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

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:01 pm

Charmera wrote:---

The black creator of worlds glared at the feminine figure in front of her, burning eyes betraying nothing short of disgust towards the creature that had appeared before her. Even though it was very diluted, it was impossible for her not to recognize the antinatural presence that the purple slime woman seemed to exude, something that was like a foul stench to one such as Hadrimmelis, who was a servant of the universe, born from a primordial force of nature. What angered her, however, was not only this stench, but the things it was associated with, for it belonged to one of the creatures that she had gon to war with millions of years ago, the creature whose strength had been enough to fell many of her brothers during their youth. She was far older now than she had been back then, and far stronger as well, but those memories were always present in her mind, especially so now that her true self had been awakened, her mind recalling entire aeons and countless secrets that she did not know about while she slept.

"All-Mother, Manifest, Thomsen, and all heroes of Earth and other worlds, the Builder fleet has been annihilated and my people are safe, there is no reason for you to remain here any longer. Leave, head to wherever it is that you need to go next, and I will join you as soon as possible in order to finish this war and eradicate the Builder threat for good. Go, for it is my duty to deal with this alone." Hadrimmelis spoke into the minds of those aboard the Infinite Venture, as well as the minds of the All-Mother and her Valkyries, and those of anyone else who was currently an ally of hers.

With her commands given, the World-Dragon turned her attention towards the slime creature. "And what would that message be?" She growled.

Tomia wrote:---

Kirisvala frowned at Mars' words at first, hearing how he was underestimating her intelligence. She did understand what he had said! She understood perfectly what a chemical, and a gang, and a prison were, she knew that the words South America were used together in order to refer to a landmass on the southern hemisphere of the planet she was on right now, and she knew that the meaning of the word maim was "to deprive of the use of some part of the body". She knew all of that! What she did not know was how humans used certain words in different contexts to refer to completely different things, what she did not know were the names and the stories of the people they were after, and she did not see how that was so bad. It was hardly her fault that humans sometimes used words in a manner so different from their usual agreed-upon meaning, which was the meaning that she was familiar with thanks to her linguistic assimilation. And with her being so new to Earth, was it not to be expected that she would not know about any famous (or rather, infamous) figures from that planet?

But as she felt Mars place his hand on her shoulder, and heard him speak words of encouragement to her, she could not be mad at him, and what anger had found its way into her mind quickly evaporated, the scowl on her features softening quickly as she nodded at him, looking down for a moment. He really was a good person, the Hadrian magician thought, and at that moment she even felt a bit embarrassed for having grown mad at him; he was only trying to do his job well, and she figured that he didn't really know enough about her or her people to know that she could understand him just fine, the same way she knew too little about humans to know who were the most prominent ones or what they were supposed to be like. And in the end, he was just trying to comfort her, something that she appreciated and which made her look up and flash a smile at him.

"...Thanks, Mars."

by **The Starlight** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:55 pm

The Builder War
R a g e Part 1

Despite the rise of Hadrimmelis, the Builder fleets kept coming. Our heroes soon grew exhausted, weary, and yet, still they fought, defiant to the last. They witnessed worlds die, worlds that they could not save. The food provisions and blankets that the Infinite Venture had brought were well used.

And so the Builders steadily advanced towards Earth. But after every battle, they gathered, at the Behemoth. A rogue planet's ringworld located in the vast ocean of deep space between galaxies. It was a way station for both the refugees of fallen worlds and the broken armadas of the Galatic Council. A place to hide where they could regroup, they could heal, and...they could plan.

But there would be no healing nor planning, because this time, they could not hide.

The Builders dispatched sentinent drones, drones so hidden that Craig could not detect them with his technopathy until it was too late. For these drones, their mission was to seek and destroy. Suicide drones, in truth. And the Behemoth broke. Almost one hundred million refugees from now dead worlds had made their way there, fleeing Death Incarnate. The detonation of the suicide drones destroyed several arcs of the ring, and caused the collapse of three more. Over 40 million refugees were lost, lifeless bodies tumbling through the vacuum of space. Fathers, mothers, children. Tears collected like an ocean in the Venture, for many of them had forged friendships in this time of war with those that they had relocated. None would ever truly recover for this. Grief, was now the common factor unifying the inhabitants of the universe.

But this, above all, was a message. One that the Builders broadcast to all worlds in their path of death in the das and weeks that followed. And it said, there is no safe place in this universe that you can hide. You can run, but we will find you. And then you will die.

But then, that unstoppable, heartless machine of death that was the Builders did something none expected... they offered terms. Surrender, and live.

Proud worlds, that had seen the death of stars and empires looked at the fate of those befallen worlds even older than they and they and made the only true choice when faced with death.

Life. The Centaurians kneeled first. Then, the Kymellians followed. And one hundred worlds followed them.And as the Builder Armada drew near to the Kree Imperial homeworld, the Supreme Intelligence consulted the thousands of intellects that existed within its memory and reached a consensus. We cannot win.

Standing upon the remnants of the Behemoth, Ronan announced the Kree surrender. "I requested to fight and die with you, whom I would count as friends, but it seems that the Builders are refusing anything except total and complete submission, and thus I have been ordered to return home with what remains of the Kree fleet. There is little honor in this surrender, but now, duty is all that I am left with." He looked upon those who remained. The Captains Marvel and America. The Super-Skrull. J'son of the Spartax. Valka, All-Mother of Asgard. Manifest. Xander and Naja, Simon Blackburn. Hernan. Thor. Gladiator of the Sh'iar. Ex Nihilio and Captain Universe, still within a coma. Craig Thomsen. Hadrimmelis of the World-Dragons. Starbrand.

All the rest had been captured. The heroes nodded grimly, Xander announcing that it was time for Plan B. "It's time to resize Kandor, and while we're at it, let's send Annihilus and his Wave, and Ultron. I think it's time to roll out everything we've got. This is it folks. But we're going to need a distraction. Hernan, it's time to unleash the Phoenix. Valka and Thor, go with him to make sure he doesn't die. Hadrimmelis. Do your huge dragon thing on the fleet advancing on our position hear. Craig, you get Ultron, your technopathy should hold him at bay. Gladiator and Manifest, get the Annihilation Wave.Everyone else, let's go free some Kryptonians." The heroes nodded, and departed to their stations, J'son shaking his head. "You are fools. All of you. The Spartoi Empire withdraws from the field. We will look to ourselves now, and ourselves only. Die however you want, you will not be remembered," he said with a sneer, before teleporting himself away.

Those assembled looked at each other, and walked away to their respective tasks. Craig found Ultron on a remote planet and temporarily linked their minds to show that he spoke truth. The sentient robot who had fought against Earth so long seemed to nod. "Very well, Thomsen. But know that this changes nothing. My hordes shall assemble, and these Builders that you have failed to beat will face my might." Craig nodded and strode away, destroying the connection, boarding the ship and sending a message to Manifest of his success.

Meanwhile near the Behemoth, Hadrimmelis in her human avatar form awaited in one of the smaller transports. A Builder fleet, jumping out of hyperspace, immediately began firing upon the lone ship. Hitting the autopilot, she headed to the back of the ship and released the airlock, sending her hurtling into space. And then, a giant black dragon appeared in her plaace,, the Builder ships immediately turning and preparing to flee into hyperspace. "I think not," said the World-Dragon, letting loose a roar filled with her cosmic power.

In yet another quadrant of space, Hernan unleashed the Phoenix Force, Valka and Thor mainly standing back and watching the Midgardian deal with their enemies, intervening when necessary. Far away, Xander and the rest of the crew of the Infinite Venture, stood upon the newly-resized Kryptonian of Kandor, where General Zod had somehow ended up. "So," Xander finished, "I'm afraid that the Builders are too strong for us. They feared Superman before they captured him, how much more will they quake when they see those who are greater than Superman?" he posed, playing the role of the weak Earthling.

"They shall KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!" The General bellowed, his people following him in the cheer. Xander, backing away slowly, said, "Ok..." leaving behind the yellow-sun powered suits that Craig and Valka had created to show that they were really serious.

And so, the heroes of Earth launched a Hail Mary pass, one could say. Throwing a World-Dragon, an Annihilation Wave, the Phoenix Force, an army of robots and thousands of yellow-sun powered Kryptonians who had trapped in a miniaturized city for thousands of years. And everyone thought that there was no way that the Builders could stop all of them. The War had to be over with this one, and the heroes turned their attention to how they would rein in Ultron, Annihilus and the Kryptonians before they attacked Earth. The yellow-sun powered suits were sabotaged, of course, but that still left Annihilus and Ultron.

They were terribly wrong. The Builders staggered at the weight of the assault, and so, in that regard, they succeeded, buying time to recover and and rebuild. But the primary power of the Builders, more than their technology which stood mountains over the universe, more than their seemingly endless fleets, was their ability to adapt. Hernan could not wield the Phoenix Force for long and after such extended use, he slipped into a coma, Valka and Thor, not being able to fight while they had a fallen comrade, retreated. The Builders created a virus targeted at Kryptonians, being able to produce it with Superman in their custody. And though it was not as instantaneous as one that was produced in another universe where a team called Infinite Justice was embroiled in a civil war, it did its work very, very well. The Kryptonians developed rashes, and then in hours, began to fall from the sky. And so, Zod knelt before the Builders and begged for the virus to end. The virus did end, but not before the General surrendered all of the Kryptonian technology from Kandor. And the Builder's fleets grew even more powerful as a result.

The Builders did the same with Annihilus, creating a pesticide that annihilated the Annihalation Wave. As for Ultron, the Builders overrode his programming and turned him and his army to new uses, sending them against planets. The potential catastrophe was halted by Valka alone, whose mastery over metal allowed her to mold down the robots. The only part of Plan B that succeeded was Hadrimmelis, whom the Builders had learned to fear. But that in itself, was a slight liability, for now whenever they saw the World-Dragon they turned and fled, which was of great amusement to the Behemoth, whose chuckles caused earthquakes on nearby worlds.

The ragged remnants of the Sh'iar and Skrull fleets joined the Infinite Venture in converging upon Hala, the central planet of the Kree Empire, upon which Builder ships had landed, and even now were orbiting the planet. Hadrimmelis also circled the planet, her tail waving lazily, the Builders staying as far as away as possible. The Council and its allies made no assault and so the Builders, curious, allowed them to live for the time, as the commanders assembled on the Infinite Venture. Craig stroked the beard that he had grown during the Builder War. "Well, this is it," he said to Captain America and Captain Marvel as they waited for the remnants of the Galactic Council to join them aboard the Bridge. "You sure this is gonna work, Craig?" asked Captain Marvel, looking speculative.

"It's all we've got. It's got a chance," he said, sighing.

"Better than no chance. But have you looked around? I see people on the verge of breaking, I'm on the verge of breaking. This is really it. We can't take anything more, and there's nothing left in the rabbit hat." she replied.

"Then it has to work." Captain America said as Valka strode in along with the rest of the crew, stopping when she saw Craig's beard, frowning. The inventor looked up and smiled, rubbing the unruly mass of hair again. "What do you think, Valka? I think Etla will like it."

"She will hate it," Valka replied seriously, still frowning. "It is as bad, if not more than Alexander calling himself Xander." she stated. The magician looked up, shouting in mock offense, "Hey!" everyone chuckling at that. Craig turned pleading eyes to the Captains who shook their heads, and finally to Manifest. "C'mon, Manifest," he pleaded. "You gotta admit that-"

"Sorry boss, but I'm going with the Asgardian on this one. You're not a wild caveman, you're Craig Thomsen." the wielder of the Manifest Blade said.

"Captains," the Sh'iar representative stated, everyone turning their attention to him. "It is done." The message had been sent to the Builder on Hala, a message begging to negotiate a surrender.

Captain Marvel had spoken truly, all of our heroes were almost done. There was almost nothing left. Would they still fight? Could they still fight. And here, upon Hala, all of them would be tested.

Note, some of this and the 2nd post is taken from the actual Marvel Infinity comic arc. Most is adapted in some way.

by **The Starlight** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:16 pm

The Builder War
H e ro es Part 2

"All of our hopes, resting on a single person, our future, dependent on surrender." The Skrull Warlord grumbled, "Is this how far we've fallen?"
Gladiator of the Sh'iar Empire answered him, saying, "What does pride matter now? Time for debate has ended. We know we cannot win. The good navigator has made his case," the representative pausing as they learned that the shuttle had landed. "She barters for us all, Craig...You're sure you sent the right person?"

"Of that I have no doubt..." replied Craig, a secretive smile rising on his face. "I sent our best negotiator."

