A Game of Gods: Infinities

The portal shimmered for a second, before firing out a blue haired young woman who crashed down in heap.

“Owww...” Subaru said as she got to her feet.

As she rubbed her arms, she glanced around,

“Huh? Where are we?”

The stone platform was abruptly illuminated to a greater extend as a narrow, blue pillar of light dropped from the lightless roof of the cavernous chamber to strike the floor near this ominous, armoured figure. This sudden radiance did not last long, dimming to nonexistence within the span of a single second; as it faded, a man became visible at its center.

The fellow stood tall in spite of the seeming weight of his heavy, armoured green-and-gold robes, supported by the firm length of a wooden cane whose foot resembled the curved talons of some vast, predatory bird. A long, curved rod protruded from the fellow's left pauldron, on which was perched a most unusual bird; it seemed like a raven of some sort, but no earthly raven could have possessed such a long and wicked beak, could have stared at the newly-arrived Champions with six gleaming, unblinking red eyes. As the ominous and unnatural corvid peered intently at Lux, the man himself turned ever so slightly to look at them himself; his lower face was concealed behind the pastel folds of what was either some manner of scarf or cloth, and cold eyes of an eerie red hue panned slowly, analytically, across the strange creatures now gathered on the summoning platform.◊

"The Demacian girl," Jericho Swain, the Master Tactician said, his voice a dry rasp that was nevertheless firm and strong in spite of its seeming frailty. "How unexpected."

edited 27th Jul '11 1:30:12 PM by SullenFrog

The Danse Macabre Codex

Grey had tried desperately to avoid the same fate as the others, using his dash ability so much that he could hear the shoe jets almost screaming from the strain. Unfortunately, it was all for naught: he couldn't keep the effort up forever, and tumbled back into the portal.

---

The reploid shot out of the portal as though he had been fired from an unusually large cannon. Managing to yell with a surprising amount of emotion for having a flat, computerised monotone, he struck the stone platform faceguard first, sending him vaulting on to his back with a loud clang and skittering a few feet forward. His body relaxed after a few moments like a puppet that had had its' strings cut.

" A-Trans, " groaned Grey, transforming back into his Model A form. "Ugh... where are we?"

Getting up slowly (and painfully), Grey blinked his eyes in disbelief at the figures before him, fumbling for a few moments before pointing his busters at the beings. "...And who are you?"

This reminds me too much of the other Mega Men for comfort... he thought grimly.

Locking you up on radar since '09

"Who are you?" said Scorpion to the two men covered in armor.

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

This post was thumped by the Shillelagh of Whackingness

...and that's terrible.

As interesting as all their conversations were, I knew that it would have to wait. We were in the middle of an abandoned city with no real information and a disorganized team; if they weren't going to do something, then I knew I had to.

It was then that Lux approached me and asked for my help, which I responded with a smile and a nod. She seemed like such a nice girl, and she wanted to actually do something. That was a good start. "Sure, Lux, let me just m-"

That's when the portal opened up, sucking everyone in like a black hole.

If I was a hawk, I could have morphed into something heavier and avoided it. Then again, if I were a hawk I would probably be sucked in seconds rather than a minute. I didn't know what to do - as a human I couldn't do anything, but as a hawk I definitely couldn't do anything.

I panicked, and held onto the closest thing I could find. But by then, it was too late.

---

SMACK!

I found myself in a dark place, a very dark place. This wasn't the city, that was for sure.

But that wasn't as big a deal as what I realized I held onto. In my panic, I grabbed onto Lux for dear life. Save the world from aliens, can't hold onto a girl. Real smooth, Tobias.

"Oh, uh, sorry..." I managed to mumble out, letting go and standing up awkwardly. In my surprise, I hadn't even noticed the robed man.

edited 27th Jul '11 2:33:29 PM by IBLiS

bluh bluh

"A question I could ask all of you," Swain replied, his tone calm and cold, undaunted by the numerous weapons presently being pointed in his direction. "The Demacian girl excepted, none of you are League Champions, and it seems clear from your behaviour that you haven't the slightest idea of the present situation. Yet the question of how you arrived here can wait; more pressing matters require our attention."

With that, the Master Tactician turned his attention to Lux once more. "On your feet, Crownguard," he said curtly. "You insult both our nations by lying on the floor in this fashion."

The Danse Macabre Codex

Scorpion helped Lux onto her feet.

"Champions?" said Scorpion. "Are we about to partake in a tournament?"

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Bowser got up off the floor, shaking his head to clear it. While he did survive getting sucked into a Black Hole twice it was never a good experience.

This was a similar experience.

He still hasn't noticed Recette or the other Champions.

edited 27th Jul '11 2:07:07 PM by Makuta9999

To be seen, stand up To be heard, speak up To be appreciated, shut up

So, This is the great and terrible Swain I was told of...

