Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[Pyrade]

Garnet chuckled as she noticed Taro apparently choking on the smell of the city. She had grown up in a similar place, so she had no issue whatsoever being in this one, aside from the obvious complications arising from the fact that she couldn't read Japanese and thus didn't understand half of the signs out there. It hardly mattered, considering that she was probably not going to go into any of the aforementioned locales, and in the unlikely event that she did, she hoped Akari, Masami or at least Taro would be able to translate for her. She wasn't keen on learning an entirely new language just to navigate a strange city that she didn't expect to stay in for a long time anyway.

Hearing Taro's comment, she chuckled some more, his voice amusing her. After composing herself, she replied to the comment with a simple shrug and a confident smile. "I have no reason to listen to anything that I don't find satisfactory, do I? But anyway, my name's Garnet, Garnet Greyson, monster hunter extraordinaire I suppose." She said, before looking around for a bit. "Anyway, when do we get going?" She asked.

Taro
Taro's smile widened when he heard the news. This human was interesting, that much he had determined from the fight, but to meet another monster hunter was strangely pleasing.
"Ah, a fellow hunter. It is good to meet you Garnet-sama. I have met quite a few brave human warriors along my time, but very few were equipped to deal with the supernatural world."
He said and chuckled to himself,
"A thousand years and suddenly my profession is not so unique. It would seem Azami found herself the perfect bunch of strangers to deal with her problems."
The fox replied with a warm smile, his nose having finally adjusted to the urban smell.
"How did you stumble into the world of monster-hunting? It doesn't seem there are clans of demon hunters anymore. Some things of my time have faded, but this new world is interesting."
He said cheerfully as he returned to the edge of the roof, watching over the city.

[Pyrade]

Taro
Taro looked up at Garnet as she explained her situation. It was indeed an odd way to find the world of the supernatural. He nodded in agreement when she spoke of being pursued by the demons.
"Demon hunters have the unfortunate luck of having the only prey which is convinced it can hunt the predator. Some of us choose the life and some are stuck with it. My family has long been a clan of demon hunters, so it was a good thing that I happen to enjoy demon hunting. Well, if you need help with your quest to finish it, I have little else to do in this world than wander, so my blade is up for hire after this job."
He said turning to watch Akari leap over the gap.
"Yes, let's do this. The bakeneko weren't much fun to hunt."
He replied as he hopped away from the ledge and took a run up, leaping the gap in his small fox form and landing next to Akari as his true kitsune form. His glyph glowed as he entered his astral predator mode, looking for the smell of the oni and the magical signature.

[Pyrade]

Frank Mayhem

"I don't think it was much of a threat as much as it was a warning. Also, you should try to not eat your ship in front of people, it's weird." I spoke, then folded my arms and leaned back a bit. I noticed that Eldara was getting more and more annoyed, but I didn't take it into heart, really. To be fair, it's not my fault she's angry, it was just a miscommunication. Maybe I should try a different approach...

"What I do here? Not much. I don't need to eat, sleep or have fun to survive, so most of my day is quite open. Though, aside from training my abilities and just strolling around, I don't happen to do much in my spare time. Sometimes, when there's a crisis on Earth or an invasion, I help the more... flamboyant heroes in protecting their homes. Also, there are some people that I would rather see pounded into mud than alive and happy, so preparation for kicking their ass also takes up time." I coughed. Like that other android girl...

Eldara
Eldara perused the surface of the space shuttle while listening to Frank's explanations. She shrugged and turned away from the vessel to the celestial android,
"I eat when I need to. There just happened to be something worth eating nearby. Not to mention this pile of scrap isn't going to be flying anytime soon."
She said indifferently and looked around the snowy wilderness.
"Perhaps you could introduce me to some of the natives? I'd like to learn a bit about the planet I'll be staying on in the mean time. And I'm not really in the mood for an alien invasion right now. Nor do I feel like spending all of my time training."
She said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. Training was pointless for her, she already knew the current capabilities of her frame. She would need to find something new to assimilate if she were to improve herself.
"There isn't some sort of planetary database of knowledge is there? That might be quite useful to access."
She said with a smile, dropping the previous subject of threats and manners. It seemed futile and pointless to argue with the celestial android, he seemed firmly set in his own beliefs. Much to El's annoyance.

[Pyrade]

Frank Mayhem

---

"I know the locals about as much as you do, so I can't help much in that department. When I say 'I spend my days training', I mean it." I spoke, then turned my head down and kicked the ground a bit. I guess sometimes having social interaction would be beneficial... Maybe then I wouldn't end upso punch-happy and confident. "I'm pretty sure the Earthlings have that. Just the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriers and the Watchtower are more than enough information you need. But they are under high security, and I wouldn't bother trying to break into them for someone else. Though, then again, I don't need to eat my ship either..."

"Anyway, say... you said about some company chasing you to here, right? Rayertech, if my short-term memory banks recall correctly?"