And Valka Silverhand, All-Mother of Asgard emerged from the shuttle, Oathbringer in hand, her blue cape fluttering as she walked down the steps. The Kree guards pointed their weapons, and Valka stood at the bottom of the steps, smirking at them, before Ronan, who stood nearby in front of the Supreme Intelligence, stepped forward and spoke. "Unarmed, my friend. The Builders have seen you in action, and they recognize formidable when it appears before them." Valka nodded, strode back to the ship and placed her sword back in it, the shuttle flying off immediately after.

"As requested...unarmed. Shall we haggle now like weak children?" she said, holding up her arms.

"You think there is a bargain to be had here? There is no bargain. I understood, so that you rebels might survive and your worlds remain unrazed, you would be surrendering this day. Was I ill informed? Was I misled?"

"Your understanding of the matter is not wrong-- I am here to officially end hostilities by yielding the field. But I will be demanding assurances." she said calmly.

"It is wise to ask, less so to demand." the Builder said. "Assurances, you say? Come closer." he said, sneering, beckoning with two fingers.

Valka walked closer, and the Builder, using his backhand, slapped her across the face, retorting, "Here are your assurances," all while Valka resisted the urge to rip him in twain.

"You will submit or perish. You will kneel or your fellow warriors will lose everything they hold dear. All that is left is surrender. On...your... knees." he ordered, Valka wiping her mouth.

And this was the moment here that would define everything that came after it. Would she kneel? Such a thing was a very affront upon her being. She was All-Mother. She was a queen! And queens bowed to none, and especially not Asgardians. The crew of the Infinite Venture watched, the negotiations being broadcast across the universe. Craig rubbed his beard again, praying that Valka would do it, J'son of the Spartoi Empire stroked his beard, deep in thought. The Vokoronians, Mad Max, the Asgardians, all the refugees, everyone one of them watching.

And Valka got down on a knee, slowly, carefully, her head down.

"This is good...Does it not suit you better? Is this not your natural state?" the Builder said, smiling slightly as the crew of the Infinite Venture breathed a sign of relief.

And upon Earth, a galaxy away, a hammer, which laid in a mound of dirt on the outskirts of New York City began to shake. But this was no workman's hammer, this hammer, was Mjolnir. And then, it flew off into space, nearing the Sun, as the Builder continued to boast.

"You have saved so very many by yielding here today...But you should know, you have not saved your precious Earth. There is no saving that world." The hammer circled the Sun twice, gaining speed, before continuing on its summoned path.

"And do you know why?" The Builder asked, not expecting an answer. "Humanity is a plague not just to this galaxy or even this universe..." the Aleph leaning forward, his spittle hitting Valka's helm. "It is a sickness that exists in every universe, in every reality that has been or ever will be. A festering wound that must be cauterized. A blight on the great canvas that is everything."

Mjolnir reached the Kree galaxy, it appearing on the sensors of the Infinite Venture.

"We have incoming!" the Sh'iar representative said. "What is it."

Craig, continuing to watch the broadcast, simply said, "A reckoning."

The hammer shot past the ships, Council and Builder alike.

"Your victory here is hollow. Others live, but your kind will die with you. And how dare you think it could have ended any other way? Humanity should have the good sense to know their story is over. Mankind should know they are done."

And then Valka looked up, for the first time, still kneeling, her eyes completely gold, shining with the Valkaforce. And then, the All-Mother spoke, and these words would be remembered forever.

"And what if I am not just a man?"

The Builder looked up to see something akin to a flare heading right for them. "What?!"

And there came Mjolnir, the hammer summoned from a galaxy away, heated by the very Sun itself, and Valka called it to her hand, rising, grinning. And Mjolnir ripped through the stomach of the Builder, who squealed in pain, Valka not minding the heat.

"They can be broken..." said Craig as Thor lifted a fist in triumph, "So they can be beaten."

"Yo...You Don't understand..." said the Aleph, falling to the ground, his green, oily blood dripping. "This..This... means... everything dies." he gasped out.

"You first." retorted Valka, bashing his head in with Mjolnir. "But as for me and my realm, I die free." She looked at the fallen Builder for a moment, and then turned to Ronan and the Accusers who stood watching. "Above this world are free women and men fighting for their people throughout this galaxy. Those who would die before yielding their liberty to yoke. Are you a free man, Ronan?" she asked, looking at him keenly.

"Yes."

"And are there other free men and women here as well? Those who would stand and be counted? Those who would fight until they fall or are victorious."

"There are."

"Then call upon them...there is battle waiting for the righteous."

Ronan, triumphant, lifted his own hammer. "ACCUSERS! Are you with me?!" he yelled, a roar of thousands answering him. Valka then leaped in front of him, summoning a lightning blast. "Heroes! Refugees! Warriors! FIGHT!!!!" she bellowed, Hadrimmelis answering her from above, beginning her devastating assault upon the Builder fleet of Hala."

On the bridge of the Infinite Venture, Gladiator patted Craig's back. "Look! A Builder has fallen...And once free Hala is now free again. You have succeeded, Craig...again. What follows after this?" he asked.

Craig looked at the Captains and they all simultaneously said, "Now we win."

The mistake was giving them hope. All eyes in the universe were watching when Hala was reclaimed by its people-- all saw Valka of Asgard, victorious. And upon the thousands of worlds Death Incarnate had touched, that message resonated. Rise, and tear down these Builders. Fight, and reclaim your worlds. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Believe it can be done... for you have seen it with your own eyes. And that is how the tides turned.

On Dockrum VII, the Avengers; for they were all Avengers now, fought yet another battle. Captain America helped the Oracle out and then spotted the last of them. "There! In the central square, the Last Aleph."

"One more time then, Captain," sighed Oracle, "If we have one more time left in us." The Captain shook his head. "Look! It's already done." For Valka had landed, a blast of the Valkaforce killing the Aleph. Tireless, she seemed, the All-Mother, striding to and forth, and she was always in the forefront, the vanguard of every battle. When she passed, the hearts of those she fought alongside lifted, and as she left their hearts slipped back into despair.

Craig strode forward to the Oracle, having fought as well, the Infinite Venture being under repair. "Alert the fleet, tell your people that your world is free again. Just as it should be."

"As it is, and the people love you for it." she replied with a smile.

Captain America looked toward the central Square again, slightly confused. "Whose idea was that?" he asked, pointing at a structure that was being raised by 3 inhabitants of the planet. It was forged from rubble, and was crude, but recognizable to all. An A. An A... for Avenger.

"Why?" the Oracle continued, about to answer her own question. "This war was not won by an empire. It was not won by the Council, who broke. No, every time the battle turned it was you Earthlings...you Avengers...that won the day. You joined this war in a retrofitted Kree Warship. You summoned 3 hordes, a cosmic force and a World-Dragon to stop them. And then you broke the enemy with a single woman and a hammer that was summoned from a galaxy away and looped around the sun. We rallied to you, Captain. We rallied to your standard. Dockrum VII is free again... And it is an Avengers World."

And time would fail for us to tell of every battle in this Builders War, but know this, that wonderous feats were worked, and the free people of the universe united, and fought against a common foe. Enemies fought side by side, rivalries were set aside, for there was a greater matter at hand. On battlefields in planets that had no name, these Avengers fought. Valka Silverhand and Manifest standing back to back, unstoppable, unbeatable, summoning weapon after weapon to rain down like the showers of rain upon their foes. Superman, Xander and Naja simply smashed through the ranks of Alephs, transforming them to dust. And then there was Craig Thomsen, humming a merry tune as he made their technology explode in their faces and hands, not minding the explosions that sent Builders flying, the Flash and Quicksilver racing behind and all around him as they competed to get the most of their foe. They were a team, and it was glorious.

The Builders were defeated on planet after planet. Some worlds were freed by great and storied warriors, some by heroes unknown... All fought under the same banner.

Kymer was an Avengers World.

Centauri Prime was an Avengers World.

Asgard was an Avengers World.

And at the end... they were all Avengers Worlds. But there was one more battle to be had. Craig had at last cracked the security of the Builder database and had found the location of the Builder homeworld. That was were the Builder fleets had retreated, staging their final stand. And so every ship that could jump hyperspace punched in the coordinates and every warrior set sail.

It had turned out that there had been many rabbits to draw out of the hat, but this one would be the last. Craig, partnering with the various scientists of the universe and Superman had created a device to entrap the Builders forever. A time capsule, in which time traveled in increments so slow that we do not have a measurement for them. And then, the planet would be miniaturized, as Kandor had been, and then put into a black hole. But first, the trap would have to be set. And so these new, space Avengers assembled once more, and they fought above the skies of Dewar II, the Builder homeworld.

They fought for freedom. They fought for fallen worlds and friends. They fought for each other, for the refugees with whom they had formed bonds of brotherhood. They fought for earth. They fought so that Earth might see another dawn. They fought for their posterity. They fought because they would not go gentle into that good night. They fought as their limbs ached and their eyes drooped, but still they fought. They fought as brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and friends. They fought for the Sun, for love, for peace, for hope, for life, in loyalty and love. They fought because they were heroes. They did not fight like the legends of old, for they were not the legends of old, nor the legends of tomorrow. They were the legends of today who would be remembered forever across the universe. And they were legends, truly, they were Avengers, they were heroes. They were of Earth. They fought because they had to, because it was their duty. They fought so that we would not have to. They fought for those who could not. That is what heroes do. They fought for Infinite Justice, they were, Infinite Justice. And they would fight for Infinity and beyond.

And that, was how the Builder War was won.

by **The Starlight** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:24 pm

The Builder War
Epilogue

And so, at the end of that great war of stars and space, our heroes gathered on Earth, on the outskirts of New York City, where it had all began. Valka set down Mjolnir, smiling, having wielded it one last time. It was time for a new wielder. And there they stood in a semi-circle, deep in thought, before Valka spoke. "It has been an honor, fighting alongside you all. And once again I am proud to live in this age of heroes. I am almost sorry to see the War done, but I will look upon you all at least once more. And if ever Earth should need me, know that I, and all Asgard shall answer."

Craig smiled, looking up at the stars, and then, the Infinite Venture. "Manifest," he said, turning to the man who called him boss, Craig's beard now gone. "I'm lending the majority of the Infinite Venture to SWORD, so that they can continue to be one of our first lines of defense. But by Valka, if you guys get a scratch on her..." the inventor trailed off, joking. "But anyway. It has been great. I've seen so many things, and I've become friends with each and everyone of you. And now... I don't want to go." he said.

by **The Fallen Jedi** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:54 pm

Dark God Saga
Part Seven: Endgame Pt.1

Rhen Var
"The Citadel" Multi-Defensive Perimeter

"We've lost contact with Watch Stations surrounding the system my lord!"

Asumar's eyes opened as he rose up out of his chair, having injected himself with the Sentry Serum moments prior, his eyes burning with a great determination that he himself acquired from his now deceased father "They come to fight the final confrontation..." Asumar replied, adorning his Adamantium Combat Armor, calling upon all reserves of his power to assist him in what would be known only as the Final Battle, the very battle that would decide the fate of the Galaxy and it's people, Asumar was not going to run anymore, this was the last stand, and If he did not stand his ground, then everything that the Dynasty had strived to build would be turned into nothing but a broken dream "Get the Alpha-Omega Corps deployed onto the front lines, the Asu-Kazu Corps (The Clones of Asumar and Kazuko) are to stand by, serving as our secondary line of defense, all other forces as well as the Android Corps will be the final line of defense, Orbital Bombardment shall be the Contingency Order." Asumar turned to Arctico "Arctico, I'm going to need your forces as auxiliary support..." Asumar walked towards the balcony of the Citadel "This is the game plan people, stick to it and we will make it out of this alive." Asumar replied as he jumped off of the balcony and then shot directly towards the first line of defense.

Upon landing, Asumar found a surprise waiting for him, while Kazuko did indeed stand in the front line, Ryuichi also joined Kazuko's side, the two of them ready and waiting to do battle against the Dark Gods. Asumar quickly ran towards Ryuichi, who greeted his father with a smile on his face "Father!" Ryuichi exclaimed happily, embracing his father in a loving hug "Master Shimura told me everything, is it true that Granddad Spera has died?" Ryuichi asked, a saddened frown on his face as his father could only manage a silent nod "If that Is the case father, allow me to help out in whatever way I can, please, I'm ready for whatever lies ahead." Ryuichi was determined to stand by his father's side in order to stop the tide of darkness that lied ahead, he never had the chance to help them when the Heroes of Earth were after them, but now Ryuichi knew that he could help.

