Fwomph
City, Hadron Is Here
Kyn suffered through the xenosapient screams on the static fairly well, the hand grabbing Bast's gem clenching closed into a fist as she did so. When Marco and the horrid necrotic angel arrived on the scene she was already recovered enough to look at the creature as it killed its own creator. She drew the Vijaya quickly and placed the wrapped gemstone in her bag.
"Well I am the Kynigos of the Western Virginia; slayer of the Void of Luck, kraken-hunter, she-who-rides-with-the-Wild-Hunt and sworn huntress and empowered daughter of the lunar goddess Artemis. And in accordance with some things I've said earlier... You have lost your existence privileges."
It was vain, hoping that a mere artifact and whatever fragment of her mother's divine might channeled through a single arrow shot would be enough to slay a creature like this, but she had to try anyways.
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
The City
The moment Kyn loosed her arrow Hadron threw Marco behind himself, catching the boy on one of the tendrils extending from its wings to wrap around him, putting out a hand to catch the arrow. However the moment the arrow touched his body the divine force contained within exploded forward, annihilating a good chunk of the street and sending a few of the Lovelace students flying.
Lucy whistled low to herself and put up her blade. "That was a hell of a shot, but I don't think this is the kind of enemy who goes down that easy."
The moment the dust settled Lucy was proven right, however that wasn't to say that no damage had been done. Hadron's skin had been burned away, showing just waited under the paper thin exterior of the being. Its muscles were a steel alloy that most of the class would find familiar from their attack upon the Carnival, its veins like the branches of the Void of Fortune's tree like form. Its eyes, normally kept covered by their stitched nature, were the glowing orbs that Abraham had just mere hours ago. But within moments the creatures skin already began to return, and it lifted Marco to speak as its mouth. "You should be commended, few beings can claim to have shot a god and live. But my promise with this one said that I must do no harm to you today. If any of you wish to let out your wrath against me, feel free. A God accepts all pain and fury for its people."
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
"I'll never forget that. Ever." Aaron returned Kat's kiss with a confident grin.
Before they could finish sorting out Kat's gem situation, a monster appeared. It's presence announced with the splitting psychic wail of untold lives ending. The second years had finished making their god, and said god had apparently killed them all, if what it did to Marco was any indication.
Aaron was still holding Kat, and he debated setting her down and charging the thing, but Kyn made the decision for him, shooting Hadron with a divine arrow.
The thing was injured, but it was clear that its wounds meant nothing - it was already regenerating, and announced that it would gladly let them wale on it. For once, Aaron did not jump into battle. Maybe it was the feeling of Kat against his body, but he found some restraint.
"What are you going to do to us? To humanity, I mean?" He nodded towards Marco's corpse. "They made you to kill Outer Beings, yeah? So why are you talking to us, instead of fucking off into space to do your job?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Kat
Kat was all set to kiss Aaron back before Zach Snyder's wet dream came down from on high, ready to turn the whole world into Chernobyl if its name was any indication. She'd woken from one nightmare only to stumble into another, and she wasn't keen on seeing how this one ended.
But Kyn had to make things worse. The last thing you wanted to do with a self-proclaimed God was take their bait. True, it said it was going to let them all walk free. But what about tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the day after that? It could wipe the floor with them any time it chose to, so why was it making promises there was no guarantee it would keep? Because she knew how deceptive and deceitful the Gods could be. If Aaron hadn't taken that gem off her when he... did...
...wait a minute.
She had an idea. An awful, awful idea. An idea so awful she wasn't sure it would work. But what did they have to lose?
Probably a lot. A lot a lot. A lot a lot a lot.
But it was better than then waiting to be nuked.
"Oh, Aaron! Don't be silly! Obviously, he wants to grace us with his presence before doing whatever it is Gods do. Things we mere mortals couldn't hope to understand! But he is our God. He said it himself. And the God of this world deserves a gift! Wouldn't you say so, Kyn?" She glanced at Aaron and Kyn, nodding to the container keeping Kat's gem from taking hold of the nearest person it could get. And hoped they got the message.