Eldara
Eldara raised an eyebrow at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Watchtower,
"And I take it they aren't exactly willing to share the knowledge are they? Typical. No wonder Cratora made me with data theft in mind."
She said with a shrug in response to the Rayertech question,
"Yes. Balthazar Rayer's weapons company. They're one of the big 7 corps on my homeworld, not that any of the others besides Cratora actually matter anymore. . . Guess you'll need the full story? "
She asked and leaned against the hull of the ship, preparing to recount what she could.
"My home world is a place of corporate battles and thousands of faceless salarymen. Those who don't sell out to the corporates live as outcasts of society, usually as mercenaries. But ever since Adraxin introduced the ION virus nobody's cared about anything but androids and clean-hand weapons. ION is the Internal Overwatch Nanocite. Adraxin thought it would curtail crime across the planet. The virus sits in the brain of organic bodies and when the creature attempts to do something that violates the laws laid down by Adraxin, it causes an aneurysm. . ."
She replied and a static sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the snow.
"That's when clean-hand weaponry came in. It's designed to work in such away that it circumvents ION, not making the user a direct violator of laws. Things like toxins which cause insanity or manic depression are common. Anything that can cause a person to either commit a crime, or cause them to die of 'natural' causes is the best way to kill someone and avoid ION. Sure, you could hire a Suppressed Mercenary. Someone whose hands were free, who had undergone the process of suppressing the ION in their body. It worked, about 60% of the time, but the 60% that actually had a successful suppression charged a large fortune for their services. Androids are another way and cheaper than Smerks. Android assassins have long been a product of Rayertech and Cratora, but they never really worked very well under scrutiny. Everyone could tell an android apart because of how flawless the mimicry was, and because most had thermographic image enhancers fitted to their glasses and their contacts. Not to mention most android models became socially awkward after too long. Their coding couldn't handle prolongued verbal political intrigue, and often the corps found holes in the coding to test for an android using certain questions."
She continued, her arms crossed over her chest.
"And that's where I come in. I am the X-27 executioner. Cratora's breakthrough in synthetic emotional inorganic consciousness. My coding allows me to blend seemlessly with society, and my emotional synth allows me to throw even the most well thought out android probing questions. I can think the same way humans do, and then some"
She replied with a half-hearted chuckle.
"And that way I can get close to someone, and then sever their head from their shoulders before stealing all their company secrets and blowing the mainframes while I'm at it. But, I'm incomplete. I won't be blending anywhere now, and Rayertech will come looking for me. Not now, they'll still be busy cleaning up after that attack on Cratora, but in a cycle or two, they'll come looking."
She said with an indifferent shrug.
"Guess I'll just hop planets again when the time comes. Hope they don't make life to hard for whatever meatlings call this place home."

[Pyrade]

Eldara
Eldara raised an eyebrow at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Watchtower,
"And I take it they aren't exactly willing to share the knowledge are they? Typical. No wonder Cratora made me with data theft in mind."
She said with a shrug in response to the Rayertech question,
"Yes. Balthazar Rayer's weapons company. They're one of the big 7 corps on my homeworld, not that any of the others besides Cratora actually matter anymore. . . Guess you'll need the full story? "
She asked and leaned against the hull of the ship, preparing to recount what she could.
"My home world is a place of corporate battles and thousands of faceless salarymen. Those who don't sell out to the corporates live as outcasts of society, usually as mercenaries. But ever since Adraxin introduced the ION virus nobody's cared about anything but androids and clean-hand weapons. ION is the Internal Overwatch Nanocite. Adraxin thought it would curtail crime across the planet. The virus sits in the brain of organic bodies and when the creature attempts to do something that violates the laws laid down by Adraxin, it causes an aneurysm. . ."
She replied and a static sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the snow.
"That's when clean-hand weaponry came in. It's designed to work in such away that it circumvents ION, not making the user a direct violator of laws. Things like toxins which cause insanity or manic depression are common. Anything that can cause a person to either commit a crime, or cause them to die of 'natural' causes is the best way to kill someone and avoid ION. Sure, you could hire a Suppressed Mercenary. Someone whose hands were free, who had undergone the process of suppressing the ION in their body. It worked, about 60% of the time, but the 60% that actually had a successful suppression charged a large fortune for their services. Androids are another way and cheaper than Smerks. Android assassins have long been a product of Rayertech and Cratora, but they never really worked very well under scrutiny. Everyone could tell an android apart because of how flawless the mimicry was, and because most had thermographic image enhancers fitted to their glasses and their contacts. Not to mention most android models became socially awkward after too long. Their coding couldn't handle prolongued verbal political intrigue, and often the corps found holes in the coding to test for an android using certain questions."
She continued, her arms crossed over her chest.
"And that's where I come in. I am the X-27 executioner. Cratora's breakthrough in synthetic emotional inorganic consciousness. My coding allows me to blend seemlessly with society, and my emotional synth allows me to throw even the most well thought out android probing questions. I can think the same way humans do, and then some"
She replied with a half-hearted chuckle.
"And that way I can get close to someone, and then sever their head from their shoulders before stealing all their company secrets and blowing the mainframes while I'm at it. But, I'm incomplete. I won't be blending anywhere now, and Rayertech will come looking for me. Not now, they'll still be busy cleaning up after that attack on Cratora, but in a cycle or two, they'll come looking."
She said with an indifferent shrug.
"Guess I'll just hop planets again when the time comes. Hope they don't make life to hard for whatever meatlings call this place home."

Frank Mayhem

---

"Wow. That's certainly a story. I mean, my backstory doesn't have anything related to this kind of madness... I think my database should have info on you planet, maybe I could check someday." I replied, then folded my ams again and looked to the ground. Her stoty does explain some things... Maybe I should also tell my own...

"Well, I guess I should return you the favor, huh? You don't seem like a completely awful person, and it's not like I am revealing top-secret info here. My race of androids are known throughout the Univefse as Celestial Androids. Basically, one of the Celestials, gods of this universe - Ismodeus - decided to forge an army of godlike androids, who would serve as his army and help conquer the Universe. It worked really well - each one was strong enough to wipe entire planets clean, and they were being produced in thousands every day, or even minute. But, of course, problems rose.

The Class A and Class B, the first Celestial Androids produced, did not fare well against very powerful threats - like, say, you and me. The expansion stopped, and thus, Ismodeus ordered the production of a new type of soldier - Class X." I raised my hand and pointed to a symbol on the arm of my red coat, which showed a dark red 'X' on it with two lions from both sides, holding a Heat Blade. Symbol of the X Corps. "They were made to be the strongest Celestial Androids, and androids at all, in existence. And they worked perfectly. Expansion continued.

About 50 years ago, a small group of two Class X and a dozen of Class A were sent to conquer a distant planet, Namchinno. This is technically where my story begins, as originally, I was a blank mindess slave, and god, I hate that fact. Anyway, the people at Namchinno were powerful magicians, thus, trying to negotiate with us, they gave us both consciousness. We became living, free-willed beings - the first. I later dawned the name 'Frank Mayhem', and arrived here, where I live to this day.