Asumar sighed in defeat, only giving his son a nod and then whispering in his ear that if anything went bad, he was to withdraw and wait on his father's word to return, Kazuko let out a chuckle as he patted his brother's shoulder "He's just like us isn't he brother?" Kazuko asked, watching as Ryuichi then quickly returned to the Citadel "He has our determination, your ambition, and my desire to protect everyone." To which Asumar replied that it may also be something that he would come to regret eventually, which caused Kazuko to break out in laughter "You never know Asumar, that may just become the type of attitude that we should have, especially at this hour, where we stand at the edge of the abyss, we are about to endure the greatest challenge in our lives on this day, without Spera or Alastir, this battle has just become very difficult." Kazuko commented.

Atop one of the many PTO Ships that stood above the First and Second Lines of Defense, Arctico stood on the Lead Ship with his arms crossed, with his newfound powers, he could sense everything within the cosmos of the Masaki Galaxy, as well as the encroaching darkness that now threatened to overcome the now unbalance Masaki Galaxy and cause it to turn into nothing but a sprawling wasteland of darkness and despair "To think that this reminds me so much of Arcos, the same battle and struggle that we were forced to go through before we stormed the Arcosian Palace and brought that bastards severed head out on a stick..." Arctico growled, he could sense the amount of Ill-will from the Dark Gods, and it resembled the same Ill-will as the former Arcosian King once had, it irritated him beyond all belief, he was glad that the bastard was done and dusted, but the anger forced portions of his energy to emerge from his body, causing the ship itself to shake and quiver at his impressive power "I'm not about to let these so called Gods take this Galaxy and turn it into their plaything..." Arctico stated with a growl "Over my dead body..."

by **The Silhouette of Adventure** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:36 pm

The Starlight wrote:
The Builder War
Epilogue

And so, at the end of that great war of stars and space, our heroes gathered on Earth, on the outskirts of New York City, where it had all began. Valka set down Mjolnir, smiling, having wielded it one last time. It was time for a new wielder. And there they stood in a semi-circle, deep in thought, before Valka spoke. "It has been an honor, fighting alongside you all. And once again I am proud to live in this age of heroes. I am almost sorry to see the War done, but I will look upon you all at least once more. And if ever Earth should need me, know that I, and all Asgard shall answer."

Craig smiled, looking up at the stars, and then, the Infinite Venture. "Manifest," he said, turning to the man who called him boss, Craig's beard now gone. "I'm lending the majority of the Infinite Venture to SWORD, so that they can continue to be one of our first lines of defense. But by Valka, if you guys get a scratch on her..." the inventor trailed off, joking. "But anyway. It has been great. I've seen so many things, and I've become friends with each and everyone of you. And now... I don't want to go." he said.

Manifest nodded, having grown a small beard himself during the war. "It was damn fine fighting beside you, Craig." His eyes, though tired beyond what most men were capable of feeling, still shined with pride and joy for his time during the war. "You as well, Valka, Hadrimmelis." He turned towards everybody assembled, taking a small pause to look over them.

Some men were proud. Proud of Humanity. Proud of the Venture. Proud of their Justice. Manifest felt his pride swell with them.
Others were sorrowful. The war was not without its losses- Not without its cut families and severed bonds. Manifest felt tears fill his long dry eyes.
Then there were a few who were simply tired. Tired of war. Tired of loss. Tired of the Universe forcing them to fight when they no longer had the strength to lift their arms.
To them, Manifest simply nodded, and it was all they needed.

He turned once more towards Craig, leaning in slightly so that only Craig could hear. "Call me Charles, Mr. Thomsen." He smiled. "Charles Crawler. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it is an honour to call you friend."

He turned towards Valka. "Should Asgard ever find itself in need of a blade, All-Mother, the Manifest Blade will forever stand vigilant at your service." He summoned a small medallion to his hand, offering it to her. On the front, it was inscribed with the Asgardian saying for 'War,' as well as a depiction of the Manifest Blade. The back was in English- 'Peace,' along with the Asgardian symbol for the Forge. "I picked up the design from an old Kree plan. Press the side that says "War," and I will arrive with the Blade drawn. Press the side that says "Peace," and I will come bearing gifts." He smiled at her. "I fought beside you in many battles, Valka, and though I may not have much to give in return for your bravery, this is the least I can do."

Lastly, he turned towards Hadrimmelis. "There is very little that one such as I can do for one such as you to express my gratitude for your vigilance and your friendship, Hadrimmelis of the World Dragons. Your power dwarfs mine in every way, and I stand in awe of your might and your compassion. To top this off, our first meeting was you saving my life." He chuckled slightly, then sobered. "At any rate, my gift to you is twofold- First, I extend an invitation. Whenever you wish to speak to me or interact with any on Earth, my mind is always open to you." He smirked slightly. "Not that I could stop you anyway. My second gift is one that is slightly more substantial." He closed his eyes and grimaced for a second before a blinding light enveloped them all for half a second. When it cleared, a small bright blue orb was floating in front of Hadrimmelis. "My dreams did not stop with the first one I told you about. Later, another struck- I learned of the shards of the Manifest Blade, and, in a rather brief sense, how they are connected to the Blade's power. During the War, I discovered one in a Builder transport. I do not know how to unlock its power, and I have a distinct feeling that I will not need to for a very long time. Until that day comes-" He nodded towards her. "- I am entrusting you with its power. It may not be much to one whose strength is as mighty as yours, but nevertheless, it is the greatest gift I could possibly give." He smiled.

He turned towards the crowd. "Today, it does not matter who you were." He announced. "It does not matter if you were called Vigilante, or Legend, or God. Today, I call you Brother and Sister, and today I call you Hero."

Nick Fury was watching this go down halfway across the world in the confines of a secret base.
"Well, damn. He's ready."

by **The Fallen Jedi** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 10:20 pm

Dark God Saga
Part Eight: Endgame Pt.2: The Primordials Return!

Alastir and Spera sat silently, hearing out the words of the elder Primordial, they knew how powerful this man was, and could most likely will the both of them out of existence in their entirety. The felt his divine energy, and It was arguably millions of years ahead of their own, this aura did not demand respect, but it was an energy that was a force to be reckoned with "You see my young successors, you are, as what the Dark Gods say, an anomaly in a system that was built to assure that one day, I would return and teach my successors about the roots that bound their power to ours, a cycle in which would constantly be repeated as Gods of Light and Dark would clash per generation, with one rising and one that fell, a failed cycle in which has result in the great struggle that your allies are suffering against, with your downfall against the Dark Gods, the final nail of the coffin was hammered in, their defeat is assured, and even if you were brought back to life individually, defeat would only be assured, sadly." Ouranos replied silently and seriously, presenting an orb to both Alastir and Spera, showing that the battle was about to take place, with the combination of Asumar and Kazuko's Masaki Dynasty, the Planet Trade Organization that was now led by Arctico, as well as the young Ryuichi Masaki who awaited anxiously for his father's word to strike "I cannot bring myself back to the Physical Plane, as there is nothing that binds my spirit to that realm, my entire physical body has ascended the mortal plane-"

It was here that Alastir shot up, glaring at Ouranos with determination laced within his eyes "Bullshit!" Alastir growled angrily, with Ouranos not responding to the 14th God of Darknesses' anger "There must be a way to defeat them, we can't just sit here and allow the Galaxy to be destroyed by the threat of my predecessors, even if you cannot do anything, you know good a damn well that Spera and Myself can return to the physical plane once more and fight alongside our allies, I cannot sit by and watch as my friends and allies are destroyed, I would rather be wiped from existence than see my friends be torn apart by my treacherous brothers!" It was at this moment that Ouranos' eyes flared to life, glowing ghostly white, transmitting a seemingly unknown message to both Alastir and Spera, but the both of them instantly came to understand, there WAS a way to return and fight alongside their friends and allies, to beat back the unrelentless tide that was darkness incarnate, but at the cost of doing such a thing, the two of them would have to forever surrender their individuality and become one, the balance that would help return order back to the now unbalanced equation that was the Masaki Galaxy.

"The question is: are you two willing to make such a monumental sacrifice, to forever become bound as a single entity, to be tasked with the protection and the balance of the Galaxy, are you willing to become a totally different being of origin, to carry the failed mission of the Primordials and live with our shame while you try and wipe our slate and begin anew." Ouranos asked sternly, staring at both Alastir and Spera with a serious expression on his face. The shame of the Primordials expanded itself to the Immortals as well, burdening them with a cycle of confrontation that led to the great struggle of friends, family, and allies alike, Ouranos regretted his actions entirely, allowing a God of Darkness and a God of Light to coexist, the two affiliations being entirely against each other regardless the situation, even if it meant life or death for an entire species, Ouranos didn't want to use his son's, but rather give them the chance to start everything anew once more "What are your answers my son's, are you willing to take this brand new challenge on?"

Alastir and Spera bared directly into Ouranos' eyes, determination burning brightly within their eyes "We are willing to take the burden of our people and your people, to begin a new cycle that will not shed the blood of fellow brothers, but bring them together to coexist peacefully in harmony and to protect our home until the end times, that..." Both Spera and Alastir took a respective knee to Ouranos "...Is our answer." A smile formed on Ouranos' face, one of gratitude to his successors "I am glad that the prophecy has finally come to pass, for the Fourteenth Sons of Light and Darkness to come together as one, willing to make such a monumental sacrifice for the sake of their home, it brings tears to my eyes." bringing a finger up to the foreheads of both Alastir and Spera "Very well my sons, for on this day, you are neither Dark nor Light, destruction and creation, but rather, you are the scale that balances the darkness and light within our home, the equilibrium to an equation that has been long ago forgotten, I decree thee as Lord Satera, the God of Balance, The Scale of Darkness and Light, the All-Powerful Highfather of Mortis and the Galaxy that Mortis is bound to, so is the decree of Ouranos!!!" Cried the long deceased Primordial Lord known as Ouranos, whose body seemingly evaporated into nothing but a flying debris of ashes "And thus, the Phoenix shall begin yet another period of rebirth!" A column of holy light enveloping the trio...

Asumar stood silently, watching as the servants of Darkness began to gather in front of them, the great tsunami of chaos, death, and despair knocking directly on their front door, usually many people would be terrified to fight against such a force, but Asumar stood in front of every Alpha-Omega Clone, every single soldier, he was leading the legendary charge that would determine the fate of the entire Galaxy, all eyes were upon Rhen Var, with the light baring down upon Asumar, while the tide of darkness began to slowly creep up on him, but he welcomed the embrace of Darkness's petrifying embrace of death, if there was someone to die, Asumar would be the first person who would want to fall, he wanted to leave a legacy. Turning to his soldiers, friends, family, and allies, Asumar spoke "Let the tide of darkness not be our fear, but rather, let us think about the untold horrors that the subjects of darkness would dare bring upon our people, we will not allow this action to go on, not while a single one of us is breathing, we will fight against the tide, to act as the mighty foundations of the wall of light, to defend our people until the end times..." Asumar rose his arms up "Are you willing to stand alongside me?!?" The army of PTO Solders, Alpha-Omega Clones, and Masaki Guardians let out a wild yell "Will you fight to the last man in the name of light, in the name of preservation-"

Asumar quickly stopped, his eyed widening in utter shock as he felt a massive rise of power that was resonating throughout the entire galaxy. The Minions of Darkness became restless with each passing moment, with all of their eyes settled upon the cosmos, whatever this rise in power was, it was horrifyingly and incomprehensible, not even the most powerful God's of Darkness could detect if it had a limit or if it did not, it felt both ungodly and holy all at the same time, a bottomless pit of energy that continued to expand in nearly every single direction. Even Shimura, who stood alongside Asumar, his eyes were wide open, not even he, the man who lived during the time of Alastir and Spera felt such an unprecedented level of energy "Dear One-Above-All..." Shimura said in utter shock, his gaze not even diverting from the sky "This power, It... It's unreadable!" Shimura exclaimed in utter shock and awe, this was a combination of both Benevolent and Malevolent energy that was all wrapped up into one, it was impossibly powerful, beyond anything he ever sensed in his life, he couldn't tell if this meant Ill-Will towards the Light, or to the Agents of Darkness!

