TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Go To

IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381076: Aug 26th 2023 at 4:00:03 PM

Pietro answers Rumia's question by pointing to Ken when the latter starts making threats.

"That kid's parents raised a nasty little brat who thinks he can pick on my nephews, that's why."

Wanda flashes the most dangerous smile she can muster, her eyes taking on that all-too-familiar scarlet glow as she stares down at Ken.

"You really should have listened to my brother, Kenny. Now, if you're as smart as you think you are, you won't come anywhere near my boys again."

She moves to telekinetically seize the little brat, raise him into the air, and fling him out through the golf course's entrance.

Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#381077: Aug 26th 2023 at 4:10:44 PM

I don't think any of you are going to concede the last word. Could you children please just move away from one another and go back to what you were doing? What do you even have to gain from this anyway? You- Eve pinch the bridge of her nose and leans forward, disappointed.

But as it turns out, that split second of distraction might have been another mistake.

Because Wanda goes and try to fling him off, which even Eve widens her eyes at. Shocked, she can only blink once before attempting to use Null Magic around Ken. Using Grasp Magic to try to overpower Wanda could be harmful for him (since, as far as she's concerned, he's yet to act on his threats while Wanda has). Raising her hand, Eve attempts to neutralize all magic in front of her, meaning to dispel Wanda's telekinesis by disabling her grasp and Wanda's magic for a second, since she's in front of Eve herself.

A second at most, both because of Wanda's strength in it and also because of the Arena, but hopefully enough for her to let go of Ken, at which point Eve attempts to simply make him float back down to the ground. Not as forcefully as Wanda did too: she uses a very precise amount of Gravity Magic to make him land slower and safer.

What is wrong with you two!? He's a child! You don't react to a child mouthing off by trying to toss him away with magic! What sort of twisted lessons are you "teaching" to these children now?! Eve shouts, furiously tapping the side of her head with her index.

Act like the adults you ought to be, damn it!

NULL MAGIC

Edited by Bolded1 on Aug 26th 2023 at 1:11:59 PM

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
shroobot3000 Witch of Scarlet Dreams from Behind you Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Witch of Scarlet Dreams
#381078: Aug 26th 2023 at 4:41:57 PM

Kinship Cave

Sebastien leaped out of the way and tried to take a potshot at the speedy foe. Regardless of the result he tosses a dust of life to Davik to help stabilize him while keeping his eyes peeled for their assailant. It was fast, faster than the mothman even.

He had an idea though, of using a sonic bomb the next time it passed since being a cave dweller it probably relied on sound or scent more.


Pizzaplex

   "I mean, he doesn't seem that bad..."    Rumia hummed, sipping her drink. Her standards are a bit skewed admittedly. She wanders behind Ken in the process of getting closer which might end up with him getting tossed into her and knocking them both over. If the knockening doesn't happen she also looks a bit peeved like Eve.

   "Yeah that's a bit rude."    she pouts.

"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381079: Aug 26th 2023 at 4:45:55 PM

Oh.

Oh dear.

Pietro's choice of words may not have been the best.

It happens in but an instant. Ken's pupils shrink and become ever-so-slightly red, his gaze intensifies, he bares his teeth and his forehead goes red from pure rage. You'd almost swear that you could hear both the snap and the metaphorical tea kettle going off as his formerly brattish tantrum makes way for an expression that looks like he wants to freaking strangle Pietro to death.

He doesn't even hear a thing that anyone else says once Pietro has muttered those words. Moving fast, he suddenly turns around, takes the broken off piece of the Monty cut-out and swings, aiming square for Pietro's face.

"DON'T YOU TALK SHIT ABOUT MY PARENTS YOU MOTHERFU-", he full-on screams, only to find himself and his swing both interrupted when he suddenly becomes incapable of moving due to Wanda's telekinesis. He's still pissed, but he's also surprised, and before he can do or say anything else he gets magically yeeted, though with Eve's magic cancel he ends up right in front of the door (missing Rumia by THIS much) instead of outside the Gator Golf entrance he had gone through about five minutes ago, landing on his feet due to his fall being slowed down.

After a second or two to catch his bearings he growls, turns to the entrance and viciously kicks the door open before leaving of his own accord.

...

But he doesn't go very far, just standing outside of Gator Golf and fuming for a while.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...", he starts muttering to himself, eyes closed and fist balled. He begins to calm down just a little bit.

"Four... three... two... one..."

He takes a deep breath, then lets the air leave his lungs with a long sigh. Okay... okay, he's calmer. It worked. He looks back at Gator Golf before scoffing bitterly.

"Whatever! I don't wanna be around those three airheads and that bimbette anyway!", he growls to himself. "I came here to have some cooldown, have fun and find out where the heck I am!"