Anyway, anything else you want to talk about or need to do, or should I go now?"

Eldara
Eldara sighed as she listened passively to Frank's tale. It was another one of combat and strife, something she herself was tired of, and she had only been active for a year.
"Logically, there is no other reason for humans, or anyone to create androids. And yet, all this fighting is foolish. Because one side usually wants what the other has. And yet, it is necessary, because neither side is willing to back down."
She replied in a deadpan tone. Her cyber mind had spent an entire year learning what she could from the pre-loaded Cratora databases. Running simulations and philosophical equations. In the end she'd found that her creators fought for no reason other than material gain. Some didn't even fight for that. She was stirred from her hyper paced contemplations by his question. She shook her head and turned away,
"No, it's okay, I'll figure it out."
She said cheerfully and started moving in a random direction. That was just before a small, bronze flew in front of her, nearly crashing into her. She stared at the bronze ring as it floated in front of her. With one tentative hand she reached out and wrapped her metallic fingers around it, inspecting the symbol on it even as the glow began to return to the ring.
"Actually, Frank Mayhem? One last question. . . Any idea what this is?"
She asked and held it up for him to see. It was clearly no normal piece of jewelry, that much she knew.

[Pyrade]

Frank Mayhem

"I... I have no idea." I spoke after taking a look at the ring. To be fair, I did have an idea on what this thing could be, but nothing solid. It let out a large energy signature, and was overall really odd looking... You know, I could maybe see it as from one of those costumed superheroes, but it's not green...

"Oh, and before you ask - I didn't set this up. This is not a proposal or anything. And to be fair, it couldn't have been." I clarified. Just in case.

Eldara
"I would have said no anyway."
She replied nonchalantly as she turned the ring over in her palm. She could feel the faint energy signature radiating from it. It must have been tech, because the nanites in her system were drawn to it as well, although which world made tech like this was beyond her. Wait . . . No, this was Oan. A world her Cratoran database identified as troublesome due to their interference in some off-world affairs of a rather unsavory variety.
"It is an Oan ring . . . Perhaps I should put it on?"
She said aloud as she held it over her finger and slipped it on. Nothing happened. She could feel the power stronger now, a lot stronger, but it was as if the ring was waiting for something to activate it. She attempted to establish a cyber link with it, but there was no cyber part to link with. That was when the electric sensation shot up her arm, causing her to wince.

Where Knowledge lacks, and
Reason Rare
When Logic's void, We'll bring it
there
To Void Ignorance, in Day and
Night,
Through power Bronze , The Truth
we Light
The phrase echoed through her programmed memory, clearly an affectation of the ring. She looked at her arm curiously and spoke,
"Where Knowledge lacks, and Reason Rare . . .
When Logic's void, We'll bring it there
To Void Ignorance, in Day and Night,
Through power bronze, The Truth we Light."
She said before a plethora of updates scrolled across her vision.

New technological interface established
Power source: Oan Ring #0
Power Type: Unidentified
Upgrades required:

Nanorobotic material strengthening
Nanorobotic energy alteration
Systematic optimization
Exoskeletal alterations

New energy conduit detected:
ID: Oan Ring
Energy Form: Unknown

Upgrades commencing


At that point she was engulfed in a deep bronze light, before emerging in a new 'uniform' of sorts. She looked to Frank as the ring tranformation completed, her hair a new auburn, the latent electrochromatic cells being activated by the transformation.
"Well then. It certainly is Oan . . . "
She said pointedly.

[Pyrade]

Eldara
Eldara waved goodbye to the celestial android when he left and inspected her new style admiringly. The bronze looked quite nice to her, although she would sooner eat bronze than wear it.
But enough vanity, I need to find out exactly what's going on here. Stranded on a strange planet usually goes better when you know what's going on. . .
She thought to herself as she trudged off in the snow. A small alert on her display alerted her to a new capability afforded by the ring, flight. She looked at the small bronze ring curiously and focused the energy flowing through it, surrounding herself with a bronze glow before her feet lifted off the ground. She flailed in the air a little as her gyros began to adjust to the weightless feeling. Soon enough she was gliding through the air towards the nearest magnetic disturbance she could detect. A small town appeared on the horizon as she flew closer and closer, landing just on the outskirts. The town itself was quiet and quaint, but it had a fair amount of stores plying their wares despite the cold. Eldara stopped in front of the electronics store, tilting her head slightly as she inspected the televisions, ignoring the odd looks she got from the townsfolk.

Newsflash
Jameson's ugly face appeared on television again as he read the headlines, "Last night, the President of the United States was saved from a superhuman by Secret Service Agents. This time the superhuman was not Spiderman. It's a new problem folks. It's a girl dressed as a Cavewoman riding a Pterosaur. The President demands that the island she lives on, which he calls "Dinosaur Island" must be found." A picture of Ara escaping from the Secret Service Agents appeared, and a number appeared below. "Anyone who has seen this girl please call this number below. And now, in other news, Spiderman Strikes Again. . ."

Eldara was taken aback by the strange human that start expounding on the television. But what he said was interesting. This island apparently contained ancient reptilian life. Perhaps there were other strange and wonderful things on the island, she would have to investigate.

[Pyrade]

Masami chuckled as she ran, they were a pretty cool looking team, all jumping rooftops and running together. It was quite exhilarating, and Masami wondered why she didn't do it during her time here before. She continued to follow her nose, leading them around. Of course she was going off smell, so it wasn't one hundred per cent perfect, but she was still leading them in the right direction. Akari had stuck close to her adopted sister. Masami stopped before they got to the place where the smell was strongest (A large multi floor skyscraper).

"<So... Are we going to explain...?>" Asked Akari

"<Explain what?>" Masami replied, her tails swishing excitedly, at the acticipation of the hunt.