Even One, who's eyes were wide with terror could not divert his gaze from the sky, whatever this great source of power was, he would be absolutely no match for such godly power, it was... it was "Infinite?!?!" One practically screamed from within, a great anger beginning to grow within him, this was not planned whatsoever, and none of his fellow brothers were more powerful than he was. Taking his gaze away from the sky, One let out a yell "Tear them to pieces, every single one of them!!!" and with his order, the massive tsunami of Primordial Daemons, regular Demons, and even possessed herald of darkness charged forward, beginning a battle that would finally determine the fate of the Galaxy, if it would fall under the Darkness, or if the Light would shine through the darkness and forever destroy it's hold upon the Galaxy, the endgame had finally come upon them all, with the pieces all in place, but it was only a matter of time to see which pieces of the chessboard fell, the Black King, or the White King, each piece representing Light and Darkness...

by **Itium** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 10:26 pm

Portland, Oregon

"Do You Have To Check Your Phone Every Minute You Look Like A Suburban White Girl" Asked the skull from inside John's ~~man-purse~~ knapsack. Cross didn't answer immediately, deciding to finish scrolling through the page first.
"Excuse you, I happen to be checking the news for anything spooky. You know, the usual kinds of stuff we have to deal with." Truth be told, there was a distinct lack of spook going on in the world right now, as far as the news was concerned.
"If I said we're going to New York, would you ask why?"
"I Don't Think I Want To Ask Why We're Going To New York"
"It's the superhuman capital of the world, basically. Stark, Pym, Strange, all the big names are set up there. More likely than not, we'll find work."
He stood still and starting reciting the words for a teleportation spell, drawing strange looks from civilians. The looks intensified when he vanished.

New York, Westchester area

Out of all of John's bases, the New York one was by far the worst. Literally a cardboard box in an alleyway, with a teleportation circle drawn inside it. Therefore, John re-appeared inside the box. Far from his most dignified entrance.
"Benny, welcome to New York."

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 10:47 pm

The Starlight wrote:---

The Silhouette of Adventure wrote:---

Alongside the other heroes of the Builder War stood the crimson-clad, crown-bearing human form of the Black World-Dragon, Hadrimmelis, progenitor of the Hadrian race, creator of worlds and protector of life in the Universe. Her scarlet cloak and cape fluttered gently in the breeze, and some of her golden locks of hair sought to imitate them. Her red gaze lingered over every face around her for a moment before moving onto the next, and a soft smile graced her regal features. She had been through many things in the past days, had gone through the trials of war alongside the men and women who stood with her at that moment, had annihilated more invaders than a mortal could count in his lifespan, all just to give her people, and the people of the Universe, another day to live. Of course, the losses that had been suffered during the war were still enormous, cause of immeasureable grief in several galaxies, but in the end, life had prevailed, and the Builders had been defeated, and though it would stand to reason that one such as Hadrimmelis, so powerful and so much greater than many of those who had fought, would not find her emotions swayed very strongly by their victory, the truth was that she was full of pride for the role she had borne in the war, in the achieving of said victory, a victory not for herself, but for life itself.

Hearing the words of the ones she had come to call her friends, the Black Dragon of Creation strode towards Craig, placing a hand on the Artificer Absolute's shoulder as she smiled at him. "Thomsen, I am told that some of my people have decided to settle on this planet of yours, as they have already learned of the truth about their Queen and wish to remain here and in other planets until such a time that I would return to my slumber of my own free will; I have even heard of one who was here since before this war happened, and who has attained some manner of fame among some of your people." The World-Dragon chuckled, referring to a certain magician of the Wynn clan of the mountains. However, she soon grew serious once more. "As such, I would like to request that you do your best to help them settle in and co-exist peacefully with the human race to the best of your ability. I know that there is already much that you must do, and I know that what I ask of you is no simple matter, but I trust that you will be able to help me, to help my children. You are a good man, Craig Thomsen, a good man who went to war." Hadrimmelis spoke, and then a smile came to her again. "Oh, and please say hello to your lover on my behalf. I've heard she may be a relative of an old friend of mine." She said.

Once she was finished speaking to the Artificer, Hadrimmelis turned to the wielder of the Manifest Blade, her soft smile growing as she listened to his words. Partially due to the flattery, that was true, but also due to the display of friendship and gratitude that Manifest was making towards her. Indeed, few creatures existed that could keep their minds untouched by her if she truly desired to gaze into their thoughts, but even so, there were fewer still that would grant another free access to their minds, even if they could not stop the other from breaking in without consent, and it was for that reason that Hadrimmelis was surprised to hear such words coming from Manifest. The mind was one's temple, their castle, and the gates of Manifest's castle would apparently always be open to her. The second gift that the human gave her was an intriguing one as well: a blue orb, a shard of the cosmic power that the Manifest Blade had been crafted from, a part of Manifest's own power that he nonetheless was choosing of his free will to give to her instead of claiming it for himself. It was not very useful to her, that was true, but it was the intention which counted.

"Your words flatter and move me, Manifest, but you give me too much credit. After all, though it is simply the truth that I am the greater of us both, friendship is something that can only exist reciprocally, and you have given me yours as much as I have granted you mine. Your gifts..." She spoke as she reached out to the blue orb that had been given to her, touching it with a finger and then watching as it suddenly reacted to her, identifying her as its new owner and glowing softly as its form seemed to shift, transforming into a sapphirine rose-shaped brooch that she used to replace the golden one with which she held her crimson cloak together; the accessory definitely seemed out of place in comparison to her usual red, black and gold attire, but she wore it proudly nonetheless. "...are quite welcome, but they will not be without response." She stated as she held her hand out, the palm facing upwards and glowing softly as a small vial seemed to emerge from it, bearing a glowing golden, viscous liquid of sorts within that she offered to the wielder of the Manifest Blade. "This is dragonsblood; I trust that the name will make it evident where exactly it came from." She chuckled. "If ever you find yourself on the verge of death, you need only drink a drop, and you will feel yourself recover in less than an instant." She explained.

"Oh, and if you drink the whole thing, you will stop aging and become immortal." She added as an afterthought, as if she had nearly forgotten to mention it.

"In any case, I am content to be called your friend, Manifest, and I trust that this gift, a manifestation of my desire to see you live for many more years, will be more than enough to show this. And now, to end this exchange with a gesture that a human such as yourself would find appropiate..." She trailed off, and then pulled Manifest into her embrace in a rather uncharacteristic gesture for one of her stature. If ever Manifest had wished to claim to have been hugged by a dragon, a goddess, a queen, or just an attractive blonde lady in general, now he was free to claim all four and be completely honest about it.

Walking away from Manifest, the World-Dragon now found herself standing in front of Valka, wielder of cosmic power and inspirator of a free universe. "Valka Silverhand, All-Mother of Asgard, it was a pleasure to fight alongside you." The Black Dragon stated, nodding. "To me, my people, the Hadrians, are as my children, in a manner far more literal than you might suspect right now: it was by my hand that they were created, and I nurtured them and loved them as if they were my own sons and daughters, come to this world from my womb. I will not lie; it was painful to see them go, and it is painful to hear that they do not wish to return for the time being, but they have grown mature and chosen this by themselves, and I respect their decision, as their mother and as their queen." The servant of the Dragon Force explained. "It is for this reason that I give you all of my gratitude, Valka. Had it not been for you and your Valkyries, the ammount of Hadrians that would have been struck down by the rampage of the Builders would have become too great for me to bear. You saved them, you bought them time so that they could escape, and most importantly, you helped me awaken without sacrificing them, so that I could continue to protect them; it is at times like these that I regret how limited these human languages can be, as they do not allow me to properly convey the gratitude I feel." The World-Dragon spoke.

Then, she held out both of her hands, both palms facing upward. From one of them, a small black object in the shape of an oval diamond emerged, no larger than one of the human illusion's fingers, and no thicker either, though it was quite heavy for its size. What emerged from her other hand was a simple gray stone. Neither of them seemed like very interesting objects, but their dull appearances belied their truth. "This," Hadrimmelis began, offering Valka the black object first. "is one of my Worldscales; it is nearly as durable as I, and though it is quite difficult to use as a forging material, I trust that you will be able to do so without a problem, as forging is one of your specialities. Do not let its size fool you, I have compressed it in order to give it to you, but with your magic, you should have no problem undoing this and bringing it back to its true size. Be careful where and when, however; it is a tad larger than that thing humans call 'Europe'." The World-Dragon spoke, and then offered the second object, the gray stone. "This," She continued. "is a stone that formed near my core. By itself, it bears no value, except perhaps to a few curious researchers and scholars, but I have endowed it with a fragment of my power, so that wherever you and I might be, as long as you bear the stone, you will always be able to call me to your position, should you need my assistance or simply request my company. I do hope that you will not be forced to use it to call for an ally in a time of need, but if that ever happens, then you can count on me." She stated.

Finally, taking a few steps back and looking at everyone present, Hadrimmelis smiled once again. "It was a treat to meet you all, and it was a pleasure to fight alongside you. I hope that whatever paths you may follow from here onwards will be filled with good fortune, and I am glad to call you all friends."

by **New Neros** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:16 pm

Beyond the Ragnarok War

The Awakening of Czar-Mir

His eyes slowly drew open, lazily blinking awake as the orbs of light around him became focused and defined - a medical setting of some sort, with Mir's body hooked up to machines and fluid injectors. He glanced around, noticing that this place was unfamiliar, and wondered where he was exactly. Last thing he remembered was being saved by Max, and then just blacking out completely. He sighed, turning his head to the side, wondering what was going on outside of wherever he was. Once again, Maxwell would save the day. Mir tightened his fist and clenched his teeth, not out of jealousy, but out of frustration on his own part. Mir cursed himself, wondering why he didn't have what it took to be someone like Max.

Mir sat upright and began to look around the room some more - finding it rather bare save for the machines keeping him healthy. Next to him, though, was one of the only pieces of furniture in the room - a small nightstand, with a circular object on it. Mir looked around once more, seeing if it could belong to anyone, but still being alone, Mir took it gently and looked it over. Pressing the center as if it were a button, it buzzed to life, a small hologram forming from it, the shape of the person none other than Mad Max. "Hello, Mir." The message said, "If you have this device, then I am dead."

"Dead?!" Mir shouted, shocked and confused, nearly jumping out of his bed to confirm such an accusation.

"Relax." The hologram of Max said, "I have many of these created for different circumstances regarding my eventual demise. You know well that I plan even the slightest of details in depth, and for you to have this device in particular, that means I am dead, Val is dead, and Otto is dead, leaving you as the survivor of our four-man gang. I'm sorry." Max said, but did not dwell on it. "However, this one also means that whatever killed me was taken to the grave and no longer represents a threat to you, others, and the universe as a whole."

"I copied and uploaded my conscious into each one of these little hologram machines, but what good that will do is beyond me at the moment. It - I - cannot think, but I can give a reasonable assumption based on what the consciousness would respond to. Currently, this device called for a rebuilding process following it's arrival to you if destruction was severe enough. Scans of the universe do not show it as suffering any major injury from the conflict, meaning I had died outside of this universe." Mir simply took a minute to just digest everything he was being told - the people he cared about were all dead, and now, they were relying on him to help the universe. With that, Mir also felt very, dreadfully alone.

"A contingency plan was activated prior to Madworld's destruction," The hologram of Max said, "A large population exists in a fully-furnished city at the base of the Himalayas. They need a leader, Mir, go there. I have things waiting for you as well, perhaps it can answer some questions you might have. Until then, good luck." The small ovoid made a buzzing sound and clicked off, the hologram disappearing, Mir throwing his legs over the bed in a sluggish fashion. A deep depression was growing over him, a rain cloud clogging up his thoughts. Mindlessly, he threw on some pants and boots, forsaking a shirt, and just throwing a loose overcoat to top off the entire set.

"You're gone." He said to himself, trying to make sense of those two words. "And there's nothing I can do..." Mir continued, looking straight down at the floor. "When you needed me most, I wasn't there. I couldn't..." He growled, tightening his fist, standing up, and grinding his teeth. "I couldn't save any of you!" He screamed, throwing a sizable punch against the metallic wall, which instantly warped and tore apart as Mir's rage. He breathed deeply and heavily, the hole he created revealing a hallway. Now, he grew curious to where he exactly was, and politely walked out of the door.

He was in a spaceship, that much was clear, as the hallways had large windows giving a view of the endless, drifting void of space outside. Mir stared outside of them, catching a glimpse of his reflection, and feeling a wound that turned to a scar on his face. It didn't heal back to normal - an effect of the Necrosword slicing him. At that thought, a paralyzing fear came over Mir's being, his powerful muscles tensed up, and his veins bulged to the surface of his skin. A shadow passed over his abdomen and lapped at his face with black tendrils. A voice echoed in his head, sickening in it's tone, and shocking in it's content. "We're going to spill lots of blood together..."

"No..." Mir said, panicked, causing the blade to chuckle. It spoke unlike a real being, as if it imitated a voice instead of actually talking. Mir shut his eyes tightly as the darkness covered his entire face. That unhoyl cackle pierced his ears, and millions of screaming voices assaulted his mind all at once. Any being would be broken instantly, lost in the darkness of All-Black the Necrosword, but a light tore apart the pure darkness in his mind. The blade hissed and screamed in...what sounded like pain, allowing Mir to regain some control of his body, dragging himself from the hallway to another room of the space voyager. Limping into what looked like an armory, Mir's eyesight focused on a man-sized pod directly in front of him, reaching out desperately to grab hold of it.