He angrily kicks a random can that's on the floor, which accidentally beans a cleaner S.T.A.F.F. Bot in the back of the head. And while rude, this ill-mannered boy is not dumb at least, because he immediately hides in a photo boot the moment he realized he did that, not wanting to get thrown out for damaging the robots.

Thankfully the S.T.A.F.F. Bot just wheels off, and once he figures it's safe, Ken exists the photo booth.

"I'm so filing a complaint about this at the entrance desk.", he says to himself, but then he immediately changes his mind about that. 'Filing a complaint'? What is he, a middle-aged woman? He's neither that or a snitch. A man deals with his own problems, he doesn't 'file a complaint'. That's something miss bossypants would do! He'll just get back at them if he ever comes across them next.

He sticks around the area at the moment, so if anyone wants to follow him, they still can. But he won't stay in that spot for very long.


The two kids actually look somewhat frightened for a moment when Ken is about to freaking assault Pietro. They're still a little stunned as the kid gets yeeted away and then leaves the area.

Tommy and Billy then look up at Eve as she gets angry at Pietro and Wanda. And it's making Tommy feel bad, because now his mom and uncle are also in an argument with someone because of him.

"W-wait, miss, please don't be mad at my Mom and Uncle. That Ken kid's a jerk, but I'm... technically kinda the one who started it because I ran into him and knocked him over. Even if he made a big deal about it, I'm to blame too."

He lowers his head a little.

"I'm sorry.", he says, and he looks like he means his apology.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Aug 26th 2023 at 1:47:07 PM

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
ISZATSO The Web-Slinger from Queens Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: All is for my lord
The Web-Slinger
#381080: Aug 26th 2023 at 4:50:29 PM

Kindhop zcabe

A crossbow bolt, courtesy of Sebastien, pierced the lunging beast as it passed by overhead and back into the darkness behind them, disappearing into the night once more. Should he investigate further he’d find there to be a short trail of red blood left behind by the wound that simply…stopped. It couldn’t possibly have been regeneration, as the blood trail maintained the same consistency the whole way through, it just ended.

Davik huffed as he limped to his feet. The lifepowder had at least slowed the bleeding, but still the man found it difficult to walk.

"What the hell are we dealin’ with here..?" He huffed aloud.

With great power…you know the rest.
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381081: Aug 26th 2023 at 5:12:26 PM

Pietro instinctively prepares to defend himself, only for Wanda to launch Ken away before he has to do anything.

"The hell's wrong with him?"

"Somehow, I get the feeling that asking him nicely to please stop being a bully wouldn't have been all that effective," Wanda retorts, shaking her head. "And you saw him try to attack Pietro just now."

Then Tommy apologizes, prompting both twins to look at him.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 26th 2023 at 5:14:04 AM

Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#381082: Aug 26th 2023 at 5:30:48 PM

You could've walked away with those children at any point. If he stuck around to make a scene, he would've gotten kicked out on his own, she huffs. You escalated the situation. I can't blame you for reacting to the attack but you were significantly more antagonistic than you should've been.

She glances at Tommy but isn't moved much by his speech, looking somewhat bothered instead. I think it's sweet of you to apologize, but I'm upset at them for reasons unrelated to you. So you should't need to.

Eve glances at where Ken went. He did attack Pietro. So she feel like she should brainwash him into being nicer.

Enjoy the rest of your day. And please learn patience. You're meant to be the adults they'll be listening to.

The witch pays Rumia a glance, then hovers in the air to follow Ken.

Edited by Bolded1 on Aug 26th 2023 at 2:34:53 PM

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
RainbyPlays fae being from yes Since: Nov, 2019 Relationship Status: Hiding
fae being
#381083: Aug 26th 2023 at 5:31:07 PM

Onyxis - Barrens

The shrill rapid beeping of the proximity alarm was the last thing Aniya heard before her already-damaged ship smashed into the snow.

She's a sickly-skinned female, with tied-back grey hair and blue eyes. Her left leg is a light prosthetic replacement. She's wearing a set of dull-grey crewman fatigues. She also has on some boots, and she's wearing glasses that didn't fall off- because of a small strap.

A panel had came loose- knocking her out for a moment. When she wakes back up, she can barely feel her face. She realizes the front window of her bridge was shattered- and her suit's helmet wasn't automatically deploying. She stumbles into the hall, pulling with all her might on the door, closing it. She takes multiple deep breaths. Her ship- the Mantis, a frigate-class military vessel -now reduced to a wreck.

The next thing that concerns her was the weakness she felt... she looks down and- yup oh god that's some blood alright holy heck

"O-oh, fuck."