But if her boyfriend couldn't crush that cursed thing to dust, the least it could do was make itself useful.
Fwomph
City - Hadron is pretty powerful but he's still mostly just a jumped-up franken-Outer Being
Taking the hint quickly, Kyn put her bow away and retrieved the gem before popping the fastest and most agile animal form she could to dart in and attempt to place the gemstone upon this creature's head.
Maybe that form is kitty? It would certainly be really fitting for this situation and it's not like Kat has exclusive domain over turning into animals.
Anyway, Kyn went for the direct option because she was pretty certain handing over the gem as a gift would just cause the creature to destroy it in their hand rather than be enthralled.
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
The Light That Blinds
Juli
Mere seconds after Juli recovered from her Heroic BSoD, about a hundred things happened at once.
The first was that they learned who these new people were—clones created by Laceford House. Weird, but okay. At this point, she'd seen stranger.
The second was that she heard the sound of what could've been a million voices crying out in terror before being suddenly silenced. Also weird.
The third—and most important—was that some...thing showed up, something with the appearance of a zombified angel. Marco appeared from nowhere too, announcing that this thing was the god the second-years had been building—
And then he was dead.
Another death. More bloodshed that shouldn't have happened. Juli's heart started racing as panic started to set in. Again. I just got over my thing against killing!
But she knew she hadn't. All she'd done was push it out of the front of her mind.
And barely a second after the thing gave its name—Hadron—Kyn attacked. The arrow did some damage, but it was clear Hadron wasn't going down easily. Or at all. Juli's hand slowly moved towards her dagger...
...then stopped.
It's a child.
Slowly, she walked forward, dagger sheathed, pulse pounding, rational mind screaming at her not to do this—but she kept going.
Treat it like a person, and it'll be a person.
When she was about a foot away from Hadron, Juli stopped walking. She lifted her head up to look it in its glowing, orblike eyes.
Treat it like a monster and the same applies.
"M-my..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "My name is Juliana Dengra. It's good to meet you." She extended her hand. We don't have to hate each other.
...and then Kyn dashed forward again to smack Kat's mind-control gem right on Hadron's head. Juli's eyes widened, and she practically leapt forward to pull the gem off or stop Kyn or do anything that would prevent the bloodshed bound to ensue if the huntress succeeded.
"Kyn, no!"
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
The City
Hadron watched Juli approach it with some level of interest, through Kyn's charge redirected its attention. It didn't react as the gem was thrust into its skull, nor did it make any move to stop Kyn from gaining distance from itself afterward. The gem pulsed for a moment, glowing brightly before an inky black began to infest the middle of the crystal. With one of its spindly fingers Hadron removed the crystal from its head and held it gently. "Interesting," it muttered, holding it for a moment. It walked forward and put a hand on Juli's head, gently patting it. "You are afraid of me, but thats okay. It simply means you are human."
With that done with Hadron turned to Aaron's own question. "The Outer Being has already been wounded, in my current state all I could do was drive it away, I have just been born after all," there was no hint of apology in its tone, simply explaining the facts as they were. "But you are right, I have work to do. In order to answer the prayer of humanity I must begin the unification of divine power."
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Cityscape Battle & First Contact
"Let me guess, you were going to say 'done'? How's it working out for you?" Móirín had asked the already dead Marco. She recognized how callous that sounded immediately but it was the second years.
"Hm..." Móirín smiled at the still standing Hadron when it emerged from the smoke. It was a tight smile though, while she thought of both the glory of taking down this new abomination and her still sinking in responsibilities. Also, its first act was killing Marco. Sure, she'd wanted to do that but that was hardly an atrocity. Her smile didn't last anyway, fading as soon as she recognized Abraham's eyes embedded in the creature.
The fomorian stood, arms folded and taking her sweet time choosing an option before finally addressing the thing. "My name is Móirín Aoibheann Ní Dochartaigh, Queen of the Fomóire but when I'm not pushing pens, Móirín will do. Side note," she turned to Kyn, tongue in cheek, "stop having more titles than me."