"<Explain why a Kitsune calls a cat person kin to these two? You know? Our "Situation"?>"

"<Why? Does it really bear explanation?>"

Akari shrugged. "<They may be curious.>" She looked at the building. "That is quite the tower... I hope I don't wear these shoes out walking all those steps."

Masami rolled her eyes. "We'll take the elevator..."

Taro
Taro laughed aloud when he saw Garnet waiting on the next rooftop,
"And that man on the television thought a few card tricks were impressive!"
He said amusedly. He took off again and dropped down to all fours as they sprinted across the rooftops. It felt more natural for him to sprint as a fox would, despite his magical nature. It had been a long time since he had a pack to run with, the feeling was odd, obviously he wasn't exactly going to trust them to watch his back yet, but it felt like things were all in all more cheerful with a pack. He came to a halt behind Akari and Masami in time to hear Masami mention the elevator.
"The elevator? I take it that's another shiny new invention of this world? Along with blood sucking yami that apparently sparkle in sunlight. . . Seriously, I do not find the appeal of your television."
He said with a shake of his head.
"Not to mention the lycanthrope was a whiney little coward."
He muttered disapprovingly as his white glyph began to pulse, his senses increasing as he slipped into a world of bright colours, scent trails, sensitive hearing and magical signatures. He looked down at the streets surrounding the building,
"So, after we use this elevator what plan of action shall we go with?"
He asked curiously.

[Pyrade]

Daniel Carter-38 Yrs-Wherever Eldara is

Eldara

A day had passed before I was notified that the first ring had claimed a recruit for the new and resurgent Bronze Lantern Corps. Mayla had just returned home and the two of us had been staying rather close since last night. As she entered the home carrying two large brown paper bags filled with groceries, I stood up and retrieved one from her, and set it upon the counter top. "I will be leaving for a short while, the first ring has found a suitable bearer. I will be home for supper." She muttered a 'ok' and gave a weak smile, but I could see that she doubted my promise. To reassure her, I gently lifted her chin up and kissed her on the cheek. "You will hardly notice." The display had the desired affect, as she seemed to brighten up. "Dont leave me waiting now." She requested, as I placed a Bronze Ring upon my finger. As the glow overtook me and a new uniform appeared decorating my body. One which I had not worn for years. Using the power of the ring to take flight, and to locate and track the newest recruit, I began to sail through the skies in search of the chosen individual.

The individual was not hard to find. There was a android, with Auburn hair and a bronze uniform, which was watching the news from a television in a electronics store. Seems the ring took the logic aspect rather literally, finding a machine rather than an organic to bear it's power. Regardless of that choice, she would do just fine. I was only here to explain the situation to her, there was not really much of a rule book to come with the ring.

I hovered above the new recruit in question, as I slowly lowered myself down to her level. The two rings could be seen responding to each other, their charge growing more powerful the closer we were in proximity. As I finally touched down, several feet away from her I needlessly announced myself, as she had obviously detected me by now.

"Enjoying the new look?" I asked, in a casual opening. Before moving on to more pressing business of actually explaining what she had. I motioned with my hands and took a couple steps toward her.

"What you have is a Bronze Lantern ring, and you...are the first member recruited to the Bronze Lantern Corps. A Corp that once was created to keep peace in my old world. But that is another story, what is important, is that I have recreated that same corp to defend this universe." I then pointed a finger at her ring, as I began to explain its capabilities and functions.

"The ring's power is fueled by your state of mind. The clearer your mind, and ability to use reason. The more powerful your constructs. That being said, powerful emotions that can cloud judgement, will weaken your ring. Such as love, rage, greed, fear or hope. If you become so blinded by emotion, the risks include losing all function, or being abandoned by the ring entirely. The ring, is based off of a Oan design, but is not actually crafted by the Guadians. Where it came from, is not important. But with it, you can create anything you can imagine. Flight, language translators, invisibility and more are all in your command with the ring." I then moved on to the more interesting parts.

"Logic is a force that holds great power. However, it is hard to maintain. Keeping rational, and a clear mind in many of the situations you will find yourself in, will not be easy. Therefore it is hard to maintain control. The power of Logic will stave off Fear, and you can even allow a feral Red Lantern to think logically in close proximity. However, Hope, is a emotion that deny's logic and is far more contagious. So, your ring will weaken around Blue Lantern Rings." I then took a step backwards, as I finished the small briefing.

"Also, you have no superior in the Bronze Lantern Corps, meaning you answer to no one. Because as a user of Logic, you should always be capable of dictating your own path, who needs help, how to act and who to fight and why. You will not answer to me. That being said, Logic is not a strictly positive force. It can like most tools, be abused. You could use the ring to your own gain, or oppress others with logical intentions. Each ring is a trust, that you will show good judgement. I give you warning now, that if you should ever betray the trust, I be there to correct you. Just because you do not answer to me, does not free you from your own actions." I then, only after I had fully detailed what she needed to know, introduce myself.

"My name, is Daniel Carter. There was a time when I would have never told you my name, instead giving a public hero title. But I am...largely retired. So, may I ask who it is I am entrusting the power bronze to?" I asked, tilting my head as I observed the android. Wondering exactly how much like a machine this being thought, or if she had more in common with a human woman.

Well, I was about to find out.

