the new Juggernaut playfully on the shell. "So, who's this dead fuck?"
Space Base
Wilhelmina held her breath, before letting out in one go. "To be older, more beautiful, like my queen."
Tatu gently dipped a biscuit in his tea, smiling to himself as Menardi bombarded him with a thousand questions. Once he was done, he munched down on the biscuit without reprieve. "Menardi, do you know what it is like to be a god, hm?" He said, staring at his own reflection on the tea. "It is quite amazing. Your... consciousness expands to a point of no return. For example: as we speak, I have just created another version of me who is currently plotting a long attack against a world filled with humans who have transcended past their skin and bones, melded themselves with technology. As I talk to you, as I create these words in my mind and speak them to you, my other version has just finished creating a virus and he is about to unleash it on that world. As I make the conscious choice to drink this cup of tea, I have just annihilated 4.7 trillion lifeforms."
He let the silence hang as he downed his tea on one go. "And that is just one of the many things I can do as a Nomad. One of the many things you will be able to do once we are all done. These tasks, my dear Menardi, are created to... enhance your abilities. For I could pump you full of godly powers, but if there's nothing in your mind but empty thoughts, those powers will go to waste. I am building you up to be a General, and once I feel as if you are ready, I will transform each and everyone of you into a Nomad. Not a full Nomad, not as powerful as me. But powerful enough to subjugate thirty galaxies whilst doing push ups."
"Thank you." Tatu whispered to the Housekeeper before turning his attention back to Menardi. ''"Does that answer your question?"
Washington DC
The pitter patter of feet against sewer water would take Teridax's attention away from his own ramblings. Out from the darkness and into the light held back by the grates stepped a child that barely stood up to the Makuta's waist, wearing nothing but long green shorts, his entire skin covered in damp light brown scales and two sharp eyes sprouting out of the sides of his head, which featured prominently two wide-eyed yellow orbs looking up at him.
"Excuse me." The boy spoke, cleaning his throat. Clearly he hadn't used it a lot in the past few days.
"Are you my angel?"
The question hung in the air in broken English, before the boy revealed what he had been holding behind his back.
"Are you my angel?" He asked again, pointing at the drawn Teridax with a big smile. "Angel from the sky?"
edited 31st May '15 7:49:21 PM by Stratofarius
China
"Oh," murmured Yuyuko.
"Lady Yuyuko, what does "soon" mean?" Youmu got out, anxiety evident. She shifted abit in mid-air, darting closer to her mistress.
"That..." the ghost replied, pausing dramatically, "you should chase the ascending air current too!"
"Huh? Oh," To her credit, she got the message, speeding out the same way they entered and ascending very rapidly once outside.
Meanwhile, Yuyuko just drifted over to Ultron's remains, and whipped out a phantom. Taking care not to touch the Nth metal portions, she parted the sliced up remains, revealing Ultron's inner machinery. Then she just... scrubbed it with a phantom. Well, it was basically copying everything that was Ultron, except converted to a phantom format. Then she popped the phantom into her mouth. It tasted like a very sour and bitter marshmallow.
That done, she sat down. All colour bleached from her body, her body temperature dispersed, the floor she had been touching suddenly went through her hand. Being incorporeal was nice at times, especially when a nuclear explosion was imminent.
edited 26th May '15 2:40:32 AM by joergenjetsam
Conception is sin Birth is pain Life is toil Death is inevitable