As Mir laid his hand upon the pod, it's door opened, and a set of armor stared back at him blankly. The blackness of the Necroblade surged forward in Mir's mind, causing the Daxamite to scream out in pain and fall forward onto the armor set. It seems like a defense protocol activated with the armor, as it immediately opened and snapped onto Mir's frame, extinguishing the black flames that engulfed his body. But that only weakened the Annihiblade, another bright flash from within Mir's own mind expelled the pure black tendrils from his mind entirely. Mir clenched his eyes and teeth once more, as that light became just as painful as the Necrosword's assaults, as if his mind was being scrambled and remade.

Suddenly, Mir took a breath, and every piece of his being relaxed. His eyes opened and his pupils narrowed, a sudden vastness and depth to his mental perception readily apparent. He looked at the floor and traced his way up the walls - calculating the planck length of what his eyes saw and mapping the ship within his mind with absolute perfection. To the point that he knew how to build, and even improve, the engines onboard. He grasped the sides of his head, unsure of what to do with this information, but stomping his way to the control center of the ship - somehow knowing where it was without a second guess. He sat in front of a series of buttons, switches, and levels. He simply flicked and pushed without thinking, Mir's vast intellect working the rudimentary controls with absolute ease, directing his craft to Earth, where the last bastion of Max's empire held to life, and Mad City awaits.

by **The Silhouette of Adventure** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:45 pm

Zarkenis Ultima wrote:
The Silhouette of Adventure wrote:---

Eternal Night smirked as she heard the Empty Phoenix's musings, sorely tempted to chuckle and shake her head. Cosmic fire? Few things were farther from the truth. Then again, these two creatures seemed to be quite fond of drawing their own conclusions and trying to deduce things on their own, and in the end, who was she to take that pleasure away from them? No, she would respect them and let them have their amusement. She was having some of her own, after all. However, hearing the Herald speak once again, she began paying attention once more, her face becoming serious once more, though outwardly no change would be perceived, as the only part of her face that was visible were her glowing azure eyes. Native to no universe? Now that was a statement that the Nameless One found odd, quite odd indeed. She knew for a fact that there were things that could exist disconnected from any given universe: the creature of corrupted light that she had fought to the bittersweet end had been one, she had learned after its defeat, and the one who had given the power to win that arduous battle, the one who determines everything, the Autarch of Names, was another such thing. But even so, that type of creature usually stayed outside of said universes, she had learned, and if they were inside of one, their presence was usually a source of havoc. It was, in her opinion, quite an intriguing matter, though the sad chuckle of the Herald of Naught made her intuit the true reason for their presence.

Continuing to listen, she noticed how once again the topic of the conversation had shifted towards her, though she did not particularly mind. She, after all, had nothing to hide. Those to whom she had held any allegiance had long since died, the world that had seen her birth had long since rotten away, and there was little left for her in her universe or in any other. It had, indeed, been quite uplifting to see the young, healthy Earth that Horizon had brought her to, but though there was some sentimental attachment to this mirror of what had once been her home, she could not sincerely say that she felt any obligation towards it. Naturally, she would be inclined to intervene if something were to happen, but that was only natural; she had once been a human being after all, even if she was turned into a Nameless One through her pact with the Autarch. She had no secrets that she was scared to reveal, either, and if she wore a mask, it was to remind herself of the identity that she had lost as a price to give her world another measly century.

Her amusement returned when she noticed the many guesses that the duo was attempting to make at her nature. All sorts of names passed through their tongues as they tried to discern what had been of her name and how she had become powerful, and the reaction they had when they seemed to finally discern the truth about her was so entertaining that the one titled Eternal Night began chuckling as she heard their comments.

"Indebted?" She asked with false indignation, pointing towards herself with a very feminine hand gesture. "No, no, no, you misunderstand. There are no debts with the autarch; he takes what he wants and he gives you what you sought in exchange, and that is all there is to it. If there is a reason I bear the name I was born with no longer, 'Herald', it is precisely because I have no debts with him. The price for this power, I have long since paid." She said, and then simply shook her head. She had become somewhat wary of these two creatures, as they spoke of a master who was to challenge the Autarch, though she put no faith in their words. The Autarch could not be touched by anything that was or was not, she knew that well, but in any case, she refrained from mentioning it, to avoid alarming the Herald of Naught and the Empty Phoenix any further.

"In any case, I have no reason to serve him, friends. No debt, no allegiance, so, there is no need to be wary of me. If I approached you, it was out of simple curiosity. It is not often one sees a Phoenix and a Watcher casually walking together through the void." She stated, barely refraining from commenting how it almost even sounded like a terrible bar joke.

The Empty Phoenix, though still wary, vaguely relaxed. "The Autarch of Names is very rarely a friend of Phoenixes, Nameless One. Forgive my.. Anxiety." Her eyes remained narrowed, though she allowed the Herald to once again pass by her.
"My species is called Watchers, then? Fascinating. As for our travelling together..." The Herald chuckled. "Don't you wish you could recall, Phoenix?"
"I suppose I do, Herald. I've said before, though- In the end, it is inconsequential." She rolled her flaming eyes slightly, as though exasperated at returning to a frequent argument.
"Now, Phoenix, I did not take the name Herald for nothing. I may not recall my true name, but I certainly recall why I chose this one." The Herald spun around towards his partner, jabbing a finger at her. This Watcher that called himself Herald seemed far more... emotional than any other.
"And I did not take the name Empty Phoenix for nothing either." She scowled in return. "Believe me, Herald- You will never know what it feels like to be the embodiment of absent life. You will never even begin to comprehend it. There is an aching in my soul every day, an emptiness inside that should not be, yet is." She glared at Night. "We should not be having this discussion around another being- Particularly a Nameless One."
"Then let me fulfil my self imposed duty, Phoenix. Let me warn them of the Master's arrival."
"It will do them no good."
"It will allow them to settle their debts. Perhaps spend a bit more time with the family before they never existed."
"Sentimental fool."

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:23 am

The Silhouette of Adventure wrote:---

The amusement of the one titled Eternal Night did not fail her as the Empty Phoenix explained herself, claiming that the Phoenixes were natural enemies of the Autarch of Names, something that she wondered about. She did not see a reason for which a Phoenix might be an enemy of that which granted it, and everything else, its name; certainly, there might be reasons unrelated to his functions and instead pertaining to his peculiar wish-granting hobby, but even so, Phoenixes were usually creatures powerful enough that it would be unreasonable for one of them to ever wish for something that it could not obtain by itself, and if they were not the ones to deal with the Autarch, then how were they aware of him, let alone hated him? She reasoned that it was likely because the consequences of his actions often wound up causing chaos in the world that the Phoenix inhabited, and eventually decided that this hipothesis was satisfactory, opting to settle with it and let the matter run along instead of questioning it further.

What she did wonder about was the reason that the Watcher might have had not to know the name of his own race. It was a most curious and strange thing, and below her mask, Eternal Night's expression turned from an amused smile to a thoughtful frown, trying to make sense of the situation she was being presented with. The two cosmic beings before her soon began ignoring her once again, and started squabbling with each other, their emotions seeming to flare up as they spoke. This time, it was the Empty Phoenix that caught her attention, claiming to be an 'embodiment of absent life'. During her journeys through her native universe, Eternal Night had learned enough and was well aware that the Phoenix was the embodiment of life in a given universe, so, for such a creature to be empty would mean that there was no life in such an universe. A grim prospect, but one that fueled her curiosity nonetheless. Amidst her deliberation, she completely missed the Empty Phoenix's harsh treatment towards her.

"So," She spoke once the two were done arguing with each other, re-entering the conversation, though she was mostly speaking to the Herald of Naught, as the Phoenix did not seem too fond of her. "you have come to this universe with a warning of sorts, have you not?" She inquired, though she already knew the answer, having heard the situation as they argued. "If you wish, I can lend you Horizon's power for your task. He is quite swift and does not tire easily; it is only after we traverse the nothingness beyond universes that he requires a short rest, and he has recovered almost completely by now." The masked woman offered, shrugging. "Though if I may ask, what exactly is it that you have come to warn this universe about?" She inquired afterwards.

by **Charmera** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:25 am

New Rnclave wrote:
Charmera wrote:Fighting against two people who dwarf my power... They could probably kill me if I'm not careful Glacia thought. She couldn't deny that they were both far above her in terms of sheer power, not after the display she saw. She frowned, looking at Hiroshi. She was going to have to use his apprehension to her advantage. She wasn't sure about Myosai, but she reasoned she would be able to find a way to deal with her too.

Glacia did not rush for a head-first attack. Instead she looked around at the light sources in the dogo. Candles, Perfect. She swiftly used her power to turn out the lights. Then masked her energy to the point where it was undetectable. She retreated into the shadows. Suddenly she swiftly appeared behind Hiroshi. She focused her frost powers on her own hand and punched it forward, intended to freeze and break his arm.

Hiroshi:

Emerald eyes morphed into one of complete surprise as the world went dark. While this wasn't impossible to rectify, it would limit his ability to keep track of everything around him. Closing his eyes, his breath came out slowly, Hiroshi searching for the ki of the Acrosian. Spinning around, the air seemed to freeze, white meeting him as an incredibly cold fist embedded itself in his palm, sharp pain shooting up his arm, frost spreading from his fist to his elbow.

Hissing, Hiroshi snapped his knee up, slamming into Glacia's jaw. Gritting his teeth, the Super Saiyan burst after the Acrosian, appearing behind her flying frame, he snapped his fist out, aiming to land a series of strikes before she recovered.

Glacia yelled as her jaw was hit. Her head already ringing from the force of the blow. Then the extra blows sent her flying back. She felt the pain, and it was lucky nothing broke. She silently got up and disapeared into the shadows once more.

Glacia had to regain the offensive, even if she was hurting. Swiftly she attacked from a new angle, swiping with her hands, using her vacuum powers to make her chops more like the chops of a sword by trapping air. She then prepared a massive gust of air which people's her out of combat and back into the shadows.

Hit and run. I'll use my powers to strike and the retreat back into darkness. With some luck and I could knock out the Sayain. The only problem is the demon... She hasn't done anything yet...

by **The Republic of Atria** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:57 am

Naja's eyes widened when she heard Xander pop the question. She knew he had to ask it soon. The way he was acting lately, slightly nervy, hinted to her that something was off. Not that this was a bad thing. "Of course I'll marry you, you big goon!" She said and picked him up off the floor, taking both of his hands. "Thank you. I don't know if you know... But you make me feel pretty." She said and blushed a bit. "Like... Very pretty."

"Well... You are pretty. You helped me get through so much. You taught me how to be human. You're an incredible person..." He said and then got ecstatic. "Come here!" He said, lifting her off her feet and above his head. Both of them laughing before settling on a hug before they accidentally wrecked their apartment. "I've got it all figured out! We're gonna have all our friends... Allies, everyone! It'll be the day that we open Praetoria's borders to everyone. I want it to be special. For you. You deserve it. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Inside... And out." He said and was about to let go, when he heard her crying softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes... Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just so happy. I lived in Attilan for awhile, but I wanted to go out and... Not be looked at like I'm some sort of freak. That didn't happen. At least until I met you. Then you did everything in your power to make me feel better about myself. I still remember that night on the moon. I looked forward to this day since then. We've had our little spats. We've had near death experiences on more than a few occasions. Just... Let me hold this for a minute. I want to savor it."

"Of course."

by **The Fallen Jedi** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:41 am

Dark God Saga
Part Nine: Endgame Pt.2.5: The Power of A Species Long Forgotten

The System of UDF-1 remained as desolate as before, having been literally vaporized in its entirety due to Alastir's Self Destruction, there was no particle of life that survived such a majestic explosion of massive proportions that was Alastir's last attempt to wipe out his evil brothers. However, there was one thing that survived the detonation, and it was a mass of white and black energy that floated around aimlessly "I now pronounce thee as Lord Satera, the God of Balance and the All-Powerful Highfather of Mortis and the dimensions that are bound to Mortis and the Galaxy" Within moments, said energy of Black and White began to come together as once, these small fragments of energy representing the remains of Alastir and Spera, but let off a far more superior energy, something that continued to rise in power without ever stopping "The Phoenix shall once more rise up from the Ashes!" A massive pulsation of energy quickly shot off in all directions, causing the recreation of Every Planet, Star, and Life that was wiped out in Alastir's Self Destruction, it was the power of creation at it's finest level I...I Awaken!" A Voice Boomed from the heavens, the energy of black and white now beginning to take shape...