"Now..." she returned her look to the god Silent Hill had worked so hard on. "I wanted to 'let out my wrath' on the spore-zombie things attacking this city and you know, the whole galaxy..." she pointed into Hadron's face. "And then move on to certain others after lunch." One more thing the second years ruined. She started to think she should have killed Abraham back when he first fallen—and that Esther for stealing away the final blow—but she still had to end that fight and move on to the monsters ravaging the surface. There was always Esther and Lala.
"The monsters are still invading the planet as we stand though and Aaron's right, so you want to go after them or flex?" That just born excuse didn't fly. It was walking and talking. It could hold a spear. And Móirín needed to know where to turn her attention. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Katarina
It didn't work.
She had hoped it would have done something. Even if it gave him a stomachache, that would have been enough to run away to safety and come up with something better. But instead it... didn't work. At all. At all at all. She wasn't sure it would, and it was better than making it stronger or provoking it into reducing them to atoms. But it was somewhat disappointing.
Right then. Time for Plan B.
"And what exactly does that mean? As her highness so boldly declared, there's still some of Lovecraft's nasal drip trying to turn everyone into one big happy family. Shouldn't you be dealing with them first? Instead of whatever this is?"
The City
Before the deity could answer there was a sudden blast of energy filling the air with more dust as the students would quickly find themselves surrounded by odd looking creatures armed with a variety of weapons. Clotho tugged on Móirín's leg, looking up from his ragged attire. "My lady, we were informed by your headmaster that there was a dangerous being about, I've brought some of those who were inspired by your display in the arena, but even then we might not be enough."
The dust cleared to reveal Hadron none the worse for wear, however that wasn't anything to do with him, rather the Lovelace students had moved in defense for the newly born god, projecting barriers or even putting their own bodies in the way. "To answer your question, why I am here is two fold. The first was to introduce myself to my worshipers," it put its hand idly on one of the masked students like one. "And the second was to ensure that each of your would have your prayers answered. As your struggles lead to my birth it is important that each of you is rewarded in your own ways."
It lifted one finger toward Kat. "Freedom from the jewel, it will never haunt you again, beyond that you want to live a simple life without conflict. On that end I will create that perfect world."
Next was Juli. "You wish not to kill, thus Armin was brought back and I will make a world in which you will never have to kill again."
Then Kyn. "You wish to work by the side of your mother and be of use to her. That has been arranged."
To Aaron its offer was a bit different. "There are many worlds of enemies, enough to sate even your bloodlust. I will take you to seek them and fight."
And finally Móirín. "You're people will be allowed to live and thrive under my rule, there will be no division, they may freely live under the water or free in the air."
It spread its arms wide. "I am one whom without fail will always answer the prayers of others."
"The issue with that is," dark fire spit out of the ground as a familiar figure arose, through not as the students would have normally seen him. Rather then a older man frail of body Hades strode out of the flames as a much younger looking man, a bident striking the ground with each movement. "A god like you isn't really needed in this world. Humans struggle and fight, clawing in the dirt and praying for the gods for salvation. But rather then wait they find their own. If the gods did everything then humanity wouldn't be a proper race. That is my belief anyway."
Hades turned to the students and offered a smile. "My time as your principal has come to an end today, you were a wonderful class, and I apologize that I will not be with you for the next three years," he turned back to Hadron and waved his hand, summoning a wall of fire between the fight and the students. "The Family is in full retreat back to their core, return to the Academy and prepare for what comes next." his voice echoed throughout the entire city, and soon enough the students were joined by the other class members in the city.
Aaliyah looked around and nodded. "Okay everyone, this is going to be a bumpy ride but if one of you complain I'm going to throw fists," with that said the students would find themselves back in a familiar meeting hall. Before they could get situated however a voice rang out from the podium.