Eldara turned towards Daniel curiously, her optics immediately analysing his energy signature and matching it to the ring she was currently wearing.
"It is an odd affectation of the energy conduit, but not disagreeable."
She replied rapidly after he asked about the new look. As he began explaining she remained silent and unmoving. Her emotional synth complained bitterly of boredom, but that had become a fairly commonplace thing on her one year trip though space and she had become adept at tuning it out. Her cyber mind recorded almost every word he said, immediately categorising each sentence regarding semantics and syntax before logging the actual information contained within the words in her databases. When he began to speak of the emotions related to the ring and what affect other rings would have on her own she took careful note, silently thanking her programmers for making her emotional synth overridable. Couldn't very well have an executioner robot that regretted its murders. Daniel drew to the end of the introduction, and the directions for use, asking for her name.
"I am Eldara, or at least that is my self-designation. I did not agree with the label X-27 Executioner. Don't worry, my programming does not call for me to terminate all life on this planet. Contrary to what your audiovisual entertainment suggests."
She said light-heartedly with a slight smile.
"I appreciate the help though. My database knows very little about this planet, or about this tech. There is a wireless network here which apparently holds quite a bit of data, but so much of it is just a waste of bandwidth."
She replied while her cyber-mind continued its scanning through the internet. A handful of sites with information regarding the dinoasaur island were being assessed in the background to help her locate the odd place.
"I will use this power well though, thank you for your trust. I cannot claim to feel any form of obligation to it that I couldn't simply ignore."
She replied candidly before adding,
"But there is little logic in unnecessary destruction. And I have no personal gain to serve."

[Pyrade]

Taro
Taro chuckled at Garnet's explanation of the plan,
"Simple, effective, easy to remember. What gifted strategist thought of that one?"
He replied as he was about to take off down the side of the building but then he noticed the portal Garnet had left open and stepped through joining Garnet, Akari and Masami rapidly. He turned to the former and bowed his head slightly, "Thank you kindly." He said and paused at the door, noting the others weren't attempting to hide their magical nature. He stepped through the door, bending down slightly to avoid hitting his head. He walked behind the two, hanging back slightly as he inspected the room. His white glyph was glowing still, and when the strange, red skinned oni appeared, his blade had immediately been unsheathed. As others closed in on them he couldn't help but smile slightly as he charged the creatures. His blade moved rapidly as his senses faded back into the real world. Kiba-tsune sliced into one oni on the downstroke which Taro rapidly kicked out of the way. Next two horizontal slashed dissected an oncoming brute before the curved blade was imbedded in the chest of a third. Taro removed it and tore into the group even more, shredding with sword, tooth and claw. Not even bothering with his magic for the time being. He had already drained himself slightly when he fought the bakeneko, so long as the oni we're reasonably un challenging he could handle them with his enchanted blade. He chuckled at Garnet's remark and shouted out,
"Now where's the fun in that Garnet-sama?"
He asked before he sank his teeth into the throat of a charging oni, snapping their fragile spine easily. He snarled angrily as an oni struck him on the back, causing him to lash out with his many tails, confusing the oni briefly before Kiba-tsune severed the creatures neck.
"Although, if we fight towards the elevator we might not be here until the turn of next century executing ashigaru."
Taro said above the furor of combat.

Eldara
Eldara had been flying quite high in the atmosphere for a while now. According to her thermometer, it was significantly colder than when she had come hurtling through the atmosphere at several hundred meters per second. She had been following a lead regarding the news report. Apparently this island was somewhere in the middle of an ocean, something Eldara had discovered Earth had quite a lot of. But her internet trawling had picked up on a location that looked promising. Logically it made sense that if one where to look for something that had evaded the vast network of human mapping satellites, she would go to the place where human technology seemed to have a habit of disappearing, the Bermuda Triangle. An odd place, and for strange reasons the humans placed strange superstitions on the triangle, illogical, seeing as there were far better explanations for the disappearances. It was a mix of curiosity and amusement that drew Eldara to the triangle. What she was not expecting though, was the island that awaited her when she arrived.
"Clearly humans need better mapping technology."
She murmured, wondering just how it was that the mapping sites she had consulted had not known of this island. While giving many url's a firm admonishing for outdated data, the gynoid approached the island, scanning it for life. There were indeed life forms on this island, quite a few to Eldara's surprise. She alighted next to a building containing two such life forms (Ara and Wonder Woman) and paused at the door. She gave a polite knock and waited. Not entirely sure how they would react to the android.

[Pyrade]

Ara had lain her head down again, for it hurt too much to sit up. A sharp rapping on the door interrupted her. Diana rose up then opened the door to see an android. "Welcome to Themyscira. I assume you are here for Ara?"

Ara turned her head toward the voices. "I've never seen that metal machine before in my life-unless it's one of Bolin's, because the Tribals don't even use metal."

"Who are you and what is your business on Themyscira?" asked Wonder Woman.

Eldara
Eldara smiled disarmingly at Wonder Woman, noting her to-the-point question as a possible reaction to what she saw as a threat. She leaned to the side, looking past Wonder Women and at Ara,
"I'm not just made of metal. And I'm an android thank you very much."
She replied in a joking tone. Eldara then returned her attention to the big amazon in front of her,
"I am Eldara. My purpose was originally to find the tribal lands but it seems I have searched in the wrong place. My apologies, human databases are filled with all sorts of wasteful information."
She replied before her recognizing software managed to make the match,
"You are Wonder Woman. You appear quite often in various news articles. Often described as protecting humanity."
Eldara said with a smile and held out her hand,
"I believe it is the customary greeting on earth."
She said a little sheepishly, her emotional synth echoing a twinge of embarrassment, mostly due to her exceptionally abnormal speech patterns on account of her incomplete programming.

[Pyrade]

"I'm afraid no human database can help you get to the Tribal Lands. Not even the Amazons know where," Wonder Woman replied, taking the android's hand, "and you may call me Diana."

Upon hearing that this stranger sought the Tribal Lands, Ara tore herself from the bed, despite Diana's warning. Snatching her spear from a nearby table, she pointed it at the android, and demanded, "Who told you of the Tribal Lands? Few mortals know of it. How do you?"

Eldara
Eldara smiled and nodded to Diane as she shook her hand, before the spear appeared at least. She looked from the tip of the spear to Ara curiously,
"There was a news bulletin. J. Jameson reported that the human they call 'President' was rescued from you. That you would draw arms so quickly calls into question whether I am making the right decision seeking your side of the story first."
She replied in a calm, collected voice. She had been hoping that violence would not be necessary, but it did not phase her.