Asumar quickly stopped, his eyed widening in utter shock as he felt a massive rise of power that was resonating throughout the entire galaxy. The Minions of Darkness became restless with each passing moment, with all of their eyes settled upon the cosmos, whatever this rise in power was, it was horrifyingly and incomprehensible, not even the most powerful God's of Darkness could detect if it had a limit or if it did not, it felt both ungodly and holy all at the same time, a bottomless pit of energy that continued to expand in nearly every single direction. Even Shimura, who stood alongside Asumar, his eyes were wide open, not even he, the man who lived during the time of Alastir and Spera felt such an unprecedented level of energy "Dear One-Above-All..." Shimura said in utter shock, his gaze not even diverting from the sky "This power, It... It's unreadable!" Shimura exclaimed in utter shock and awe, this was a combination of both Benevolent and Malevolent energy that was all wrapped up into one, it was impossibly powerful, beyond anything he ever sensed in his life, he couldn't tell if this meant Ill-Will towards the Light, or to the Agents of Darkness!

The Galaxy suddenly began to shake and quiver at the same time, the circular motion of it's stellar body crashing to a halt for only a second before reversing in it's entirety, the entity that began to form from within the mass of energy let out a low moan before erupting into a loud scream as his form came into view, a massive column of light surrounding the entity "The Power..." Said the glowing entity, staring down at his hands as every memory and power from all the now deceased Primordials began to enter the individuals body, an event that had never been seen in nearly fourteen million years, the herald that indicated the return of Lord Ouranos' power, it was not an omen of destruction, but it was a beacon of hope that would boost the resolve of those who fought against the darkness on Rhen Var "HAAA!!!!" The Entity roared, the column of Golden Energy shattering into tiny pieces of raw, unkempt energy that served as the foundations of everything that existed from Within the Masaki Galaxy. The Collective Thoughts, Decisions, and History of the Primordial race entered the individuals body at the same time, which briefly overwhelmed the Individual, but only for a few seconds as his body seemed to go limp for only a moment.

"You were the anomaly of a failed cycle that resulted in blood being shed between fellow brothers. You aren't a reject, but you're the beacon of hope that the people of the Galaxy now need, you are Lord Satera, the Savior of This Galaxy and the Herald of a New Golden Age..." Ouranos spoke out to Satera silently "It is time Lord Satera, your family, your friends, and your allies need you, the tide of darkness now crashes against the seawall, breaking it's foundations down slowly, you must stop the darkness, It is your destiny..." As the words of Ouranos faded away, the entity emerged from under the stars, his body coming into sight, resembling a moderately muscled male adorned with a combination of Black and Golden War Armor that caused the golden plates to shine brightly under stars, his face resembled the combination of Alastir and Spera, maintaining the pale complexion of Alastir as well as the two Red Markings that moved to either side of his cheekbones, while he maintained the long hair of Spera's full power form. Within only seconds of viewing the entity, his entire form disappeared, moving at incredible speeds towards the Planet Rhen Var, a mix of Divine Anger, Retriubtion, and Determination burning bright within his eyes, the burning desire that would fuel the anger that Alastir held towards his brothers and the retribution that Spera himself sought to wreak upon his foes, the two becoming eternally bound into one body as the Reborn Lord Satera, the Primordial that was destined to bring peace to a ravaged Galaxy!

by **Turmenista** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:42 pm

Charmera wrote:
New Rnclave wrote:
Hiroshi:

Emerald eyes morphed into one of complete surprise as the world went dark. While this wasn't impossible to rectify, it would limit his ability to keep track of everything around him. Closing his eyes, his breath came out slowly, Hiroshi searching for the ki of the Acrosian. Spinning around, the air seemed to freeze, white meeting him as an incredibly cold fist embedded itself in his palm, sharp pain shooting up his arm, frost spreading from his fist to his elbow.

Hissing, Hiroshi snapped his knee up, slamming into Glacia's jaw. Gritting his teeth, the Super Saiyan burst after the Acrosian, appearing behind her flying frame, he snapped his fist out, aiming to land a series of strikes before she recovered.

Glacia yelled as her jaw was hit. Her head already ringing from the force of the blow. Then the extra blows sent her flying back. She felt the pain, and it was lucky nothing broke. She silently got up and disapeared into the shadows once more.

Glacia had to regain the offensive, even if she was hurting. Swiftly she attacked from a new angle, swiping with her hands, using her vacuum powers to make her chops more like the chops of a sword by trapping air. She then prepared a massive gust of air which people's her out of combat and back into the shadows.

Hit and run. I'll use my powers to strike and the retreat back into darkness. With some luck and I could knock out the Sayain. The only problem is the demon... She hasn't done anything yet...

Myosai might not have been able to see Glacia, yet, her energy signature was giving away her position like a red flare to "hit me!"

Keeping one hand on her sword sheath, Myosai summoned a fuchsia-colored sphere of ki, holding it out in front of her face as she frowned. Glacia's energy signature was warping in and out, hard for her to find an exact location of where she was.

Squinting, Myosai tossed the sphere of Energy at a mass of shadows in a corner, watching as the sphere split up into several smaller fragments, lighting up the area like some sort of fireworks as tiny explosions and flashes of light peppered the corner of the room.

Lucky shot. Glacia was there like a coward, she could just tell. Not exactly sure if she was there, but this close up? She was pretty solid this was her.

Her sword drew from her sheath and she charged, shouting a battle cry as she rushed into the shadows.

by **Jorliefstreiken** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:49 pm

The Silhouette of Adventure wrote:
Illica Falki wrote:As he throws pellets in, Eva lifts her shield to block what she believes are explosives, however when the smoke burst out she pauses, unsure what Owlman is fully planning. That's when his first attack hit, but by the time she tried to bash him with her shield he was gone. The second hit almost knocked her over, before she realized what his plan is. She quickly rolls to get out of the cloud, and through either dumb luck, or lack of luck she rolls right into Owlman, slamming into him mid roll.
Knowing he'll be quick to either attack or move, Eva grabs his leg, and jabs her shock sword into him to stun him enough for her to fire her crossbow at him. The gambit doesn't pay off, However, as she didn't take into account that the struggle would have knocked the loaded dark out of alignment, and it spins off course as soon as it's fired, landing harmlessly on the floor...

Owlman grimaced for half a second in expectation of being hit by whatever she was using, then smirked. "Something wrong?" He immediately threw down an electric stun batarang at his opponent, following up with a kick to the head and him trying to rip his other leg out of her grip. If she was stunned by the batarang and/or the kick, he tried to finish the fight with a focused blow the head. If she was not, he retreated back into he quickly fading smoke, narrowing his eyes and preparing to attack once more. Dammit.
Jorliefstreiken wrote:

Antibios watched as Sentry flew off towards the sun then turned his attention back to Thor. Flying straight at him at mach 1000 from the place where he had hid from Sentry's vortex, preparing to upper cut him on impact.

Meanwhile in Space, Sol sensed something. A great power, moving straight for his star. The being had an intent, a dark intent, to destroy his star. Sol had to stop him. Absorbing as much energy as he dared take from the sun Sol began to coat a fission punch over his hand. Feeling his outer shell beginning to burn away like it normally did when he absorbed this much energy, Sol prepared to fly at this force to stop it from getting here. However his fear and rage seemed to mix with the feeling of burning and when Sol launched from the sun at the speed of light, Sol looked different. He glowed with a blazing light all over and he felt sheer power radiating from within him. Moving at the speed of light he flew straight at Sentry attempting to punch him away.

Alternate Thor had watched the fight between AntiBios and Sentry with nervous awe. Here he was, a literal God among men- And these two beings, one naught but a machine and one a mere man, each with a power that few could proclaim to have. It was, to say the least, Awesome(in the Biblical sense). When Sentry began flying at him, he had less than half a second to respond- He did so by paling and launching himself upward at his maximum speed (Unfortunately, not faster than AntiBios), simply trying to escape. If only I had that bastard Loki's Mjolnir!

Sentry, still laughing though his voice was silent in the void, saw the manifestation of the Sun raging towards him- And laughed harder. His eyes began to glow a brilliant gold, and his fists took on a shade of yellow unnatural to man. This protector of the Sun was undoubtedly made of the Sun's energy- And what better way to defeat an energy being than by absorbing it? 1 Seconds Left

Void breathed for the first time in years. I am free. I... am FREE! His smile grew far too wide for his face, and his eyes began to glow- And yet, they remained black, somehow. Suddenly, he sensed the two beings that had locked him away- Sentry, who was preoccupied with something else... And far more importantly, Ultron, the Deceiver. He scowled, launching himself towards Stark Tower.

Sol noticed the nature of the being and his thoughts as he approached closer. Grimacing Sol felt the white energy beginning to hurt him so he tried to cool his Body Temperature. Feeling his body beginning to cool, nay harde, he kept flying straight at Sentry his hands now longer energy, but rather spiked gloves of Solarium, The metal of stars aimed at Sentry's stomach. Sol felt his body shifting again, making him into a man in solarium armor, his skin becoming metal. Still flying with raw radiation powering him forward out of his legs Sol hoped he could stop this being.

AntiBios laughed at the Asgardian chasing him down. it was not his normal laugh but a cruel metallic one, revealing the true nature of the robot whose very name spoke evil. Grabbing Thor by his boot AntiBios threw him into a twenty story building leveling it and the two buildings next to it. Landing next to the visibly stunned Thor AntiBios spoke to him softly "Did you hear them scream on that impact, the measly beings of flesh I just crushed using your body and gravity? Did you feel their pain and are weeping for them internally? Or do you delight in their pain? If you are like me, you won't be either of those. No I am much worse... every creature of flesh that I kill-" AntiBios Turned on his right gravity module and powered up his left ion beam "- Make me feel true pleasure, pleasure you must feel when you see a beautiful woman. I am more evil then your entire syndicate. I will kill them all and destroy as much of New York as possible along with them. I suppose you will never see your Universes Valhalla but I hope our will do." And with that AntiBios punched down at Thors head with a gravitational equivalent to the moon and also fired his Ion beam at Thor's heart.

by **Lavan Tiri** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:16 pm

The Defenders Saga
Part One: The Bat

The city was dark, black clouds scuttling across the sky, dropping rainshowers here and there. In the back-alleys, shady dealings were done, and every so often a gunshot would disturb the already uneasy peace. But within the manor in the North end of Gotham, these ills had no power, except over the hearts and minds of those within.

Thomas Wayne was the owner of the stately manor, a large man. His hair was midnight-black, his eyes nearly neon green. Normally he would be imposing, his custom-tailored two-piece suit and tie and six-foot frame parting crowds like the Red Sea. But now, in his house, he was simply attired, a t-shirt and jeans, with black-and-gold Gotham Bats football socks the only footwear he was willing to put on his feet, he was less corporate boss and philanthropist, than a favorite uncle.

Of course, Lex's thoughts weren't that eloquent. But, Uncle Tom was his favorite uncle, just like Aunt Martha was his favorite aunt. Martha was Silena Kyle-Luthor's younger sister, and even now the two cheerfully squabbled at the end of the table, Silena making faces at six-month old Bryce, Martha jokingly shaking her head in disgust when Bryce laughed so hard that all his mushed pears fell onto his bib. In the middle of the long table, Thomas and Alexander Luthor, Senior, were discussing business. It was boring, and Lex tuned it out, simply watching and thinking, eating the simply delicious food that his uncle's butler Alfred had prepared. Once dinner was over, they'd be going to go see Superhuman, a film about a super-strong man who used his great power to help the world. It was going to be great.

But, as babies are wont to do, Bryce started to bawl as dinner ended and the maids took the dishes to be washed. As Martha tried to calm him, Thomas turned to his brother. "I'm sorry, Xander, but-" he said, gesturing at the baby.

"It's no problem." Xander said, clapping his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "We'll go, and tell you how the movie was. Okay?"

Thomas smiled, a small, tight upturn of the lips. "Yeah, okay. But let Alfred drive you guys. This town isn't safe without an armored car."

"You're such a cynic, Tom." Martha laughed, pecking him on the cheek. "Even if you're right. C'mon Lex, let's get to the garage."

Lex ran out of the theater, with Alfred and his parents right behind, as the boy's mouth went a mile-a-minute. "An-and then, with the boom! and the pow! and the woosh!" he said, stretching his arms out in front of himself to imitate the Superhuman, "and when he hit Blackburn, and slam!, and then-"

"Yes, Lex," Xander said, guiding Lex across the parking garage to the Wayne's car, "we all saw the movie too. It was pretty good."

