Chapter 21 – Girls and Gateways.
*DOOM*
Outside a Mall
New York City, NY
Friday, December 19, 2014
11:55
3POV
As Blackfire walks down the street in her human disguise, she wonders about a recent event. Ash may call himself a monster, but he's always willing to help those he cares about. He doesn't play superhero like his Kryptonian relatives or villains like Luthor, but he's willing to face (and slaughter) gods and monsters to help his friend Rorschach with a Quest. He would walk through hell to save any one of his girls, this is literal in the case of Raven.
Ash may call himself a monster, but it's Rorschach that intimidates her. He's universe-breaking super-intelligent with no limitation of growth. Every day his influence over the world grows as his 'Doctor Genus' persona creates more and more consumer products and wonderous inventions. She is happy that Rorschach has friends and family to keep him stable, otherwise she fears he would just erase the universe and make a new one that entertains him more as soon as he tires of the old one.
She looks at a commercial playing on an advertisement screen and shakes her head. She wonders how Rorschach was able to convince Raven to model for a gum commercial of all things.
Suddenly, a group of heavily armed extraterrestrials appear, scaring away the civilians, but Blackfire doesn't even raise an eyebrow. It used to be that any inhuman extraterrestrial appearance would cause people to panic, let alone a heavily armed one, but Cognito released a lot of data on extraterrestrials when they became the Border control between Earth and the rest of the universe.
"Princess Komand'r of Tamaran, Surrender. I am Skar – Scientist Supreme of the Psions."
Until recently, the Citadel Empire held an Iron grip on the Vega system, mostly due to the massive armies of Okarra-Branx clone soldiers known as the Citadelians and a race of sadistic amoral scientists known as the Psions. The balance changed when Omega Men – a group of rebels – launched biological weapon attacks on the home worlds of both races. These weapons built with technology beyond the understanding of even the Psions infected the population of the entire planets within hours and in less than a day they were dead.
Psions attempted everything trying to save themselves, but the bio-agent somehow penetrated the most secure areas and contaminated all samples. Some Psions even attempted to change their gender on a genetic level since Psion females were immune to the plague, but they committed suicide after gaining a sense of empathy (something only Psion females possess).
Skar looks like a tall, muscular reptilian humanoid, but his green scaly skin is synthetic, hiding a mechanical body underneath. Skar is the Scientist Supreme of the Psions, the smartest scientist of his entire race. When the bio-agent began to destroy his world, he had a surgical device to remove his brain and seal it inside a machine. He then bad his brain rebuilt cell-by-cell to be completely free of the bio-agent. The brain augmented by implants was placed in a full prosthetic body. Skar with this new body was able to escape the Psion home world and look for the cure on Earth.
"Why are you here, Skar?"
"I would have come after you eventually. I lost a massive collection of samples when you and your sister destroyed the research ship! Dozens of projects ruined."
"It was their fault. They wanted to see how much UV a Tamaranean could absorb before exploding and didn't expect it to be one that would end up exploding."
"They managed to recapture you and your sister."
"That only happened because we were exhausted from the awakening of our new powers. Even with us captured, your men still failed to save the ship."
Skar's strongest minion is a cyborg with a huge round robotic body. The red-and-black humanoid looks like it can curl into a perfect sphere. The thick limbs ending in blunt claws aren't meant to hold complex weaponry, but attack with immense superhuman strength. It has two round yellow lenses for eyes that seem to glare at the Tamaranean princess.
Burny was once the bodyguard to a Vegan crime boss, one who sold slaves at luxurious auctions. Then, the Omega Men rescued the slaves and blew up the auction. He was found in the burning rubble by Skar, who came late to purchase a rare subject. He was saved because Skar wanted answers, then converted into a cyborg to serve Skar.
Burny is trying to look intimidating next to his boss, but it's hard with him and Blackfire arguing.
Skar has another bodyguard in the form of Bendy. Bendy is a tall, thin humanoid with black eyes, grey skin, and a bald head. His thick "rubber band" arms and legs are composed of grey metal. He wears a black bodysuit with wide arms and leg cuffs to allow easier movement of his limbs.
Bendy is the opposite of Burny as Bendy was once a rebel. He was part of another rebellion like the Omega Men but possessing fewer morals. That was until he was betrayed by his teammates and captured by the Psions. The horrific experiments conducted by the Psions left him consumed by madness. He was transformed into the perfect attack dog for Skar.
Bendy is thirsting for blood, but he also feels something on an animalistic level. A sense of dread as if something dangerous is nearby.
On the roof of a nearby building is a lean humanoid the height of an average human dressed in dark grey clothing covered by a hooded grey cloak. This uniform is thermo-optic camouflage designed to keep Longshot hidden from visual and thermal sensors. Nobody knows what he looks like under his outfit, other than possessing grey skin and black blood. It's believed he's been technologically altered since he doesn't possess a heartbeat and his body has no scent. The only thing that can be seen is his custom sniper rifle.
Longshot is a professional assassin and mercenary. In the Vegan system, he was the one hired to do the most difficult of jobs. His marksmanship is unmatched in the Vega system. The Psions used him to eliminate the leaders of many rebellious groups and he has only failed once – attempting to kill the leader of the Omega Men.
Longshot is wondering if he should have forced Skar to pay more. Earth may be a primitive mudball in the boonies of the galaxy, but it also has the greatest collection of diverse and powerful super powered beings he has ever seen. The planet is loaded with everything from elementals to its own Academy of Green Lanterns. This planet, thanks to Cognito Inc, also has more security than a Triple-Max Prison Planet, with the Sciencells on Oa surpassing it only by a small margin; a margin that, if rumors were to be believed, was shrinking every day.
The final member of Skar's pack is the gunslinger. A lean, blue-skinned humanoid with large dark red eyes, no nose, and a small mouth. He's dressed in what resembles dark brown leather clothing out of the old west. He even has a wide hat out of an old cowboy movie. The gun holsters on the other hand don't contain a pair of Colts, instead they resemble the retro-futuristic guns used by Rorschach.
While the bounty hunter Lobo is known for always getting his man, Bane is known for his clean kills with virtually no collateral damage. He is a professional bounty hunter and mercenary that has risen in fame over the last year.
"Enough! You're our Prisoner. We will use you to force Cognito Inc into revealing the cure to the Omega weapon."
"I can see a few problems with that plan." says Blackfire
"Like what?" asks Skar, insulted that a lesser would dare doubt his intellect.
"One - You actually believe Cognito would create a cure. You don't know Cognito. Two- You believe you made it to this world without being detected by Cognito. Again, you don't know Cognito. Three – You believe you have the situation under your control, but..."