She reaches for the emergency medkit stashed next to her and fumbles with it for a second- before pulling out a red-colored medical pen and stabbing it into herself. The medicine gets to work- quickly clotting the bleeding and acting as a partial blood substitution. It's no match for actual medical care, though. She wraps some medical gauze around the wound and takes a look at her suit- what was once an airtight and lightweight emergency pressure suit, now about as useful as the clothes she's wearing under it. She pulls out her communicator... and, nothing. No link to the Exonet.

"No connection. Great."

She staggers along the hall... she feels bones shifting about in her leg, but she pushes through given the situation. She reaches her medical bay and pries the door open- reaching the triage locker and grabbing a splint. She crudely sets her leg- she needs it fixed very soon by all respects. She walks along her ship, gearing up now that it's crashed. A more standard-issue suit with the designation painted over, a modular light weapon grip with a pistol and cutter attachment, a bigger medium weapon grip with a rifle and shotgun attachment, and a folded baton that she clips along her back. She also grabs some flares, a flare gun, some flare shells, a multitool, and some rations. She shoves it all into a satchel she clipped onto the side of her suit.

"Right..."

She manages to get outside, into the snow-whipped barrens. She raises her flare gun to the sky and fires straight up- it makes a loud BANG as the shell fires and launches the flare skyward. It deploys a parachute to stay airborne for a bit, though that comes with the drawback of it drifting.

aeiou: the second
shroobot3000 Witch of Scarlet Dreams from Behind you Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Witch of Scarlet Dreams
#381084: Aug 26th 2023 at 5:43:54 PM

Kinship Cave

"Well if I had to guess." Sebastien said, looking at the trail. "It might have some kind of teleportation or the like for the trail to just end like that."

He looked around for any other signs of movement.

"That or some hidden passageways but I can't notice any." Sebastien hummed. "Would explain how it moves in and out of sight so quickly."


Pizzaplex

Rumia blinks. Huh that reminds her a lot of...

   "Hey, wait."    she says and vanishes into the shadows.

Only to pop up again near Ken, ahead of sbeve.

   "Hey, what was up with that?"    She asks, suddenly appearing near him.    "Kind of reminds me of a thing I do when I get really angry too."   

Edited by shroobot3000 on Aug 26th 2023 at 3:52:39 PM

"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381085: Aug 26th 2023 at 5:53:39 PM

"Erm... okay.", Tommy says, slightly surprised. He and Billy then just watch as Eve and Rumia leave.

The two now look up at Wanda and Pietro, with Tommy looking a little worried.

"... Am I in trouble again?"

Unbeknownst to most likely everyone though, someone had been watching this altercation play out from afar, having been drawn by the feelings of anger and frustration.

It had already taken an interest in the Maximoffs, having watched them almost every time they came here before. Now it was certain though, they've proven themselves useful for this little plan...

Ken is briefly startled by Rumia just appearing in front of him.

"Whattheheck-oh... uh..."

He tilts his head and frowns. Normally he'd say he doesn't need to explain myself to her, and then he'd just leave. But he's still in the process of trying to fully calm down and he knows that if he gets volatile again he's probably gonna end up doing something that'll get him kicked out.

So he chooses to just answer.

"Nobody shit-talks my parents. They'll pay for doing that if I ever see them again.", he says while glancing back. Then he looks back at Rumia.

"I didn't shit-talk their parents, did I!?", he says, temper briefly heating up again, but he manages to catch himself. This isn't helping him.

"Well, whatever. I'm not here to beat up little kids."

As if he's that much older than Tommy and Billy.

"I'm here to find out what city I'm in. I've traveled around a lot, but I don't recognize this place one bit. It's like an arcade on steroids."

He glances around in search for a small food stall. He's not hungry, but getting splashed by soda did, ironically, help him remember that it's been hours since he last had a drink.

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381086: Aug 26th 2023 at 6:00:45 PM

Wanda takes Tommy's hand in er own and gives it a reassuring squeeze, offering him a gentle smile.

"You made an honest mistake, Tommy. There's no way you could've guessed he'd react that way."

Pietro looks off towards the golf course's entrance.

"Maybe I should apologize to that kid if I ever see him again..."

shroobot3000 Witch of Scarlet Dreams from Behind you Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Witch of Scarlet Dreams
#381087: Aug 26th 2023 at 6:21:29 PM

Pizzaplex

   "I don't think you did."    Rumia says.    "But I wasn't there for ALL of it..."   

   "Anyway so you must like your parents huh?"    Rumia asks, sounding more actually curious than anything.    "I don't have any so I don't know how that would feel."   

She loudly slurps from her soda. She probably knows where the nearest food stall is.

   "Oh and this is the... Pizzaplex, in Onyxis."    she adds belatedly.    "It's really cold outside."   

He might not have noticed with the whole climate controlled interior.