"I thought it was excellent, Master Lex." Alfred remarked, pulling the car keys from his suit pocket. "I would go see it again, but-"

"But you won't have the money to."

A man emerged from the shadows, wearing all black, his face covered with a ski mask. In his right hand he had a pistol, in his right, a bag. "Because, you see, you're gon' give me everything you got on ya. Now. Starting," he said, gesturing at Selina, "with th ladie's pearls."

Immediately, Alfred and Xander stepped in front of Lex and Selina, but the man was undeterred. "Pearls, lady, now!"

"Sir," Alfred said, his voice even and unafraid, "I worm-sorry, work, for the Waye family. I have money, just…calm…down." And as he spoke, Alfred reached for his suit pocket. The world slowed…

The robber yelled, his finger tightened on the trigger, once, twice…

Alfred yelled, grasped his shoulder…

Xander collapsed…

Selina yelled…

The man turned and fired again…

And Lex watched as his family died around him, and their killer turned and ran. His footsteps, echoing throughout the garage, disturbed a bat, and the thing flew on leather wings, straight at Lex, who flung himself at the ground.

"Why can't we take him?"

"I don't know, Matty. But it says in Xander's will that if he and Selina can't care for Lex, his uncle Lionel becomes his legal guardian. Lex gets all their money, and LexCorp, when he turns eighteen. We can't fight this."

"God," Martha said, pressing her forehead against the cold window, "wh-why would someone do this?

"Because," Thomas said, coming behind Martha and wrapping his arms around her, "Gotham is broken, and we can't fix it. But, we can set it up to be fixed."

"It'd take a superman to fix Gotham." Martha said bitterly.

"Well, maybe someday Bryce can be our superman. But right now, Lex is what matters." Thomas said, "And Lex is hurt. Have you-"

"Talked to him? Yeah. All he talk about-all he's focused on-is that bat that flew at him."

Thomas sat down heavily on the couch, his face in his hands, while little Bryce sat in his crib. "It's his way of dealing with it. He focuses on the bat, and he doesn't have to focus on Xander and Selina-oh, god, the poor kid." Suddenly, Thomas broke off, his voice breaking. Martha came and sat beside her husband, and the two embraced, sharing their grief.

The years wear on, but grief remains. Times change, but people only change if they want to. And Lex didn't want to.

Of course, there were superficial changes. He shaved his once-long red hair, worked out obsessively, and fought with Lionel, who had taken over as manager of LexCorp. Lex was a hard young man, an angry young man.

He emerged from the staircase leading from the basement to the kitchen, wearing a white wifebeater and gym shorts, plus several bandages.

"I told you you'd end up hurting yourself, trigger"

Lex sighed, pulling a gallon of orange juice from the fridge. "Hey, Uncle Lion-O."

Lionel stepped from the hallway into the dim, amber light of the still-open fridge. "Don't you Uncle Lion-O me, young man. You've gone into a self-destructive spiral-"

"Oh, great!" Lex snapped, closing the fridge and flipping the kitchen light on. "Doctor Octavian taught you some new words! How nice, not-my-Dad."

Lionel sat down at the kitchen table, not bothering to indicate to Lex he should sit too. He knew his nephew would ignore it anyway. "Lex, I'm not your blood father, that's true. But your dad-my brother-wanted me, trusted me enough to care for you if he couldn't. So I'm the closest damn thing you got."

"I DON'T CARE!" Lex shouted, throwing the carton of orange juice against the wall. "ALL YOU DO IS TELL ME WHAT TO DO, AND TAKE ME TO SHRINKS, AND-"

"Get you from school when you reach the point where you can't handle it anymore. Sit up with you when you're sick, hire Mercy to watch you when I'm too busy making sure you'll be comfortable when you get the company in three years to come home at a reasonable hour, pay out of pocket for those "shrinks" Lionel said, making air quotes around the word, "that you mock, get you whatever you want, love you, protect you…" he said, standing to face Lex, "I do love you, Lex, no matter what you think, and I care about you. If you want to destroy yourself, if you want to go and fight crime as revenge for your parents, I won't stop you. But if you want to do that," Lionel continued, smiling slightly, "let me manage LexCorp. The life of a superhero isn't conducive to running a multinational corporation."

Lex smiled back at his uncle. "I can live with that."

Everyone needs a hero. Every city needs a hero. In Gotham, a hero is needed to inspire and galvanize the population, to tell them that even if the evil in the world seems overwhelming, they can fight back, they can take control.

But Metropolis needs a different hero, a hero of night rather than day. A hero that doesn't inspire, doesn't lead, but fights. A hero to scare the bad guys, a hero if terror rather than hope. Metropolis is a ticking time bomb, the nights ruled by crime, ready to turn into a hellhole like Gotham.

One man sees this. One man fights this. One man has the resources, and the motivation, and the need, to save Metropolis. Lex Luthor, my instrument, shall save his city.

Metropolis doesn't need a beacon of light, it needs a Batman of night, and it shall have one.

by **The Republic of Atria** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 5:45 pm

Irredeemable

Xander sat on the pile of rubble that used to be the eastern coast of the United States. He pulled out a Snickers and laid on his back. The last two weeks had been very loud and violent. And for the first time since his creation, it was nice and quiet. Though the weather was terrible, tornadoes, what could only be described as nuclear winter, and the smell. But that didn't bother him. One of the pigeons fell out of the sky due to the extreme cold. It was still alive. Xander picked up the little creature. "So... Delicate. And small. Did you see everything I did? No? Well." He said to the injured, clueless creature. "Have I got a story for you..."

Two Weeks Earlier...

Batman flew around the street corner in the Batmobile on his way back to the Batcave. He was the first one to see it coming. He predicted this well over a month ago. He got in and immediately sealed every entrance to it. Vibranium doors and locks. He was about to send a distress call to both the Avengers and The Justice League, when the power was cut. A few seconds later the backup generators kicked in. Not a second later the sound of metal being torn to shred could be heard from a mile away. Bruce turned away from the computer for a second to see a pair of glowing eyes down the hall. He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being blasted. His computer was toast. And that was being generous.

"Always the planner Mister Wayne." Came the surprising calm voice along with slow footsteps. "I save lives. Lots of lives. Thousands? Millions? Who knows? And you all repay me by trying to take me to jail?" Xander asked with a dark smile all the while leaning against the wall. "I'm pretty sure that's not how you treat heroes. At the very least a thank you is in order."

"You slaughtered thousands of lives."

"Not my fault they were invading us. I made a choice. I stopped them before they spread out too much. Taught them a lesson in humility. Then the Avengers and Justice League come knocking on my damn door. Mass murder this... Collateral damage that. Blah blah blah." While he was talking, Damien was sneaking above and dropped down with an adamantium sword. Which promptly bounced off of Xander and knocked him down. "Oh look. It's the prodigal son." He said and grabbed the child be the collar. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Let me go you-" He was cut off when Xander obliterated Batman with nothing more than a glance. Only the bones of Bruce Wayne remained, scattered across the floor. Xander dropped the shocked boy and laughed.

"I'm a superhero."

by **New Rnclave** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:16 pm

Slavery is Freedom Part Zero

Tomia, I'm out of energy. I can't teleport away, I can't come get you. I need you to get up and run, run for me and Claudia. Get away from this... Please. Hiroshi swallowed another bout of bloody vomit, shuddering. He'll be distracted with me for a few more minutes, that should give you enough time.

When the eart began to quake around them, Hiroshi knew his daughter had ignored his words, her power rising like a Phoenix from the ashes. Even as a five year old she had more courage then he did now, but this was the wrong course of action. It'd take years for her to reach Broly's level, but he knew she could do it with time.

Please Tomia! For the love of Kami run!

" I'm impressed. It seems your pathetic excuse for a daughter has more backbone then you do. Maybe she'll provide more entertainment then you did." Broly laughed, grinding his heel onto a raw burn on Hiroshi's chest.

Hiroshi would never manage a reply, or here the screams of his daughter, a large golden boot having reaching its peak above him, the boot descending rapidly. " Have fun in Hell bastard."

At the same time the words were said, the boot crashed down. When the boot met his neck, his wind pipe was immediately crushed, every muscle, bone, tendon and artery. Skin and bone was unnaturally torn, ripped and broken, blood exploding from his wounds. Hiroshi's head bent towards the boot unnaturally, shock setting in before his brain could process anything. And within moments, that ceased as well.

Hiroshi Mako was dead, and hours later, so was Planet Earth.

by **Tomia** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:27 pm

Mars and Rocket
Mars saw Kiris frown and scowl a bit and he worried that something might be wrong. He was relieved though when she smiled and thanked him. "Uh, you're welcome." Mars said, realizing his hand was still on her shoulder he felt awkward and moved it slowly. He realized they hadn't really talked about much more than superficial things over the past week. That was Mars' fault for the most part. He never liked deep personal talks, and he never liked sharing things about his past. Still, he and Kiris were about to put their lives in each other's hands. It only seemed right that he try to open up a little before that. "So.. What was your home planet like? Where did you live? I realized I never really asked you before."

by **New Neros** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:29 pm

The Mad City Saga
Life Under the Dome

North of Neling, Uttarakhand, India

The locals refer to this place as Devbhumi, literally meaning Land of the Gods, and though few know now, that title is not without merit any longer. The former God-King of Madworld carefully selected this place deep within the Himalayan Mountain Range to provide a sanctuary for his people in the event of his world's demise, and this tract of land they settled upon was contested ground between the Chinese and Indian governments. His specific instructions upon arrival were to maintain order and prosper - an entire domed city had been built for those fleeing Madworld, and they would patiently await for a prophet of some kind to come and guide them. Undisturbed for days, nearby villages were miles away through dense mountains and forests, and they remained undiscovered.

From space, Mir looked out of one of the many windows on the ship he had woken up on, an unfamiliar blue and green world taking up the majority of his vision at this point. Breath taking for most, but Mir had seen many worlds in his time, and the short while he had spent on the ship with his own thoughts have convinced himself of his avid intelligence. He felt and thought smarter than ever before, and carefully wondered if this is what Max felt like all of the time. It saddened him, thinking of his lost friend, but he vowed to return him to life somehow. Still, until that time, Mir had a job to do, and this ship carefully guided him into the atmosphere, avoiding detection from space agencies - both public and secret - due to the small size of his craft. He flew over the Indian subcontinent, quickly losing speed and altitude as a vast wall of mountains came into view. Swiftly dodging around them and even going over them at times, the craft slowed to just a crawl as it passed another tall peak, shrouded with fog and mist, but as Mir's ship broke through those layers, a large hemisphere sat before him, the only gray object for miles of green and white snow.

His ship floated above it for a moment, but lowered itself automatically onto the Dome's apex - which slid open just large enough for him to fit inside of. Within the walls of this hemisphere was a thriving and active city, much to Mir's surprise, and the walls glowed like an artificial sun of somesort. The city housed millions of people, far outclassing even the states' capital down south, and it was all expertly hidden away by Maxwell. The citizens looked toward the center of the Dome upon catching sight of the spacecraft. Many expressed joy and pointed excitedly, eager for their God-King to return and guide them. Mir's ship touched down in a roomy public forum, with hundreds if not thousands of onlookers surrounding him to catch a glimpse of who they thought was the Mad God, Maxwell Morningstar. The ship doors opened quickly and without suspense, revealing a different man in a different suit, unlike the one Max had usually worn.

The silence seemed deafening, but it didn't bother Mir too much. He stepped out of the ship and onto solid ground for the first time in days. The populace looked at him and at each other, some whispering that it was Max in a different suit, others calling him an invader softly. The rabble grew louder, but were silenced as Mir raised his right hand with an open palm - a signature move of Max that Mir picked up on - and spoke confidently. "People of Madworld, I have grave news from beyond the stars." He began, using his increased vocabulary to emulate Max as much as possible, "Maxwell Morningstar is dead." He said solemnly, the crowd collectively gasping, many shocked personalities wondering exactly what type of power could have killed their invulnerable God.

"It wasn't I, fellow citizens, but a beast from beyond this universe. Our Mad God fought him and his cabal to the very end, ensuring their deaths as he went. Maxwell did not take them with him, no, they went to a hellish place while our God-King rests in paradise." Mir continued, discovering his natural affinity for speeches in the process. "His consort and his law both perished as well, and he has left me with the task of government. Some may recognize me - I am Mir, God's left hand as Otto was the Godblessed right. Madworld burned, but in one of his final acts, our Mad God saved us all." Mir finished, lowering his hand, awaiting the accusations of the heated masses to throw the weight on the deaths of his allies upon Mir's shoulders. They shouted and screeched, Mir not picking a single voice or phrase out of the crowd, but they were angry, and demanded answers.