[Pyrade]

Eldara
Eldara watched the outburst from Ara quietly, her vision automatically shading target area's upon Ara's torso for should her outburst turn physical. Thankfully she was subdued before this point by her own injuries. Eldara found the social standing of the "Princess" somewhat odd, and dangerous if she commanded such power for personal gain.
"This is why I wished to find out the full story. Not to mention your mount in the news bulletin was a large reptilian creature which has been extinct for many years."
She replied calmly, she did not know Ara well enough to trust what she had said so far, and given her violent countenance Eldara felt a second opinion was needed before she attempted to mete out justice.
"Diana, if I may, you seem to be in a rational state of mind. Can you vouch for her explanation? I can hardly trust the audiovisual media of this world, given its history in blatant propaganda."
She explained to Wonder Women, keeping an eye on Ara.

Taro
Taro felt a hint of disappointment as his blade collided with the recently deceased corpse of the Oni he had been fighting. He was grateful for the quick intervention on Akari's part though, had they been stuck fighting the expendable ashigaru for too long the bigger oni would have had an advantage in stamina. He stepped through the portal that had been opened with a chuckle as he heard Garnet's words about fun.
"Whether you enjoy the fight or not, a beating heart is usually the important bit at the end of it all."
He said before noticing the trussed up human. The sight stirred an anger deep in him. As a demon hunter he had seen many atrocious acts, and holding a live captive for torture simply riled up the kitsune. He listened to the human speak with a tense silence, he wanted to find these oni already.
"Do you know where the beasts are?"
He asked as he stepped towards the human. His claws ignited into dark flames moments before he brought them down on the chains to melt through them with the all-consuming flames.

[Pyrade]

Ara listened intently from the bed, daring not to move for fear of being threatened by Diana again. She felt a sudden chill, and looked around for a draft.
"If you were watching the Daily Bugle's report, I believe her. Jameson is a fool, and is against any kind of hero. Did he use the words 'public menace' while he was speaking?" asked Diana.

"Does anybody feel cold?" asked Ara, looking around, "Is there some sort of draft in here?"

Eldara
Eldara nodded in response to Diana's observation,
"Then I shall take your word for fact."
She replied, slightly ignoring Ara, although she did cast a gaze towards the bedridden tribal lander.
"What exactly is she doing here then if she is from the tribal lands? Is this island not supposed to be better hidden?"
Eldara asked curiously as she glanced around the area, analyzing the island foliage and surroundings. It was a relief that Jameson was wrong about Ara though. Eldara would not have enjoyed taking a life just yet.

[Pyrade]

"She floated onto the shore and says that she was on a ship bound for another island," Diana replied, as a sudden burst of cold blasted through Themyscira.

Ara shivered and said, "It's cold in here."

A redhaired woman entered the door, "Diana." Diana gave her a disapproving look. "I mean, my princess. The island is being frozen solid. The northern half is ice already. Rumors say that a wizard calling himself Karet is responsible. He has frozen all Amazons who oppose him."

"Thank you, Aleka. I will deal with him. Eldara, keep an eye on Ara for me. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere," Diana replied, then rushed off with Aleka.

Eldara
Eldara turned towards the newcomer and logged the new information. When Diana told her to wait with Ara Eldara paused before replying,
"Ara seems capable of caring for herself. Logically we can handle this threat more rapidly and efficiently if I went with you."
She replied as Diana and Aleka dashed off. With a soft static sigh she turned back to Ara,
"You don't seem unwell, what exactly is it that keeps you bedridden?"

[Pyrade]

"Well, I am apparently feverish and have a headache," Ara said, "but I feel just fine."
Screams echoed through Themyscira as a blast of cold wind and snow showered Paradise Island. Everywhere, Amazons were frozen in ice blocks. Storm clouds showered snow across the island.
Aleka rushed back and said, "Diana is f-frozen in a block of ice. I'm going to f-freeze her. Please-save the island. The sorcerer calls himself-f Ice Age." A block of ice materialized around Aleka as she froze inside of it.
"Eldara, Ice Age is a legend among my people. He was frozen inside of his own ice cave on Earth," Ara began to panic. "The legends, they say that it was suicide to challenge him. We're going to die! We're going to die!"

Eldara
Eldara rushed towards Aleka, pulling the ice block inside in hopes that it would thaw out. She turned towards Ara and shook her head,
"We are not going to die. Legends also say that entering the Bermuda Triangle means you'll disappear forever. We haven't disappeared, and we're in the triangle."
She replied coolly as she gazed around the hut, silently cursing the lack of technology.
"We can win if we work together. Now come on. We have to save this island. I doubt Ice Age will stop here."
She mused aloud and held out her hand that had the lantern ring on it, surrounding herself and Ara in a bronze orb.
"How can you attack the wizard? Once we find him what would be the best way to approach?"
She asked Ara, hoping her legends had at least some useful information.

[Pyrade]

Ara slowly calmed down, being comforted by Eldara's words. From inside the bronze orb, Ara said, "You're right. We might fight and die. I am forgetting one thing. I am only Tribal by adoption. I am not easily frozen inside a block of ice. We must stand and fight. Let's bring down Ice Age together. The legends say that heat is a way to bring him down, and he freezes himself into his cave."

Eldara's thoughts processed rapidly through her cyber mind as she levitated their orb up and out of the hut.
"Seems logical, heat countering ice."
She replied as they ascended into the sky. Eldara had extended and armed her sonic blade which hummed softly at her side as she scanned the landscape for their target.

[Pyrade]

As Eldara flew up into the sky with Ara. Ara saw the frozen landscape. She was still calming down from her shock. She looked at the frozen Amazons. She had not had this kind of problem with the monster in Shanghai or when she fought the Mandarin. Her mind floated back to when she had been told that she must defend Earth. The shaman said to her, "This is your destiny-to fight the darkness that attempts to shroud your birth land. It may take many forms, which you must overcome. It will be in a form you least expect." He gave her the spear she held in her right arm. The one that could shoot flame out of it. A new courage filled her heart as she glanced across Paradise Island. She saw a section of the jungle not frozen and pointed. "He'll be right there," she insisted, "he took over the world once and the Tribals stopped him with sheer courage-the courage of my adopted father's grandfather, who melted Ice Age's cave. Ice Age froze himself inside in an attempt to save the cave. We can do it. We will stop him."