"Greetings students of Solomon Academy," a woman who might have been considered beautiful if not for the massive amount of gauze wrapping and bruises covering most of her body and face. One sleeve hung empty along with an eye covered by a thick wrapping. "My name is Artemis, current headmaster of this Academy. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask."
The Light That Blinds
Juli
...
It was tempting.
A world where she'd never have to take another life, never have to see anyone die...it was so, sorely tempting. Too good to be true, even. It probably is too good to be true. She wondered what the price for that sort of peace would be.
She wondered if she'd be willing to pay it.
But before she could respond to Hadron's offer—whether to accept it or reject it, she didn't know—dark fire emerged from the ground and... Wait, that's Hades?! Why did he look so young? Why had his time as headmaster "come to an end"? Had something gone on on the divine end? What was—
Before Juli could ask any of these questions, they were teleported back to the academy...which raised more questions. A woman she didn't recognize stood at the podium, she looked like absolute hell, and apparently she was the headmistress now and also Artemis and—
Then Artemis asked if they had questions.
"Yes," Juli said, taking a few steps forward. "Several."
She took a deep breath, before rapid-firing questions like a machine gun. "Why does Hades look so young? Why isn't he an old guy anymore? Why isn't he the headmaster? Did something happen on the divine end? What happened to you? Why are you the new headmaster? What is going on?!"
A pause.
"...ma'am."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Auditorium
Artemis couldn't help but give a soft smile at the intense questioning being shot at her by Juli, there was something to be said for someone who could go through that hell and come out the other side with enough energy to throw a barrage of questions at someone. "Simple, because Hades is no longer the headmaster of Solomon Academy." most of the other upper years nodded along or whispered to each other as if that made as much sense as basic addition, but she could see the confusion still present on the students faces.
"The headmaster of Solomon Academy is a bit like Zeus, the Jade Emperor, or so many other chief deities. They sit upon a position of power and have other beings to aid them in their endeavors, thus when a headmaster is chosen they lay aside their divinity and take up that role. Most knowledge of them also disappears as well. 'Hades and Chaos', 'The Old Well', 'The Child of Death', all of the stories that Hades would have been most remembered for were thrown away, only scraps of him remaining in stories involving others."
She looked at her body and gave a small frown. "My own appearance is the result of clashing against the newly born god, and I shall remain like this until I eventually give away the role of Headmaster to someone else willing to hold the position."
Of course the biggest question was the last one that was asked. "As for what is going on, the deity known as Hadron is a... caterpillar. One that will grow into a Outer Being if allowed to reach maturity. As such Hades has abandoned his role as Headmaster and retaken his role as 'One who either Rules or Prevents Death'. It is likely he will be defeated by Hadron given the creatures power, but will in turn wound the creature. In other words, once again he is sacrificing himself for humans like the selfish bastard he is." Artemis said those last words with no malice despite how it might have sounded. "For us, nothing has changed. Solomon Academy will continue to train demigods from around the world for the purpose of fighting Outer Beings, our first and most important target being Hadron. But you were each brought here by Hades, thus I have no intention of forcing my will upon you by keeping you here. If you choose to leave you may remain within the mortal population of Solomon Academy."
Fwomph
Auditorium
Everything had moved fast. Hadron had mentioned prayers, promised so much to each member of the class and then Hades had returned in all the splendor of He Who Rules His Lands and sent everyone back to the auditorium where...
"Mom?"
Emotions flooded into Kyn's heart but they were conflicting and roiling.
Mom's here! We get to be the arrow of mom's will! ... This is what Hadron promised. He made this happen... But we can stop it, mother is injured yes but she can heal and regain her strength and I can hunt what she cannot! ... But is this her..? What if it's simply a pawn of the Hadron..? She is real, she must be! By her side, I will accomplish wonders! ... We don't deserve this... We do! ... We know what Hadron wants to do, accepting this offer may be a trap... But. I want this to be true...
For a moment Kyn clenched her eyes shut and tried to still her heart. This was desire, it was against her oath and clearly what Hadron wished to exploit. She knew she had to reject this. The Kynigos of Western Virginia stood, tears starting to form in her still-shut eyes.