"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
Bolded1 Fate, guide me from behind you!!!!!!!! Since: Mar, 2015
Fate, guide me
#381088: Aug 26th 2023 at 6:26:32 PM

The flare goes off, floating off into the wind carried by its parachute, shooting bright light all around it.

In the Barrens, though, even such a signal might be hopeless. Like a crushing reminder of the fact that the injured woman is truly in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but coldness and despair around her for miles onwards, left to regret that her ship didn't pick a better crashing spot. Just one more small voice to be snuffed out, ignored by all.

It'd take a miracle, like someone roaming the Barrens precisely looking for lost or stranded people, to save Aniyah. And today was her lucky day.

In the distance, she'll hear the sound of rotors roaring over the snow, before lights approach her, revealing the towering frame of an V22 osprey, painted white, with red lines running over its white frame. After taking a moment to find a good spot to land on, the Osprey land as close as possible to Aniyah in a way that won't hurt her or blast her with snow, landing with the cockpit turned away from her.

The backdoor opens up, but no one is coming out to help her get to it. But the warm lights within the osprey are inviting.

   Hi! I'm here to assist you! There's a bunch more stuff I'd like to tell you but could you come over first?! It's gonna be tough talking in a snowstorm!    A loud voice emanates from the cockpit, but not from the back door. It has a bit of a mechanical echo to it.

The osprey is as close as can be but can apparently monitor how well Aniyah is doing at reaching it. Still, for now, it observes: it doesn't want to frighten her. More pragmatically, it doesn't want to frighten her while she's in danger.

...

Eve listens to Rumia and Ken, hovering over softly as she approach them.

Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter
DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381089: Aug 26th 2023 at 6:34:18 PM

Tommy looks happy and relieved.

"I guess I should slow down a little when running inside from now on, huh?", he asks.

"You can actually slow down?", Billy sarcastically asks with a teasing smile, which earns him a light shove.

"Ha ha.", he snarks, though then he smirks.

"As payback, I'm gonna steal one of your pizza slices now."

"What!?", Billy asks, alarmed. "You can't do that!"

"Says who?", Tommy grins before speeding off towards the table they were at before. He is moving slower than before, but for anyone but himself and Pietro that's still incredibly fast.

"Don't you dare! Tommy! Noooo!", Billy shouts as he runs after them. Pietro will likely be the first to go after both of them.

Before Wanda can do the same though (whether by walking or teleportation), she may suddenly hear very faint whispers. There's nobody around her right now, but she'll still be able to hear them. They'll be far too faint for her to make out what they're saying though.

"Well, I mean... yeah. Why wouldn't I like them?", he asks while glancing away. ... wait, is this rude brat actually being bashful about this subject? Perhaps he's just too proud to admit it even when this reaction and his reaction at Pietro's words make it pretty clear that he does indeed like his parents.

He then looks back at Rumia when he hears what she follows her question up with.

"Huh. ... sorry to hear that."

A curt response. From his rough tone alone one would assume he doesn't care one bit about Rumia not having parents. But his somewhat conflicted eyes betray that he does genuinely feel bad for her. It's as if he has trouble responding in a way that isn't brattish, even when he doesn't actually mean to behave like a brat.

That doesn't mean he isn't a brat, but it does mean that's not all there is to him. Perhaps Eve will notice that too.

"Yeah, I actually woke up in the snow outside. Ugh, I hate the cold. I don't know how I ended up here, but I'm glad I was already wearing my jacket. I came in here 'cause I figured it'd be warm."

His eyes then focus on Rumia's drink the moment he spots it though, ensuring he doesn't see Eve coming either. His eyes are a little wide and wanting as he now starts to feel how thirsty he actually is. Perhaps that was adding to the bad mood he already had before entering Gator Golf.

"Where'd you get that?", he asks, straight to the point.

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381090: Aug 26th 2023 at 6:46:36 PM

Chuckling, Pietro shakes his head and takes off after Billy and Tommy.

Before Wanda can teleport after the boys, the sudden whispering causes her to freeze dead in her tracks. She looks around the golf course, wondering just where the hell these mysterious voices were coming from.

"Hello? Who's there?"

DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381091: Aug 26th 2023 at 7:03:57 PM

There is no answer, only whispers. If Wanda moves around a bit, she'll eventually find that the whispers get louder when she goes towards a certain direction, and softer again if she deviates from that path. No matter how loud they get though, they'll still be unintelligible.

Should she choose to follow, she'll be lead towards this little guy. One of the Wet Floor Sign robots, positioned against a wall. Once she goes near it'll turn to face her, which probably would have been spooky if this wasn't a feature all of these Wet Floor Sign robots had by default, so Wanda has probably seen other ones do the same thing before.

Though none of them had had these strange, almost ghostly whispers before. And they do seem to be coming from this area. So the question is: will she approach the little robot?