—Saren rose to his feet, swordarm pointed at Tobias. The scan visor flickered green.—

You've met the expectations.

edited 27th Jul '11 2:07:02 PM by Colonial1.1

Proud member of the IAA What's the point of being grown up if you can't act childish?

Cletus, confused, looked around the shop from within the bargain bin of items he had appeared in. He slowly arose from it like a ship from the seafloor, bits of iron, paper, and wood hanging from his armor.

"You have excellent pricing on these hammers."

...and that's terrible.

"...'The Great and Terrible'? I think I'll call you Oz."

When Swain appeared Lux's expression hardened considerably, but she did not stand until he asked. Even then she had half a mind not to, out of sheer defiance, but that would have been childish. She stood, slowly and with Scorpion's assistance, and thumbed on her lightstaff. The snap-hiss of activation was the only sound she made while staring down- or up, he was taller than her to a noticeable degree- Swain.

She turned smartly and rejoined the group. "Kassadin, I am no longer a Champion for Demacia. What are we doing here?"

The blue-hued figure observed silently for several more moments, silent that is but for the labored breathing. Finally, "Swain, I have not called on Champions for this dire conflict. I was hoping," the emphasis on the word brought with it tinges of wrongness to listeners ears, as if the sound was amplified and cast across an infinite distance, "To pull other creatures from the Void, fight fire with fire, fear with fear. Either I miscalculated, or we were just inflicted with the Void's worst. I'm not sure which would be more heartening. The Void is a fractured place, Swain, and it fights itself as much as it seeks to fight to escape."

Only then did the armored figure turn to answer the champions, and it was after a pause of several more seconds while the respirator worked, almost as if such an explanation took considerable toll on the pseudo-human's lungs. "In that vein, you are here because we need your help. We are faced with monsters who seek to destroy this place, and with it the last hope for civility on Runeterra. Undoubtedly, it is this chaos they desire," that line was accompanied by as harsh a glare as could be sent through a helmet in Swain's direction, "and have taken advantage of certain current events to make their move. This battlefield does not yet have the magical enchantments to limit the power of those who enter, as it is still under construction, so it is here they appeared. Alone, we are not powerful enough to stop them, and many have already been slain simply to buy us time enough to call you. They have been Recalled and Revived by our best mages, but they remain out of action. Swain, here, is currently the last champion left standing on the Field, if my Summoner relays the situation correctly."

There was another long pause as Kassadin again caught his breath. During this break the large crystal above the well behind him flared to life, and suddenly small wooden constructs wearing blue-colored cloaks came to existence from the faces of the crystal angled towards the entrances, and marched in a single-file line past the imposing statues and off the platform, continuing on into the dark. Some of these carried hammers, and others brightly glowing wands. Following up the rear was one perched on top of what seemed to be a wheeled cannon with a large shield in front.

"It seems they have just erected the resurrection field spell, and the turrets are operational. They can buy you time as you situate yourself to the battlefield, but do not let them fall without purpose. You face five very powerful opponents; you will need the tower support. With the resurrection field you will return here upon death, and we would send others to join you but they are out of commission, unfortunately. Your number is twice as much as such a spell is warranted to support already- in the emergency circumstances we have more Summoners providing power, but we cannot risk overtaxing it. Behind me are three paths.◊ Chose one to explore, and familiarize yourself with the land."

Kassadin looked upon the group as they collected themselves together. Luxanna's presence here confirmed some fears- she was a likely target for Void corruption considering her eagerness to study and explore the limits of conventional magic- but she showed none of the signs that he himself bore of traveling the Void unprotected. The others, likewise, came in many forms but were not as monstrous as the opponents they would have to face. It surprised him far more than he would let on, and possibly said something very important about the contents of the Void. The time for questions could be later, now they must act.

How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?

Scorpion nodded and turned to the group.

"Well," said the ninja, "before we go, we should evaluate the paths. And no, we shouldn't split up and cover all three."

edited 27th Jul '11 3:02:22 PM by TestYourMight

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Garland looked around the shop, and noticed something everyone else seemed to have missed.

"There are only half of us here. Where did the others go?"

edited 27th Jul '11 3:02:13 PM by Anura

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.

"Great question. I saw others go into the portal."

To Be Updated when I'm not Lazy

"Um... Yup. Just give me a second."

"This is all I've got at the moment, though..."

Pulling out another bottle of Red Potion, he gave it to Sly.

"There." He picked up the empty bottle on the ground, and returned it to his pouch.

"Better now?" he asked Fluttershy.

edited 27th Jul '11 3:04:27 PM by troydenite

'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023

Archer listened as the armored figure names Kassadin explained the situation. It seemed pretty grim, but not hopeless. Apparently they were to be the last hope, as thrilling as that sounded. Normally he would be a bit more hesitant to join something like this, but it didn't look like there was anyway they could leave this place. Plus the blond girl had some sort of stake in this by the looks of things. He held out his arm and in a flash of red he was holding a sleek black bow◊. "So, any tips on the enemy?" he asked calmly.