"...you don't pay like Cognito." finishes Bane, pulling out his blasters and shooting Burny and Bendy in the head. His original blasters would do little damage against the Psion-built heavy armor, but his Cognito brand firearms pierce defenses, both physical- and energy-based, in an instant.
Longshot pulls the trigger and the armor-piercing bullet shoots out of his sniper rifle at 1500 m/s. (4921.26 fps). The bullet is within a single meter of Blackfire's head, when a tiny portal opens in the air and catches the bullet. The exit portal is behind Longshot's head and the last thing that goes through his mind before the bullet is "I should never have come to Earth."
"How!?" screams Skar as a disk attach to his body and disables it before he can use the hidden weapons.
"You thought you could sneak onto this planet, but Rorschach spotted you." says Blackfire, with a smirk, "Travelling through another dimension was a cute trick, but it's child's play to Cognito."
"You...Y..." says Skar as his voice system fails.
"The Disk is shutting down all your systems including life support. Years ago, I would have spent hours torturing you, but these days you're not worth my time."
Skar is raging in his mind as his optics shut off. He continues to scream and rant in his mind, as the final backup life support system shut off. Skar's rage ends when his brain ceases to function.
*DOOM*
PECAR Event
Metropolis
Sunday, December 21, 2014
17:15
3POV
People for Extraterrestrial Communications and Rights (PECAR) is one of the numerous pro-alien groups. These groups use to be small, considering the knowledge of actual extraterrestrials was limited to what reporters could get out of Superman, Martian Manhunter, and the Green Lantern. Cognito's distribution of the Guide to the Galaxy has caused people to react. They now have information on various species from various worlds - including historical events and notable people. There are many people that see many possible alien allies and there are those that see potential enemies. PECAR was founded by the former.
Stop Invasions Now (SIN) was founded by the latter. They are a group that believes extraterrestrials pose a serious threat to Earth. While PECAR wants extraterrestrial to have rights and freedoms on Earth, SIN wants Extraterrestrials to be heavily regulated and isolated for the protection and security of humanity.
Both groups have their strong points and both support Cognito, as the Waypoint Station filters out the alien criminals, while distributing the knowledge needed to form their opinions. PECAR believes Cognito has given them the information needed to understand aliens, while SIN believes the knowledge can be used to protect themselves from alien aggressors.
While PECAR and SIN have high level members meeting with businessmen, military, and politicians, there are also many low-level members on the streets.
Starfire watches as an argument starts between the pro-aliens of PECAR running the event and the anti-aliens of SIN who came to disrupt the event. She decides to hang back and let the humans handle their own problems.
Starfire is wearing a pair of fashionable sunglasses, which would strike some people as strange since Tamaraneans are more than immune to damage from UV rays. In truth, they are Cognito Inc Augmented Reality glasses. They allow her to access data from the Cognito computers on anything she is observing. It helps her make informed decisions and determine if someone can be trusted.
One is a muscular Caucasian man standing 190cm (6'3) with brown eyes and short dark brown hair. He's dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes with a black jacket.
Samson "Sammy" Berardo. Age: 34. B&B Construction worker. Arrested multiple times for public intoxication and domestic abuse. Blames Superman and extraterrestrials for loss of major contracts with LexCorp. Cognito Inc is considering terminating employment after assimilating B&B Construction. Wife – Anne Romano - recently divorced him and is now involved with PECAR-Metropolis 2IC. Member of SIN.
"Letting aliens do what they want will ruin Metropolis. All they do is take from us!"
"You might say that Sammy, but Anne left you because you're a bastard."
One is a young woman of mixed heritage standing 150cm (4'11) with amber eyes, dark skin, and black hair done in microbraids. She is dressed in a rainbow color anime shirt, loose pants, and sneakers
Brava Wilfried Cornell. Age: 18. High school graduate and award-winning writer. She has written numerous papers on Civil Rights and history. She considers Lois Lane to be her inspiration for her future career in journalism. She was saved by Superman on four separate occasions and is a member of Superman fan club. Member of PECAR
One is a Caucasian man standing 175 cm (5'9) with blue eyes behind glasses, pale skin, and shaggy dark brown hair. He's dressed in dirty clothing and stinking of alcohol.
Norbert Edgar Jones. Age: 32. Unemployed. Former Metropolis Media employee but was fired for intoxication on the job. Numerous minor crimes stemming from severe alcoholism. His last employment was as a Cognito test subject – liver completely replaced by nanomedicine. It did not help with psychological problems. Former Member of SIN – was banned from organization due to public intoxication.
"Hey man, you're not supposed to be here."
"(Hic) Why? I don't like... extra... extra... (hic) aliens."
"We don't need a drunken asshole stinking of booze."
"You prefer being sober assholes in public?" quips one of PECAR.
One is a young Hispanic teenager wearing a Cognito T-Shirt, grey pants, and black boots. He's also wearing a multi-environment coat made by Cognito and a pair of shades.
Luciano Constantino. Age: 17. High School student. Natural talent in music and computers. Is known as DJ Lucano on video streaming and sharing sites. Cognito are considering a possible music contract. Luciano has been saved by Superman twice and is a long-distance friend of Connor Kent. Member of PECAR and writer of PECAR Anthem Music.
"Hey! We are defending Metropolis!" says a SIN member
"Metropolis is a city of science. If you want to be thugs move to Gotham." replies a PECAR member.
One is a very muscular bald man standing 195cm (6'5) with dark green eyes, dark tanned skin with numerous scars and tattoos, and a dark goatee. He's dressed in dark clothing with a leather biker jacket with chains, spikes, and gang symbol on the back.
Augustine Beringar Charles. Age: 39. WARNING. Criminal wanted for numerous crimes including robbery, extortion, and suspected murder. Alerting authorities. Member of SIN and several Hate Groups.
"Little Asian bitch. How dare you say that to your superior!"
"Superior? I don't see any superior. Just a Neo-Nazi degenerate."
Starfire is about to act, but the father of one of the PECAR members uses a taser on ABC before he can react.
The daughter is a young Japanese American girl with dark eyes, light skin, and styled black hair streaked by purple. She is dressed in an outfit containing a lot of pink and purple mixed with black and white. Her father is tall, muscular Japanese American man with the same eyes, skin, and hair minus the purple streaks. He's dressed in casual black clothing and when members of SIN approach him, he holds up a Badge.
Yasu Agnes Yazawa. Age: 15. Student. Award Winner for Gymnastics. Member of PECAR.
Yoshinori Yazawa. Age: 38. Metropolis Police Officer – Special Crimes Unit (SCU).