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381092: Aug 26th 2023 at 7:11:16 PM

Remaining cautious, Wanda proceeds to head in the direction these strange whispers were coming from. Once she reaches the west floor sign robot, she regards the unlikely source with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"You're where all those voices were coming from?"

DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381093: Aug 26th 2023 at 8:09:25 PM

The little Wet Floor Sign robot does not respond. Because it can't. None of them can actually speak.

And yet the whispers remain, as if tempting Wanda to inspect the robot to find her answer. If she tries to reach for it, all of a sudden it'll be as if the very world around her vanishes instantly. It doesn't melt, or crumble, or anything like that. As if in the span of a single 'frame', in videogame terms, everything around her turns dark. Everything vanishes. The building, the people, even the little robot that was just right in front of her.

Visions will start flashing by Wanda. However, they are much, much too fast for her to make any sense of them. Well, most of them. Despite them rushing by so quickly, at just a few points they do linger for a second, allowing her to very briefly try to make sense of what she's seeing.

But the longer this goes on, the more pressure she'll start feeling, and the harder it'll get to see what exactly these brief interludes are showing her. Sounds will become louder and louder with each image.

An image of nothing.

An image of space.

An image of a planet unknown to her.

An image of a golden, winged being that she cannot recognize.

It'll become harder to focus.

An image of the nightmare realm that she personally has been to.

What seems to be an image of the Arena.

An image of large and red humanoid shape... perhaps Mara.

An image of a child laying on the ground. Wanda will not be able to tell who it is.

That same image again. It lingers a little longer, and it's a little clearer, but not yet enough. There are other people on it now too.

Once again that same image. She'll be able to recognize the two other people as Tommy and Billy, but the child on the ground is still unclear. The twins are standing on their feet though.

One more time, that same image. It doesn't last any longer than before, but for some reason she'll now be able to see this picture perfectly. Tommy and Billy look distressed and scared, both looking down at the child on the ground.

...

...

...

The child in question is Ninten.

There are the shadows of two people layered over the kids, suggesting them to be standing outside of vision. One of them looks like Wanda in her Scarlet Witch outfit, going by shape. The other's looks like Mara's.

Is... Mara going to kill Ninten at some point?

All of a sudden, the image vanishes as fast as it came. It had been not even a hundredth of a second, even if Wanda's perception will have tricked her into thinking it was much longer, long enough to investigate the picture as much as she got the chance to do. Now there is only darkness... until right in front of her, eyes open. Three eyes, to be exact. There are no pupils in them. The darkness around the eyes seems to be a liquid of some sort, because black drops start to fall down over and even in the eyes, but those eyes don't react to this.

At the very same instant the eyes open, all that harsh, overwhelming sound ceases to be. All the pressure that had been building up, gone in an instant. There is just her, a clear mind, and these eyes.

A whisper will speak to Wanda now, cutting through what is now silence.

"You can stop this from happening..."

"But you must reach your full power, and beyond..."

"Accept the gift she has laid out for you..."

The whisper sounds frightening, but soft. Inhuman, but not monstrous. Without any discernible gender, but still clear. Unknown, yet strangely comforting and trustworthy. Like the words it speaks are not a suggestion, but an inevitability. A truth.

"With this gift by your side..."

"You can defeat Mara yourself."

The whispers end, the eyes blink out of existence, and all of a sudden Wanda will be back in the Pizzaplex. Though had she ever left to begin with?

Strangely though, the whole place is dark and empty. Eerily silent. As if she had stayed after nightfall. But even then, some of the lights still function after nightfall. Nothing is turned on right now, with one exception.

The little Wet Floor Sign robot, which is glowing a soft, feathery white, almost in a holy way. Its head is slumped forward as if turned off despite what the glow would suggest, and its chest plate (that normally has the 'caution, wet floor' on it) is open.

Inside its chest is a strange black book that emanates pure magical power. Could this be the gift in question? The gift that will make Wanda powerful enough to defeat Mara all by herself?

If she looks at it, she'll feel compelled to take it. She'll get the feeling that, yes, this book is the solution to Mara and she'll be able to deal with her without endangering anyone else. With the knowledge of this book, she can ensure that Mara will fall, and the Assassins will surely go with her. After all, if she can beat Mara, she can probably beat them all.

Who knows what else it can teach her. Her counterpart created children, life. Perhaps the magic from this book will make her capable of doing even more. Perhaps she'll be able to revive the victims Mara has made. The heroes who have already died. The Cyber Angels. Perhaps she'll be able to undo Navitus corruption completely, remove the anger that makes these artifacts so dangerous to begin with.

The possibilities are endless.