"I... I will stay, but I need to rest... May we talk later..?"
And with that, Kyn tried to leave for the dorms.
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
"There are many worlds of enemies, enough to sate even your bloodlust. I will take you to seek them and fight."
"You really think-" Aaron began, only to be interrupted by Hades appearance. His body tensed for battle, even as they were brought back to the academy, leaving Hades to fight the monster. Aaron exhaled, whispering a 'good luck' to his uncle, only partially listening to Artemis's explanations.
Was that what Hadron thought he wanted? Enemies to fight? Aaron fought to protect, not just for the thrill of the fighting. However much he loved fighting, it always had a purpose. At least, that's what he told himself. But a nagging thought occured:
What if we actually beat them all?
Aaron had always thought of what they were doing as heroes fighting monsters. Superman fighting Darkseid. Aaron enjoyed it; it gave him purpose. But what if they ran out of monsters to fight? What if they actually brought about peace? What would he do with himself?
No, He thought to himself, Don't worry about the future. Focus on what's happening now. Fucker said he'd answer our prayers? Well then: O Hadron, I pray you'll let me kill your ugly ass. He grinned darkly to himself, then let his smile lighten. Besides, if we do run out of stuff to fight, that just means we've won.
Aaron took another breath, his smile dropping a moment. Then he stepped towards Kyn, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder as she turned to leave. "Hey." He said, "I know you probably just think of me as a meathead, but just so you know, I'm here for you if you ever need to talk. We're family, after all. Alright, cousin?"
He gave a weary smile as he let his hand drop, before beginning to walk back to the dorms himself. "But we're also extremely tired, so I think I'm gonna go take a nap."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
The Light That Blinds
Juli
So...
Hadron was a baby Outer Being.
Hades was going to die.
And Artemis couldn't heal from her injuries.
Juli silently processed all this, face stony and body completely still. Then, she nodded. "Understood."
She followed her classmates to the dorms, even though she wasn't tired—okay, that was only partially true. Physically, she was exhausted. Mentally, though, her head was practically buzzing with how much she was thinking.
Hadron is a child. It doesn't understand humans or morality or shades of gray yet. But it can learn those things. If we treat it like a person, and not a monster, then it could become a person. We can solve this without anyone else having to die.
...and the first step to that is probably not using "it". They/them pronouns it is.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Kat
It took Kat a moment to process everything that had happened in the last few minutes. The gem still hadn't worked. Hadron Destroyer of Worlds was or would become an outer being. Hades was no longer their headmaster because something something archetypes. And he would also be dead. But she had enough sense not to count that as a win. And other nonsense she would need a whole hour to sift through.
Still, the important thing was, for now, they were done. They'd have to deal with the dumpster fire the universe was throwing them into at some point. And she'd have to sort out her own garbage. Brainwashing or no, she had a feeling some of the things she did and thought over the last few weeks weren't entirely the fault of a super-duper gem embedded in her forehead.
But she was also sure that false God's words were bullshit. The last thing she wanted was a normal life Perhaps that's what she wanted back when everything started, but now? It was the last thing on her mind. She wanted thrills! Chills! Not bills because bills deserved to go to the seventh circle of hell. But more than anything, she wanted to experience all this world had to offer. Her gem could go shove itself up that harpy's anus, but that part was right on the money.
She also had to confront the Goddess of Cats herself. Part of her wanted nothing to do with her. But the other couldn't help but wonder why she sent her that cursed trinket in the first place. She had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth. And maybe claw her eyes out for good measure. Sooner or later, they would meet. She was sure of it. And there would be a reckoning.
But that could wait. If she learned anything, it was that maybe she shouldn't treat everyone around her like they didn't exist. She'd have plenty of time to get to know everyone better. Juli, Kyn, even Moirin. (Though she was pretty sure she considered her a no-good deserter.)
But perhaps her boyfriend had the right idea.