"DEATH TO ALIENS AND COLLABERATORS!"
Everyone turns to see a tall, muscular man with black eyes and shaved black hair pulling off his coat. He's wearing a combination of black shirt, black pants, and black military boots. What's more concerning is he's also wearing a grey vest covered in high explosives
A portal opens behind the man and Starfire punches him threw it before the portal closes.
"Who the fuck was that!?" asks Officer Yoshinori
"Leonid Milo Labowski. Age: 32. Strict military family and history of mental illness. The illness was made worse by repeated head trauma. He became a nonconformist radical and developed severe paranoia. He was responsible for several bombings and acts of arson on the East coast under the name 'Mad Leo'."
"Mad Leo? I heard about him. Where did you send him? If that was you."
"That was one of Cognito's portals or should I say one of Rorschach's portals."
There are some inhales at Rorschach's name. The SIN members look especially nervous since Rorschach has been known to do horrible things to hate groups and they don't know if they qualify.
"When in doubt toss them into space," she hummed as a tiny pinprick of light flashed in the wild-blue yonder, so muted and brief only someone with super-sight would've noticed.
*DOOM*
Secret Chamber
Gotham City, NJ
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
7:45
3POV
Raven wonders how she keeps ending up in weird situations. She always knew her life would never be normal by anyone's standard being the daughter of a Demon Lord and raised as sorceress on the world of Azarath. Her life only got weirder with her meeting with her husband Ash Grey on her mother's home world of Earth.
Today, she was checking out some old bookstores that some worlds you wouldn't find on digital media. Normally, she would avoid Gotham even with its decreased level of Rogues and crazies. It still has a high crime rate, and the occasional wannabe shows up. The reason she picked this store – Nevermore Bookstore - was because of the name and its connection to the Edgar Allan Poe poem The Raven.
It started out as a normal day at a bookstore. A cute goth girl walks into the store to find old books and the teenager at the register just nods while talking to a patron about Arkham Asylum finally closing. The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane was built with good intentions, but it became a revolving door for criminals and made more people ill than cured them.
She detected a collection of occult books, magically hidden from the mundane and even possessing magic wards to repel the non-magical. She also found out she wasn't the only homo magi in the store, recognizing Jason Blood. She had watched a fair number of DC Animated films and shows with Ash and the girls (especially ones where her father is defeated or killed), so she recognized the Arthurian knight bound to demon Etrigan.
She and Jason had only begun to talk when we were transported to a secret magical chamber.
*DOOM*
It's a massive underground chamber large enough to hold a thousand people. In that chamber there are three people other than Jason and Raven.
One is a powerful sorceress standing in front of an altar, while magic flows around her. She is very distinctive with a body clad in golden armor including a feminine face mask with horns. Next to her is a young boy dressed in a black hooded cloak. She stands perfectly still and silent next to the altar.
The third is super heroine standing on a dais looking very confused. She is a young woman dressed completely in red and white (complete with hood and mask) with the crescent and star of Turkey in white on her chest. She is carrying a magical scimitar and a grimoire (a spell book).
The gold-clad sorceress points her hand at the heroine and the heroine is suddenly bound by glowing purple chains.
"Morgaine le Fey!" says Jason looking at the woman standing before an altar.
Morgaine was a daughter of the chief of the Homo Magi in ancient Britain, she was the middle sister of Nimue Inwudu (Madame Xanadu) (the youngest) and Vivienne Inwudu (the Lady of the Lake, the eldest), whom she trained to become adept with sorcery. All three women were said to be descended from the "Elder Folk," explaining Morgaine's affinity with magic.
She herself coveted the Eternity Book, the magic tome of the great wizard Merlin, who summoned the demon Etrigan in a desperate attempt to combat le Fey's forces. Though his servant fought fiercely, Merlin bound Etrigan to the mortal Jason Blood, and razed Camelot himself, causing Morgaine to retreat.
"Change, change the form of man. Free the prince forever damned. Free the might from fleshy mire. Boil the blood in the heart of fire. Gone, gone the form of man, Rise the demon Etrigan!"
Jason Blood's human form burns away with every word of the poem. Where there was once a handsome man with blue eyes and red hair streaked with white, there is now a yellow-skinned demon with red eyes. He also has sharp teeth, claws, horns, and webbed fins instead of ears. His muscular frame is clad in a tight red shirt and shorts with metal bracers, red boots, and a tattered blue cape. He creates flame between his hands, clamps them together, and magically creates a sword.
"This is where we shall end it all. One shall stand, one shall fall."
Etrigan leaps forward but is stopped by a force that causes the air to ripple.
"Did you really think I would risk summoning you to this place without planning?" says Le Fey, "The spell that I used is old and powerful, summoning what I desire along with its current owner. Since no bargain can be made..."
"You got that right Witch!" yells the chain-bound heroine that Raven now recognizes as the Turkish super heroine Janissary
"...I would have to take the item and the spell would summon those capable of stopping me. Knowing it would you Demon, so I set up a barrier against pure demons."
"What if the spell summoned someone else?" asks Raven
"The only others to challenge me are Doctor Fate and Zatara family. The spell is strong enough to summon a human from anywhere on Earth but does not forcibly summon a Lord of Order. I also include a spell that prevents words from being spoken backwards in case a random Zatara showed up." says Le Fey, running her hands over the book, "The Book of Eternity. A copy, but still potent. In 1566, Merlin sealed this book beneath the sands using the Scimitar of Suleiman the Magnificent. Much like Caliburn, only the worthy could retrieve the sword and book. To think a Red Crescent worker would be worthy"
In this world it was Caliburn - Golden Sword of Assured Victory – that was pulled from the stone by young Arthur proving him the true king of England. That sword was shattered when its master broke the rules of chivalry. Arthur then would receive Excalibur – Sword of the Promised Victory – from the Lady of the Lake. Excalibur was returned to her after Arthur fell in battle against his son Mordred – The Knight of Treachery.
"Never underestimate a hard worker." says Janissary, as her Scimitar flies up from the ground and cuts through one of the chains before landing in her hand. A quirk series of smooth movements and all of the magical chains are broken. Janissary then has to dodge magical blasts released by the hooded child.
"Don't strain yourself, Mordred. Your new body is fragile."
"I will be careful, mother" says the hooded boy revealing his unnaturally blue eyes and blonde hair.
Mordred was the son of King Arthur who was seduced by a disguised Le Fey. A supernaturally powerful warrior who died from being impaled by Excalibur after driving his spear into Arthur. Both died, but Le Fey has tried many times to resurrect her son.