"Stop." An ominous, thunderous voice rang out, instantly quieting the nearly rioting group, who all cast their gaze to the domed sky. A large hologram projected itself from the central cathedral of Mad City, the image of Maxwell Morningstar in his Mad God Armor painted across the ceiling. "This man speaks truth. He is my vision, my new light. I am no longer on this plane of existence, my demise has been at hand. It was not Mir's hand, but a consequence of my own actions, that took my life and those that I loved. But I care for you all - Enough to leave you in the hands of my greatest friend and ally, Czar-Mir, who stands before you now."

"This is but a pre-recorded message, as I have planned for my untimely death. Mir will now guide us as I had done in the past. Respect him as you would me, and mourn for my passing." The hologram of Max commanded, turning to static, briefly, before finally dissolving. To Mir's surprise, the citizenry wailed and cried out for Max to stay, to not leave, the fear and panic in their voices, but some yelled at their mourning compatriots, pointing wildly in Mir's direction, yanking on their arms and crawling onto their knees as they bowed. Eventually, the entire populace were upon their knees before Mir - the shocked Daxamite at the center of millions of peoples' attention. Before it got to his head, Mir raised his directly up, high in the sky over the citizens, and made is creed.

"For Maxwell!" He cried, loudly, and with passion.

"For Maxwell!" The citizens parroted in unison.

"Rise!" Mir called out once more, the people jumping to their feet and cheering, clapping, hollering, all they could do to show their support for their new leader. Mir smiled behind his mask, a sense of pride swirling in his chest, the feeling of being accepted boosting his confidence sky-high. He would mingle with the populace for hours, meeting many and talking with them casually, gathering up a large deal of people and carefully recounting the Ragnarok War to them - the tale of death and salvation for Maxwell Morningstar, and the new beginning for Mir and Mad City. Eventually, he was led to the Central Cathedral, finding it untouched, as no civilian was allowed inside until Maxwell had returned per his orders. It was locked, but Mir's armor was the key, pushing open the doors and finding a throne room within.

Mir sat upon the throne Maxwell had provided him with, and ordered his associates out of the room with a swift hand. Despite it's stony exterior, the seat was technologically advanced, able to control every facet of the domed city from it. A series of blue displays appeared before him, with Mir quickly scanning them over with his eyes and gleaming information from them instantly. "The city is operating at sustainable levels...And our energy comes from geothermal activity. The Dome can withstand nuclear strikes and superhuman assaults...Lord, Maxwell, you've created a fortress." Mir said to himself quickly, a prompt appearing as Mir gathered information.

He read it over, a personal note to Mir from Maxwell, the Daxamite beginning to wonder just how far the Mad God had gone to prepare for his death, but finding it's content's rather strange. "A team?" Mir repeated, re-reading the letter in his head and opening the file locations where prompted, Mir shaking his head slowly, realizing exactly what Maxwell was up to. "You don't...intend to come back." He finally said, tears welling in his eyes, "You want me to start a new team. These...people you've done research on, you want me to go and recruit them." Mir sniffled a bit, hiding his tears behind his masked face, unwilling to let Maxwell go.

"The name of the organization is up to you, Mir." One quoted line read, Mir thinking of what to call this team of misfits, should it even form. No, Mir would create it for Maxwell's sake, but he won't abandon his friend or lose his memory. It dawned on him just then, and Mir nodded carefully as he opened a display and began to write down names and their locations to meet up with them, new allies. He paused for a moment at the title, wondering if he was choosing the right thing, and relented, thinking of no better alternative to keep Max's memory alive.

"Mad Gods."

by **Itium** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:33 pm

Revelations

Kensico Cemetary, Westchester, New York

The situation could only have been more cliche if it was raining. John strode past rows of headstones, bearing the names of dead heroes. None of the big names though, they'd be in a more central area, if they didn't end up with a monument. The names here were mostly X-men, as well as a few who'd tried to help the mutant heroes, and hadn't been entirely successful. Two or three supervillains were buried here too, probably members of Magneto's brotherhood. John pulled out a cigarette and flicked his lighter open, then stopped himself. Smoking in a graveyard would probably be considered disrespectful to the dead as well as the living. The dead certainly deserved respect, when they had the decency to stay in the ground. He stopped in one of the less impressive headstones, and opened up his ~~man purse~~ knapsack. "This one's yours, right Benny?"

"Yes That Is My Headstone The Same One You Found Dug Up Ten Years Ago" The Skull answered. John checked to make sure no one was watching (no one was). He drew a quick summoning circle in the dirt on Benny's grave, conjuring a small-ish bouquet of sunflowers.

"I Don't Like Sunflowers That Much And Where Did You Bring Those From Anyways"

"Had them in one of my offices. Now that I've paid my respects, I have to ask you something."

"Shoot"

"Seeing as I fixed up that debacle involving your corpse ten years ago...." John's nerves overtook his sense of decency. He lit up a cigarette, breathing in deeply, then exhaling the smoke. It was mildly calming, and he was a dead man anyways, so no lung cancer.

"John You're Dramatically Pausing That Can't Be A Good Thing"

"....Then why have the other ones been disturbed?"

by **Mavorpen** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:11 pm

"The panic began five days ago; when we first detected the traces five days ago in the neighboring cluster, two stars had went out. They hadn't exploded, they were simply snuffed out, like a flame. Immediately, we knew what -- or who, rather -- it was. There is not a single stellar culture in this quadrant that would not recognize the signs. Our suspicions were confirmed when his Herald was sighted scouting ahead. It has been four hours since his arrival, and we predict that our world will die in twelve hours."

Jamal sighed as he looked outside of the window of the office belonging to the governor of the planet Orbucen. "Why didn't you call me earlier, Adjudik?"

"Sooner?" Adjudik huffed. "I mean no offense, but this is not a task you can deal with by your lonesome. No one, not even the last remaining Nova Centurion can stop him when he is hunger."

"Yeah, well, too bad, I'm gonna take offense. I'd have at least tried. Humans surprisingly have a pretty good track record when it comes to driving him away. But now..." Jamal watched as enormous purple towers sucked up energy from beneath the planet. "It's too late. The siphons are already buried beneath the planet's crust."

"I am aware of this. Ark ships are standing by and we have undergone mass evacuations of all cities. We plan to escape and colonize a planet in another system, most likely in Zymut Reef. Follow me." Adjudik lead Jamal out of his office and into a large room where the Central Authority supervised the evacuations. "Consultik, the dossier, please." A man handed Adjudik a small device.

Adjudik in turn handed Jamal the device, which Jamal promptly went through. Almost immediately, a frown formed on his face. "This is just a list of names and locations... for your nobility."

"Yes. We have identified the most important and worthy among the population to receive the most assistance. We would like you to escort them to the ark ship sites so--"

"No. No offense, but fuck that." Jamal placed his helmet on his head. "If these people are so worthy, they can use their own resources to get themselves to the evac sites." With that, Jamal exited the building and promptly began working to save as many of the most vulnerable citizens as he could. Finally, with two hours remaining until the destruction of the planet, he unloaded the final energy storage container for the ark he was assisting.

"Alright, that's the last one. When do you launch?" Jamal asked the captain of this particular ark.

"I don't know. The count for launch should have already begun, however we have identified an issue with the drive ignition system. The technicians are working diligently to solve the problem."

"...Excuse me. Adjudik?"

"Yes, Centurion?" Adjudik's voice responded from he communication system in Jamal's helmet.

"There's a problem with the drive system on one of the ark ships. Any idea how we can solve it?"

"I'm afraid that all of the ships are exhibiting the same malfunction. None of them are able to launch. It is Galactus. His feeding has caused electromagnetic disruption to reach critical levels and is scrambling the technology that operates the drive systems. We could shield the drives, but that would require four hours."

"Dammit, that's too long." Jamal shot off away from the ark ships and outside of the planet's atmosphere.

"[Jamal, what are you doing?]"

"Something that has to be done."

"[Jamal, you cannot stop him. You have admitted this yourself before. What is your plan? To flash him your badge and read him his rights?]"

"Hey, you never know, it might work." Jamal stated as he approached Galactus' ship.

"[Jamal, cease this foolishness. You are going to get us killed.]"

"Sorry, too late." Jamal said as he floated before Galactus himself. "Yo, big G! By the authority of the Xandarian corps, I demand you suspend your feeding immediately!" No response came from Galactus. "Just for a few hours!" Again, no response. "Come on, don't just pretend I don't even ex--" Suddenly he felt a sharp pain as something wrapped around his throat and he was pushed away with substantial force that threw him off balance. He then felt himself hit three more times before he could even register the attacks. "Fuck! Worldmind, did Galactus hit us with an energy beam or something?"

"[He hit us with his Herald, the Silver Surfer.]" Only then did Jamal see the next attack from Surfer as he charged towards him, fist imbued with blue cosmic energy. Surfer punched him, sending Jamal reeling back, distracting him from Worldmind's repeated calls for Jamal to evade.

"Surfer, stop, I'm not here to fi-" Surfer did a u-turn for another attack at speeds several hundred times the speed of light. Jamal barely got up a gravimetric shield in time to block the incoming blast of cosmic energy.

"[He shows no intention of stopping.]"

"Yeah, I can see that. Let me guess, you're going to start rambling on about how outmatched I am, right?"

"[I have a list prepared, if you would like.]"

"What I'd like is full power, like, now!" Jamal shouted as he sped off away from Surfer.

"[Indeed, if you could use the full capability of the Nova Force, you would stand a chance. Unfortunately, such an option is unacce-- Attention! Current trajectory is taking us towards Galactus.]"

"I know. I figure he won't be willing to take shots at me and risk hitting his boss. Let's hope I actually am insignificant enough to not get turned to paste by Galactus. In the meantime, signal him on all channels to get his attention."

"[I have been trying. No response. Also, he is gaining on us.]"

"Damn it! Fine, I'm tired of running away. Max the shields and give me full gravimetric on both hands."

"[Jamal!]"

Jamal took a sharp u-turn and charged at Surfer, hitting him hard enough with both of his fists with enough force to obliterate a large star and causing a bright orange explosion. "Maybe he felt that one?" The smoke cleared and revealed, however, Surfer to be essentially unscathed by the attack. "...Right then. Are you ready to ta-" Surfer suddenly charged Richard and Richard caught both of Surfer's hands. The two remained deadlocked, both discharging significant amounts of cosmic energy as they hurled themselves wildly through space around Galactus' ship.

"Surfer, talk to me, dammit! I'm just asking for a temporary stay of execution! Please! For God's sake Surfer, we--" The two spiraled out of control towards Orbucen and crashed, shaking the planet.

by **New Rnclave** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:16 pm

Slavery is Freedom Part One

Tomia:

Tomia shifted uncomfortably on her bed for what must've been the hundredth time in ten minutes. She was getting married tomorrow. Sweaty palms grasped at the sheets as she shifted again. She was getting married to a man who was both her tormentor, and caregiver. Some days he treated her like a daughter, sometimes a muse, and others, were best left unspoken. As an added insult, this was the man who'd murdered her father and destroyed her home.

She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it, but Cassandra said it was bad, so it probably was. A knock at her door startled her from her thoughts, opening the door, she expected another servant.

" I brought you something to drink." Cassandra smiled happily. " I was hoping we could chat a little bit, seeing as you'll be marrying with him tomorrow."

Cassandra was one of the few people who was nice to her. At only fifteen years old, she was the youngest concubine Lord Broly kept around, and rumor was that said youth was the reason she was still around. Regardless, she was the only friend Tomia had, and was the only person she could confide in.

Grinning, Tomia stirred her beverage. " Careful, it's hot." Tomia stuck out her tongue before carefully taking a sip.

" Should I be scared?" Tomia whispered, ghostly white fingers clenching her mug. Chuckling, Cassandra looped her arm around Tomia's shoulder, planting a light kiss on the Hybrid's lips. Blushing, Tomia leaned into her, enjoying the warmth radiating off her companion.

" No. It's no different the any other day. You'll spend some more time with him sure, but besides that, just be on your best behavior and you'll be alright." Cassandra remarked. " He's always gentleish the first time, just be ready, he likes sex a lot my dear, and won't be to keen if you don't perform to his expectations."

Nodding, Tomia took another sip of her drink. This was all entirely too terrifying for her. Her entire existence was controlled by a man she hardly saw, unless he wanted food, pleasure or a combination of both. Trembling, she set her mug down and clutched to the female at her side. If onto her Father had won...

" I'm scared Cassie." She muttered.

" I know. We all are."

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

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