A Game of Gods: A Multiversal Challenge

Jack nodded, letting out a sigh.

"That, I do not know," he answered the Doctor. "I do know why this seal broke."

"It was caused by such an event as should never have happened, the odds against it were uncountable. A solar eclpse fell over Aku's prison. The light of the black sun freed him once more, and naturally, his first thought was to revenge himself upon my father and his kingdom. He did not bother marshalling demonic forces or gathering allies this time. He came alone and struck like lightning."

This time the image over the scroll shifted to something Jack had seen.

Jack was swinging around a wooden sword, playing at being samurai, when it happened. The alarm bells began tolling in their thunderous voices, each deep note seeming like a hammer upon the world. Then the screaming began. Jack looked up to an older man, who much resembled the samurai at his current age. The Emperor, for so he could only be, had on his face an expression of utmost horror. Beside him stood a woman of similar age, perhaps a bit younger, in formal dress. She too knew what that sound meant.

"It cannot be!" he exclaimed, and rushed out, along with Jack, to see outside. Looking up, both of them saw Aku towering over the city, fangs bared in a vicious smile. The imperial guardsmen rushed to the attack, and Jack watched with sick dread. Swarms of arrows, spears, and even heavy stones rushed through the air, but none of them left a mark on Aku's dark skin. Then, beams of light lanced out from the demon's fiery eyes, and within an instant, half the city was in flames, choking smoke billowing upwards to blot out the heavens.

The Emperor seemed to gain control of himself.

"The sword..." he murmured, and sprinted towards an altar nearby where the magic blade was set.

"My father tried to retrieve the magic sword that had saved him before," Jack said, unable to look away from the memory, "but Aku had anticipated just such an attempt and stopped him."

Aku's smile vanished as he saw the Emperor making for the weapon. The demon's voice was low and raspy.

"Not this time," he growled, and one long arm reached out, stretching to enormous length and seizing his enemy just as his fingertips brushed the sword's hilt. As he was pulled away, the Emperor called down to his wife.

"Aku has returned! Do as we had planned, our future depends on it!"

Jack looked up at his mother, his vision blurred with tears, and saw her anguish harden into resolve. She picked him up under one arm and raced to the altar, snatching up the sword, then running from the devastation, leaving Jack's father in the clutches of his greatest enemy.

"Yet in the demon's moment of triumph, my mother took up the sword where my father had failed, and managed to save both it and myself from the burning city. We fled out to sea, far away from Aku's reach."

Jack looked back at the burning city. Aku still loomed above the ruins of the great capital, Jack's father in one hand, laughing at the havoc he had wrought.

"We escaped," Jack said. "That was the most that could be said of the day. It is not a day I like to remember. It was the last day of peace I knew. The road ahead was very long indeed."

He looked at the image of his mother as though he wished he could speak to her, but remained silent a while, studying the living memory once more.

edited 13th May '11 5:53:20 PM by RedCedar

"This Aku..." Kimimaro said. "Just by watching, I can tell his power rivals that of the upper-tier Tailed Beasts..."

edited 13th May '11 5:54:08 PM by DKN117

"He's powerful..."

The Doctor restrains the urge to lecture over solar eclipses and how that shouldn't work.

Jack nodded gravely.

"That is true. Not invincible, but very strong indeed. I was told at a later time that Aku's return, although unlikely, had been prepared for. My father had gone upon a long journey after Aku's first defeat, and spoken to the great lords of the world, warning them of the danger that might yet threaten their lands and requesting of them a service, should he fail to stop the demon: this service was that whichever of his descendants showed the most promise as a samurai was to be trained in all the arts of war and survival that were known to the peoples of these lords, that he might accomplish what his ancestor could not. As I was his only son, the task fell to me."

The image above the scroll flashed through a swift succession of scenes, showing Jack as he grew up, fighting with sticks on the African savanna, practicing archery in a sunlit forest, sparring with the Shaolin monks, and many other things.