She strolled up to Aaron, shifting back into her familiar two-legged self and putting a fuzzy finger under his chin. "Funny you say that, because I was thinking the same thing. In fact, perhaps what both of us need is a bit of... recreation." She placed a soft kiss on his lips, hoping he got the message. "
If not, she could always be more persuasive.
Edited by kkhohoho on Mar 20th 2021 at 3:17:41 AM
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Yanked from the City to the Auditorium
"...you're late." Móirín said to Clothos. "There are alot of dangerous beings about." She tilted her head towards Hadron. "This one's just the newest. And about to figure out that we're more than allowed to live and thrive freely in sea or air."
She stared daring Hadron to make a move—excluding flapping gums—when Hades made one. She watched the ground burst into flames and then suddenly they were back in the Academy.
Taking up Aaliyah's offer to throw down sounded great, but, dammit, she understood why Hades did what he did. Sort of. And the others kept talking about how tired they were. Móirín made herself stand steady in front of the new headmaster, in front of Kyn, in front of her fomorian elites... but she was tired.
She could and would make herself fight if the need came right now, but she'd started the day on a jittery high, fought for her crown, then rushed off to fight space monsters, alot of space monsters. She still felt the strain of countering Abraham's curse. Worse, the strain wasn't anything physical, magic use left a bizarre, phantom discomfort that laying down didn't even help. And the fomorian had knowingly made it worse by throwing a huge fireball at the mother spore. But she had to stay standing.
"Just..." Móirín exhaled, shaking her head at the umpteenth offer to run away. "Give me the speech on how you're doing things now." Her eyes flickered between her retreating classmates and her assembled formorians. She gave Kyn in particular a wave as she left, not having anything particularly clever to say, and Móirín made a mental note to bring back food for two when she got to it. There was no one better to fight back-to-back with and it took her all year to find that out. Hmph. No time to make that up like the present.
"And we can catch up without a blob invasion going on in the background." Móirín said to her fellow fomorians.
Edited by CenturyEye on Mar 20th 2021 at 9:03:45 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Auditorium
Artemis watched as the collected students of Class 1 turned to leave, waving her hand to dismiss the rest of the classes to get some rest considering the challenges to come. Then finally, she turned to Móirín and laughed. "Its only a change of figurehead, our mission remains the same as when you and the rest first entered here. Protect this world from the Outer Beings. That has always been and will always be our goal. Now go get some rest, I'll show your people proper hospitality until we can arrange for a way home for them."
As the students went about to their rest the Academy seemed to finally settle into its usual feel. Despite the entire world having been attacked by monstrous forces the day to day didn't change much. Classes would still be held after a short break, and new challenges would be brought forth. But those were stories for another time.
Lovelace Academy- Clone Vats
In a dark underground room hundreds of large glass tubes filled with a dark crimson liquid stood in even, perfect rows, a cold area that seemed utterly lacking in any humanity. In this room two people walked among the various tubes in perfect lock step. Both figures wore long white labcoats, and had matching masks, one depicting a Queen piece and the other a King. "I'm amazed that the subject was able to undergo such damage but still remain intact," Queen said, pausing at the end of the room before a much larger glass tube that sat separated from the others.
"Its existence as half Outer Being allowed it the ability to resist damage against typical divine forces, but against a Prime Deity half is only able to cover so much." King replied, putting his hand against the tube. However the moment his hand touched the glass his arm fell free from his body and hit the floor.
"Be careful whose god you go touching without permission," Armin laughed as he watched the 'King' put a hand over his wound. "Even if we are partners at the moment, there are lines you freaks shouldn't be crossing,"
King reached down and took his severed arm, thrusting it onto his body as he quickly repaired itself. "I will take that under advisement."
Bogdasha appeared next to Armin, whacking him on the back of the head before turning to the two other figures. "Apologies, his newfound fervor gets the best of him at times. How is the regeneration progress so far?"