The immortal faery-blooded sorceress never gave up her ambitions. The Justice Society even recorded her leading the Church of the Midnight Dawn, a satanic cult to make them find three relics: Mordred's war-helm, the spear head that killed King Arthur and the Philosopher Stone. She planned to use these relics to resurrect her son but was stopped by Doctor Fate of that era.
"What a disgusting and vile sight. How are You alive, fallen knight? You heart was pierced, your soul was broken, what foul magic should have remained unspoken?"
"I merely restored a drop of blood taken from my son's armor; the miracles of modern science did the rest."
"Cadmus." says Raven, she then explains to the Demon, "He's a clone. A clone made from Mordred's magically restored blood."
Morgaine raises an eyebrow under her mask. She suspects the young goth girl is a sorceress, but how does she know about Cadmus.
"So, man's science has restored man's bane. Crafted a homunculus from a stain. I know now that man is Insane. How does he possess the soul of the slain?"
"Many followers of Belial would see you dead Etrigan. So much that they would give me my son's soul for your head."
"I have been gone from the pit for far too long. This conflict I do not wish to prolong. Your blood shall flow like running water, come face me witch and meet your slaughter!"
"Wait." says Raven stepping next to Etrigan who looks confused, "I have someone to say before you fight my nephew."
"Nephew!?" says Etrigan, Mordred, and Morgaine in shock.
"I am Raven of Azaroth." says Raven as dark magic whips around her transforming her civvies goth clothing into her "normal" combat uniform with her cloak moving an unexplained wind.
"I am the daughter of Trigon the Terrible." says Raven, shifting into her demon form with its red skin, four glowing eyes, horns, and pointed ears. Even Etrigan is wide eyed at her appearance.
"I also read a lot. Fairy Bane!"
Morgaine and Mordred don't have time to react as sharp black metal spikes explode from their bodies spraying crimson in all directions while releasing disrupted magical energies. Etrigan smiles as he feels the barriers collapse and walks towards his prey. The spikes have vanished and much to the credit of their prey, they are still alive despite being soaked in their own life fluids.
Fairy Bane is a unique spell. It's a dark spell that enters the target – one possessing fairy blood – and then creates cursed black iron spikes to pierce the body from the inside out. It's a high-level demon spell used by their sorcerers during their invasions against the faery races.
"How... How do... you know... that spell!?" says Morgaine as her severely magical armor tries to repair her magically mutilated body.
"I spent four years in hell and Asmodeus had a nice library." says Raven, "I read a lot of books after me and my husband killed Asmodeus."
Janissary jumps forward, grabs the Eternity Book from Morgaine, and leaps back before the fey sorceress can react.
"It's finally time for you to meet your doom, this chamber shall forever be your tomb!" says Etrigan releasing a massive stream of hellfire at the Arthurian sorceress and her son. They try to escape, only to learn Raven sealed the chamber while they were talking! They try to erect barriers, but Raven sends out a second Fairy Bane. This one is even stronger with one spike coming out of one of Morgaine's eyes. They are as helpless as bone white dead bushes before a firestorm.
When the hellish flames finally stop, all that remains of the Le Fey mother and son are blackened skeletons on the cavern's floor. Raven walks over to the bones, then casts another spell. The bones become ash that flows into a dark sphere, which then collapses into nothing.
"Rorschach Rule #28. When it comes to magical enemies, don't leave any remains. You don't want some enemy resurrecting your kills." says Raven and at Janissary's look, she adds "Rorschach is the best friend of my husband."
There is a bright light and then Etrigan the Demon and Jason Blood stand to separate. Etrigan walks up to Raven who has reverted to her human sorceress form.
"I do not know if you are a hero, villain, or vigilante. But even so, I thank you... Auntie."
*DOOM*
"Chinatown"
San Franciso, California, USA
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Time unknown
3POV
Jade Chan isn't in Chinatown; she is in a section of the shadowlands.
The Great Darkness is the true source and the embodiment of darkness in the multiverse. When the Creator said, "Let there be light", the Darkness retreated and stayed inactive for unknown ages. The Shadowlands is a realm that exists as a shadow of the real world created by the Great Darkness. Everything that exists in the Shadowlands was created by beings tapping into power and creating reflections of the material and immaterial worlds.
The reason she has come to Shadow Chinatown is a Great meeting of the shadow born and shadow users. There are those that challenge her rule of the Shadowlands and they will learn the truth. As Queen Jade sits on a black throne, she looks at the gathering.
There are many forms of darkness manipulated by different individuals.
Demon-blood sorcerers and warlocks that manipulate Diabolic Darkness. These are people who either made contracts with the denizens of the infernal or are descendants of breeding between human and demon. They can generate and manipulate the mystical darkness of hell, which can completely destroy anything. It also risks destroying themselves on every level.
Stoic studious magi that manipulate Conceptual Darkness. These people can manipulate the abstracts (or concept) of darkness. Examples of conceptual darkness - darkness that can prevent light from existing, darkness that makes things more visible rather than less, produce darkness/shadows that can exist without light, etc. One user once trapped a town in a darkness that removed all forms of energy, erasing the town at impossible absolute zero.
There are metahumans capable of Individual Shadow Manipulation. These people can manipulate the shadows of individuals as physical extensions. They can transform shadows into tentacles that can physically bind and strangle targets. Some shadow users can attack the shadows of others and cause physical damage to the owner.
The esper warriors can create, shape and manipulate psychic darkness, which allows them to cloud minds and suppress the memories of their targets. It also hides them from detection, making them some of most deadly psychic assassins.
There are those that can manipulate Pure Darkness - Darkness of beneficial nature; that which strengthens, enhances and causes anything/everything it comes across to flourish. These are the healers of the Shadowlands capable of saving people by pulling them into their darkness.
There are priests and priestesses that wield the Sacred Darkness. These are people who draw their strength from the night deities- divine beings in mythology associated with night, the night sky, or darkness.
The woman standing next to Jade is Eve Eden, known as Nightshade. She is a princess of The Land of the Nightshades - a magical dimension where people have the power to control darkness. It was once a part of the shadowlands and claimed by Asmodeus, but he lost control of it after a war against Heaven. Eve lost her Kingdom when it was conquered by Asmodeus' son/incarnation The Incubus. She grew up on Earth, but her brother was eventually captured and turned into Incubus' latest host. She tried many times to save her brother when she got older, but always failed.
When Asmodeus was killed by Ash and Raven, his incarnations - The Incubus and The Succubus – were also destroyed along with their minions. Unfortunately, the corrupted Land of the Nightshades also collapsed back into primordial shadows.