"I traveled many years and many thousands of miles, studying and learning from the greatest empires of the age, practicing the skills I would surely need when I returned to face Aku. I faced many trials and overcame them all. Finally, when I was a man grown, and there was nothing left for me to learn in the arts of war, I returned, retrieved the sword where my mother had kept it in safekeeping during my absence, and went to face Aku."

Jack leapt into a high window upon a black tower. Within was a throne room seemingly made of frozen fire. There was no visible ceiling or floor. No one could be seen. Jack bellowed Aku's name. After a moment, the great demon rose from the depths of the tower, glowering down at the samurai, who seemed very small in comparison.

"Who dares," he demanded, "to summon the Master of Masters, the Deliver of Destruction, the Shogun of Sorrow, Aku?!"

"I am the lost son of the land that you have pillaged," Jack stated. "I am here to reclaim it." He began to draw his sword with a faint ringing sound. "For my people, for my father..." The point of the sword cleared the sheath and Jack brought it up before him. "...for my birthright."

Aku's laugh had only grown more unpleasant.

"Fool," he scoffed. "No mortal can hurt the great Aku."

Jack's first strike proved him a liar as the razor edge cut through the demon's flesh with ease and he yelled in pain.

"That sword! I remember that blade." He sniffed the air and his face grew even more threatening. "I recognize your blood. You are the son of the fool who imprisoned me those many years ago. No matter. Neither he nor the sword possessed the power to slay me forever. And neither do you!"

The two of them began a furious battle.

"Our battle was a long one," Jack said, as the two figures fought, "for Aku is a shapeshifter, capable of taking many forms, and he used them all in his efforts to slay me. But his evil was no match for the power of righteousness, and the hard-won skill I had obtained. In the end, he lay at my feet, utterly beaten, hardly able to speak. While the sword did not, as he said, possess the power to slay him forever, I could imprison him once again. I had only to strike the final blow."

Jack stood over Aku's prone form, sword raised. Aku's form had grown ragged, having been shredded by the magic sword, and he was no larger than the samurai now. His eyes were half-closed and had lost their fire. He lacked even the energy for anger.

"You may have beaten me, samurai," he said, "But I will destroy you in the future."

"There is no future for you!" Jack snapped, tightening the grip on his sword.

Aku, somehow, was able to sound mildly contemptous, as he had before. "I dis..agree."

Jack winced at the demon's words.

"It was the moment of my greatest triumph...and my greatest failure."

A hint of a smile spread itself over Icarax's face as he watched the scroll's projection.

The 'Aku' thing looks like Teridax high on prodertimis.

edited 13th May '11 6:19:51 PM by biomechtraveler

Sub-Zero listened intently, knowing that perhaps Jack's tale could teach him something he could apply to his own life.

"Before the final blow was struck, Aku found the strength to unleash a final spell. It was not destructive sorcery, illusions, not anything that I could recognize and fight against. He tore open a portal in time and flung me into the distant future. I do not know how many years passed before I emerged, but when I did, it was to a world of nightmares."

Yet again the image changed.

Jack looked up at a dark, futuristic city. He was standing in the middle of massive skyscrapers. The late afternoon light shaded everything in red. The noise of the place was omnipresent, always there, and the streets did not look at all wholesome. The whole city had an evil look. Looking close, it became obvious that the tops of all buildings resembled Aku in some way, and the picture of the great demon was visible everywhere, on posters and video screens.

Aku, in my absence, had enslaved the Earth and was even now spreading his evil across all the stars in the sky and the worlds that existed there. The land had changed as well. Cities had become unbelievably vast, mazes of stone and iron that touched the sky and plunged to the depths of the earth. Those parts of the land that were not buried under such cities had been reclaimed by a strange wilderness unlike any I had seen, dangerous, filled with ruins, monsters, and wild magic. People travelled in flying chariots and used a great deal of technology that I knew nothing about. Some of the people were creatures from other worlds, even. It was overwhelming."

"I found myself at a loss at first, but soon enough, I found out where and when I was, and what had happened. When I knew this, my goal was clear once again. I had to find a way to return to my own time and undo Aku's evil before it was ever loosed upon the world. For this purpose, I set out to travel until I found a way to accomplish this goal. I endured much hardship, found new friends, and made many enemies, for Aku was not idle once he learned of my reappearance. He was too smart to face me directly, but his armies and agents had only grown more dangerous over time."