Queen stepped forward to answer. "Before regeneration can properly begin we need to undo the complex curses put upon Hadron by Hades, until we can break them any healing with be rendered mute. Even with our equipment it will take time to properly bring your deity back to its full strength.
The two former students of Solomon Academy looked at each other, Armin giving a shrug while Bogdasha gave a small nod. "That is acceptable, as per our contract we will aid Lovelace Academy with information and power granted to us by Hadron."
"You two talk a big game, for mere uplifted humans," a third voice rang out from further down the room, both Armin and Bogdasha turning to it. "As the only true creation of Hadron I would almost find it offensive, but then you haven't had time to adapt quite yet. Be happy that I'm willing to treat you kindly," from out of the darkness a young woman stepped out, her body more feline in nature then a proper human but still carrying a number of human characteristics. Her fur was a pitch black color with a number of white stripes running along her body, giving the impression of a shadow with light being cast on it. On her forehead a red and black gem glowed out with an odd glow before diming down. "Schrödinger² now reporting, for the glory of Hadron."
The Moon
Despite the active chaos around the world it was almost nothing compared to the situation on the Moon. Hidden from human eyes were numerous settlements that the gods had created over the years, housing both the fully divine and those who were a mixture of divine and human. And those beings drew the Family like a moth to the flame. The deities that ruled over the moon couldn't battle against the Outer Beings, but they didn't sit idle either. On the surface of the moon many beings whom had once been worshiped threw bolts of divine energy toward the inky darkness the main body of the Family threw out, unable to destroy them but able to knock them off course. And given the vastness of space even a small miscalculation would result in another danger for the world beneath being sent somewhere without anything for the spores to threaten.
Once such divine being lowered her bow and took a number of long breaths. At the heart of her power Artemis would argue that she was on par with any of the three rulers of their pantheon, but even that wouldn't allow her to deny the rules of the world. The Family had a higher classification as a sole divine being, it was only through mortal action that divine will could be subverted. All she could do was provide aid in the moment and continue to knock aside the filth before it touched the ground. "My huntresses, stay strong." even a divine being could wish for the success of others, less prayer and more a slow enforcing of destiny.
However she was pulled away from those thoughts as the darkness of space was suddenly lit by an explosion that rocked even the moon. There was no dust to be found, but it still took her a moment to truly believe what she was seeing.
The main body of the Family looked like an apple that had a massive bite taken into it, billions of psychic screams rang out through the empty void, prayers that wouldn't be answered by anything. Her vision laser focused in on a figure, standing between the moon and the Family, her eyes widening with recognition. "No. Not-"
Before she could finish her thought the creature turned, and with a wave of its hand the surface of the moon was caught in a powerful blast.
The City
The brief respite the students had managed to gain was interrupted by a number of events happening in close proximity. First was the sudden and painful ring of what felt like people screaming for help, but in voices so faint that it was more like static then anything comparable to language. The second was the sudden appearance of a figure close by the students, having just appeared as if from thin air, but radiating an aura that made it easily noticeable.
The being was humanoid, tall and thin in an emaciated sort of way. Its limbs were taunt against its bones and veins were easy to see pressed against its skin. The creatures flesh was a ugly blueish/purple mix that only added to the utter alien nature of the thing. Its head had most of the normal facial features but lacked anything in the way of a nose, and everything else seemed to have been sewn shut. On its back extended two large flesh like wings, each ending with a point containing a single tendril wriggling free from it.
"I figured this much was owed to you, considering the times we've already clashed with each other," Marco stepped out from behind the creature, looking less like a confident mastermind and more like a teenager who hadn't seen a decent nights sleep in ages. "You've had to suffer because of our actions, but you can be proud at least, our god i-"
Before he could finish whatever inane speech he had planned his 'god' impaled Marco from behind with one of its thin arms. Whatever words were about to be spoken ended in blood flowing from his mouth.
And then he spoke again.
"Apologies, the boy loves to hear himself talk," the voice coming from Marco's body was wrong, it was a childs voice, no older sounding then a kid just learning to speak. "My name is Hadron, the one and only God of this world."