She wanted answers about what happened and eventually decided to meet the Queen.
"My brother was already dead. His soul was consumed by Incubus and when Incubus died, he crumbled to dust." says Eve, "I wasn't sure what I would do with my quest abruptly ending. Then this douchebag showed up to cause trouble."
The douchebag is currently in human form. A tall, athletic man with blue eyes, pale skin, and thick black hair and beard. He's dressed in the fancy red/black clothing of a European nobleman and if someone called him a vampire, most wouldn't be surprised. Jade's mystic eyes can see past the human disguise and see the horned, red-skinned demon looking like a reject from the movie Legend.
"I am Theo, last son and heir of the Demon Lord of Lust Asmodeus. With the death of my father and brothers, the demon realm has fallen into chaos. There is even a rumor of an obsidian black beast consuming much of the demon realm without its lords to protect it. In order to rise to power, I need powerful people by my side, and I have gathered you all here."
"What makes you think we'll follow you, Theo?" asks Jade on her throne.
"I have already gathered great warriors to my side and with a beauty Queen by my side the Shadowlands and the Demon World will be ours to conquer."
"Let me stop you there. I'm already married to wonderful man named Ash."
"Do you think any human could compare to a Demon of Lust!?"
"One - He's not human. At least not completely"
"A Half-Breed?"
"Two - He's seven foot seven and everything scales combined with unlimited stamina."
Many of the female shadow manipulators (and some of the males) in the crowd are blushing. Theo looks angry that a half-breed would be thought superior to a pureblood.
"Three - He's the one that killed Deus. He and my co-wife Raven also wiped out the majority of Asmodeus' army, your other siblings, and Asmodeus himself."
"..."
Deus is speechless. Due to poor intel, he thought he was seducing an Eastern Demon Princess who had gained control over the Shadowlands. He didn't know she was one of the brides of Ash Grey the Doomsday of Hell. Ash Grey is more feared in Hell than John Constantine and there is a rumor of Obsidian Black Beast was born of Ash Grey's Black Blood.
"Four - The Shadowlands are mine and mine alone. I will give you something else; Demise."
Asmodeus's last son turns at a sound to see Shadow Demise appear. He doesn't have time to react as Demise's sword pierces his chest and out his back in a spray of blood. He feels the dark magic of demon lord tear through his very being and break connections. Connections to his defenses, connections to his magical power, and the safeties he set up to protect himself. Theo was fearless, because he could always sacrifice one of the souls, he owned to take the damage for him. Now he is alone without anything as the Demon Queen pulls his soul from his body.
"I'll take your soul as one of my slaves, but it's barely worth the effort." says Jade as Demise and Theo vanish back into darkness.
Jade turns to Theo's collection of servants. He only brought five of note, the rest are standard bodyguard demons and succubae-blooded prostitutes you can find in any demonic underworld. They are as generic to demonologists as dime-store thugs are to the former Rogues of Gotham. She looks at the more interesting five, who stare at her with fear and awe.
"Your contracts with Theo are now broken. How about some introductions?"
The first servant is tall, muscular African American with brown eyes, dark skin, and shoulder-length black dreadlocks. He's dressed in a red sports shirt and pants with sneakers, and a red/black hoodie. His thick hands wrapped in bandages and a scar on his face indicate he's a boxer.
"Tyrone Jamal Jones – TJ to my friends. I was a professional boxer and MMA fighter. My dad was a gambler and not a good one. The big nasty people he owed money to wanted me to lose a match and dad tried to convince me. I don't lose fights and those guys jumped me. Seriously, it was my worthless father that owed them money!"
Wisps of darkness flow around his wrapped hands. His heightened emotions stirring his power.
"I didn't believe in magic, even with that Giovanni guy, but I was willing to do anything to get my strength back. I sacrificed my father to regain my body." says TJ, as he generates black bands that wrap around his arms. "I also got this ability – Black Bands – which not only protect me like iron bands but strengthen my body."
Queen Jade doesn't raise an eye at the idea of TJ sacrificing his gambler father for power. Demonic rituals often require sacrifice from the one seeking power. What most foolish cultists forget its less about life and souls, but the importance of the victim to the user – be it themselves or their loved ones.
The next is a small Japanese woman standing 152 cm (5') with black eyes, pale skin, and pageboy cut black hair. She is dressed in a black shirt and pants, with black shoes and a hooded black jacket. She has bandages on her wrists and ankles, which reminds Jade of the girls from Ash's ninja girl anime.
"Amaya Kuroda - Amy to my friends. I had very strict traditional parents who wanted me to perfect. They wanted me to get perfect grades, get a perfect, and marry a perfect husband to give birth to perfect heirs to the family. Even when we were forced to move to America, they never let up! The only relief I got was my running and when it became too much, I ran away. I eventually met my girlfriend Sarah who introduced me to parkour."
Jade can see tears under the hood.
"Then the worst day of my life occurred, she died during a supervillain attack, and I was left paralyzed. My parents found me and instead of caring about how I could no longer walk or that I had lost my girlfriend, they were more worried about how they were going to marry off a cripple."
Amy's eyes glow under her hood.
"When a contractor appeared that night, I took the deal. I sacrificed my parents to have the ability walk. I would have resurrected Sarah, but the devil said he couldn't take souls from heaven. In addition to being able to walk, I have something called Shadow Step - I can boost my speed and agility, especially in darkness. I can also run on any surface and teleport through shadows."
The third servant is a Japanese woman standing 175 cm (5'9). She has pale gray eyes, dark tanned skin, and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Unlike Amy who's dressed like a modern ninja girl, she is dressed like miko – a traditional Shinto shrine maiden. The main difference being while her white robe (Hakui) is normal, her pair of hakama is black instead of red. She also wears chihaya, a loose jacket with long kimono-like sleeves, over her regular uniform, which decorated with red spider lilies.
"Sakura Sakuraba. Yes – my former parents lacked creativity. My father was originally a criminal – a yakuza – who gave up the life of violence to become a priest. I grew up to be a star student at my school, even winning awards in kendo and kyudo. I lived a normal life until one of classmates became a vigilante."
Sakura's face is cold and stoic, but the words are filled with ice and hate.
"He was just an otaku, a nerdy fanboy as you Americans would say. He got pushed around by the more popular, but it wasn't even severe bullying like there are in other schools. After he ended up breaking a bone while on his bicycle, he awoke a minor meta-ability. His bones healed and all the bones in his body became thousands of times stronger. He then got it into his head to become a costume vigilante and impress me."
Sakura's eyes are glowing with barely suppressed rage.