Another succession of images flickered by, almost too fast to see this time. Talking dogs, an enormous Scotsman, blind archers, a strange blue guardian, a phalanx of spearmen, a robotic ninja, too much to take in all at once.

"I had not yet found a method of returning when one day, I was walking through the mountains, and I found myself outside the Common Room. So although I have yet again been snatched from my world, my goal remains unchanged. I must find a way back to my own time, and nothing will stand in my way. That is why I fight. That is my tale."

Having concluded his story, Jack fell silent, satisfied that he had done the best he could. The image over the scroll faded to nothing.

Rey finally started back, letting out a long sigh and shaking his head, muttering. " Sólo tienes que seguir juntos, Rey. No dejes que te afecte... "

"Your tale is one for the ages," said Sub-Zero. "Tragedy, honor, magic, swordsmanship...it all plays out like a mythological epic. Perhaps, one day, I will be able to tell my children your tale. May I share my tale next?"

"Go ahead," Link said, still pondering Jack's tale.

"May I use the scroll?" asked Sub-Zero.

"Go right ahead" Kisame replied

Vezon glared at the images of skyscrapers. "Fricking Metru Nui architecture, I knew no good would come of it."

Vezon's comment stirred up old memories of metru nui, the city of legends; it was true that he never liked the place but...

What no one realised was that the Makuta built most of Metru nui

Icarax grumbled something else about the history of the Makuta.

Suddenly he wondered if he would be able to tell his tale as well.

edited 13th May '11 11:25:55 PM by biomechtraveler

"Thank you," said Sub-Zero. "Of course, my story is but a piece of the history of my world. If you want to understand my journey, we must begin with what came before me."

The image on the scroll turned to one of a group of people, all dressed at least vaguely like Sub-Zero.

"As you probably know, I am of the Lin Kuei clan. Our name translates to 'Forest Demons.' We are a group of assassins, theives and warriors based in northern Asia. All of you are among the small group of outsiders who even know of my clan. Ninjas are but imitators of the Lin Kuei, in both appearance and in tactics. But what ninja can never imitate- well, not normally, as you'll see- is our supernatural abilities. All our members possess powers beyond that of normal men, and they are hereditary. In fact, I am the sixth to bear the title of Sub-Zero."

The images changes to focus on one of the Lin Kuei, a man dressed in blue with an icy mist surrounding his arms.

"The man you see on this scroll is the first Sub-Zero, my great-great-grandfather. He was not human, but a Cryomancer, a species almost completely identical to men, except, of course, for their cryokinesis. Over the years, the title of Sub-Zero was passed down from father to son. My father was one of the last Cryomancers. You see, it is only by intermarriage with humans that the Cryomancer race survived. My brother, Bi-Han, and I were born to an American woman."

The image changed to a man and two boys traveling to a temple.

"When Bi-Han and I were children, my father took us to become Lin Kuei warriors. My mother did not wish for it to happen, but it did. We soon became some of the finest assassins the clan had ever seen."

Again, the images changed, this time to five men, all wearing Lin Kuei uniforms of different colors and holding up their left fist over their head. Sub-Zero and his brother stood on opposite ends, one African man in yellow stood on the center-left, an Asian man in red stood in the center, and a white man in grey with smoke coming from his body stood on the center-right.

"These," said Sub-Zero, "are the five Lin Kuei who have an impact on my tale. My brother is on this end," he said as he pointed to the left end with a Kori Sword, "and I'm on this end." He pointed to the right end. "The man next to my brother is Cyrax, who has incredible control of his chi, along with plenty of gadgets. In the center is Sektor, the technophile of the group who wants above all to be the Lin Kuei Grand Master. And next to me is Smoke, my closest friend. His power should be obvious. We were all fine warriors. In those days, my brother was Sub-Zero and I was codenamed Tundra."

The image changed again, this time to the elder Sub-Zero standing inside a temple.