"That we can."
Was all Eldara replied with as she levitated the orb towards the unfrozen patch and brought them down. She kept them in the jungle overgrowth to keep them hidden and eventually released her control of the orb when they got close to the ground. Her left hand glowed a deep bronze as she began forming a logic construct. It took a mere second for her mind to design what she would need, and it appeared on her digitized vision before the light around her left arm turned solid, forming into a flamethrower with a menacing muzzle and a small pilot light glowing in front of the opening.
"Just be careful with your fire Ara, I don't believe Diana will be very happy if we burn down the jungles."
She replied as she advanced on the unfrozen area in search of Ice Age.

[Pyrade]

Eldara
Eldara inspected the target as he loomed up over her. She called up her combat situation programs. Highlighting Ice Age as the target for attack. Immediately her cyber mind began to fill up her vision with possible actions and the outcomes of each as it analysed the situation. She reacted with a simple cylinder of bronze energy hurled at Ice Age with enough force to stop him in his tracks if it hit. She turned to Ara,
"I'm going to try get him down, when he's down or at any other opportunity you see, strike him down."
She replied as bronze light emitted from her before she began to lift away from the clutches of gravity. She flew in close to Ice Age, firing off gouts of orange flames from her flamethrower.

Taro
Taro looked from the pack to the newcomer as he was instructed to accompany him and assist with destroying the Oni. He nodded quietly and turned to the odd human as the ex-prisoner ripped a pipe from the wall. He sighed and proferred his sword hilt to the stranger.
"You may borrow my blade. I can make do with out it."
He said, in a tone that spoke not of eagerness but that he simply wished to have this situation over with. He was not well versed in escorting a friend, or in fighting with someone that might get in his way. Something which made him reluctant about the entire group, but he had found they tended to steer clear of where he was so far. His eyes meanwhile, spoke of unspeakable horrors that would befall the borrower of his blade should it be stolen or broken.
"The sooner we slay these Oni, the fewer tricks they will have prepared for us."
He said as he started towards the direction Masami had indicated for the Oni. His glyph pulsated rhythmically as he inspected the world through an astral predator's eyes.
"You . . . Are not simply human."
He murmured indifferently as he glanced towards their newfound ally.

[Pyrade]

Eldara
Eldara inspected the target as he loomed up over her. She called up her combat situation programs. Highlighting Ice Age as the target for attack. Immediately her cyber mind began to fill up her vision with possible actions and the outcomes of each as it analysed the situation. She reacted with a simple cylinder of bronze energy hurled at Ice Age with enough force to stop him in his tracks if it hit. She turned to Ara,
"I'm going to try get him down, when he's down or at any other opportunity you see, strike him down."
She replied as bronze light emitted from her before she began to lift away from the clutches of gravity. She flew in close to Ice Age, firing off gouts of orange flames from her flamethrower.

Taro
Taro looked from the pack to the newcomer as he was instructed to accompany him and assist with destroying the Oni. He nodded quietly and turned to the odd human as the ex-prisoner ripped a pipe from the wall. He sighed and proferred his sword hilt to the stranger.
"You may borrow my blade. I can make do with out it."
He said, in a tone that spoke not of eagerness but that he simply wished to have this situation over with. He was not well versed in escorting a friend, or in fighting with someone that might get in his way. Something which made him reluctant about the entire group, but he had found they tended to steer clear of where he was so far. His eyes meanwhile, spoke of unspeakable horrors that would befall the borrower of his blade should it be stolen or broken.
"The sooner we slay these Oni, the fewer tricks they will have prepared for us."
He said as he started towards the direction Masami had indicated for the Oni. His glyph pulsated rhythmically as he inspected the world through an astral predator's eyes.
"You . . . Are not simply human."
He murmured indifferently as he glanced towards their newfound ally.

[Pyrade]

Hearing the voice of the fox demon speaking to him, Akihiko turned towards the creature, eyeing him warily. He was fairly reluctant to completely trust these people, even though he had to admit that they did free him, and the animosity that he could feel coming from Taro didn't help matters at all. Plus, he looked like some sort of creepy fox demon, as his mind was fond of remarking at every moment, and he had been taught not to trust demons if he ever met one. Reluctantly, he reached out for the blade, still observing Taro very carefully.

Only to swat it aside after hearing his last remark.

"And who are you to know about humans?!" He growled at the male Kitsune, grabbing his pipe and going through the door that led to two of the five Oni that he had been trying to fight. Not only was he angry about Taro's remark, but he also felt threatened. He had thought that they wouldn't really figure it out, but apparently he was wrong, and he didn't want them to find out that he was part Oni. Nobody was supposed to know except for his mother. He had been told very clearly that he had to avoid having it discovered at all costs, so he was understandably on edge at the moment.

---

Taro sheathed his blade and threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.
"Live on the same planet as a species for a century and apparently it is poor taste to notice when someone's radiating magic . . . Which I might say most humans don't do."
Taro muttered softly and moodily as he checked his things and started off after the runaway magical human. As he stalked off after Akihiko.
"Stupid temperamental one. Of course I know about humans. Spend enough time living with them and you tend to learn. Hell, they're not bad. But apparently some of them are just too touchy to accept help from someone whose been protecting humans for decades."
Taro grumbled to himself, drawing his sword again as he caught up to Akihiko,
"I happen to know enough about humans to know that most of them don't resonate on the astral plane. You have magic of some kind in you."
Taro said pointedly to Akihiko, questioning for a second why he was explaining himself to this one. He sighed heavily and closed his mouth. The human clearly hadn't wanted to talk when he stormed off, and he was more than happy to oblige.