"I rejected him many times and when he finally learned he would never have me, he attacked me and my father. He justified his actions, saying my father was a yakuza who escaped proper punishment. He even fatally wounded my father and set the temple ablaze. In order to save me, my father made me call the contractor and sacrifice him, the same way his late brother – my uncle – sacrificed himself to save his brother."
A pure black bow – a black so dark the contours of the bow and string can't be seen –appears in her hand.
"My father's sacrifice allowed me to escape the blaze and I gained the power to create weapons from darkness. I used those weapons to hunt down Yattsukeru and made his death very long and painful."
The masked vigilante's name Yattsukeru literally means Kick-Ass. Sakura is the one that kicked his ass and surgically removed it. Many people have tried to become vigilantes like the Bat Family and Many of failed. Many of them have ended up in many, many pieces.
The fourth servant is a young woman of Irish descent. She is a beautiful lean woman standing 165.11cm (5'5) with blue eyes, pale skin, and long curly red-brown hair. She wears a casual black blouse, black pants, and black shoes with a black jacket.
"Slaine Grace O'Sullivan. No nickname, I just go by Grace. I'm a writer of gothic horror from an Irish Catholic family. I have written many stories that have me compared to Bram Stroker and Lord Dunsany. I even wrote a trilogy of erotic horror that got me banned from my church. My life was normal until me and my family got captured by a bunch of cultists. They wanted to sacrifice us and unfortunately our only hero was a Brit by the name of Constantine.
Many shadow users and denizens of the Shadowlands wince at the name of the infamous Occultist.
Grace creates extendable shadow limbs from her body. There are thirty-six pairs of limbs composed of dark elements that make them look grayscale. Jade's supernatural eyes can see differences in the limbs, as not all of them are female limbs, some are male just distorted. Some of tattoos, some of them have scars, and some of them show signs of having once worn rings. It's clear they weren't originally her limbs.
"I don't remember what happened. I ended up with the limbs of thirty-six victims. I used those limbs to kill the cultists and Constantine tried to stop me. He failed and I ended up in the demon world as a secretary to Deus. When Deus was killed, my owner changed to another in Asmodeus' family. I'm happy to say Theo was the last of Asmodeus' line."
The fifth is a small child under the age of ten years. She is around 138 cm (4'6) with dark brown eyes, dark skin, and long dark brown hair. She's dressed in a simple yellow dress with white socks and black shoes. She is also holding a pad of paper and a set of pens.
"My name is Maria. Mommy and Daddy didn't like me or each other. Daddy likes to drink and gamble, and he wanted money. He said taking care of a child costs too much. Mommy used to party a lot and missed being young and beautiful. Eventually they made this red circle and called Mr. Asmodeus to make a deal. They wanted to sacrifice me to have what they wanted."
She touches a pair of drawings on the paper and the ink drawing becomes animated. They separate themselves from the white paper, floating in the air. They grow and change into full three-dimensional grayscale versions of the drawings. One is a young beautiful woman with long hair that looks like teenage Maria in a party dress. One is a tall muscular man dressed in a fur-lined coat with a crown like a king. The two shadow parents then hug their daughter.
"I made a deal to have what I wanted."
Jade thinks to herself "Shit. I wonder if Ash can ask Rorschach for help. I think I'll be needing a few meta-human psychologists."
*DOOM*
New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Monday, January 19, 2015
Nighttime
3POV
When Priscilla and Max came to New Orleans, it was for mundane reasons. They were looking to buy a few things to improve their new home. While the "Doomsday Bunker" had grown into one of luxurious homes due to Cognito Inc's technology, each of the inhabitants had added their own touch.
Starfire and Blackfire had a sunroom. Anyone uninformed that walks into the chamber would believe they were on a deserted tropical beach with warm sunny skies. It's a simulated environment with custom solar energy projectors, holographic image panels, realistic nano-polymer flora, and sterile white sand. The simulated time, UV radiation levels, temperature, humidity, and wind are computer controlled. Rorschach got his chambers approved by Kryptonians, which is even mentioned in the advertisements.
Raven's unique room looks like a library dedicated to gothic literature complete with dark wood shelves, red chairs and couches, and magic lights that don't produce heat. The shelves are loaded with books ranging from novels and paperbacks to ancient grimoires of shadow magic and scrolls of Azarath. The later she actually hid inside a pocket dimension when she escaped Azarath.
Jade has a unique combination of items for her room. She has video games and an entertainment system, but she also has a collection of mystical items. There are shelves of ancient books and scrolls written in Chinese dialects. There are mystical items from modern, ancient, and mythical eras of China, from lanterns and crystal balls to boxes containing charms and rings.
Rorschach's construction of the chambers combined science and magic. The walls contained special alloy panels covered in microscopic mystical symbols edged by lasers and coated by a protective nano-polymer layer. While normally mystical talismans can have a few symbols printed on them, the plates have millions of symbols which creates an absurdly complex magical protection for both chambers. A complexity made even greater due to it being a mix of Raven's Azarathan symbology, Jade's Ancient Qi Magic, and Rorschach's reality-warping higher-dimension mathematics.
Priscilla and Max decorated their personal chambers with items that remind them of Louisiana and the past of the original Priscilla Kitaen before she was abducted by Cadmus. They resemble the inside of Creole style houses with furniture and decorations that you would find in a twenty-first century house that had been around since the nineteenth century.
Rorschach even included Cognito-brand New Reality Windows. These windows not only absorb solar energy, but they can project false images. People in bad locations and office buildings don't see the bad weather around them, instead the windows display relaxing pleasant views. While outside the chamber is a wall of ferro-concrete, what they see through the windows is the sunny streets of New Orleans.
Priss looks down at the Cookbook in her hands. It contains recipes for all the nostalgic food she grew up with. Gumbo, Jambalaya, Po Boy, Muffuletta, and Beignets. Even red beans and rice, Crawfish Étouffée, and Bananas Foster. Ash doesn't a problem eating any type of food due to his unique anatomy. He can literally eat anything that exists without being harmed or even getting hungry or full. He recently came back from official work in Atlantis with Atlantean food. Priss and Max had to admit Atlantean Oysters tasted amazing, but they wanted to show Ash what they tasted like when prepared the Louisiana way.
"I'm thinking Ash's weird luck is rubbing off on us."
Priss watches as two people stand at the crossroad, while she hides in the shadows.
One is a tall, thin man with dark eyes, coal black skin, and shoulder-length curly black hair. He's dressed in an old-style funeral suit with a top hat and a cane topped by a metal skull. He also has a skull-like mask covering his upper face and is smoking a cigar that is producing very strange smoke. The smoke is tainted green and moves in an unnatural manner even against the faint wind.