"Here," said Sub-Zero, "is where my brother created much of what defines my life. Shall I continue?"

edited 13th May '11 11:53:32 PM by TestYourMight

"Do get on with it".

"you people seem to like to pause randomly during your stories, if we want a rest we'll ask for it".

Icarax lapsed back into silence and sank his head into his hand, his attention was wavering.

Galen stood near Sub-Zero, rubbing his chin. "Do continue, Sub-Zero." He looked around. "If I may, after Sub-Zero finishes, I will tell my own tale. It might ease the pain of my heart."

"I do hope, for your sake," Kisame said to Sub-Zero, "that by saying that ninjas are but pale imitations of your clan, you are only referring to the shinobi of your world..." This was accompanied by a grin that showcased Kisame's unnaturally sharp teeth, along with a focused burst of Killing Intent directed at Sub-Zero.

Mason had not heard the Cyberman, or it's subsequent destruction, and continued his journey to find the Engineer in the TARDIS.
"Companion's Room, Companion's Room, Companion's Room, Hair Salon, Companion's Room. Hmm, a Laboratory."
As stated, he had found the TARDIS's Laboratory.

edited 14th May '11 9:17:34 AM by GeekCodeRed

The laboratory is of course missing the Engineer.

The Doctor shakes his head. "Kisame... It's sent to ninjas of his world and possibly others. But not yours."

Mason had realised that.
"Maybe Ace left notes on how to make Nitro-9 here..."

"Now, where were we?" said Sub-Zero. "Oh, right. My brother. Well, the sorcerer Quan Chi◊ required a Lin Kuei warrior to retrieve the Map of Elements. My brother was sent to accomplish this task. He fought his way through the temple where it was hidden, only to find a ninja there."

The image changed to that of Sub-Zero and a man dressed in yellow who looked almost identical to Sub-Zero.

"That ninja was Hanzo Hasashi, aka...Scorpion. Quan Chi had sent this ninja as a backup in case my brother failed. Naturally, as is the case in my home realm, the two fought over the map."

The image suddenly began moving. Scorpion and Sub-Zero begin hand to hand combat. They fight pretty evenly until Sub-Zero unleashes a glowing icy-blue ball. It hits Scorpion, freezing him to the spot. Sub-Zero then uppercuts Scorpion, who flies backwards and hits the ground. He gets up, but immediately after falls to his knees.

"Spare me..." the ninja begs. But Sub-Zero merely grabs Scorpion by the head. With a sickening tear, Sub-Zero rips out Scorpion's head and spine. The image freezes as Sub-Zero holds up Scorpion's head, blood splattered all around.

"As you can see," said Sub-Zero, "my brother...wasn't exactly merciful. He left most of his opponents either without their head and spine or in a million frozen pieces. After he retrieved the map, Quan Chi sent him into the Temple of Elements to retrieve an amulet. My brother then fought Fujin, god of wind..."

The image changed to Sub-Zero throwing a white-haired man with a cape into a tornado.

"...Chijin, god of earth..."

The image changed to Sub-Zero flipping a switch and a chandelier falling on an immense humanoid made of rock.

"...Suijin, god of water..."

The image changed again to Sub-Zero about to roundhouse kick a man who looked like he comprised entirely of water.

"...and Kajin, god of fire."

The image changed once again, this time to Sub-Zero uppercutting a man in a straw hat who looked like he was on fire.

"Once this was done, my brother claimed the amulet and gave it to Quan Chi. But what he did not know was that the amulet would give Quan Chi the power to unleash an evil fallen god. Raiden, Earthrealm's head god, sent my brother to steal the amulet back. But when my brother was caught in the act, he found a surprise there..."

"You?"

Over the last few dozen minutes, as he watched & listened to the others' tales, Kimimaro had been crafting numerous items of ultra-hardened bone - pieces of armor, staffs, blades, lock-picks, a Power Fist, even a tiny replica of a kitchen sink in case anyone brought up the old phrase - and sealing them in storage scrolls, which he then placed in an organized manner inside his pack.

edited 14th May '11 7:24:11 PM by DKN117

Icarax was sharpening his blade on the table, occaisionally polishing it on his shield.