If Wanda takes the book, then once she has removed her hand from the inside of the bot, everything will suddenly go back to normal. The lights are back on, the people pop back into existence, all the sound comes rushing back in, and even the little robot is functioning again.

There's just two main differences. The whispers have stopped. And she's now holding the book. If she gives it a look-around she'll see that there's a word inscribed on the front of the book.

'Darkhold'.

"Moooom! Are you coming?", Billy's voice will ring out throughout all the other noise. He's not yelling any louder than normal, and he's also at the table. Somehow, despite the distance between her and them, she'll be able to hear him perfectly.

"She can't hear you, she's still all the way over there. Use your telekinesis or whatever!", Tommy says before taking a bite out of his pizza. She can hear him just as perfectly, which means that this isn't some accidental mental broadcast from Billy this time.

Could it be that the mere act of holding this book is already sharpening her senses?

Edited by DevilPsyco on Aug 26th 2023 at 5:16:26 PM

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
RainbyPlays fae being from yes Since: Nov, 2019 Relationship Status: Hiding
fae being
#381094: Aug 26th 2023 at 8:50:30 PM

Onyxis - Barrens

Aniyah glances out at the VTOL craft that appears not a few minutes later. She tightens the splint around her leg and starts to stagger forward. With all the snow, wind, and her already-broken leg, it takes her a good few minutes to get out to the plane, which she climbs into. She staggers a bit before the bones in her broken leg grind just the wrong way against each other and she yelps in pain, almost collapsing to the floor, were it not for her cybernetic leg keeping her stable.

"G-gah!! Hell, that hurts!"

She shakes before managing to pull down one of the seats along the rear interior area and sitting down, strapping herself in.

"M-much as I'd like to walk to the cockpit to talk... Ow... I shouldn't walk on this busted leg anymore."

She glances at the holographic projector on her suit's arm and turns it on, it immediately links to the implant in her neck and starts displaying her vitals. What was a spiral fracture was partially righted by the suit's automatic assist servos, though the bone was still improperly set- she needed a doctor, and soon. Alongside this, she had a moderate loss of blood and multiple punctures- one of her lungs having been punctured but held together by that medical pen's medicine from earlier. Only problem was, the patches made inside bodies from that only lasted a few hours at most. She also had a concussion. The whole batch of medical traumas, and she's still standing. Probably because her cybernetic leg is working as a very good support.

"So... where the heck did I land? This looks like Callisto. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it, though."

She lets out a sigh and holds her helmeted head in her hands and sighs.

"First that incident I escaped from, and now this? I really hope this isn't Callisto, or at least not where I was on it."

aeiou: the second
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381095: Aug 26th 2023 at 9:14:33 PM

Wanda slowly reaches for this peculiar wet floor sign robot, figuring it was as good a solution as any. Once she's bombarded by the ensuing visions, she falls to her knees, desperately trying to make sense of everything. Of course, once things become crystal clear, she finds herself wishing she hadn't followed the whispers.

"Oh, god... How am I supposed to stop this? Even if I have help, Mara might still be too powerful..."

She gazes up at the three eyes now looking down upon her.

"My... my full power? But I've already unlocked my-"

But the vision ends before can finish her sentence, and she's left alone with a now open wet floor sign robot. Gazing at the book held within the unassuming machine, she can practically feel the power radiating from within this strange tome. Yes, this could give her the edge she needed to finally destroy Mara for good and more.

Wanda plucks the Darkhold from the wet floor sign bot, takes a moment to study her new book, and stashes it in her jacket once she hears Tommy and Billy's voices in the distance. Without a moment to spare, she teleports back to Gator Grub, greeting Pietro and her sons with a warm smile.

"Hey, where have you been, Wanda? I didn't think you could actually get lost on that golf course."

"Oh, I was just going to the bathroom. Sorry for not letting you boys know," she replies.

DevilPsyco from The Underworld (pretty deep down in the ground) Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
#381096: Aug 26th 2023 at 9:21:23 PM

"You should've waited until you finished your pizza, it's getting cold!", Tommy says before stuffing his face again.

"Hey, don't take my slices!", Billy protests before stealing one of Tommy's in return. None of them are aware of the tome that Wanda found, and despite it being presented as a solution, it's probably still the safer option to keep it away from them, honestly to not tell them at all, just in case.

Though hey, if it proves to be everything it's built up to be, perhaps it can help Billy unlock his full powers later on too. But that's not for now to worry about. Its purpose right now is to teach Wanda what she needs to know to take Mara down.

The one who had been watching the Maximoffs is pleased at this development. The strange tome that it had found within a cavern a good while back simply reeked of darkness in a way that only a being like it could even begin to comprehend. This book would provide so, so much agony...

There's only one thing that confuses the being, though not enough to stick around now. The book went to the correct person, now it was time to return to the darkness.