The other is a young beautiful Caucasian woman with dark eyes, pale skin, and short black hair. She's dressed as a 1920s Flapper girl complete with a small flat hat.
Loa are the spirits of Louisiana Voodoo or Vaudou louisianais in French. What makes Voodoo a unique religion is it's a fusion of religions of West Africa, the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, and Haitian Vodou. A result of African slaves being forced to hide their original religions and their spirits merging with the legends of saints and angels.
The two are clearly dressed as the Loa - Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte. They are the guardians of the past, of history, and of heritage. They are the heads of the Guede - the family of loa that embody the powers of death and fertility.
"Where y'at?" asks the Baron.
"I'm fine. I'm just picking up a few things for my family."
"Dat is good. Do you have something for me?"
Priss pauses for a second, then remembers that Raven gave her a bottle in a paper bag before she left. She told Priss she would meet someone important in New Orleans and she would need a gift. Considering the depth of Raven's magic and spiritual awareness, she decided to follow her advice.
She pulls out the paper-bagged bottle out of her shopping bag and hands it to the masked man. The Baron pulls out a thick bottle of amber-colored liquid and a pair of glasses. He pours himself a glass of the liquor, which Priss realizes is Spiced Rum. He takes a sip, making a sound of pleasure, before blowing out flame!
Priss's enhanced eyesight sees the label of bottle. Cognito-Brand Spice Rum. Special Baron Brand. Made with Lunar Inferno Red Peppers. Scoville scale: 3.5 million. Mortal consumption is not advised!
"Wonderful. Tell the New Mystery Man, he makes a wonderful Rum." says the Baron, as he and his wife vanish into a mysterious mist.
Some people would be cautious about supernatural, and others would say "Laissez les bon temps rouler" ("let the good times roll").
*DOOM*
New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Nighttime
3POV
Louisiana has a long mysterious history even among the cape community.
In the Nineteenth century New Orleans, the legendary bounty hunter Jonah Hex said goodbye to his lover Adrian Sterling – a beautiful dancer and heiress known as Temple Star. Some claim the Sterlings are descendants of the legendary man of the law.
The city of St. Roch was the home base of masked gunfighter Nighthawk (Hannibal Hawk) and his partner Cinnamon (Kate Manser), whose descendent bounty hunter Hannibal Hawk calls home.
Louisiana is also the current home of the Arcane Family.
Maximilla got information on them from Rorschach. She looks down at her smartphone at the images.
The first screen shows images of a sinister looking man. One is a small, thin man barely over 155 cm (5'1) with black eyes, pale skin, and short white hair dressed in a robe. One photo is a younger version dressed in the black uniform and armband of a Nazi officer. One photo is a version that is barely human, resembling an animated deathly white corpse with a bald head and skull-like face.
Anton Arcane – born in 1875 Belarus - was horrific villain associated with death and decay; a monster that did every crime imaginable from molesting his little sister to attempting to animate the dead. A man that worked for the Nazis during World War II just have more things to experiment on. His obsession with immortality only worsened when he encountered plant elementals like Swamp Thing and other avatars of The Green. He eventually drew power from The Black – the elemental plane of death and decay also known as The Rot. It was Rorschach that finally took Anton off the gameboard when he trapped Anton in a timeless anomaly. All decay, no matter the form, requires time to occur.
The second screen shows image of a young beautiful woman with dark brown eyes and long wavy naturally white hair streaked with black. One photo has her in the arms of an immense muscular humanoid composed of vines and plant life. Another photo shows her transformed with black skin and a body covered in black ribbons. She also has claws and huge wings that allow flight.
Abigail Arcane – Anton's "niece" was a natural psychic who opposed her uncle's evil. She eventually fell in love with Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) – the current Avatar of the Green and representative of the Parliament of Trees. Abigail even gave birth to Swamp Thing's daughter Tefé Holland. This was made possible by Swamp Thing magically controlling the body of John Constantine. Due to the Day of Dragons, all of the Elemental planes have become more active including the Black. To prevent armies of undead abominations or nihilistic beings of decay, Abigail became the Avatar of the Black – The Black Queen.
The third of final screen shows a young boy with green eyes, pale skin, and shoulder-length brown hair. He's wearing a hospital gown and standing in a sealed plastic room. It's the kind of set-up people would refer to "bubble boys".
William Arcane, the younger half-brother of Abby Arcane, was born with a severe allergy to chlorophyll, a biomolecule found in all plant life. Because of his allergy, he has spent his entire life contained in a hermetically sealed container, allowing only filtered chlorophyll free air to be circulated in. He was placed in a hospital in Texas not only to keep him healthy but protect him from the forces of the Rot and his Uncle Anton.
A new vid-window opens to show a man in his late sixties with gray eyes behind glasses, thick white hair, and a thick white beard. In the picture he's holding a cylindrical glass container containing pale green plants with bright purple flowers. What is interesting is the flowers are glowing a soft purple.
"William's destiny changed when Doctor Sieg Johnson returned from Asia. Pharmacognosy is the study of plants and other natural substances as possible sources of drugs. Dr. Johnson had returned with thousands of samples taken from the unique plant life that appeared after the Day of the Dragon. One of the plants was a glowing purple flowering plant that grew in low light and creatures that fed on the planet were strengthened. The concentrated extract had an even more dramatic effect, increasing physical power like the neo-steroid Venom" explains Rorschach's voice in Max's ear.
A video shows a white mouse being injected with a large amount of a bright purple liquid. The soft purple glow spreads through the veins of the small rodent and the mouse becomes huge and grotesquely muscular. It then attacks another mouse and tears it to pieces."
"In small quantities, the drug can accelerate the healing process and enhance the user's constitution. In larger amounts, it can grant superhuman levels of strength, speed, and durability. Excess amounts cause painful transformations. In addition, it causes heightened aggression and loss of cognitive abilities much like Venom users. Prolonged use causes muscle and skin degeneration and increases cancer risk."
"So, what makes it different than Venom and its derivatives other than needing less and being magic purple, instead of black?"
Image of a druggie getting blown back by a fiery explosion. The flames are purple and ironically there is a no smoking sign in the background.
"It's also flammable enough to be considered a fuel source." says Rorschach, "What's important is Doctor Johnson knew about William Arcane from colleagues at the hospital. He theorized that if William was given small doses, his body would adapt and eventually be cured of his life-threatening allergy."