Grey analysed his options for a few moments: he could just stand there and bicker with them*

, or he could keep his mouth shut, nod, and just go on his merry way. A more suspicious section of his mind supported the former choice, but a quick grappling match with common sense put that firmly on the back-burner; it could wait until later, as Grey didn't exactly want to risk the possibility that his inaction accidentally doomed this place.

From there, it was an easy choice between the three paths. He immediately set his sights on the centre path - in his own experiences, the direct route usually got him to the bottom of whatever trouble was brewing. Making his way past the two men with no small degree of wariness*

, he looked back at the group.

"I'm going down that way," he said, pointing in the central path's direction. "If these five guys are that powerful, we'll need to stick together."

With that, he began walking down the path, his weapons trained in front of him.

Locking you up on radar since '09

"Why yes, much better, thank you," Fluttershy responded to Link. The bruise practically disappeared from the pony's forehead, the pain going with it.

She noticed the lack of people as well when Garland and the Doctor pointed it out. "Um, maybe they were dropped somewhere else in town," she suggested. "I think," she quietly answered. A beat. "I hope," she almost squeaked, fearing the worst.

"Well before, I did it with reckless abandon. Now I can't control myself!" ~ Jesse Cox, 2014

"That's good." Then, something the Doctor had said caught his ear.

Others?

There are others, huh....

"Well, maybe they were... delayed somehow. I mean, I arrived here late..."

edited 27th Jul '11 3:25:54 PM by troydenite

'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023

Swain did not respond to either Saren's appraisal or Hellboy's jibe, instead focusing his attention on the curious weapon which had sprung to life in the hands of the Demacian girl. The Master Tactician raised an eyebrow, subtly intrigued; evidently, the self-titled Lady of Luminosity had not been idle during her year-long absence.

The Noxian general turned his crimson gaze upon Kassadin then, listening as the Void Walker explained the situation to these newcomers. Though much of his expression was masked by the veil which covered the lower half of his face, it took considerable effort for Swain to keep his brow from furrowing when the blue-hued mage revealed that he had been responsible for the arrival of both the Demacian girl and her eclectic collection of allies; and unintentional or not, successful or not, the idea that Kassadin could manipulate the Void to this extent, to draw forth so many beings simultaneously despite not being a summoner, was one that did not sit well with the Master Tactician. Investigations would need to be conducted to determined the full extent of Kassadin's power, if—when—this business was concluded.

When the white-haired man in red made his inquiry, Swain turned to answer him; as he did so, the raven perched on his shoulder fluttered into the air for a brief moment before settling down once more, enabling it to keep its many eyes fixed on the other Champions as if it too were scrutinizing the newcomers. "Two of our foes are capable of silencing their opponents, and two more can instill in their enemies great fear. The last of them relies primarily on its caustic bile for offense, but be wary; when slain, he explodes violently."

Upon noting that the Nexus had begun to spawn minions, the Noxian general turned around without further comment and began to stride down the central path; he moved with surprising speed for someone with such an obvious limp, and soon he had actually begun to outpace Grey. As he strode down the rocky road, Swain's curious avian companion fluttered along, briefly alighting upon the spar protruding from his shoulder every few seconds as though the very act of flight was tiresome for it and it were in need of frequent rest.

"What are your capabilities, boy?" he inquired curtly, not bothering to halt or even glance in the reploid's direction as he spoke.

edited 27th Jul '11 3:32:08 PM by SullenFrog

The Danse Macabre Codex

"I hope so. Maybe they're already wherever the treasure is?"

To Be Updated when I'm not Lazy

Grey had almost raised an eyebrow as he noticed the mysterious man had suddenly taken an interest in him. Trying to ignore the man's jibe he began talking.

"I can use something known as A-Trans - I can transform into the form of anyone I've defeated before, like this: A-Trans!" Grey floated into the air as before, but this time his form changed in a different manner. His armour became a vibrant green, and his helmet gained two small "wings".◊ The pipes were gone, replaced by a back-mounted jetpack. His skin tone too had changed: it was now lighter, and his eyes were a blood red colour. In both hands were two pure white hilts rather than the busters he had previously wielded. He then resumed walking along with Jericho.

"I can do this due to my Biometal - it's a device that gives me special abilites," he said in a voice that was slightly deeper than usual, and which seemed to have an undercurrent of self-assuredness running through it. Grey, however, had not selected this form merely for demonstration's sake - he hoped that this form would be able to pick out any weaknesses the man had, just in case he needed to fight him in the future. "For example, this particular form allows me to hover and dash in the air. My normal form's nothing special, but it's still handy."

edited 27th Jul '11 3:39:39 PM by Flanker66

Locking you up on radar since '09

"Maybe they're randomly teleporting. I ended up in the bargain bin. For all we know, some ended up in the-"

Cletus looked at the wall, his helmet masking the frightened look on his face.

"That's... a scary thought. What with the massive amount of energy displacement of that much matter would create."

...and that's terrible.