As for what still confuses it... how did Wanda suddenly and instantly manifest the book in her hands when she had it hidden in the floor tile beneath that Wet Floor Sign robot?

In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
IchigoMontoya (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#381097: Aug 26th 2023 at 9:28:11 PM

Wanda playfully tousles her sons' hair, giggling a little.

"Hey, you know I could always just reheat it whenever I wanted!"

Pietro simply chuckles before wolfing down his next slice of pizza, unaware of what had really transpired while Wanda was away.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 26th 2023 at 9:49:42 AM

StepexNo2 Leave your ants ants ants ants ants ANTS ANTS from The Complex Plane Since: Aug, 2021 Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
Leave your ants ants ants ants ants ANTS ANTS
#381098: Aug 27th 2023 at 2:18:34 AM

Angel

   "Exactly! Maddy could've tried to socialize, and maybe she would've made a new friend by now!   

Maddy gets up.

"Badeline, I know! It's not the end of the world."

   "Are you going to be just as quiet the next time you meet someone new?"   

"Please! Remember Mr. Oshiro."

The two engage in a staring contest. Eventually, Badeline looks away and pops into Madeline's body, who sits down again.

"Sorry about that... Was that meeting with A important?"

If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong.
shroobot3000 Witch of Scarlet Dreams from Behind you Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Witch of Scarlet Dreams
#381099: Aug 27th 2023 at 3:57:54 AM

Pizzaplex

   "It's okay, if I had any I don't remember them."    Rumia says with probably a bit too much cheer.    "Miss Yukari said I popped out of nowhere in Gensokyo one day without remembering anything before that, so I don't let it bother me."   

She finishes her soda as Ken points at it.

   "Oh. It was this way."    Rumia says before turning around to lead him to the nearest food stall.

"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
KrampusTheTherapist Filia, Final Lucifer. from A Galaxy Far, Far Away (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: A cockroach, nothing can kill it.
Filia, Final Lucifer.
#381100: Aug 27th 2023 at 4:34:29 AM

Imperial Army

What remains is nothing more than a dozen or so Sith Warriors, holding the final line as best they can to prevent the Jedi and their compatriots from breaching the academy. They stand no chance, but their resolve to save the acolytes keeps them planted on the battlefield. However, they are scattered, and can't prevent entry to the academy.


Ranus

Ranus keeps his distance from Wrustoiz's pointed lightsaber, gripping his stolen lightsaber with both hands and angling the blade slightly forward. One cautious step forward leads to Wrustoiz leaping forward aggressively. The latter Sith pushes his lightsaber forward to impale Ranus, but he parries it away, stepping backward. Wrustoiz flourishes his blade in a series of feints, Ranus raising his lightsaber in a defensive stance to prepare for his former peer's attack. Wrustoiz finishes his flourish with a wide-angle slash for Ranus's midsection, which the latter blocks, countering with a swift overhead. Wrustoiz swings his head to the side, the immense heat flowing off of Ranus's lightsaber causing sweat to build on Wrustoiz's face immediately.

The rest of Wrustoiz's body swings with him, bringing the Sith Lord sliding to his knees a few feet away from Ranus. From the ground, Wrustoiz thrusts his blade forward like a spear, the tip of his lightsaber piercing Ranus's thigh. Ranus roars in pain, releasing his two-handed grip and blasting Wrustoiz with a burst of Force lightning that sends him skidding across the landing pad. Still crackling, Wrustoiz stammers to his feet. Grunting, Wrustoiz perks up at Lorelai's approach, smirking.


Wrustoiz

   "You've made the right choice, apprentice."   

Wrustoiz says, nodding his head at the acolyte. He waits for Lorelai to stand by his side before taunting Ranus with a boisterous tone.

   "Now let's see if you can win against unfair odds, you wretched whelp!"   

Ranus scowls, shaking in anger at Wrustoiz's taunting remark. He wants to rocket forward, but his leg injury would prevent such a forward assault. His gaze flickers to the academy door, wide open. Before he could consider his options, Bombuccia leaps at him with a lightsaber strike. Ranus bolsters his stance with the Force, allowing him to block the blow without falling over. Whatever fight he was considering against Wrustoiz and Lorelai was no longer an option, so Ranus channeled the Force into his body and took off in a blur, sprinting into the academy doors.

Wrustoiz turns to Lorelai, thumbing the ignition switch of his lightsaber to deactivate the blade. He lowers the hilt to his side, looking at the acolyte beside him with a suspicious but intrigued glance. Looking over his shoulder, he spies Ranus's discarded lightsaber, calling it to his free hand. Inspecting the hilt, he speaks to Lorelai while he steps forward.

   "Guide me through the academy, and I'll do the rest."   