"Instead of waiting a few years, getting the testing and FDA approval like a normal person, he reacted like a mad scientist. He and William's Nurse secretly placed the boy on experimental drug trial. It was showing promising results, when they discovered the drug was highly addictive and caused health problems after long time use. They tried to end the project, but William escaped and stole a case of the drug."
"That brings us too tonight. William Arcane is growing Arcane flowers with the help of a plant manipulator and selling the drug on the streets. Any profit he makes from his illegal business, he uses to expand his business. He calls the drug Arcane Purple after himself, but due to the glow the kids on the street call it Shimmer."
"So why the hell am I taking care of this instead of You or Ash?"
"You know about The Gamer?"
"Your ability?"
"Ever since I added you girls to the Doomsday Clock Party at Ash's request, you girls have been getting solo quests. Most of the time I don't have to say anything like yesterday when your sister made a delivery of Spiced Rum." says Rorschach, "I'm giving you information because while I know you can win, I want you to win without any serious injuries. Ash would get mad If you got hurt."
"So, Gaea is messing with me. Do I at least get a decent reward?"
"A boost in your strength and durability."
"At least Ash won't have to hold back so much during sex."
"Too much information," he said drawing a Memory Gun from his Inventory and pointing it at his head, the screen on the back set for Last 10 Seconds.
*DOOM*
Inside the Warehouse
Minutes later.
3POV
William Arcane has changed a lot since his time in the hospital. He was once a small boy, his food carefully regulated by the hospital and a limited amount of exercise due to limitations on containment. Now he stands over two meters (6'7) in height with a powerful and muscular form. His new body is covered by black sports clothing with a hooded jacket, gloves, and sunglasses. This outfit hides the more negative effects caused by his overuse of the Arcane Purple. His eyes that were once green eyes are purple with blood vessels the same color as the drug. His once pale, but healthy skin is now ashen grey with prominent glowing veins and imperfections hidden by his clothing. Even his long brown hair has changed into a pale purple streaked with dark, a tainted version of his half-sister's hair.
William's partner in crime is a young Chinese woman with green eyes, pale skin, and long black hair streaked with a loch of dark green. She is currently dressed in dark green clothing with a long black coat.
Xiuying was once a criminal in Hong Kong, a chemist that made drugs for the triad, until the infamous Day of the Dragons. The Flowering Wood Dragon's pollen killed all her employers and co-workers, but she survived long enough due to her protective gear. She gained the metahuman ability to stimulate the growth of plants and after reaching America started to grow narcotic plants. She encountered William by chance and easily manipulated the smart, but naïve boy.
Their minions are a mix of two groups. One is a mercenary group that often worked for the Triad. They handle the security and keep things moving smoothly. The other group is an East coast gang that handles the smuggling and distribution of the drugs. Despite the operation being very new, they are already making quick progress.
The head of mercenaries – Bai Chang – runs up to the duo. He's looks identical to his men. Athletic Chinese men in their late twenties to early forties dressed in nondescriptive black clothing. The only difference is his immaculate beard and the fact he's the only one wearing a long cloak.
"We have intruders! Some of my men are not reporting in."
"How many?"
"Half. I just checked. I'm calling in the rest."
Within several minutes, there are twenty mercenaries and ten gang members surrounding the three.
"That's more than half." comments William. "Someone must have been taking tips from the Bat."
Suddenly, the lights go out and there are sounds of shock. When the emergency lights come back on, everyone is still standing.
"Still thirty men, none taken?"
Suddenly, a metal sphere the size of a baseball hits the ground and there is a flash. When the light clears, the thirty men are on the ground and in pain. What's more important is their weapons are now puddles of liquified metal, which are quickly turning into metallic powder. Max drops from the walkway above the group and lands with ease among the downed criminals.
"Cognito Brand Gang-Buster Grenade. Maybe this won't be a complete massacre."
William roars and throws a superhuman punch, only for Max to catch the massive fist with her own. Max's own muscles have grown making her look like a female bodybuilder. She then knocks his arm away and delivers a bone-cracking punch. William's hood and hair are knocked back by the force revealing small tumors and bulging glowing veins on the sides of his face.
William and Max fight while Xiuying can only watch. She may have been strong enough to resist the stunning effect of the grenade, but she is no help in this fight. The low-level Chinese metahuman can greatly accelerate the growth of plants, but she cannot control the growth pattern. This makes her useless in a battle between super powered beings and it doesn't help her hidden gun is now as useful as pocket sand.
After several minutes, it's clear that Max is the superior fighter. William only possesses physical strength and durability, and his entire fighting experience consists of fighting video games. Max on the other hand has been trained by some of the best in the world and even received special training with help from Cognito's resources. Even as a normal human with her training she could mop the floor with most black belts.
William is bruised and bleeding, but he refuses to give up the strength and freedom the drug has granted him. He rips off his sleeve to reveal a device. He lifts the protective cover and clicks a button. In an instant, a system based on Bane's Venom delivery system, injects him a huge dose of Arcane Purple. William roars in pain as more glowing veins appear on his body. William's body swells and grows larger and more grotesquely muscular. He soon stands over 225 cm tall (~7'4.6) with muscles that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Paul Reubens. He charges at Max like a savage animal.
Max dodges his thunderous blows. William quickly becomes frustrated at despite all his strength and physical power; he can't get rid of a one Amazonian woman.
"Why can't I hit you!?"
"All that bulky mutant muscle, it makes you slow." taunts Max, "All that strength and power is useless if you can't land a strike."
William's cognitive abilities were already damaged by the drug use, so him snapping with the potential overdose was not surprising. Foaming at the mouth and eyes glowing brightly, William leaps at Max. Max merely forms an organic blade and blurs past the Berserker.
"Also, all the muscles in the world aren't going to help you if you're sliced open."
Xiuying can only watch in shock as William comes apart after a delay. She knows that according to physics, the anime-style sword cut shouldn't be possible, but she just witnessed it! Max then turns to her and Xuiying is quick to surrender.
*DOOM*
William Arcane's soul floats in darkness and he hears dark distorted voices speaking.
"This one would have been an Avatar of the Black. A powerful one."
"This one would have disrupted the Balance. Stolen our authority."
"This one would have turned the world to a Kingdom of Rot. A foolish one."
"The Red feeds on the Green. The Green feeds on the Black. The Red and Green eventually return to the Black. If there is no life, there is no death. If there is no creation, there is no decay."
"The Queen is wise. Gaea's Gamemaster is smart. Death Tree's Avatar is strong. This one is not."
William Arcane feels the Black consume him. His memories fade away one by one, his ego collapses into nothing. What remains of his soul returns to the cycle of reincarnation, its impact on the mortal world ended.