[Pyrade]

Ara nodded said, "You have my word." She watched and awaited for Ice Age to become vulnerable.
Ice Age swerved to the side, avoiding Eldara's blast. "So, more challengers?" he laughed, "The Amazons failed-the Tribals lost many warriors-what makes you think that you can defeat me, Ice Age, ruler of the cold? I was only fooled by a childish trick-not defeated in plain battle when I was frozen in my Ice Cave, and I assure you-I will not make this mistake again." He narrowed his eyes at the Bronze Lantern. He was going to have fun with this one-let her know that she couldn't hurt him, then utterly destroy him.

Eldara
Eldara dropped the energy construct as soon as she saw Ice Age swerve, the energy dissipating into nothingness. Her follow up came at alarming speed, she flew almost blindingly fast as she charged towards Ice Age, releasing a gout of flames which jetted towards him from one side before she swerved away from him, appearing less than a second later on his other side as she swung her left fist towards him, sending a storm of sharp bolts of bronze energy dashing towards him.
"You made the mistake of returning."
She replied, flying in close to Ice Age after the bolt storm had passed.
"You broke the order, you tried to destroy an island. You ended innocent lives. You've made so many mistakes it's hard to believe you're still alive."
Eldara replied in a light-hearted, mocking tone as she brought her right arm in towards Ice Age, attempting to drive her vibro blade into his sternum with ruthless efficiency.

[Pyrade]

Ice Age collapsed to the ground, but his staff parried the vibro blade. "Return? I never left, or died. I was frozen for centuries. That will not be the case for you." He helped himself up, pointed the end of his staff at Eldara, firing an ice beam, "NOW FREEZE!"

Ara leaped from the bushes and tackled Ice Age to the ground, sending his staff hurdling away. "You have no quarrel with the Amazons-or this world. It is with the Tribals. Who has released you from your prison?"

"Some fool with a demand for the Staff of Power. One of your people-banished," Ice Age replied, his teeth grimacing as Ara pointed the spear at his heart.

"Eldara, get the Staff," Ara said to Eldara, pointing at the staff.

Eldara held out her hand as a beam of bronze light extended to the staff. It enveloped it in a bronze bubble which floated gracefully back to Eldara. The ice beam Ice Age had fired had been blocked by her other hand, which now hung, frozen, at her side. There was a soft grinding followed by a snap as her cabled pneumatic pistons tensed, the force of the mechanical system shattering the ice which had no reinforcing. She could feel the ice that had formed inside her arm. The nanites had already begun grinding it into microscopic slush, so she simply left that, turning back to Ara.
"Either we should execute him now. Or we should imprison him with the appropriate authorities and keep the staff elsewhere. Preferably destroy it."
She replied, ignoring Ice Age entirely. "Or we turn him over to the amazons. Theirs might be the most deserving of retribution."
Eldara added as she prepared a pair of bronze cuffs and closed them around Ice Age's wrists.

[Pyrade]

Paradise Island
"I'd rather we didn't kill him. If we had accidentally killed him in battle, I wouldn't mind so much, but I know that the Amazons will most likely kill him, so we could either take him to my people, or we could just freeze him in another cave for another thousand years," Ara suggested, picking up the staff.

Ice Age spit on the ground, "Know this, Tribal, I will slay every one of your people. Imprisoning me will only temporarily delay my plans."

"Not if we freeze you, then throw you into space," Ara replied. She turned to Eldara, and said, "What do you think?"

Eldara was partially surprised by Ara's resistance to the idea of killing Ice Age, especially when he intoned that imprisoning him would only delay the matter of his murderous rampage. As she listened to the secondary proposals she shrugged,
"Logically freezing him and launching him into space is the same as killing him. In any event, so long as we keep the staff far away from him, and preferably anyone, it should work out."
She replied as she hoisted Ice Age up onto his feet and forced him to straighten up.
"Make your decision soon Miss."

[Pyrade]

Taro
Taro's hackles rose a little in frustration towards the petty human as he seemed to prefer being known. But soon after he heard Akari's rebuke of the rescued person the Oni appeared. Taro chuckled when Garnet spoke of their hideous appearance despite the gravity of the situation. He grasped his blade with his own impressive muscled arms. The blade rested calmly in his hand before he darted forwards to the Oni named Frost.
"You'll regret leaving your armour at home soon enough demon."
He said with an unnerving chuckle as his tails began to absorb the light from around them. He slashed, clawed and bit at an alarming speed, but the Oni was not to fall as easily as the usual fodder he fought. He felt his jaws about to close around her neck before her spiked club wedged itself between his gnashing teeth, causing him to reel back in pain. A savage growl ushered from Taro as he prepared for another clash. He glanced around briefly, his allies were holding their own thankfully, meaning for the time being he could deal with his prey alone. He stood a distance away from his foes, wiping blood from his snout as he glared at the Oni.
"Time you saw what a real demon looks like . . . "
Taro murmured as his fourth tail began to emanate darkness. He drew in a deep breath and his dark fur became totally black as he merged with his own shadow. He stood before the Oni as a black morass of shadows that only vaguely resembled Taro. His eyes glimmered with an absolute darkness that was deeper than any shadow. His teeth could barely be seen against the black backdrop of his shadowy maw, but now they were far more dangerous than before. He swooped forwards, his claws extending out to slash at the demon long before the rest of him approached her. He dodged a few of her mace strikes, retaliating with a slash of his own weapon which now shimmered with the absence of light, like raven feathers, as it sliced into the Oni's arm, leaving a jagged, painful laceration. Her retaliation struck him across the shoulder passing through with slight resistance. He felt the pain as his form was disrupted slightly around the weapon. Taro allowed his form to collapse into a two dimensional shadow as he darted for his foes shadow.
"Your very shadow is my weapon fool!" He replied in a dry, raspy voice that sounded like glass being scratched. His flat, shadowy claws dug into the Oni's shadow, causing mysterious black lacerations to form where the claws dug deep into her shadow.