He commands with a neutral tone, glancing over his shoulder and gesturing to the academy door. Wrustoiz marched over corpses, walking toward what remains of the Sith Warriors. He draws the attention of a trio of Sith, who raise their lightsabers and rush toward Wrustoiz with a synchronized war cry.

Taking a deep breath, Wrustoiz ignites his twin crimson blades, leaning forward with a slinked, relaxed posture to taunt the approaching opponents. When they draw within reach of his lightsabers, Wrustoiz moves like a crashing ocean wave, slashing through the three Sith.

The Sith Lord flourishes his twin blades over the smoldering corpses and rushes into the academy.


Zeloai

Zeloai plunges his saber staff into the landing pad and ignites it to slow himself from being dragged into the lightsaber, giving Ben enough time to throw his weapon straight through the hilt of the fallen lightsaber, saving Zeloai from an untimely demise. Taking a deep, relieved breath, Zeloai rises to his feet and rushes forward at Laxin.


Laxin

Angel!Pyra's titanic display of other-worldly strength creates a tremor in the Force that Laxin feeds off. Despite the minutia of power it gives Laxin, his heart begins to beat faster. He could perhaps handle Pyra if it were just her, but this battlefield was full of opponents. Laxin continues walking to the academy, taking cautious but swift steps toward the door. Before he could retreat, however, he'd have to deal with one more series of attacks. As Zeloai rushes him, Ben approaches from the side. As Ben swings for Laxin's head, Zeloai swings low for Laxin's legs. Laxin ducks beneath Ben's blow, smashing his blade into Zeloai's to parry the attempted amputation, immediately having to turn around to counter Izawano.

The latter Jedi strikes at Laxin's stomach from below with a series of swift strikes, Laxin blocking each attempted strike. Zeloai attempts to skewer Laxin as he is turned around, but the dark lord whips around in a red blur, smacking Zeloai's lightsaber away hard enough that it may cut Ben in half! Laxin takes the brief opening to leap through the air past the trio of Jedi who had him surrounded, further toward the academy. Thinking he's in the clear, Laxin increases his pace toward the academy doors, keeping his eyes on his opponents.

The presence of something divine strikes Laxin's senses, a blinding light in the Force to match his shadow. Assuming it to be something his alternative universe counterpart is up to, he looks to Nial, only to see him just as surprised while his wounds heal. The hairs on the back of Laxin's neck stand up as the sun shines bright, looking up to the approaching Amaterasu. No amount of precognition can make up for something Laxin could not have anticipated, as the Sun Goddess tears into Laxin's shoulder. Blood spurts from the wound, and the Dark Lord's eyes widen as he is lifted and slammed onto his back. Roaring defiantly at Amaterasu, Laxin turns a hand toward her and fires a blast of Darkness-infused Force lightning to get her away from him.

Warrick's wrist rocket stops mid-flight to Laxin. Assuming Nial or another Jedi would redirect it back at him if he were to do the same, Laxin explodes it in the middle of the landing pad with the Force. Assuming Amaterasu was thrown away from him, Laxin rose to his feet. He clutches the blood-spurting wound on his shoulder, his injured arm shaking violently as blood pooled on the ground. Breathing heavily, Laxin takes three steps back and faces the opposition behind him.

Izawano, Zeloai, Nial, Warrick, Terra, Aqua, Raeii, Angel!Pyra, Kroq-Gar, and assumedly Amaterasu. Laxin's fury bubbles, the Dark lord's glowing red eyes in his helmet turning black as night. His whole body began to crackle black and white, his red blood turning a sickly purple as it continued to drop from his shoulder. Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, he smashes his hands together. A light as bright as the sun above bursts into existence between Laxin's fingertips, and the Dark Lord slowly pulls his hands apart. The blinding light is a ball of concentrated Force energy that has been fed Darkness. Force Lightning crackles from his hands as he outstretches them, the lightning providing more Force energy, and Darkness into the ball that floats before Laxin.

With a fierce, terrible roar that is hardly human, Laxin thrusts his hands forward. The ball suddenly explodes, at first, only being a blinding flash. The moment the flash had faded, everyone previously mentioned could see a translucent wave rapidly approaching them. Whatever it was, it instantly vaporized all of the dead Sith and lizardmen, reducing them to floating bits of ash.

Zeloai pulls his apprentice to him with the Force and erects a spherical Force Barrier around the two, but it won't be enough. Laxin releases a shallow breath, disappearing into a plume of Darkness, teleporting into the academy.


Inside the Academy

The initial entrance to the Academy is completely quiet, with sprawling hallways leading in three directions. Left, forward, and right. A trail of blood indicates Tenzen, and assumedly Ranus, went left, but a dark presence, Laxin, can be felt through the forward door. What lies beyond the right, who knows?


Total posts: 399,929
Top